Upgrades as VS Gold
Apr 9, 2007, 11:43 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 434
Upgrades as VS Gold
Greetings!
As a Centurion AMEX customer, I am now suddenly a VS Gold Member, but I have never before flown the airline except for business in paid upper class (I live in San Francisco and fly mostly on United, where I am a 1K for many years running).
I spent a minute reviewing the Virgin Atlantic website, and it makes no mention of upgrade priority by membership status level. Presumably, however, Virgin clears upgrades by status? Is this correct?
If so, would anyone be kind enough to comment on what their success rates have been in upgrading *to* Upper Class as a VS Gold? I am, I suppose, most curious about LHR-SFO as a route, but would be interested in comments about system-wide upgrades rates, as well.
Thanks for any thoughts you may have, and please accept my apologies in advance for "diluting" the Virgin membership base!
Take care,
Edward
As a Centurion AMEX customer, I am now suddenly a VS Gold Member, but I have never before flown the airline except for business in paid upper class (I live in San Francisco and fly mostly on United, where I am a 1K for many years running).
I spent a minute reviewing the Virgin Atlantic website, and it makes no mention of upgrade priority by membership status level. Presumably, however, Virgin clears upgrades by status? Is this correct?
If so, would anyone be kind enough to comment on what their success rates have been in upgrading *to* Upper Class as a VS Gold? I am, I suppose, most curious about LHR-SFO as a route, but would be interested in comments about system-wide upgrades rates, as well.
Thanks for any thoughts you may have, and please accept my apologies in advance for "diluting" the Virgin membership base!
Take care,
Edward
Apr 10, 2007, 3:35 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: UK
Programs: Lots of shiny metallic ones.
Posts: 1,049
There is no such "upgrade clearing" that goes on with VS - that is typically a North-American airline way of doing things.
VS offer no automatic upgrades or "certificates" to any Gold Member - all upgrades must be done from a qualifying fare, using miles, I'm afraid. They CAN be done at the airport, subject to availability, but again, using miles/cash.
Upgrades book into the same class as regular reward seats and as such, sell out quite early on. There is no "priority" concept at present for a gold card holder over a regular member for these seats.
Of course, having a Gold card will bump you further "up the list" if they ever have to do any operational upgrades, but nothing more than that.
... other than the rest of the Gold benefits, of course
VS offer no automatic upgrades or "certificates" to any Gold Member - all upgrades must be done from a qualifying fare, using miles, I'm afraid. They CAN be done at the airport, subject to availability, but again, using miles/cash.
Upgrades book into the same class as regular reward seats and as such, sell out quite early on. There is no "priority" concept at present for a gold card holder over a regular member for these seats.
Of course, having a Gold card will bump you further "up the list" if they ever have to do any operational upgrades, but nothing more than that.
... other than the rest of the Gold benefits, of course