New options to upgrade with Virgin Australia & Velocity Frequent Flyer

[Moopere]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

I’m inevitably given the option of buying an upgrade to Business on a sliding scale where it starts around the same price as the original fare rising to double the price of the discounted fare. However as others have observed, the price & class increase does not come with additional status credits etc.

What I want to find out is: in % terms, what is the price range for business upgrades from a Virgin Flexi fares relative to the price of the Flexi ticket that was originally bought? That will enable me to assess whether it is worth doing the buy upgrade thing and also how that relates to a points based upgrade (which of course is only available from the Flexi).

Points upgrades are available from SAver fares now too:

UpgradeMe Points | Velocity Frequent Flyer


I can't quite get my head around your question though. Do you want to know the rough price range per SC for saver fares + upgrademe$ that gets you into business?

 

[Reise]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

Thanks for the response Moopere -

At the moment if I get a flight BNE-POM it will cost say $300 and bidding for an upgrade starts at $300 rising to about $600 i.e. 100% to 200% of the original fair.

A full flexi fare will cost around something like $400 what I want to know is what price the upgrades are (without actually booking one as my next three return trips are already locked in).

Unfortunately most people won't be travelling this route so ideally if someone can tell me for another route what the upgrade bid range is for an upgrade as a % of their original fare that will give me the information I am looking for. E.g. if the upgrade range were to start at say 25% of the original fare price, then in my case then it might be worth paying the extra $100 for the full fair and pick up the SCs.

Hope that makes it clearer.

 

[Moopere]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

A full flexi fare will cost around something like $400 what I want to know is what price the upgrades are (without actually booking one as my next three return trips are already locked in).

Unfortunately most people won't be travelling this route so ideally if someone can tell me for another route what the upgrade bid range is for an upgrade as a % of their original fare that will give me the information I am looking for. E.g. if the upgrade range were to start at say 25% of the original fare price, then in my case then it might be worth paying the extra $100 for the full fair and pick up the SCs.

Oh right. I haven't had more than a cursory glance at the upgrademe bid thing yet, I will do, but time is always against me. I'd have thought you'd get a decent peek at the upgrade bid price range without actually booking one .. so, I'd have thought that your current bookings, if they are eligible for upgrade me bid, would allow you to go down that path up to the point of actually pressing the 'i agree button' and give you the information you are after ... the range.

Perhaps its a big assumption on my behalf, been guilty of this plenty of times before Have you given it a try?

 

[Reise]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

Sorry not to response sooner Moopere. The upgrademe bid thing is only available after you have purchased a ticket - i.e. you buy your ticket and then you can see what is available and the price.

 

[smit0847]

Does anyone know if you can use points to upgrade to J when the Saver fares have been booked using the Virgin Flyer 2-4-1 deal?

 

[Coops1]

Does anyone know if you can use points to upgrade to J when the Saver fares have been booked using the Virgin Flyer 2-4-1 deal?

Yes, but for me it was a ridiculous amount of points....17000pts HBA-SYD. Which is nearly the same as a Business Reward anyways. You can Upgrade Me Premium bid as well, but again it was $300 minimum HBA-SYD.

 

[Intra]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

So frustrated with Virgins Upgrade system.

I can see there are 11 business seats available for the upcoming PER-MEL flight I am on later this week.

Yet each time I phone up to request the upgrade I am told that there are no 'upgrade option' seats available.

The fact I am Platinum with a Fully Flex fare seems to mean absolutely nothing aswell.

After this flight I will have made the wife reach Platinum, so back to Qantas I go where there is far less drama when requesting an upgrade and can enjoy the nice new A330 business suites..

How can you see there are 11 seats available? Please don't tell me you are using the flights seat map....

 

[Ausbt]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

so back to Qantas I go where there is far less drama when requesting an upgrade and can enjoy the nice new A330 business suites..

Far less drama? Hah! You must love waiting until two days prior for confirmation, haggling with the check in staff about seat changes made arbitrarily to your upgraded bookings and on occasion only having the upgrade processed at the boarding gate - all my experiences with Q's upgrade 'system'. Or maybe you are a WP1 none of that applies to you.

 

[greenfish]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

Far less drama? Hah! You must love waiting until two days prior for confirmation, haggling with the check in staff about seat changes made arbitrarily to your upgraded bookings and on occasion only having the upgrade processed at the boarding gate - all my experiences with Q's upgrade 'system'. Or maybe you are a WP1 none of that applies to you.

Eh? Domestic upgrades are confirmed at the time they are requested on QFd....

 

[kevrosmith]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

Eh? Domestic upgrades are confirmed at the time they are requested on QFd....

Only if a fare is available in U class. VA is the same: if a Classic Reward seat is available, then upgrade is confirmed at time of request.

QF is a bit better at wait-listing a QFd upgrade if U isn't available straight away, and then their yield management system must do a good job of releasing J fares for requested upgrades, as I've had a good success rate of upgrades using this method when U wasn't available straight away.

Agree that VA seems to be a bit more stingy on this, though I get the impression that the Lounge will process a points upgrade if J seats available. Your best bet might be to get to the Lounge a bit earlier. If you're using ExpertFlyer, you'll be able to see how may J fares are still available. VA don't make their Reward fare class publicly available through EF, unlike QF.

 

[serfty]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

So frustrated with Virgins Upgrade system.

I can see there are 11 business seats available for the upcoming PER-MEL flight I am on later this week.

Yet each time I phone up to request the upgrade I am told that there are no 'upgrade option' seats available.

The fact I am Platinum with a Fully Flex fare seems to mean absolutely nothing aswell ...

Welcome to AFF

Can you book an award seat in business on the target flight? Business awards and upgrade both book into the same fare bucket (Z).

That's what I do to check before booking the flex fare; generally if there are business class award seats available then you can book the flex and immediately upgrade into them.

Given the flight is later this week you may not be able to find a flight to 'flex' into, I can only suggest you keep trying.

Also, you may still be able to ugrade using the "on departure" system in the lounge - that may be done up to 40 minutes before the flight (although, the sooner you get to the lounge the better your chances may be).

How to upgrade using UpgradeMe Points - Domestic Flights

 

[Captain hum]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

So frustrated with Virgins Upgrade system.

I can see there are 11 business seats available for the upcoming PER-MEL flight I am on later this week.

Yet each time I phone up to request the upgrade I am told that there are no 'upgrade option' seats available.

The fact I am Platinum with a Fully Flex fare seems to mean absolutely nothing aswell.

After this flight I will have made the wife reach Platinum, so back to Qantas I go where there is far less drama when requesting an upgrade and can enjoy the nice new A330 business suites..

Are you trying to upgrade with one of your 'free' domestic upgrade coupons?

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Re: UpgradeMe? (Rebranding, bidding)

Just had a business class upgrademe bid accepted for $305 which seemed quite good value for a 4-5 hour fight (PER-BNE, A330), I wasn't expecting to get it when I bid the minimum amount.

 

[Denali]

In the Sydney lounge and hubby met someone he knows who tells us he upgraded to J with a one way, Sydney to Hobart bid of $300.

I thought ouch when he told me that but he was super excited to be in the lounge and looking forward to his flight.

He then was asking me lots of questions about status so I pointed him this way.