Restrictions on LHR paid access via VH

Morning all,

Just a quick question about Virgin Holiday's revised deal for getting into the LHR Clubhouse. As well as the cost increase (30-60) I notice they now state that access can only be purchased if you book your flight via them as well. This takes the form of a simple tick-box on the website before you book.

Does this imply that there's an extra check at the Clubhouse entrance to ensure your ticket is a "Virgin Holidays" ticket? Has anyone bought access recently but purchased their ticket via another route? Any problems experienced?

Cheers,

Darryl

[HighFlyer]

Hi Darryl

When you check into the CH they will see from your booking that you are a paid access customer, and from recollection of the last time I used paid access to the CH, they will scrawl ÔVHOLSÕ on your boarding pass. AFAIK, the only difference you will get as a paid access customer from an UC customer or FC Au pax will be the treatments, where by you have to pay for them.

Thanks,
Sarah

Maybe this would have been better asked in the VH forum.

Anyway my 2p worth:

- I have always assumed that there would be some manual check at VH that you had booked a qualifying flight/holiday with them before they issued the clubhouse pass (a standard VH "voucher" slip)

- Any date I've tried to find to book the clubhouse online it says is unavailable

- As is quite common across the (still poor site IMHO), the drop down box doesnt allow for us single travellers!

jules.

Hi Randalf
Access to CH should be only be for UC passengers,FC Au passengers,fee paying VH passengers and possibly some others I'm not sure about anymore (partner airlines Au,Centurion etc as there have been some changes I believe of late).
The ammendments to the VH website now stop VS passengers (who were not VH clients) singularly purchasing CH entry (which did used to happen but was not supposed to).Deal now is no VH purchase (of a holiday) no CH purchase.IMHO fairer to VH customers as VH only have a limited allocation of CH passes for sale on a first come first served basis.
Julie

Hi all,

Cheers for the clarification. It does makes sense, if they were seeing a large proportion of the CH capacity been taken up with paid access. The next time I fly Virgin it's likely to be Econ/PE, which is why I asked really. Now, I've got PPS Club membership and BMI *G, both of which let me into the CH... but not with a guest (i.e. the wife!) I doubt she'd be too happy as I waved her goodbye at the entrance and told her I'll meet her in a couple of hours!

Going off on a tangent here slightly, if I was to fly Virgin out of T3, would my PPS/*G cards get me in anywhere else where I could also take in a guest?

Cheers,

Darryl

if they were seeing a large proportion of the CH capacity been taken up with paid access.

IMHO I don't think VH should provide paid CH access for the reason above.

[mcmbenjamin]

Originally posted by jaguarpig

if they were seeing a large proportion of the CH capacity been taken up with paid access.

IMHO I don't think VH should provide paid CH access for the reason above.

Well I agree but you gotta admit it is an easly and quick 60 quid for VS that they would not have earnt otherwise, normally for less than 2 hours of the visitors time.