Virgin Atlantic reserved seats now not reserved

gibbyni

We booked flights to Vegas fir this November and booked our seats, near the back of the 747 on the right hand side where the seats are 2 4 2. I keep looking every now and again just to see how full the flight is. I just logged on and our seats where gone. I phoned up customer services and all the would say is that they where taken by the "Airport Authority" and we had the pick of some of the worst seats on the aircraft. Needless to say I have just sent them an email asking why we where not told about the change and giving off about the seats we ended up with.

Has this happened to anyone else? and how can they be taken by the airport authority? I could understand if they changed the aircraft or something but to just change it without telling us :mad::mad:

pennylane99

when you choose your seats on Virgin, its not guaranteed you will get them, its just a request, not a confirmed seat

Also I think some of those seats in rows of 2 at the back, are also being reconfigured as extra legroom seats, for which you have to pay more

debs66_2

nothing new here. i was posting re this subject a few weeks ago.

we booked a family of 4 last september (on the first day available for the flights), and as a (expensive!) treat upgraded us all to premium economy (eldest daughter's last holiday with us). we had enough virgin flying club points to pay 'miles plus money' for 3 of us, so the rep said we had to book as two separate bookings, but she would link us. we immediately selected the 2 sets of 2 seats at the back of the premium economy cabin, by the window.

roll on this june, a few weeks before we head out, and a chance check of our booking showed my single seat had moved. we too called cutomer services and were told our booking of 3 had been put on the 2nd to back row in the middle. i was out of sight, three rows ahead on my own. the plane had been changed and our seat selection reselected by the company, disregarding our linked booking.

we were told there was nothing they could do at the time, but we were to keep checking online as a row is always held back 'for situations like this', and could also ask at check in.

at no point up to our flight did it become possible to reselect our seats. when we tried, a window said the seats would be allocated at check in.

despite a prem econ selling point being dedicated check in, we still arrived 3 hours before the flight and were all smart and polite, but they didn't give a flying fig - either at check in, or at the kiosk. we were just told that the flight was full so they couldn't move us.

we had been previously told it was a Virgin policy not to split families, but they had no policy of putting them back together. we were also told seats are not guaranteed, and seemed tongue tied when i asked why other people's seats WERE guaranteed - - afterall, the only reason we couldn't be moved was because other people had seats saved for them. they still haven't grasped that part of my complaint.

so, over £4,200 worth of flights, and i spend 11 hours sitting on my own between 2 complete strangers. i did manage to move the row behind my family by finding a passenger willing to swap. on the way back another kind passenger moved so i could at least have one of my daughters with me.

Virgin sucked. just cut up my new amex. they can stuff their points.

donny_osmonds_mad_fan

it is all a bit early but seems weird they have blocked off those for airport authority....

most airlines block off seats towards the front of the aircraft but have those blocked prior to the flight going live to reserve your seats.

we always use to put immigration griefy cases at the back of the plane with their guards and block some rows in front but it wouldnt be for that as most immigration cases are on the day jobbys lol and would hardly be to vegas lol

must say one of the worse flights i ever experienced was a virgin flight back from vegas....kind of put me off forever more

David_Bicker

Like has been said, Virgin only take seating requests. If it's your eldest daughter's last holiday with you I'm guessing that any other children are also fairly old? If that is the case then I'd assume that it is Virgin's policy to not split up families with juniors (say under 12's)?

With regard the seating rows being held back - I highly doubt that BAA or any other authority have anything to do with this - they always hold back a certain % for those that wish to check-in on line and I know that Virgin started doing this at the back as well as the front of the economy section. They are also making extra legroom seats on the Gatwick fleet.

Donny's Fan....please don't let your Virgin flight from Vegas tarnish your view on the whole company. It's well documented elsewhere that the Gatwick fleet are tatty planes - let me asure you that out of Heathrow their fleet is fantastic!

gibbyni

David_Bicker wrote: »

With regard the seating rows being held back - I highly doubt that BAA or any other authority have anything to do with this - they always hold back a certain % for those that wish to check-in on line and I know that Virgin started doing this at the back as well as the front of the economy section. They are also making extra legroom seats on the Gatwick fleet.

He said on the phone a couple of times that it was the airport authority who unreserved them but he could well have been telling porkies. I wouldnt have minded if we had been told that they had taken them away, we could then have chosen our seats ourselves instead we got the last 2 seats together on the flight out. We booked it at the end of last year and up untill about 4 weeks ago they where still there:mad:

As for the flights themselves, this will be our 3rd time with them to vegas and to be honest I dont think there all that bad. the flight home is always worse than the flight going but I think thats cos everyone knows there holidays over.

Summercherry

Thank you soo much for this thread. I am travelling to Florida in October and booked my flight in December 2007 and also booked the seats at the same time. Because of this thread, I have just looked at my seats and they have been moved outbound AND inbound I am fuming! My son is autistic and he has to have a window seat so he can see what is going on otherwise all hell will break loose. Now we dont have window seats and there is nothing they can do because both flights are fully booked. There once was a time when travelling trans-atlantic I would insist on only using Virgin because of the superior service they offered. I travelled to Las Vegas last year and then ran out of alcohol after an hour and the stewards/esses only came round a couple times during the whole flight. If any of the passengers wanted drinks we had to queue up at the galley and get them ourselves I had never heard of this before on a Virgin flight and in the old days had to tell them to stop comming round because they offered drinks and food constantly, the service was second to none. After this I don't think I will book Virgin again.

And all I can say is the person who is now sitting next to my son for the duration of the flight isn't going to be in with a good flight and neither am I!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

gibbyni

Summercherry wrote: »

Thank you soo much for this thread. I am travelling to Florida in October and booked my flight in December 2007 and also booked the seats at the same time. Because of this thread, I have just looked at my seats and they have been moved outbound AND inbound I am fuming! My son is autistic and he has to have a window seat so he can see what is going on otherwise all hell will break loose. Now we dont have window seats and there is nothing they can do because both flights are fully booked. There once was a time when travelling trans-atlantic I would insist on only using Virgin because of the superior service they offered. I travelled to Las Vegas last year and then ran out of alcohol after an hour and the stewards/esses only came round a couple times during the whole flight. If any of the passengers wanted drinks we had to queue up at the galley and get them ourselves I had never heard of this before on a Virgin flight and in the old days had to tell them to stop comming round because they offered drinks and food constantly, the service was second to none. After this I don't think I will book Virgin again.

And all I can say is the person who is now sitting next to my son for the duration of the flight isn't going to be in with a good flight and neither am I!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Are you flying from gatwick or heathrow, and what seats did you have. Mine where 2 rows from the back on the right hand side, where its 2-4-2.

Summercherry

Gatwick, and same as you but on the left. My son can be unpredictable and to save other passengers if he where to have one of his "moments" I booked the 2 seats together on purpose near the toilets and just us two so that I could re-assure him if need be. He is not scared of flying or anything in fact he loves it but he gets anxious in new situations and gets upset at things he cant understand. Thats why with a window seat he can look out and I can explain what is happening to keep him calm.

gibbyni

what excuse did they tell you? I am sure the fella i was on the phone to last night was talking out of his backside when he told me airport authority, I asume its this extra legroom where thay can charge extra money.

Summercherry

They just said that both flights are now fully booked and they only have "single" seats left. The only thing I can do is see if I can get a window seat on check in (very unlikely in my opinion) or see if the person sat on the window seat will swap for the end one with me in the middle. It is all just money at the end of the day with rising fuel costs I suppose the airlines have to make money in anyway they can. I just wish they would have blocked those seats off in the first place then no one can book them. They could always release them nearer the time of the flight. I am just angry because I booked so far in advance every single seat was available and I could have requested seats for anywhere on the plane. It would have been nice to get an email to say they had done that so I could have re requested my seats - i haven't looked at the seating plan since around January so this could have been done months ago without me knowing and all the while seats filling up.