DIY Check in

Used the above for flight 200506 to LAS. Very quick and simple.
Got confirmation and seats instantly, then wanted to change seats but was not able to get back in to alterations facility. All okay checked seat plans here on V Flyer and pleased with them.
Any hints or tips for future?

Secondly - After using DIY arrived at LGW to a queue of 20 or so at bag drop off took 20 mins to get to desk then had to wait whilst staff redone all the online bit what a waste of time and effort. I mistakenly believed bag drop off to be that, it seems Virgin have not quite grasped that and got the machinary to do it. It seems once a human gets involved problems occur. From what I could see and hear most of the DIYers were trying to change seats, grab upgrades and generally stall the staff process.

Any other views or interpretations?

Steve

^ I have never grasped why pax think they will be only ones dropping their bags off at any one time! There are still procedures to follow. The actual act of checking someone in would take a good check in agent an extra minute maybe on top of the bags, so it will never be that much quicker.

Of course there will be queue, especially as it is becoming more and more well known, and passengers still want to ask the same questions they ask whether they used OLCI or not!!

The main benefit as far as i can see for OLCI will be when it's a very busy flight and why you may be standing in a queue 20 deep others will be in a queue 100 deep and finding by the time they reach a check in desk there are either no seats together, only middle seats left, or simply not the choice they wanted, all the while the people who used OLCI have their seats done and dusted.

The seat map on OLCI isn't the most reliable thing in the world if you want to change seats, that's why it's always best to update your booking before hand and change the seat allocation before checking in. If your travel agent has reserved you seats you may also find the only person who can change your seat allocation is the check in agent, not on OLCI or the Kiosks.

[preiffer]

While I agree with your sentiment, Lipstick, VS have not done themselves ANY favours when it comes to setting customer expectations.

Indeed, the whole OLCI marketing strategy has been based around the tag-line "YQ?" (Why Queue?) So is it unreasonable for passengers to be a little frustrated when the service they were "sold" through marketing plants them at the back of a 20 minute queue... [:?]

[Decker]

Whilst it was a rhetorical question Paul Virgin's FAQs make no mention of the possibility of queuing so the slogan "YQ" in relation to this - is disingenuous at best and deliberately misleading at worst. I guess "Y Q 4 Longer Then U HV 2" didn't fit into the ad space.

Originally posted by Lipstick


The main benefit as far as i can see for OLCI will be when it's a very busy flight and why you may be standing in a queue 20 deep others will be in a queue 100 deep and finding by the time they reach a check in desk there are either no seats together, only middle seats left, or simply not the choice they wanted, all the while the people who used OLCI have their seats done and dusted.

Also checking in online reduces the chances of being bumped off an oversold flight