Seat selection in new system?

[Deleted member 29185]

I'm noticing seat selection only occasionally works during the booking process. Roughly, 50% of the time and as SG, row7 back (forward exit rows are now my preferred choice despite the lack of recline).

 

[smit0847]

As a gold VFF, I have no issues with the current seat allocation changes. Such is life. What will really tee me off is if check-in start allocating red or non member flyers, forward seats on late check-in whilst air travel saavy golds and silvers stay languishing in > row 7.

Effectively disadvantaging their mid tier elites for being organised with their check-in. Hopefully that won't happen, but VA have demonstrated their ability to struggle with the concept of a loyalty programme from time to time........

I completely agree - Golds should not be punished for being organised. Golds may not fly every week, but fly often enough that they have a fairly organised procedure for arriving at the airport, and getting there 2 hours before check-in just to try and get Row 3/4/5 is not part of that procedure. I have a pretty smooth process for flying now and dont want to be held up by once-a-year morons that get to the airport 2 hours before their flight and are now seated in front of me.

I would have thought a fair and obvious system would be:

T-14 days - WP can select 3-5, SG can select 6 and back etc
T-48 hours when OCLI opens - WP and SG can both select rows 3 and back
At the airport - anyone can ask for whatever they want.

I find it very hard to believe there are 24 WPs/WP guests on each flight.

 

[oz_mark]

dont want to be held up by once-a-year morons that get to the airport 2 hours before their flight and are now seated in front of me.

Exactly why are they morons?

 

[notzac]

I would have thought a fair and obvious system would be:

T-14 days - WP can select 3-5, SG can select 6 and back etc
T-48 hours when OCLI opens - WP and SG can both select rows 3 and back
At the airport - anyone can ask for whatever they want.

I'd agree with that (though perhaps not necessarily the last one) - also, keep in mind that a number of seats in the forward part of the Y cabin are held for airport allocation in case they're needed for folk with mobility issues, so VA aren't expecting 24 Platinums + guests on each flight.

As a general observation, there is an awful lot of kvetching and hyperbole in this thread -- I assume y'all have written to VA to lodge a complaint about the lack of access to the first few rows of Y when OLCI opens?

 

[bullerdude]

I completely agree - Golds should not be punished for being organised. Golds may not fly every week, but fly often enough that they have a fairly organised procedure for arriving at the airport, and getting there 2 hours before check-in just to try and get Row 3/4/5 is not part of that procedure. I have a pretty smooth process for flying now and dont want to be held up by once-a-year morons that get to the airport 2 hours before their flight and are now seated in front of me.

I would have thought a fair and obvious system would be:

T-14 days - WP can select 3-5, SG can select 6 and back etc
T-48 hours when OCLI opens - WP and SG can both select rows 3 and back
At the airport - anyone can ask for whatever they want.

I find it very hard to believe there are 24 WPs/WP guests on each flight.

Row 3 should remain a defined Plat only benefit, but it would be OK if Golds could get Row 4-6 at T-48.

Also, Plat, gold, silver should be able to select seats at anytime from when the flight is booking - this is what the T+Cs currently state but as everyone knows the system doesn't work for this yet.

As a side note, I've been on MEL-SYD flights where according to the flight attendants over half the passengers had status.

 

[medhead]

.

. Personally I prefer the treatment Golds get on Qantas.

Which is row 10 for advanced seat selection, is it not?

Next time you ring - point them to the velocity website - as is now says you can select seats at any point in time.


Seating Preferences

• Enjoy a preferred selection of seats from reserved zones according to your Velocity status on flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia.
• Advance Seat Selection can be accessed at time of booking or at time of check-in for your flight, and is at all times subject to availability of requested seats.

Preferential Seating

• Enjoy a preferred selection of seats from reserved zones according to your Velocity status on flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia.
• Advance Seat Selection is at all times subject to availablility of requested seats.

Actually it does not say you can select seats at anytime. Only at booking or during check in.

I find it very hard to believe there are 24 WPs/WP guests on each flight.

Maybe not guests. But guests plus shadows is going to be more like it.

 

[clarkkent]

Put it this way. If AFF is a representative sample of outspoken frequent flyers, the relative amount of complaining about an issue should be indicative of whether it is a major problem. By this measure, access to row 3 was simply not a major issue. Obviously anyone who has gained from the changes will have post-hoc justifications for keeping it that way - but by and large most platinums and golds were sufficiently happy with the way it was to praise it as a nice thing about flying Virgin, or at least not complain about it publicly.

 

[serfty]

Which is row 10 for advanced seat selection, is it not?
...

... on 737's ... Until T-80 ... when availability opens right up, including row 4 - unlike VA currently.

No one aware of the DJ fare rules and the full ramifications of checking-in online is going to do so unless there is an offsetting benefit such as an opportunity to improve seat selection.

I am on a flexi Sunday (it was $10 more than a saver on the same flight) - I won't be checking in until I am at the airport - looks like row 13 for this SG.

 

[medhead]

... on 737's ...

A given since we are comparing with VA and the desire to gain row 3 on their aircraft.

Until T-80 ... when availability opens right up, including row 4 - unlike VA currently.

Unless platinum/P1/CL/ anyone > SG have got row 4 first. Either way gold needs to seek a better seat later. So I fail to see how starting in row 10 is better that starting in row 7.

No one aware of the DJ fare rules and the full ramifications of checking-in online is going to do so unless there is an offsetting benefit such as an opportunity to improve seat selection.

I am on a flexi Sunday (it was $10 more than a saver on the same flight) - I won't be checking in until I am at the airport - looks like row 13 for this SG.

Yet, with my existing bookings the path of least hassle as a platinum is to check in to get row 3 seating. A benefit vs potential loss of fare.

 

[bullerdude]

Actually it does not say you can select seats at anytime. Only at booking or during check in.

Your right about the line under seating preferences, but see the line under Preferential Seating:

Preferential Seating
- Enjoy a preferred selection of seats from reserved zones according to your Velocity status on flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia.
- Advance Seat Selection is at all times subject to availablility of requested seats.

That's enough for me to argue with Velocity until I get my selected seats.

 

[medhead]

Your right about the line under seating preferences, but see the line under Preferential Seating:



That's enough for me to argue with Velocity until I get my selected seats.

That doesn't say that you can select seats at any time. It says that seat selection is subject to availability, at all times.

 

[eastwest101]

Next time you ring - point them to the velocity website - as is now says you can select seats at any point in time.


Seating Preferences

• Enjoy a preferred selection of seats from reserved zones according to your Velocity status on flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia.
• Advance Seat Selection can be accessed at time of booking or at time of check-in for your flight, and is at all times subject to availability of requested seats.

Preferential Seating

• Enjoy a preferred selection of seats from reserved zones according to your Velocity status on flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia.
• Advance Seat Selection is at all times subject to availablility of requested seats.

Like a lot of poorly written T&C's there are a number of ways to interpret their meaning for preferential seating. The way I read it - for preferential seating - the key phrase is "subject to availablility of requested seats". That is - are the seats available? You would expect that VA would argue that those particular seats are not available (yet?). For seating preferences - this is where they mention Advance Seat Selection and the availibility of.

Me confused a little?

So whom has an advanced degree in "hair splitting" here?

 

[jneufeld]

That doesn't say that you can select seats at any time. It says that seat selection is subject to availability, at all times.

That's how I read it too. It says that seat selection is available at time of booking or check-in, subject to seating availability.

 

[eastwest101]

That's how I read it too. It says that seat selection is available at time of booking or check-in, subject to seating availability.

That was how I understood it as well, but I would guess that seat selection is still not reliably available on the VA web site at the moment?

 

[Comoman]

Just tried to book Per-Syd next week and it says seat selection not available. Seats will be assigned at checkin. This is for business on A330!

 

[hydrabyss]

Just tried a dummy booking and could select seats for the Syd-Per but not Per-Syd.I have had this show up for some flights on other routes in J.

 

[Comoman]

Earlier today no seats at all available to purchase, now seats available to purchase but I can't choose my seat. This is with a $2200 business fare which I really want to send Virgin's way.

I really hope someone from VA is reading this because this really is getting out of hand.

Note to Lovestotravel - don't bother to reply.....

 

[Bolthead]

....I have a pretty smooth process for flying now and dont want to be held up by once-a-year morons that get to the airport 2 hours before their flight and are now seated in front of me.....

I think morons is a bit tough to describe non frequent flyers...... my son is a non frequent flyer and considering he has a Bachelor Degree in Social Science and Economics and a Masters in International Studies with a major in Asian studies, I think he would disagree that he would be labelled a moron. I am sure he would love to discuss this with you but hang on..... that's right..... he just took his once a year plane trip to Shanghai where he lives and works. (and he is 23 years old)

I digress...... back to the thread...

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Just tried to book Per-Syd next week and it says seat selection not available. Seats will be assigned at checkin. This is for business on A330!

I can take this to the next step. A number of bookings (J & -Y) and I can't allocate seats on the outbound flight but can on the return........on the same PNR at the same time.

I've also selected exit row seating (tomorrow) only to check-in today to see seat allocation changes from (738) fwd exit row to 5C. I'm not annoyed at all, but how does this work? Are VA staff playing two-up with seat selection? (If they are, I'd love to join in).

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Earlier today no seats at all available to purchase, now seats available to purchase but I can't choose my seat. This is with a $2200 business fare which I really want to send Virgin's way.

I really hope someone from VA is reading this because this really is getting out of hand.

Today, I experienced two similar but separate booking issues.

Go to book J Rtn reward seats to find ALL flights on inbound search unavailable for booking. Bugger, I thought. Too late. So I searched the next day, heaps of availabilty across the whole day. Why.......first day was nothing special. (Using the date tabs across the top of the table, so not an input error on my behalf), I clicked back a day again, only to find them all available! WTf....

Second issue, looking for flights, holy heck.......> $300 OOL-CBR, no cheapies at all, all day! Showing cheap flight availability on Webjet so check back again and all fares (including the cheapies) available and between $101 and $130 each! WTf (again).........

I'm currently having a drink.....which BTW, I think the VA webmaster must be doing as well!