Step by step instructions to upgrade?
 

I have searched this thread for instructions on upgrading to either MCS or F and have gotten conflicting or incomplete info. Some say to check in and upgrade from there, others say don't check in go change seats, etc. The only way I can find change seats is to view my itinerary and then the change seats sign shows up. But it won't let me change - it directs me to change my flight. I don't want to try that and mess up my reservation if I do something wrong.

Can someone help me with step by step instructions?

Thanks.

If you change seats at < 24 hours you can upgrade to MCS by selecting the seat, at < 6 hours you can upgrade to F by selecting the seat. Outside of 24 hours you need to change your flight and pay the fare difference.

Don't "check-in" until you're finished with upgrade attempts.
In other words, don't check-in until "this" is the seat you want.

You can upgrade into MC at 24hours, but you can't upgrade tp F until 6 hours.
This presents an issue for those with MC tickets hoping for F ...
1)... do I hold out trying to upgrade until the 6 hour window when I can try for the seat I really want
...or...
2)... do I upgrade to MCS at the 24 hour window so at least I'll get something. And try upgrading to F later.

For those choosing option #1 it's easy.
Wait until the 6 hour mark and check-in. Grab that "double upgrade" to F if it's available. Sit in MC if both F and MCS are full by now.

For those choosing option #2, it ain't so easy, but they may get the consolation prize of MCS
At the 24 hour mark, try the single upgrade MC->MCS. Don't check-in yet because this is not my final upgrade attempt.
At 6 hours, check-in. Grab the 2nd single upgrade MCS->F if it's available. If not available at least you got an MCS upgrade for your extra efforts.

Thanks
 

Thanks so much, falconred and steve64,

I followed your advice and successfully upgraded to MCS at 24 hours and then to first at 6 hours.

I've read everywhere about upgrading on VX but I have yet to find a pricing model. How much do upgrades cost?

They have a nice, new fee disclosure page on their website:

http://virginamerica.com/vx/fees

Upgrades cost depend on route and class of service.

To give an example I paid $69 to upgrade from MCS to First on DFW - SFO route.

I want to upgrade from MC to F.

Do I need to check in first to upgrade? or do I select the seats first and then check in. Never done this before.

Do I click on Check In or Change Flight first?

Thanks!

Have you read this thread yet ? It's a small one.

hey everyone,

i bought a ticket in MCS and want to try to go to F 6 hours before the flight.

so to be clear, i should click "check in", then click "change seat". i get the page that looks like an airplane with the different seats that are available.

if i click one of the available F seats, i get that popup that says "to move to first class, please process to change flight..." (since it's >6 hours before my flight)

so my strategy:

1) refresh this page with all of the airplane seats
2) click an F seat
3) if it says "to move to first class, please process to change flight..."...repeat steps 1 & 2
4) else if it lets be buy the seat, i'm in!

does that sound right? at 6 hours before the flight, i should hit step 4?

aw, i think i did this wrong. i sat here at 1:40am (7:40am flight) hitting refresh over and over again until 1:44am...but each time i tried to select that 1st class seat, it kept telling me that popup message to go change flight to re-purchase.

eventually at around 1:44, both empty seats in F were taken.

so i gave up...went to check out, and click the link that says "when all seats have been assigned, click here to go on" and then on that page, there's a box that says that 1st class upgrades are not available. i'm guessing that i should have been refreshing this page?

anyway, i don't know. maybe i'll try again next time. maybe not. this is too confusing...

I also used the refresh page function when VX's on line upgrade system worked, but my last attempts on line were useless. I've only been able to upgrade by calling in. Has anyone else been able to recently upgrade on line?

Rock72, sorry to see you get frustrated like this. Best I can tell the online upgrades have not worked since the new system was installed in November. It looks like your best bet is to call in at 24 hours (MCS) or 6 hours (F) before your flight.

It's really hard to believe that an IT system upgrade could go this badly and not be fixed over three months later.

actually, i did try to call in also but at slightly over 6 hours before the flight (1:40am) i just got a recording that said that the customer service reps will be available starting 3:30am so nobody was available.

is there another way to get through to a live person at that hour?

i tried to upgrade coming back also but that was odd. on the page where you select seats, it showed all 8 FC seats available but when i would click one, it told me to change flight. when i went to continue, it said that no seats were available to upgrade (this was slightly less than 6 hours before the flight). this was at 2pm yesterday (8pm yesterday flight out of JFK-LAX).

when i went to the page to try to buy a ticket, it said no seats available in FC so i'm guessing that 8 empty seats was just a mistake.

good news, even though i was in the main cabin coming back i was sitting by a windows.

bad news, the guy sitting next to me smelled like sour sweat + body odor. guy sitting behind him (so middle seat in row behind me) was watching tv and would laugh hysterically every 5-10 seconds. earlier in the flight, that same guy fell asleep for about an hour but snored loudly like a fat pig. at that point, i was hoping he would just wake up...so i guess i got what i wished for but the laughing was louder and more annoying than the snoring. at least i wasn't sitting next to him.

and people ask why i hate economy class...