U/C Upgrades - good price or wait?

[2Tiggies]

I phoned Openride today re. another matter and asked BTW for quotes on upgrades for our October flights from Glasgow with VA.

I have done quite well in the past with great prices at check in desk vs buying ahead of time. I was actually wanting to get an idea of how many seats were left for upgrades as I know these flights are pretty full (no availability in economy).

I prefer the better upgrade to be on the return as it is a night flight and there isn't that anticipation of getting there. Also: EXTRA LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE is an added bonus! I like to do a spot of shopping there .....

There are 20 PE seats left on the outbound (didn't ask about UC on that leg of the trip) @£297 per person.

Return: No PE , but 9 seats UC @£807 per person. (there are 2 of us)

They apply a 10% discount (no discount on additional fuel charge, so comes out at roughly 9%). That would bring the UC total on the return to just over £1400 for both of us.

Is that a reasonable price? I know it varies on many factors. 9 out of 48 seats available indicates IMO that these are going at a fair pace. Do upgrade prices ever drop as you get nearer to departure? Is it something worth keeping an eye on, or is it better to just get them. I have no option of PE on the return as it is full.

 

[torsie24]

£297 isn't too bad for PE 1 way in my opinion....

We are looking at about £500 extra for returns compared to normal price.

I've never paid for an UC flight, so can't comment on the price but I sure would rather sit in a bit of a cramped seat for 8 hours and put £1600 towards my hotel/spending money. My parents fly UC most places but even my dad admits you still can;t sleep properly etc. They are happy to fly PE with us to the wedding as they don't find UC so amazing that they won't turn it down.

 

[2Tiggies]

That makes good sense. I agree about it being a lot of money and my first thought was whether it was worth it.

To be honest, my opinion of PE is it is great if you get it at a good price, but honestly, we have been just as comfortable if not more so, with extra legroom seats purchased at the check in desk.

I was planning to do the upgrade on the way back, but it seems there are no PE seats on the return so its economy or upper. Hmmm, maybe some of the experienced UC travellers will pop on and share their wisdom with me.

 

[oceanscape]

We've never paid more than £200-£275 extra (each way) for PE, so £297 seems a little steep.

As for Upper Class, it's an amazing experience. If you can go for it without sacrificing on your spending money then why not? We've done Upper before but only when I know it won't impact the enjoyment of our trip and the funds we have for spending money/dining/shopping.

 

[2Tiggies]

We've never paid more than £200-£275 extra (each way) for PE, so £297 seems a little steep.

As for Upper Class, it's an amazing experience. If you can go for it without sacrificing on your spending money then why not? We've done Upper before but only when I know it won't impact the enjoyment of our trip and the funds we have for spending money/dining/shopping.

I could probably do the upper without sacrificing spending, but then it would be £1400 towards next year's trip spent on upgrading a flight. Maybe I will chance it at the desk on the day and just accept that if it is not available, it is not available. I have prebooked our seats and I am quite happy with them so I guess it isn't the end of the world. Oh, decisions!!!!

 

[joolz1910]

I've never been, so I don't know what my advice is worth...

I would rather spend £1400 on a hotel upgrade which I would feel the benefits of for 2 weeks, rather than a flight, where I would feel the benefits for 9 hours.

Then again, I wouldn't have the £1400 to spend in the first place.

 

[2Tiggies]

I don't particularly have it to just splash around needlessly. I tend to start putting things into place for my next trip before departing on the upcoming one. So by the time we leave, I will have that money in savings anyway. I have never thought twice about upgrades, but as I said previously, it is PE and done at the check in desk. Last year we paid £149 each for PE upgrades on Easter weekend.

Now that I look at it in text in your responses, maybe I should keep the cash and use it for the next visit. Otherwise I will have to wait longer before we can go again. Still, I always like to keep my options open. I just have no idea if the quote is reasonable or not. I have not done UC on Virgin before so can't compare.

 

[torsie24]

I think you're wise.

If i had enough cash to spend £1400 without it chaning my quality or frequency of trips then I'd go for it.

But that's a week in a hotel for me, and a comfy plane seat for 9 hours doesn't compare to an extra week at AKL.

Maybe one day I'll be able to afford UC without it feeling like a huge chunk out of money for other things, but at the moment i can't justify it.

 

[2Tiggies]

I think you're wise.

If i had enough cash to spend £1400 without it chaning my quality or frequency of trips then I'd go for it.

But that's a week in a hotel for me, and a comfy plane seat for 9 hours doesn't compare to an extra week at AKL.

Maybe one day I'll be able to afford UC without it feeling like a huge chunk out of money for other things, but at the moment i can't justify it.

Maybe one of your guests will get you UC as part of your wedding present.

 

[torsie24]

Maybe one of your guests will get you UC as part of your wedding present.

Aaahahaha, I wish.