Z fare / Tristar / UC drive thru check in

Reading my V-Book while waiting for my UC flight. I am booked in Z fare and therefore not eligible for limo. I am staying in London for a night and I decided that maybe I want to avoid Heathrow Express + taxi and just take a limo.

AMEX Travel Services uses Tristar as well as Virgin and just couple of minutes ago I learned from the V-Book that if I am using Tristar then drive thru check in should be possible if I inform Premiere Team at Virgin. Anyone has any experiences regarding this?

[Pete]

Unfortunately Virgin made a change to the poicy back at the beginning of Summer (after the last V-Book was printed). They now only allow J/D Fare Limos in the Drive Thru; no reward or "DIY" Tristar limos, I'm afraid.

Pete

[Nottingham Nick]

For info.See here for the thread about the policy change.

Nick

Bearing in mind all that it says in that thread, please note that I used Drive Thru on a 10k reward limo for my LGW-LAS flight in November. I expected I wouldn't be able to, but the driver's only concern was whether it would be open at 7am when we got there (it was, as it turned out).

Either the "trial period" is over and they have returned the service for LGW, or it was never stopped for LGW?

I can state that the Drive Thru element of the service is a big plus - walking straight ahead to Fast-track security when you get to LGW rather than turning left is very nice indeed. This doesn't help the OP much, admittedly, as they are travelling through LHR.

Well, I don't mind. Everything is happening for the first time for me (regarding Virgin) so it is basically just the same whether I am being dropped in front of the terminal or after drive thru.

Thank you for your answers everyone

[Pete]

Actually, to add to Onionz' thread, I too have managed to use the Drive Thru whilst on a reward booking. I'd set expectations low on a DIY Tristar booking, though.

Pete

Last week on a G ticket and booking car using my 10,000 miles from virgin games, I was taken through the drive in at Gatwick. When I book the car with VA, I was told that I could not use the drive through, but then the driver had an ICC number for me. So no sure how the system is working.

[preiffer]

I think it's more strictly controlled at T3, LHR, than at LGW. Not sure why there should be any discrepency, but I thought the catalyst for the change was the increased congestion at LHR?

LHR is where the problem is -- T3 is always a nightmare given the lack of space and high volumes of passengers with lots of luggage. However, the daft thing is that the congestion is usually past the turn off for the car park (where the drive through check in is); more people using drive-through instead of dropping at the main terminal would help rather than hinder the current congestion levels.

BC

[ChuckC]

On my "Z" fare/upcoming trip I plan to book the limo for 10K miles, to pick me up at LHR Revivals and take me into London. That is still alright to do, correct?
Thanks.

Chuck-

Originally posted by ChuckC
On my "Z" fare/upcoming trip I plan to book the limo for 10K miles, to pick me up at LHR Revivals and take me into London. That is still alright to do, correct?

Nope, you can only do a 10K reward limo with a G reservation, not with a paid Z fare.

Interestingly, on the last trip I did with a DIY Tristar car (for a G upgrade), the driver was quite happy to phone up, chew someone's ear, and get an ICC number for me anyway, as he wasn't sure what the policy really was, and he thought we could fudge it anyway, as I was on a G upgrade. However, I declined as I didn't really want him getting into hot water.

The irony of it all was when we got to LHR, there was no cars at all at Drive Through, yet the T3 kerbside area was insanely packed (I suggested to the driver that he drop me in the carpark, as though we'd done an ICC, and I'd sort myself out - it helped him get to his next pickup too), and there was a huge queue at the UC check-in desks inside T3.

That day, it would not have hurt to use Drive Through, and would have probably even helped VS - one less person in that huge queue inside the terminal.

Apparently, the problems have arisen when there is a tail-back of Tristar cars waiting to get into the LHR Drive Through, which ends up blocking an access lane into to Car Park 3 - this especially applies through the morning "rush". BAA were none too impressed, apparently, hence the restrictions.

Mike

[ChuckC]

Thanks, Mike. Should have checked the V-Book!

Chuck-