How do VA manage their upgrade requests?

[R36snowbound]

I fly VA a bit, up to 930 status credits and still have 4 months to my renewal date.

The one thing that I don't get with VA is I have requested to upgrade from Y to J using points on numerous occasions only to be told that there is no availability by the lounge angels.

I then board my flight and sometimes J is only half full.

Seems silly to me to have empty J seats when gold or platinum members want to upgrade, have the required amount of points but are told it can't be done.

To say passangers are not very complimentary to VA after finding out how many J seats were empty on their flight is an understatement.

Why can'y VA do upgrades at the gate?

Can someone explain how VA manage this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bagpuss]

I fly VA a bit, up to 930 status credits and still have 4 months to my renewal date.

The one thing that I don't get with VA is I have requested to upgrade from Y to J using points on numerous occasions only to be told that there is no availability by the lounge angels.

I then board my flight and sometimes J is only half full.

Seems silly to me to have empty J seats when gold or platinum members want to upgrade, have the required amount of points but are told it can't be done.

To say passangers are not very complimentary to VA after finding out how many J seats were empty on their flight is an understatement.

Why can'y VA do upgrades at the gate?

Can someone explain how VA manage this?

Thanks in advance.

Reasons could be:
Business travellers have cancelled at the last minute.
They have upgraded a few in the lounge already and not want to take a risk of complaints of food selection. (If you upgrade at the lounge, you are not confirmed the meal choice you select. They do "over cater" and the catering is set in stone a number of hours ahead.)
On a a330 they tend to have dedicated crew members for business. If they are on reduced crew members, you could get turned away.
The lounge member may not be interested in conducting the upgrade
Reasons known to something/someone, but not anything/anyone else.

 

[clipped_wings]

On VA long haul, no-one gets an upgrade from Y to J, you are only considered if you've paid a Flexi or Premium Economy fare. And they do mention in their T&C's that operations and aircraft variables will often result in empty cabins, so I guess there is no definitive answer, sorry.

It's a constant source of frustration for all Frequent Flyers, you do all the right things in anticipation of a reward, but when it come to cashing in, there's always a catch.............

 

[davidsilver]

I've only ever requested upgrade at the lounge 3 times and have always been successful. Once was even approved into a cabin with 6 others. All of these have been with the catering not assured sticker

But I agree it does seem silly to fly with empty cabin if someone, regardless of status, wants to upgrade at the lounge.

 

[R36snowbound]

Thanks for the responses.
I agree with the points raised about the A330 flights.
For the 737 flights, this I think VA should devise a way of managing these requests better.