VegasGambler

I'm wondering about the difference between MC and MCS on VX.

Usually I book early and fly F for a reasonable fare, but for a flight I want (around new years) F is a little pricy. So I was going to buy a MC ticket.

If I get one of the emergency exit MC window seats, I wonder if I should opt for the free upgrade I have a shot at as silver? MCS has 6 inches of extra legroom, but the EE rows have those 6 inches anyway. So the pitch is the same for both (38)

Obviously the free food & drinks are nice, but it's a short flight; I have all the free food and drinks I want when I land, and my concern is that I'll get "upgraded" to a middle seat. I'm thinking that the MC EE window seat is better than than a random MCS middle seat. To me, having a window seat is worth more than a couple of drinks and a box of cookies (although, I really do like those cookies). It's SFO - LAS, so no meal service. Obviously I might luck out and get upgraded to a MCS window seat, but I don't want to count on that.

Is there anything that I'm missing? I know that the MCS seats are a different color of leather, but is there any other difference? They aren't wider.. are they somehow more comfortable?

I'm obviously hoping that I can buy an upgrade to F at T-12, but I'm not really counting on it. I assume that they price the F seats so high because they expect to sell them all, even at that price.

Eastbay1K

All your IFE is also free.

What is the fare differential? If you want a box of cookies and a couple of drinks, swipe your credit card and sit in the seat with a bunch of legroom that is already free for you and you are ahead. I thought the emergency exit row was MCS. Well, I suppose there are some planes where it is and some where there's a second (non MCS) row.

Do you need the spend for status?

VegasGambler

For the SFO-LAS route they use this configuration. Row 9 is EE and MC (presumably because it doesn't recline, since there is an EE row behind it as well). I rarely recline in economy seats because I find that it doesn't make it any more comfortable. But, since it's EE, it has the pitch of 38 instead of 32.

I absolutely don't need the pts. I fly SFO-LAS RT about once every 2-3 weeks, usually in F, paying $245 each way, so I will easily get gold next year (I just switched from WN to VX, so I'm just status matched to silver now) I just don't want to pay $424 for that flight, which is why I want to do this flight in MC or MCS (I am actually gladly paying the $424 / segment fare for my thanksgiving trip, but that is during the FTE promo so I feel that it's worth it due to the massive number of points that I get -- triple pts in F + silver bonus + CC bonus = 19.25 pts/dollar spent. It also actually will get me over 10k pts for the promo, so there's another 2500 bonus pts as well)

IFE is no big deal, because, again, it's a 1hr flight. I never use it, even in F.

So, basically, say I select seat 9F (EE, window). That is an express seat, but I don't have to pay the $30 because of the silver status. If I check the box to try for the free upgrade to MCS and I end up in, say, 10F, I would be happy. Still a window seat, plus free food and drinks. But if I ended up in 10E, I think I would be unhappy because it's a middle seat -- I think I prefer 9F to 10E + food + bev.

Unfortunately, there is no box that says "only upgrade me if I can get a window seat".

I could also just pay for 10E up-front, but then I'm just paying an extra $90 for food and drinks, which is crazy.

gooseman13

It's a 72 minute flight. Stick with the MC. If you're silver you could probably call within the 24 hours or whatever and ask if there is a good seat available before requesting the upgrade.

VegasGambler

Yeah, that's what I did. I bought the ticket last night and left the opt-in box unchecked (I am in 9F)

I can check the seat map and see what's available. But aren't all the upgrades automated? ie, just because there are some good seats available, isn't there still a chance that I get upgraded to a bad one?

gooseman13

I assume they can do a manual upgrade, but I'm not positive. However, once you're upgraded you can always switch seats to any available seat in MCS.

VegasGambler

Oh, I guess, another benefit of being upgraded to MCS is that, if there are F seats available, the upgrade to F is cheaper.

Is it still only $30 to upgrade MCS -> F on that route?

Eastbay1K

Just to put this in perspective, and maybe it isn't relative, but maybe it is ... how much do you typically blow in a LAS weekend where you have "all the free food and drinks [you] want when you land?

VegasGambler

Well, nothing on food or drinks!

I have a specific limit, which I'd rather not disclose, but it is 5 figures long. And, of course sometimes I win as well.

But, you don't need to pay that big to get free rooms, food, and drinks. Of course, there are different levels -- are you spending $30 at the buffet, $300 at the steakhouse, or $3000 at the nightclub? Are you in a standard room, a penthouse suite, or something in between?