The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

duchy

ashy_mashy wrote: »

I counted as airline staff! (Well my mum is anyway but she can give it to family)

There IS a way to look at loads via the Virgin intranet system-ask your Mum
Also she may be able to get you airline staff discount at the gatwick hotels

ashy_mashy

duchy wrote: »

There IS a way to look at loads via the Virgin intranet system-ask your Mum
Also she may be able to get you airline staff discount at the gatwick hotels

She wouldn't know. She used to work for an asian airline in asia about 10 years ago and she's now retired but she's still entitled to staff tickets which we always use. Though we're not sure how packed Vegas flights are. I can see a lot of people complaining on here but Virgin might still be pretty popular overall.

I just wanted to find out how full flights have been with people who've travelled to Vegas to virgin. ?

stoneman

May

NW_man take a chill pill. as everyone knows that has had to take an indirect flight, where THE FIRST POINT OF ENTRY is the U.S. and you disembark ,you have to collect your luggage and clear customs, that is a fact, and has been for the past 20 years. Now, you come on here and spout about slamming people that have far more experience than you, and tell us we are giving out incorrect information, we will let the posters that ask the questions decide. Sorry, I can't be as polite as ferf, but when this sort of post rears its head, well,you just do that, sit back and watch

nvh

May

so , again, not to take this too OT but are standby's free, or just heavily discounted?

ashy_mashy -- how many seats would you need? I'd doubt you'd get them together but we've just come back and there were a few 'spare' seats dotted about (usually in the rows of 3 unsurprisingly!)

photome

nw_man wrote: »

In reply to all the snotty posters on here who like to pick at peoples posts : I have checked luggage at Manchester airport in the past and not seen it again until Las Vegas. That is fact. I do not care about what you think.

However, I have also collected luggage at my first point of entry into the US and deposited down a shaft for it to be sent on.

I really dont know why people come on here and try to help when certain other posters only seem to be wanting to point the finger and find fault. I guess some folk are just neg - heads.

In future I wont bother, and will be content to sit back and read and not try to help anyone.

Rant over.

No one was being snotty but you were being corrected, which surely is the right thing to do if you are giving wrong info. I have done a connecting flight once, I had to pick my luggage up and clear customs on the first point of entry which was Atlanta.

Which was the connecting airport that allowed you to transit without clearing customs

stoneman

May

TangoBunny wrote: »

Ok I need to ask another question.
Seeing as everyone recons Virgin are so pants to fly with if I were to go with another company and have a stop over which if any are the best routes to take ie who's stopover airport is the best....Which airline is the better
Do u have to retrieve your luggage and check it in again or is it automatically transferred to your connecting flight.
Do you have to go through immigration and then back again when your flight leaves,sorry to ask what most of you probably think is obvious but I havent a clue what happens when you have a connecting flight

OK, my new favorite is Northwest with the best economy seats i have ever sat in, and newish planes to boot. they use mainly Detroit (s**t hole, but only because of the incompetent jobs worth staff, the place is nice) or Minneapolis-St.Paul (very nice) don't worry about your bags, it is easier than you think, these transit airports have it well worked out. you collect your luggage as normal and as soon as you clear customs they are whisked off you again and put on your next flight, you only wheel your bags 100 mtrs. at the most. Next is AA and you will go via Chicago, you have choice of LHR, LGW or MAN with them, we went via MAN and the plane was pretty basic, but I heard that the LHR fleet are much better. Now they have the transit thing down to a tee, but you have to change terminals, and the line for security to get back air side can be pretty long, we had 2 hours between flights and only just made our

photome

ashy_mashy wrote: »

Hi all,

I have two questions:

First: How full are virgin flights in september (or in general)? The reason I ask is because I have a 'stand-by' ticket which means that I have to wait till everyone has boarded the plane and only if there is any space on the plane, then I will be allowed to get. So I'm trying to find out my chances of getting on the flight?


Second: Virgin flys from Gatwick so I'll have to find accommodation in London near Gatwick the night before. Was wondering where others find their accommodation from?


Thanks in advance

Ash

That flight has always looked full to me (maybe not for much longer if we can get everyone reading this thread).

I always book a cheap travelodge in advance

photome

stoneman wrote: »

OK, my new favorite is Northwest with the best economy seats i have ever sat in, and newish planes to boot. they use mainly Detroit (s**t hole, but only because of the incompetent jobs worth staff, the place is nice) or Minneapolis-St.Paul (very nice) don't worry about your bags, it is easier than you think, these transit airports have it well worked out. you collect your luggage as normal and as soon as you clear customs they are whisked off you again and put on your next flight, you only wheel your bags 100 mtrs. at the most. Next is AA and you will go via Chicago, you have choice of LHR, LGW or MAN with them, we went via MAN and the plane was pretty basic, but I heard that the LHR fleet are much better. Now they have the transit thing down to a tee, but you have to change terminals, and the line for security to get back air side can be pretty long, we had 2 hours between flights and only just made our

Looks like I might have to try NWA although AA are cheapest at mo. Did you try the toilets out for comfort as Trets might like to know what his favourite seat is like:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

duchy

ashy_mashy wrote: »

She wouldn't know. She used to work for an asian airline in asia about 10 years ago and she's now retired but she's still entitled to staff tickets which we always use. Though we're not sure how packed Vegas flights are. I can see a lot of people complaining on here but Virgin might still be pretty popular overall.

I just wanted to find out how full flights have been with people who've travelled to Vegas to virgin. ?

Pretty full and with the kind of ticket you're describing Virgin's own staff/family will have a higher level of standby priority than you-If you can travel earlier in the week (Mon-Weds) you may have a better chance as loads are generally lighter then. So many first timers-and people who prefer to fly direct regardless of the other disadvantages-it'll never be "unpopular".
Never say never with staff standby but it's always a bit of a gamble on popular routes like this-do you have a back up plan-like transfer to Heathrow and fly into LAX or SFO instead and buy an internal flight -or is it Vegas direct or nothing ?


21 days til Vegas Woo-Hoo

redrichie2001

January/February

Has anybody any experience flying with US Airways?? and whats it like to connect at Philly, Which I'm doing in 10 weeks time!!