V-Flyer

Flying with Mrs Jimbob247 and Jimbob247 Jnr soon LHR-MIA-LHR.

I have a full J class ticket, but Mrs and infant will be in economy.

Is it possible that we swap seats on board the aircraft?

Take the infant into UC or you install the missus in UC while you look after the infant? The latter wouldn't be a problem I'm sure as long as your movements did not disturb other pax.

I think the only requirement is that you are in your assigned seats for take off and landing?

Ideally wife and infant go to UC, I go to Economy.

Is this a wind up or will you be purchasing the infant UC fare before you board?

No not a wind up, wouldn't be a very good one would it...

I get my ticket paid for, but have to pay for wife and baby. I just want them in UC and me in Economy. Don't mind paying for the infant to go in UC with me, but is that possible once tickets are already bought?

OK this is not an ethics board but I'm fairly sure that the people who are paying for your J are doing so because they want to arrive in MIA fresh and ready for whatever it is they have in mind for you. I'm sure they're not doing so so that you can travel in Y while the non-employees enjoy the luxury. If however they are fine with this then there is the issue of the loss to VS...

There's about a £150-200 price difference between an infant economy ticket and a UC economy ticket. Why would VS want to waive that - assuming the fare was upgradeable?

I'm a little uncertain as to why you think this might be acceptable? Perhaps if you could explain as I could easily be missing something here.

{Edited by Decker to remove discourtesy - sorry}

You are right it is not an eithics board so spare me the lecture.

We crossed posts, I don't mind paying for the infant UC seat, so am just asking if I can swap seats with my wife on an economy ticket.

(edited)

Originally posted by Decker
Then there's the fellow UC pax to consider. A paid for infant is bad enough, but a stowaway?

Uh-oh, hope I'm not sensing some o' that good ol' fashioned anti-kids-in-UC sentiment. Now don't go making mdvipond jr. cry, mean old Uncle Decker...

Is your child having a paid seat?

No an infant ticket for a lap seat.

Originally posted by jimbob247
No an infant ticket for a lap seat.

So the argument about paid infant having to pay more is not relavent in this case then.

Removed my discourteous comment. My apologies to all concerned - it was unnecessary. Back at the material facts. In theory you occupy the seat you paid for. In practice the crew will allow people to change seats as long as it does not inconvenience other travellers. It would be courteous to explain the situation to the FSM or CSS so as not to cause confusion. Repeated changes would likely be frowned upon.

Ok edited mine too, can we make up

So to summarise, the best thing for me to do is to pay for the infant to join me in UC, then mention to the cabin crew we would like to swap, and of course make everything as seemless in terms of passenger disruption as possible.

Originally posted by AlanA

Originally posted by jimbob247
No an infant ticket for a lap seat.

So the argument about paid infant having to pay more is not relavent in this case then.

Infants in a lap seat pay 10% of the adult fare in the appropriate class. So as Decker pointed out - 10% of a J fare would be around £200 more than 10% of whatever is being paid for the Y seat.

Phil

JimBob - pleased to do so - again mea culpa. That would seem to be the best route forward. As far as I can see the fare difference will be between £150 and £200 (assuming the ticket is upgradeable) but checking with CS is probably the best way forward. Swapping a couple of times will probably not be an issue. I have seen it become an issue when a family cycled through their multitudinous family members so they could ALL have a go - with the attendant quibbles about who'd had the longest in the seat etc.

Originally posted by Decker
I have seen it become an issue when a family cycled through their multitudinous family members so they could ALL have a go - with the attendant quibbles about who'd had the longest in the seat etc.

Seen the same myself, including one family who couldn't agree on whose 'turn' it was in the suite, so three of them decided to get in together. What a hoot. Not.

JB

If this situation is likely to recur you might be wise to take out a Virgin Amex card to qualify for a companion ticket - then you wouldn't need pay for one economy fare. I've never been able to use mine as I pay for all my own travel and 2 x Z's almost always work out cheaper than one J.

You can also purchase an UC companion ticket for 65,000 miles IIRC

Regards
Pat