cabbage49

Hi

I've not been on this site since my last long haul in 2010 and lots has changed and I am trying to update myself.

Could someone kindly advise re seat reservations on VS?

I have booked a holiday through virgin holiday cruises. I am flying out on VS29 on 8 Sept in Economy and flying back PE on 18 Sept.

I would like to select our seats (3) on the 8th Sept as soon as they are available. On the MMB tab it says seat map not available and seats can be chosen 90 days prior to the flight. Is this correct?

I am a Red member of flying club.

I know from flying previously with BA (blue Executive Club)( we could choose our seats quite a bit in advance and pay for the privilege but I'm sure it wasn't at 90 days.

Can anyone kindly clarify this for me?

Steve Oh

Yes, 90 days prior.
My current booking is for 30th July and they've told me I can select my seats at the end of April, ie 90 days prior.

VS don't charge you to choose your seats either
Just make sure you are online ready to choose them as soon as it opens, cos there will probably be a lot of other people doing the same

cabbage49

Thanks Steve

On some threads it says its longer than 90
days. Will be poised 90 days prior. Daft
Q but is flight day classed as day 1 or day 0.

To be honest I would rather pay extra to
select my seat earlier - would you?

flood

I would suggest (happy to be corrected if I'm wrong) that flight is day 0. Sept 7th would be 1 day out, and by that logic June 10th would be 90 days out.

Personally it depends on the length of the flight, if I'm travelling alone or with others, cost for reserving, and which cabin.

Generally I would not pay to reserve

Steve Oh

Yes, I'd be happy to pay for my seat in advance.
The not knowing is horrible.

Flying Low

Good questions cabbage49, I've got similar myself.

Next question is: Would seat selection open at time of flight (eg 1130), or at a minute past midnight on T-90 days?

Ta,

FL

Silver Fox

From about T-95 start watching the seat selection daily, there are reports of it opening at various times within that sort of window, and it seems that it opens a few hours before the exact 90 days - so I would say at T-91 watch it like a hawk if you are that concerned. IMO it is a poor system, and I would pay to select earlier, but it is what it is.

boonkoh

You should definitely choose your seat as early as you can.

We didn't, and even though we were the first to check in 4 hours before our flight from Cape Town to London, we were given the very last row of an A340, right next to the door of the toilet. At check-in we were told that all other seats were booked!!

However, on board the plane, there were like 20 empty seats further down the cabin, so we jumped there the first moment we can.

I don't understand why Virgin Atlantic do this...

cabbage49

HI

Thanks for all your replies and tips. I will start looking from T95. I think they open the seat selection at midnight on T90 (june 10 th for me) but I am not sure. I've just seen the seat alert app so I might try that - if nothing else it will remind me to start looking nearer the time.

I would definitely pay another £20 or so to reserve seats in advance.

Steve Oh

I'll be doing the same for my flight.... T-95 and I'll be checking every six ours.
Don't forget to look on Seatguru to see which seats are preferable.... V-flyer also has reviews on which seats are good/bad.

The crazy thing is, if you flight economy you get to pick your seat at time of booking - which was 10 months in advance for me last time.
If anything, they are favouring the people paying them less money.

nbongo

Hello all, newbie here, and my seat selection just opened I believe, but how can you tell if your chosen seats have registered? Seats are disappearing around me (PE), and when I choose a couple of seats (turns from red to purple) and hit "submit" it just throws me back to my booking. A couple of days ago when the seat map was up but not "on", it would at least give me an error message saying nothing was available... Shouldn't there be some sort of confirmation message?

cabbage49

Hi

Wanted to post an update. Tried to book seats when seat map became available but it wasn't having it. The days to go were 90 days plus 3 hours or so.
Rang customer services who said although seat map available online you still cannot book seats until 90 days exactly.

Website said to book exit rows or extra leg room you had to call. Mentioned this to the agent on the phone and he checked and only 1 exit row seat was available so booked 3 extra leg room seats instead.

They cannot give you seat numbers or confirm you are sitting together.

I asked from what date could I book these and exit row seats and was told it could be requested at the time of booking!

Wish I had known this so thought I would share

UKtravelbear

It is clearly stated on the VS website that you do not get a choice of seats if you book an exit row or extra leg room - these are allocated by Virgin and you get told the seat numbers at the airport.

The staff member who said that you can book an extra / extra leg set at the time of booking is correct as you can but you cannot request specific seats.

No one books a specific seat they are all requests.

cabbage49

You are quite correct in all points raised.

VA were very clear at all times re the seat requests and went through the t's & c's several times during the phone call.

The point of my post is to say that if you want extra leg room or exit row seats don't wait like me for the 90 days before flying, request them at the time of booking.

Hubbabridge

VS seat selection or lack of it is a big minus. Having selected a seat weeks in advance I was moved from my seat at T24 to accommodate a couple it would appear. As a VS gold I was appalled but there are other airlines out there and in future I know who I will fly with.