Virgin Australia Multi-City Booking

[proskyneo]

I've used the Qantas multi-city tool a few times and thought it'd be quite similar with Virgin Australia. However, I just tried to do it and unlike the Qantas multi-city tool, I can literally only book 2 flights, for example xx_-YYY and then YYY (or ZZZ (3rd city))-AAA (4th city). On Qantas of course, I can book xx_-YYY-ZZZ-AAA-BBB and so forth.

I couldn't see an 'add flight' button anywhere and was wondering if there is any way to book on Virgin Australia the way I can do so on Qantas?

My actual desired routing is very simple, HBA-MEL, MEL-BNE, BNE-HBA and would love it to be on the one ticket.

Note: I don't intend to make the booking just yet, but wanted to use the tool on both QF and DJ to compare.

 

[loobloke]

You can do 3 segments on most online TA website.

eg: Cheap Flights, International Flights - Jetabroad

A TA can always help you out more.

Goodluck

 

[lazybones1987]

My actual desired routing is very simple, HBA-MEL, MEL-BNE, BNE-HBA and would love it to be on the one ticket.

You need to contact their call center for this one. I believe they would honor internet rates when you book.

 

[markis10]

. On Qantas of course, I can book xx_-YYY-ZZZ-AAA-BBB and so forth.

You cant, Qantas Multi City bookings are limited to 4 cities, not the 5 you have in your example.

 

[proskyneo]

You cant, Qantas Multi City bookings are limited to 4 cities, not the 5 you have in your example.

Ahh my bad, I must just mean AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-AAA.

Just thought that Virgin Australia would also have this sort of function! - maybe in due time.

 

[sail0r]

now I can't even get an international destination to come up on muti city with VA's site. I can if I do one way or return, but to a smaller regional airport in NZ, the VA engine just says that there are no flights available.
VA site says "If you need to make a booking that contains a multi-city international flight, please contact the Guest Contact Centre for more information."

 

[blackcat20]

now I can't even get an international destination to come up on muti city with VA's site. I can if I do one way or return, but to a smaller regional airport in NZ, the VA engine just says that there are no flights available.
VA site says "If you need to make a booking that contains a multi-city international flight, please contact the Guest Contact Centre for more information."

You cant do an international multi-city booking with VA online; phone is and always has been the only option... but they do usually waive the phone booking fee.

 

[Simo]

Yep that is a problem with VA web site.

I have a trip coming up just not sure of dates yet but will be over 4 destinations so will book on QF as I can do it and not a TA.

 

[grubbidok]

*bump* Sigh... this at lest was something I thought would finally be achievable after the Sabre transition. Surely open-jaw trips aren't that uncommon that this known VA issue is still ongoing (unless I'm missing something?). Major limitation of their website (and as someone who avoids phoning airlines wherever possible means I will most likely choose another airline for SYD-DUD;ZQN-SYD trip).

 

[esquire]

Being in Perth I usually try and visit two office locations over East. The old multi-city was still inferior to QF (only allowed 1 different location) but at least it made the cc fees tolerable. Now it takes too long to book and as such when I have a multi-city booking I don't even look at VA anymore.

And like you I am not phoning to make a booking. Simple really.

 

[Fruitcake]

(and as someone who avoids phoning airlines wherever possible means I will most likely choose another airline for SYD-DUD;ZQN-SYD trip).

In this particular case. I'm not sure VA will mind too much, given the trans-tasman revenue sharing alliance they will still see at least some your cash regardless of your choice of marketing carrier, operating carrier and ticketing carrier (only NZ/VA do SYD-DUD AFAIK).

FWIW you wouldn't have been able to book this on the old website anyway, I'm fairly sure the online "multisector" tool was strictly domestic only.

 

[grubbidok]

In this particular case. I'm not sure VA will mind too much, given the trans-tasman revenue sharing alliance they will still see at least some your cash regardless of your choice of marketing carrier, operating carrier and ticketing carrier (only NZ/VA do SYD-DUD AFAIK).

FWIW you wouldn't have been able to book this on the old website anyway, I'm fairly sure the online "multisector" tool was strictly domestic only.

Actually... having priced NZ and QF the QF flights are cheaper if I want to have luggage included (which I do need), so they do in fact lose out (though the NZ domestic QF codeshare is admittedly on NZ metal). In domestic NZ is just as much a codeshare partner for QF as it is on VA, it's just the TT routes that VA has the edge and the close relationship. I won't get points or SCs on the NZ legs, but IIRC I wouldn't get VA points/SCs either on the VA/NZ domestic codeshare legs on the Saver or Saver lite tickets anyway. I don't lose much by going QF - there are always options.

You are right though, VA does have the only direct Oz flight to DUD (via BNE, with SYD and MEL flights over Christmas)

I knew the website was unable to do this previously, but I did think that being able to do this kind of thing was what the whole Sabre transition was supposed to be about. I guess my frustration is that not only have they made a balls-up of what used to work well, but we haven't even been given the things the whole process and pain was supposed to deliver!

 

[Fruitcake]

Good points, grubbidok. Sorry, I had assumed you would be more interested in flying direct - a crazy assumption on AFF, I know .

 

[grubbidok]

Good points, grubbidok. Sorry, I had assumed you would be more interested in flying direct - a crazy assumption on AFF, I know .

Ha, actually you're kind of right in your assumption. If I didn't need to fly on another day apart from the direct flight days (Tue, Thu) I would have just taken my medicine and probably sucked it up!

 

[blackcat20]

You cant do an international multi-city booking with VA online; phone is and always has been the only option... but they do usually waive the phone booking fee.

Or not apparently. Someone I know rang to make a multi-city booking to the US and they refused to waive the fee... Not a good look for VA.

 

[burmans]

Or not apparently. Someone I know rang to make a multi-city booking to the US and they refused to waive the fee... Not a good look for VA.

Very poor indeed, we'll charge you for our own rubbish system not being up to the job.

 

[atreides]

From experience they will wave the GSC fee for multi city bookings.

 

[eastwest101]

From experience they will wave the GSC fee for multi city bookings.

Still not possible in 2014, I found a thread where the old Virgin Rep said that the lack of VA domestic multicity bookings is "a hangover from our LCC days and should be fixed by 2010" - given its now 2014 and VA now has had Sabre for almost a year, would it be too much to expect that a domestic multicity booking tool is available on the VA web site? Believe it or not, some people in the world may want to visit more than one place and return to the same city, or heaven forbid, a different city.

I am sure the VA call centre people have got better things to do than talk me through all the flight times/options and dates and prices of a 3 city multistop booking!

And no - I don't want to book through another site like Zuji or Expedia because if it all goes wrong or pear shaped with weather, cancellations and delays or missed connections I want to be able to fix it myself with VA staff, not try to find someone in a call centre whom does not care about my situation because they already have my money.

 

[esquire]

Still not possible in 2014, I found a thread where the old Virgin Rep said that the lack of VA domestic multicity bookings is "a hangover from our LCC days and should be fixed by 2010" - given its now 2014 and VA now has had Sabre for almost a year, would it be too much to expect that a domestic multicity booking tool is available on the VA web site? Believe it or not, some people in the world may want to visit more than one place and return to the same city, or heaven forbid, a different city.

I am sure the VA call centre people have got better things to do than talk me through all the flight times/options and dates and prices of a 3 city multistop booking!

And no - I don't want to book through another site like Zuji or Expedia because if it all goes wrong or pear shaped with weather, cancellations and delays or missed connections I want to be able to fix it myself with VA staff, not try to find someone in a call centre whom does not care about my situation because they already have my money.

i would estimate (probably underestimating here too) that VA has lost more than $100K from both myself and 7 staff over the last 18months since there is no multi-city function. Most of our projects are rapid visits to multiple sites/offices in a week and nearly all flexi style fares - so we just go straight to QF online to book.

I guess I have VA to thank for Plat1 again this year.....!

 

[eastwest101]

.... Most of our projects are rapid visits to multiple sites/offices in a week and nearly all flexi style fares - so we just go straight to QF online to book.

That's a massive "own goal" by VA there. As it happens I was looking a only a moderately complex family trip but the lack of multi-city VA booking online means that I can go to the QF site and price up the same itinerary with QF and then I know exactly how much it will cost. If the price is similar whats to stop me just pushing the button, booking QF and just flying with QF? As someone whom is slightly more inclined and invested in the VA ecosystem, than in the QF ecosystem it has got me rethinking who will get my $$ for these flights and that is certainly not the intention of VA I bet. And that's before we even get into the whole "will they or won't they try to charge assistance fees booking these flights over the phone?" conversation.

I assume most people if they do call VA up with specific dates and flights, they just start the phone call with "Because your website cannot do it I will not be paying extra booking fees for the following flights?" :?:

So your comments also supports my point, if VA want to be taken seriously as a business or a leisure airline, then you better have an efficient way of booking multi-city flights on-line. Because your competitor already allows people to do that and your rubbish website is handing customers over to your competitor.