Problems with the VS website and seat reservations

Originally posted by AlanA
have a look at the seat plans on Expertrflyer.
It seems that VS have changed their way of allowing the two seats at the back into general booking.
Only row 61 shows up before 24 hours+ with rows 62-64 now only showing up at 24 hours beofre the flight.
Previously all these rows were available for pre book

I would assume that these seats are always in demand and Virgin are now acting accordingly?

This is going to p**s off siome frequent fliers!

Absolutely Alan, there are some very p'd off people on the Dibb, and these are the ones that know about this now, yet alone those who turn up at the airport or check in online and find out then.

I know the seats aren't guaranteed but alot of people book with Virgin so they can pre-select their seats in advance. Now these people who have had their seats 'selected' for many months are finding out they've been moved, some families have been split as there's no more 'allocation'. It's one thing Virgin holding these seats back from a later date, but not when people have already pre-requested them. Not good Virgin, not good at all. [V]

Clare

Originally posted by firsttimer

Originally posted by AlanA
have a look at the seat plans on Expertrflyer.
It seems that VS have changed their way of allowing the two seats at the back into general booking.
Only row 61 shows up before 24 hours+ with rows 62-64 now only showing up at 24 hours beofre the flight.
Previously all these rows were available for pre book

I would assume that these seats are always in demand and Virgin are now acting accordingly?

This is going to p**s off siome frequent fliers!

Absolutely Alan, there are some very p'd off people on the Dibb, and these are the ones that know about this now, yet alone those who turn up at the airport or check in online and find out then.

I know the seats aren't guaranteed but alot of people book with Virgin so they can pre-select their seats in advance. Now these people who have had their seats 'selected' for many months are finding out they've been moved, some families have been split as there's no more 'allocation'. It's one thing Virgin holding these seats back from a later date, but not when people have already pre-requested them. Not good Virgin, not good at all. [V]

Clare

Well I'd hate to be in customer services tomorrow morning. Just read through the topic on the dibb, there's alot of really angry people and as more and more people log on, more and more are finding changes to there seat allocations.

-Steve

Originally posted by AlanA
have a look at the seat plans on Expertrflyer.
It seems that VS have changed their way of allowing the two seats at the back into general booking.
Only row 61 shows up before 24 hours+ with rows 62-64 now only showing up at 24 hours beofre the flight.
Previously all these rows were available for pre book

I would assume that these seats are always in demand and Virgin are now acting accordingly?

This is going to p**s off siome frequent fliers!

Typical, my wife and always try to get the last row on a 744 for the perceived sense of space and the fact I can stand up behind my seat and still see my screen. Obviously, they're now becoming popular, I just have to be quick on the mark when I do OLCI.

Whats the point of letting people request seats, giving those seats to them a year in advance and then at the last minute taking them away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!![V][V][V]

Originally posted by jetskidia
Whats the point of letting people request seats, giving those seats to them a year in advance and then at the last minute taking them away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!![V][V][V]

...and according to the dibb thread, it's only when people have re-checked that they are seeing they have lost their seat reservations. Virgin haven't told them, and not all people are aware of resources like V-Flyer and The Dibb to keep them informed. Imagine how upset and frustrated those turning up at the airport will be when they find out at check-in... Great start to the holiday [n]

Have just amended my booking via website with no issues 22.25 - 02/06/08

I have had some issues via certain types of browsers e.g. INTERNET EXPLORER running VISTA etc[:(!]
Logged in using AOL VR on VISTA but appear not to be able to correctly sign in using IE, Not tried SAFARI or FIREFOX

Not sure if this is related or not

Ps Travelling to DXB soon and would like to take some photos of the BURG AL ARAB and PALM Islands when taking off from DXB
Could anyone recommend sitting on left or Right side of the plane to get some decent pics[:D]

[Neil]

...and according to the dibb thread, it's only when people have re-checked that they are seeing they have lost their seat reservations. Virgin haven't told them, and not all people are aware of resources like V-Flyer and The Dibb to keep them informed. Imagine how upset and frustrated those turning up at the airport will be when they find out at check-in... Great start to the holiday

I know it is frustrating that seat requests get changed but the important thing to remember is that they are seat requests and not bookings. The facility to pre select your seat on VS is free, something that you cannot do on BA, and the likes of TUI and others charge for. It is £10pp to just guarantee you are sat next to your party and another £10pp to actually choose your seat.

I am certain that VS do not mess seat allocations up on purpose but circumstances will dictate that some requests cannot be kept. They are never going to be able to please everybody but they will make sure families are sat together and do there best to accommodate everyone.

And to be quite frank, does it really matter if you are sat in row 38 or row 48. People are very passionate about seat choices, maybe it would be better to not allow any pre-allocating until OLCI or the airport like in the good old days.

[Darren Wheeler]

As Neil says, seat requests are exactly that, requests. Even after check-in, your seat can be changed by VS if needed. In Y, with the exception of exit rows (£75 to be allocated one) the seats are pretty much the same in terms of space.

As for the website issues, has anyone contacted the website team to tell them? They can be called on 0870 380 2009.

I appreciate that it is only a request so that is not what I have an issue with ~ what annoyed me was not being told of this change by virgin ~ I happened to check back in and then saw the change ~ otherwise I would not have known. That I think is poor customer service on their part [:(]

[Neil]

Originally posted by bluesky30
I appreciate that it is only a request so that is not what I have an issue with ~ what annoyed me was not being told of this change by virgin ~ I happened to check back in and then saw the change ~ otherwise I would not have known. That I think is poor customer service on their part [:(]

It would be very difficult for Virgin to inform every pax. Some pax have booked direct with Virgin which is ok, but a lot of pax will be booked through various different travel agencies and finding out all this information and then informing them would be a very difficult job. As this is a free, non guaranteed service then Virgin have no obligation to inform you.

I guess you have learned the important lesson of checking your booking regularly.

Neil

I fully acknowledge it is a request and free. It's something that sets VA apart. Maintaining good Customer service around it enhances the benefit. Where people were contactable it would have been Kudos to let them know.

[Nottingham Nick]

Virgin are very good at contacting pax in the case of change of flight times, and I have received a text from them on the day when my flight was delayed. I don't think they will ever go down the route of contacting people to tell them their seats have changed.

IMHO, as long as a I get a seat on the plane, and they do their best to ensure families are seated together, then it isn't a biggie.

Having said that, of people who read the Dibb, I am very much in the minority with this attitude. One poster would sooner cancel her holiday, than sit in the middle seats! [:0]

The thread over there is well over 330 posts and is a clear PR disaster for VS.

We have said this many times before, but given the competition that they already face on the Orlando route, they need to realise that the little things (like seat selection) have a massive influence on people when they choose their airline.

Nick

[Neil]

Originally posted by Nottingham Nick
Having said that, of people who read the Dibb, I am very much in the minority with this attitude. One poster would sooner cancel her holiday, than sit in the middle seats! [:0]

The thread over there is well over 330 posts and is a clear PR disaster for VS.

We have said this many times before, but given the competition that they already face on the Orlando route, they need to realise that the little things (like seat selection) have a massive influence on people when they choose their airline.

Nick

As you point out the reaction on the Dibb has been interesting! It is however your typical Dibb total OTT reaction and jumping on the bandwagon type of posting.

Ok it mighthave annoyed a few people but as usual the load numbers are the most important factor and when I was talking to FC last week about various things, they were saying how good the loads are on the MCO route at the moment, something backed up by the extra flight that will be operated next year. I really don't think VS will be losing much sleep over this.

Neil

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by Neil
I really don't think VS will be losing much sleep over this.

I am not so sure. Whilst I totally agree with you about the bandwagon jumping and OTT reactions. Don't forget that for everyone who posts in that type of thread, there are a lot more who just read the posts, and nod their heads in agreement.

You make a good point about the load numbers being the most important factor, but past and present numbers mean that they have a lot of seats to fill next year and need all the good PR they can get to persuade people that shelling out a lot of money for another trip to see the Mouse, is a good idea.

Nick

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
As Neil says, seat requests are exactly that, requests. Even after check-in, your seat can be changed by VS if needed. In Y, with the exception of exit rows (£75 to be allocated one) the seats are pretty much the same in terms of space.

As for the website issues, has anyone contacted the website team to tell them? They can be called on 0870 380 2009.

Yup I contacted them a week ago (see earlier posting) alledgedly all will be fixed tomorrow according to the response back from the helpful team at VA! Fingers crossed!!

I am a member of the Dibb, wouldn't have found it if it wasn't for the link here, I love the site and there are a huge bunch of fab people on it. I will say some can get trigger happy with the angry emoticon and there is often a bit of tribalism regards carriers and airlines and some animosity towards premium/UCS flyers. There has been a slight over reaction in my view.

Last week VA telephoned me 4 times to let me know of a flight time change so when it comes to a service thats paid for they will telephone or email.

Originally posted by baloobear

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
As Neil says, seat requests are exactly that, requests. Even after check-in, your seat can be changed by VS if needed. In Y, with the exception of exit rows (£75 to be allocated one) the seats are pretty much the same in terms of space.

As for the website issues, has anyone contacted the website team to tell them? They can be called on 0870 380 2009.

Yup I contacted them a week ago (see earlier posting) alledgedly all will be fixed tomorrow according to the response back from the helpful team at VA! Fingers crossed!!

It does indeed appear to be working today. [^]

It sure does indeed!! So just goes to show if you send that email the site gets going again! hurrah!