rktj

Price being equal, which is preferable from LAX-SYD in economy, Delta or VA? If VA metal booked on Delta ticket, can you upgrade to Economy X on VA? I thought I read that you cannot. TIA

Smithwicks70

Went through the same decision a few months back. When I looked at reviews it seemed a pretty dead heat between the two with VA seeming to be the slightly better option. Since I've had a good experience flying Delta long haul before coupled with knowing for sure that I could upgrade to Comfort or PS I went with Delta.

Not sure about being able to upgrade to Economy X if you booked via Delta.

e90dude1

i have this same quandary coming up, really want to know about the Economy X upgrade option as well if booking with DL miles....if no way to upgrade to Economy X, guess I will just stick with Delta and get Comfort +

cs102

rktj

I was told the same by VA when I called. Ended up booking C+ on Delta

DLmedalliongold

Isn't DL 3-3-3 on the 777 and Virgin Australia 3-4-3? I'd go for the wider seat in economy, plus DL ticketed, DL operated is probably a slightly safer bet in the instance of something going wrong...

e90dude1

Actually they are both 3-3-3 and seat width is same but economy X pitch is 4 inches more than C+

NOLAnwGOLD

EX is a good product, and VA prioritizes the X service (pick choices and served first). Overall a great experience as all the Virgins have been to my experience.

I've done PE on VA as well and really liked them.

Generally I book VA in PE.

However, if I was in economy, with my status I'd get free C+ so would consider that since it's free.

BHammy

In my recent experience as a DL DM, EconX is available at the counter on VA flights.
Not always will they offer it, but if you ask, then they look at status and offer it.

CPMaverick

I prefer VA. Slightly better (and definitely more consistent) service. More legroom (both EX vs C+ and regular Y, although it's a small difference).

Both are similar and some of the best Y seats on the route, being still 3-3-3 777.

The main concern, that's already been addressed somewhat, are the smaller things that can trip you up. If you are on VA metal / DL ticket, you can't buy up to VA Economy X. If you are on DL metal / VA ticket, you can't buy up to DL Comfort+. There can be exceptions on day of travel but the good seats are usually gone by then. The best advice is to avoid codeshares, which is easy if you are just taking the non-stop flight. But if you have DL or VA domestic legs, it's harder to avoid codeshares.

There's also lounge access, DL elites can only access the SkyClub at LAX if flying VA, which means a bus ride from TBIT (or no lounge at all). DL status will not get you into the Business Class lounge VA uses at LAX (Emirates).

Personally, I have gone the route now of always booking VA on VA tickets and connecting flights on DL on separate tickets. The airlines always check bags through, and I don't have to deal with the codeshare nonsense. However, this is risky for the normal reasons and not for everyone.

Was this a DL flight number? Was it domestic or international? All relevant. VA usually does a good job of treating DL DM as VA Plat, which means from EconomyX, but only on domestic routes.

BHammy

It's usually been a DL ticketed VS domestic connection upon arriving into SYD.
And agreed, we've been treated well as DL-DM/VA-Plat, it's just that it's not always automatically noticed. Once presented, the look and then the perks come forth.
Even on the boarding pass, we're denoted as Zone 2 boarding (or whatever class they call it), but it also says "Partner Platinum", so we take advantage of boarding first and have never been kicked back.

CPMaverick

Yes, VA domestic should offer DL DM (and only DM) free EconomyX. But this is only for domestic flights. Since this thread is about international flights, it's just important to note that.

You can't even purchase EconomyX on the VA operated DL ticketed international codeshares. The problem is that since it is a DL ticket, DL would have to take the revenue from EconomyX sales, and they don't have the IT in place to do that. So it's impossible (except possibly on day of travel). Since there is no charge on domestic routes for DM, it is possible, as the issue of how to charge goes away.

G-man82

So I’m on DL 7282 in a few days, which is Delta codeshare of a VA operated flight from PER-SYD. I’ll be in DL 40 on the way home to the States. I purchased an economyX seat in the VA lounge a few weeks ago during a layover on a domestic flight. Both my itineraries in the VA app and the Delta App show the seat assigned in the economyX row. I’ll know for sure if it’s honored in a few days when I fly, though tbh I’m hoping to pay for a business class upgrade at the airport instead.

I am currently Delta DM, which shows up as partner platinum on my VA boarding passes.