Virgin America upgrades - TIP
I thought I'd pass along a tip to other Virgin America flyers. You can take advantage of the "same day" upgrade pricing Virgin America offers up to 24 hours in advance, as soon as you can check in online.
When it's 24 hours before your flight, simply log in to your Elevate account and select the flight. It will prompt you to check in. Click on "CHANGE SEAT". You can pick a Main Cabin Select *or* First Class seat at this point and pay the upgrade fee.
If you do upgrade, you then have to go back to check in again.
I believe ANY AND ALL unsold MCS or 1st Class seats are available for upgrade using this method! So you can grab the seat of your dreams in advance, long before heading to the airport.
In fact, if you were looking to BUY a 1st class seat, seems crazy to pay full price if it's within 24 hours. Buy a lower class then immediately upgrade. You can see the seat maps to tell if it's available.
I really love this program... their 1st class seats are sooooo worth it! I'm amazed more people don't spring for them.
Only downside: you cannot use Elevate points at this time for the upgrade; all upgrades must be in cash.
I really hope they offer the option to use Elevate points to upgrade instead of cash. That for me would put the icing on the cake on a really awesome frequent flyer program.
Hope this info is useful, and enjoy your upgrade!