1st time flyer advice required please

Hi all,

Going to be doing our first ever long haul this April and am after some advice from some seasoned travellers I've used the search quite extensively but haven't picked up the answers.

There are 4 of going, me, the wife and 2 kids (13 and 10 yo)

Due to the cost, we will be flying Economy from MAN to LAX, via LHR.

Q1. Is there a way on the virgin site to get a quote for MAN -> LAX ? They only seem to let you book direct flights.

I can search on expedia etc and get MAN-LHR flights with BA/BMI and then VS to LAX, but it seems daft that you cant do it on their own website.

This leads me to..

Q2.. Will our bags get routed directly to LAX outbound and MAN inbound ? or will we have to grab them in LHR and move them from one place to another ?

Q3... Ive noticed on expedia that the cheapest flight using Virgin are infact down as BA/BMI and Continental. Is there any downside to going for these tickets instead of ones that are marked as Virgin ?

Q4... From reading the Trip Reports and looking at the seat maps etc, I gather there are 2 plane types, 747 and Airbus. Which of these is 'better' for Economy travel ?. My current view is to go for the Airbus so we can sit the 2 kids infront of us, therefore wont have the 'seat infront reclining' issue, but I then see that the 747 has seats at the back with just 2 together

Q5, the last one (honest), which of the 2 flights into LAX have better timing in respect of getting thru immigration. If we went for the 747 and sat at the back then we would be more or less last in the queue and I dont think I could face 2 hours of queing after 11 hours on a plane.

Sorry for the many questions, but this is doing my head in.

VJ

[HighFlyer]

Hello, and welcome to V-Flyer [:)]

With regards to your connecting flights, the best thing for you to do will be to call Virgin Atlantic for your booking, you cant book connecting flights on the VS website but if you call, they will be able to give you a quote (and also book) your connecting MAN-LHR flights (usually on Bmi). You'll also pay slightly less in tax too.

If VS book this for you, you can then through check your bags to your final destination. Technically, VS' policy states that they will only interline bags to flights on the same booking, see here for more information.

With regards to seating, i would agree that the Airbus' 2x2 seating in Economy would be better for a family of four. The later flight to LAX (VS023/024) should be on the Airbus A346, i think the earlier flight (VS007/008) switches to a 747 (VA can advise when you call what aircraft is scheduled). The last few rows of two seats at the back of the 747 are great, with a little more room than a regular coach seat, though you are at the back and it can take a while to get off the aircraft - and through immigration.

I am sure others will chip in with their thoughts. Have a fantastic trip away to LA with your family. [:)]

Thanks,
Sarah

If you're definetly sure for flying bmi/VS on the MAN-LHR-LAX routing then I'd copy HighFlyer & dropthem a call.

The B747 seats at the back can often be snatched quickly. If your not their as soon as online check-in opens there gone basically. I'd advise the A340-600 is you would like the kids in front.

I would suggest the later flight (the A340[8D]) because there are fewer arrivals at that time of day, whereas the earlier flight wrestles with the bulk of the Europeans & the last few Asian flights that day.

Hi VJ

When I have travelled in the past with my children when they were younger, I always opted for the 2 x 2 option. You dont have to worry about being next to anyone else and it gives you the flexibility of having a swap around if you need to with the kids. In your case I would try and book whichever flight operates the Airbus as you have better chance of the 2x2 seating.

As for best timing for immigration I cant really give you 100% advice on that as Ive not been into LAX for a while. From my own experience of a lot of large airports I have rarely found it easy to predict, I have arrived on flights and its been jammed and the next time on the same flight its a breeze !

My own preference for departing LAX is the later flight as its a more natural time to sleep, but thats really a personal thing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip and never apologise for asking questions ..... no matter how much you fly there are always things to ask [:)]

Cheers

Mark [:D]

The later flight (VS023) is usually fine for immigration with only the VS flight being processed. It is difficult to predict though due to unforseen delays etc.

45.

Thanks for the responses. very useful.

i will give them a call today to see what prices they will do from Manchester.

I think I will go for the 2 later flights as per suggestions above.

VJ

Hi VJ,
Whilst not VS-related, I have 2 comments that might help you with your trip:
1. Do not expect immigration through LAX to be a pleasant experience. On your first visit to the US I expect you will all be looking forward to the American experience, but you must not allow the unfriendly immigration officers to sour the start for you. You will not be made to feel welcome by them and if you approach immigration with that in mind, then you can look forward to really enjoying yourselves once out of LAX. On their side, they are just doing their job. If you want a pleasant experience with immigration, then go via SFO - they have some of the pleasantest officers.
2. Once through customs and looking for the car hire or taxi or coach or whatever, please be cautious if approached by someone looking to help you. Sure, they will direct you to where you want to be, but will then ask you for a $20 donation to the cause they are (supposedly) supporting. Go to an Information Desk to get help.

Thanks Ian.

I have been told and read about immigration to get into the US so am prepared for it. Luckily we are being picked up by family so have no problems in getting waylaid by others.

Originally posted by Ian
Hi VJ,
Whilst not VS-related, I have 2 comments that might help you with your trip:
1. Do not expect immigration through LAX to be a pleasant experience. On your first visit to the US I expect you will all be looking forward to the American experience, but you must not allow the unfriendly immigration officers to sour the start for you. You will not be made to feel welcome by them and if you approach immigration with that in mind, then you can look forward to really enjoying yourselves once out of LAX. On their side, they are just doing their job. If you want a pleasant experience with immigration, then go via SFO - they have some of the pleasantest officers.

[?]
How do LAX officers compare with MIA and JFK? All my experiences to date at these airports have been fine.

Originally posted by Ian
Hi VJ,
Whilst not VS-related, I have 2 comments that might help you with your trip:
1. Do not expect immigration through LAX to be a pleasant experience. On your first visit to the US I expect you will all be looking forward to the American experience, but you must not allow the unfriendly immigration officers to sour the start for you. You will not be made to feel welcome by them and if you approach immigration with that in mind, then you can look forward to really enjoying yourselves once out of LAX. On their side, they are just doing their job. If you want a pleasant experience with immigration, then go via SFO - they have some of the pleasantest officers.
2. Once through customs and looking for the car hire or taxi or coach or whatever, please be cautious if approached by someone looking to help you. Sure, they will direct you to where you want to be, but will then ask you for a $20 donation to the cause they are (supposedly) supporting. Go to an Information Desk to get help.

Ian,

Im not sure what you base your pleasantness rating on [?], I would be very interested to know the source of this, I think you will find good and bad at whatever airport you fly through (all IMHO and personal experience of course) as you do with any occupation that enforces rules or the law.

Cheers

Mark [:D]

update on this.

Called Virgin and they quoted me a price which was some £50 more than what I can get via Expedia using the Continental codeshare flight.

Last question, is there a drawback to going via the codeshare ? ie are you restricted to the seats you can have etc ? or cant get flyertalk points etc ?

I've just returned after hols in LA. LAX was by far the easiest airports to negiotate. We usually do orlando or miami.

On landing at LAX, we were on the rental bus within 40mins from landing! On our return it took less than 20 mins to check-in and go thru security to gate 22A! A record for me. Usually takes 2hrs+ at orlando and miami.

I must say that bag drop at Heathrow PE took an hour plus! We'd have been quicker queuing in the check-in line than doing OLCI.

The best Immigration Officers in my opion are at DEN (Denver) - but you have to fly with BA or LH to get them! They only have about 4 international flights per day and they almost seem grateful for the business!

In terms of which flight - ALWAYS go for the A340 one if you are in Economy. Seats are far more comfy and there is little risk of getting one of the old and rather rubbish IFE systems!

Thanks for all you help. Ive booked the tickets thru Expedia now.

For those who may be in a similar position. I got the PNR Code for my flight and tried to use it to reserve seats on the Virgin website, it didnt work, so I tried the same code on the continental website, it worked there, but although it would let me see what seats were available, it wont actually reserve them for you. So I called Virgin this morning, they found my details and reserved the seats over the phone, they even gave me their PNR Code for my booking so I can log on directly to supply API info and change seats if I want to. Great Stuff.

Once again, thanks for the help.

If you use OCI then take the VS code with you to LHR to check in. We tried to use our CO one for the VS3 2 weeks ago and failed with the DIY, since the VS check in is no virtually DIY or similar and it needs the VS code. If you dont, contact on of the staff that are floating about that check you in at a computer stand.

VFLY

Originally posted by Ian
Hi VJ,
Whilst not VS-related, I have 2 comments that might help you with your trip:
1. Do not expect immigration through LAX to be a pleasant experience. On your first visit to the US I expect you will all be looking forward to the American experience, but you must not allow the unfriendly immigration officers to sour the start for you. You will not be made to feel welcome by them and if you approach immigration with that in mind, then you can look forward to really enjoying yourselves once out of LAX. On their side, they are just doing their job. If you want a pleasant experience with immigration, then go via SFO - they have some of the pleasantest officers.
2. Once through customs and looking for the car hire or taxi or coach or whatever, please be cautious if approached by someone looking to help you. Sure, they will direct you to where you want to be, but will then ask you for a $20 donation to the cause they are (supposedly) supporting. Go to an Information Desk to get help.

I absolutely concur with your thoughts on US immigration Ian, and IMHO it was very thoughtful of you to advise a first time traveller of this. [^]

You make a great point, someone expecting the 'have a nice day' American welcome could be unpleasantly surprised at the immigration desk.

Originally posted by G-VFLY
If you use OCI then take the VS code with you to LHR to check in. We tried to use our CO one for the VS3 2 weeks ago and failed with the DIY, since the VS check in is no virtually DIY or similar and it needs the VS code. If you dont, contact on of the staff that are floating about that check you in at a computer stand.

VFLY

The OLCI is a funny one, the ticket is classes as CO and I will be first flying with BMI from Manchester to LHR, so I may just check in at the airport. If I check in online using my VS PNR, wont that confuse things. To mate things even more confusing, CO offer online checkin too.