Gatwick Early Check In

Hi Everyone....this is my first post although not my first flight with VA...

We are thinking of using the Gatwick "day before check-in" at the end of january..two reasons ..1)we are hoping to get two of the emergency exit seats which we have been told can only be booked at check-in and 2)we thought if we booked our luggage in the day before we wouldn't have to queue for ages in the morning so a less stressful start to the holiday...

so has anyone else used this service recently? and if so will our luggage be safe and loaded on the correct plane the next day (hate to think of a week on a sailing ship with only the clothes I travel in...) and is it true about the emergency exit seats only being allocated at check-in...as it says in the brochure...

thanks

xxH

[mitchja]

Hello Helen and Welcome to V-Flyer

Your luggage will be tagged with bar-code stickers in exactly the normal way as it would be if you are checking-in on the day of your flight. I'm not 100% sure how it works but I would imagine your luggage goes through the normal airport systems of automatic sorting etc but you bag will just be stored (and maybe placed in the luggage containers?) with other bags off the same flight ready for the next day where it will then be loaded into the cargo hold of the A/C as normal.

Check-in agents need to see you at check-in to assign emergancy exit row seats - this is to make sure you are physically fit and that you seem capable of performing the necessary if required in the event of an emergancy.

Regards

I am not quite sure how things work now as apparently they do not now charge for exits seats on the MCO route. However, the last time I tried this they did charge (a few years back now) and I had to pay at the ticket desk before they would issue the boarding pass. The ticket desk is not open during Twilight Check In. As they now no longer charge this may be a consideration.

Paul

Also, may be worth double checking with the OLCI the day before as you never know, the seats may be available

Paul

You will never be able to get exit seats using online check in!

Dont forget that A and K seats are Free of Charge due to the slide intruding on your leg room (not knee room) so if you get A and B or J and K you will only have to pay for one seat.

My advice is try for 25ABC as these are the quietest exit seats.

25HJK have toilet in front.
38ABCHJK also have four toilets nearby
49ABCHJK near Galley but better than 38.

Hope this helps.

You now have to pay for exit seats on all routes, including Orlando.

As Declan has said, if there is two of you travelling then try and take advantage of the BOGOF offer.

BTW the charge for exit seats has recently changed...it is £50 per person on flights less than 10 hours and £75 per person on flights over 10 hours.

When did the MCO route change back to being a chargeable option? As I mentioned I had to pay some 2 or 3 years back and for the last six months or so posters on this site have written that there was currently no charge.

Anyway, assuming this information is correct then it would appear that you won't be able to do what you are planning to do. As I mentioned earlier the ticket desk at LGW is closed when the twilight check-in is open and I believe this option requires payment at the ticket desk, unless someone knows different

Paul

ps. It have been previously posted here that people using the OLCI have been able to check-in to seats with extra legroom. These may have been bulkhead seats rather than exit seats.

[mitchja]

I'm pretty sure check-in agents can perform credit card transactions. I've paid for upgrades at the check-in desks before now.

Regards

Originally posted by mitchja
I'm pretty sure check-in agents can perform credit card transactions. I've paid for upgrades at the check-in desks before now.

Regards

I have at SFO, but it was a paper credit card transaction, took close to a month to post ..

Hi

thanks for all the information..it has helped (I think)..

declan..thanks for the info on the relevant exit seat rows etc...we are hoping to get 25BC or 25HJ but didn't realise you had to pay for them...we are on the Barbados flight by the way so I assume we will have to pay £50 each...seems a bit of a swizz but I suppose that's business...however if we are lucky and manage to get the exit seats we want (we aim to get there well before the desk opens to be first in the queue) does it mean we then have to queue the next day to pay for them..?..

xxH

[RichardMannion]

If you want my honest advice, don't waste your time with Twilight check-in if :

a) you are tryign to get exit row seats or
b) upgrade your seats using miles or cash or
c) flying in a premium class (Premium Economy or Upper)
d) have Silver or Gold status

a and b - the twilight check in staff are unable to take payments (miles or cash) so will be unable to complete your check-in full - you would need to revisit on the day of departure when the ticket desk is open to process your payment - kind of defeats the point of Twilight Check-In

c and d - Twilight is one queue, regardless of class or status - and obviously passenger travelling in a premium class or having Ag or Au status don't need to stand in the long Economy check-in queue anyway, so I wouldn't waste your time.

Of course there are scenarios where Twilight check-in coudl be useful, say if you are travelling in economy with no status, you will be able to get rid of yoru bags and avoid the potentially long queue in the morning.

I attempted TwiCheck in october for my parents and it was a disaster to be honest, not a great way for them to start their holiday - but then that was down to a very surly agent (who learned the hard way in the end) and anotehr agent that required some more trainign about fare classes and processing revenue upgrades.

Thanks
Richard

Richard..thanks for the info....

not having twilighted before can you or anyonelse qualify something for me...you say that the desk staff are unable to take cash (or c/c?)for the exit seats and are therefore unable to complete the check-in in full ...
(1) does that mean you can't reserve the exit seats at that time at all and obviously check in your luggage..or
(2)can you be allocated the exit seats/check your luggage at the Twilight desk and then just turn up the next day and pay the extra fee before you travel..I take it that the ticket desk is separate from check-in so the queue there should not be too long..

the second option seems logical and simple to me...

help?

xxH

Hi

am going to ring Virgin Atlantic to see if they have an answer ...my partner is tall (6ft+) so we would really like to get the exit seats if possible...we will be at Gatwick the day before anyway as we are over-nighting so it won't be a problem going early to the twilight desk allowing they can allocate us the seats then...

xxH

I asked VS this question last year, this is the reply I got

Dear Gavin

Thank you for your recent email.

Exit seats can be assigned at the Twilight check-in. Exit seats are assigned on a first come, first service basis. If you are able to reserve an exit seat at Twilight check-in, you will be given a boarding card with `void' printed on it and you will be required to make payment for the exit seat at the ticket desk. If the ticket desk is closed after your have checked in, you will have to visit our ticket desk the following day to pay for the exit seat. The charge is currently GBP£50.00 one way, per exit seat.

The Virgin Atlantic ticket desk is located in south terminal, zone A of London Gatwick airport. It is open daily from 05:45 to 14:15. Twilight Check-In is open daily from 1200 to 2100.

As usual with check in, you'll need your passport/s, ticket/s and any luggage that is not being taken into the cabin. Please note, all passengers travelling with you must be present to check in. The following day, passengers need to be at their assigned gate no later than 50 minutes prior to departure.

I hope this information has been helpful.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Kind regards

XXXXXXXXXXX
Contact Centre Customer Service Team


Hope this helps
Gavin


{edited - preiffer : removed staff member name - please do not post these without their express permission}

Originally posted by helenlilhaynes
Hi

am going to ring Virgin Atlantic to see if they have an answer ...my partner is tall (6ft+) so we would really like to get the exit seats if possible...we will be at Gatwick the day before anyway as we are over-nighting so it won't be a problem going early to the twilight desk allowing they can allocate us the seats then...

xxH

What would happen i imagine, the same at LHR, is that you're assinged the exit row at Twilight check. The ticket desk not being open means nothing. The seat should be changed in the system then all you have to do would be pay the next day and have your boarding card issued.

And to whoever was saying about extra leg room seats being available on line....I've only ever seen pax who've got those seats are those who've had them preassigned such as a special assistance pax who has been given that seat by res. They're not on the seat map for just anyone to take!!

Gavin and Lipstick...thanks for your info..it is basically the same as I got fron VA yesterday..though I was transferred to 3 people before someone knew the answer...

I was told that I could be assigned exit row seats at the Twilight check-in desk(s) but I could only pay by credit card - no cash - also if there was no one to take the c/c payment at the time I could still have the seats and check our luggage through but that VA would hold on to the boarding cards until I paid the following morning at the Ticket desk so no need to queue at check-in....

Gavin thanks for the desk opening times...it means that if we get to the Twilight desk(s) by 11.45am and hopefully are the first to check-in...and "bag" those elusive exit seats...we can get to the Ticket desk before it closes at 2.15pm and complete the transaction on the same day...means an extra hour in bed the next morning and no pre 7.00am check-in....

now here's hoping everything goes according to plan...fingers crossed !!

thanks everyone..

xxH