Online CheckIn (Virgin) - no chance then of getting seat upgrade?

BrunoM

Hi all,

Flying out on our quasi-honeymoon tomorrow morning with Virgin Atlantic (to California); quite a long flight, quite an early start for us to get to the airport too. I was about to go through the online checkin process when I wondered whether doing so would eliminate one good opportunity to try for a seat upgrade?
(Between it being our honeymoon and my being 6'5" (with minor knee problems) I figure it's worth trying to persuade them - at least for exit aisle, as it's really all about leg room for me).

Anyone know what stages of the airport process are removed by online checkin?

Thanks in advance

richardw

Are you a member of the Virgin flyer club?

BrunoM

I am, though only just prior to booking these flights

Sam_Bee

Continue with your online log-on, and dump your bags with the quick baggage dump, should take about 5 minutes. Then make your decision as to whether you should queue-up and request an emergency exit seat.

You will not get an upgrade though.

photome

richardw wrote:

Are you a member of the Virgin flyer club?

Why? I am but what difference does it make?

dmg24

You will be able to pay to have exit aisle seats.

whereishergar

Virgin don't give out upgrades very easily, - someone will be along shortly to correct me if they disagree!! Money is the only thing that talks at the desk !! have a slight chance if you have oodles of points on your virgin card, but even thats slight ....

BrunoM

Well, curse them all, but the extra cost of "premium economy" is just never going to happen in my world, so will hope for the best on an exit aisle, and follow Martin's guide to it as much as I can. Thanks all.

pin

You can get an upgrade at check in, but guess what, you have to pay for it, and rightly so. Also it will be at the discretion of the check in people, so no guarantee they will offer you a paid upgrade. If you wanted a better seat from the begining you should have paid for it when you bought your tickets.

_Andy_

BrunoM wrote:

Hi all,

Flying out on our quasi-honeymoon tomorrow morning with Virgin Atlantic (to California); quite a long flight, quite an early start for us to get to the airport too. I was about to go through the online checkin process when I wondered whether doing so would eliminate one good opportunity to try for a seat upgrade?
(Between it being our honeymoon and my being 6'5" (with minor knee problems) I figure it's worth trying to persuade them - at least for exit aisle, as it's really all about leg room for me).

Anyone know what stages of the airport process are removed by online checkin?

Thanks in advance

If you want an exit row seat you're looking at £75 each, unless you take the window+middle, in which case it's BOGOF, so £75 between you, although the window seat has slightly restricted leg room due to the door bustle.
The fact that it's your honeymoon is irrelevant - as has been said, if you want to travel in PE then pay the extra. Very unlikely you'd get op-upped unless Y was an oversell and you were on a flexi ticket or had FC Gold.

If you don't want to pay the extra for an exit row seat then you can risk it and wait until you get to the gate, sometimes they go unsold and they can be allocated FOC.

If you arrive when checkin opens you can guarantee exit seats as long as you pay the extra.