Just a quick warning on Virgin flights.
Just a quick warning on Virgin flights.
Author
Discussion

Olivero

Original Poster:

2,155 posts

227 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
I was meant to be flying yesterday with Virgin. Turned up at the airport 2 hours before my flight, to be told that the flight was overbooked so I might not have a seat.
Thankfully I had booked in online 24 hours before and chosen my seat. Had I just turned up at the airport I would not have had a seat. In the end I chose to give up my seat to a very nice lady who wanted to get home to her family.
It just so happened that Virgin were offering anyone who stepped off a free round trip. Besides it only too me 30 minutes to get back to a slight bemused girlfriend who thought had got rid of me for the week.

miniman

28,609 posts

280 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Every airline overbooks flights, they assume a fair number of no-shows and sometimes they get caught out, hence their willingness to compensate those that get bumped. If you're not in a rush to get somewhere, it can be quite lucrative.

remedy

1,981 posts

209 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
As long as there wasn't a strangers car on the drive and clothes strewn all about the hallway when you got home...

Well done for giving your flight up!

Zippee

13,834 posts

252 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?

LukeBird

17,170 posts

227 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
As mentioned in the 2nd post, there are a lot of no shows etc.

They won't commonly do it on flights that are packed all of the time, although that is quite unusual nowadays.

GTIR

24,741 posts

284 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Was she fit?

Zippee

13,834 posts

252 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
LukeBird said:
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
As mentioned in the 2nd post, there are a lot of no shows etc.

They won't commonly do it on flights that are packed all of the time, although that is quite unusual nowadays.
Presumably as stated they're just chancing it then? A no-show shouldn't in theory matter to the airline as regardless the seat has been paid for.

LukeBird

17,170 posts

227 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Zippee said:
Presumably as stated they're just chancing it then? A no-show shouldn't in theory matter to the airline as regardless the seat has been paid for.
Indeed they are.

But there will always be someone who will take a later flight and a 'bung' from the operator, hence overbooked = problem solved.

RDE

5,011 posts

232 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Olivero said:
In the end I chose to give up my seat to a very nice lady who wanted to get home to her family.
Tell her not to bother. If she just stays with her husband and the rest of the kids she'll end up arriving home just seconds after she would have done anyway, and she'll have avoided a ride in a van with a band and John Candy.

Somewhatfoolish

4,914 posts

204 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Zippee said:
LukeBird said:
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
As mentioned in the 2nd post, there are a lot of no shows etc.

They won't commonly do it on flights that are packed all of the time, although that is quite unusual nowadays.
Presumably as stated they're just chancing it then? A no-show shouldn't in theory matter to the airline as regardless the seat has been paid for.
But they can bump people onto later flights... ensuring more capacity across the board. And amusingly charging people on the less popular flight more as they had to pay throught the nose for the popular flight smile

fadeaway

1,463 posts

244 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
I totally agree that it feels wrong, but you haven't in effect paid for a seat. you've also agreed to the airlines terms and conditions and you've also probably picked the best price/cheapest ticket - which has been subsidized by those no-shows.

As others have said, all the airlines, including the big names, do it. So it's nothing special or different with Virgin.

Would royal piss me off if any airline did it to me though!

whoami

13,164 posts

258 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
Are you being serious?

plg101

4,106 posts

228 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
I had this years ago as a broke student.. flying back from working on BUNAC in the states (where they pay for your flight and naff all money for 10 weeks work (good fun though)).. Virgin bounced me, in return free return flight - wen to San Francisco the next Easter smile

Funny thing was, the flight I was supposed to be on developed a problem on the runway and actually landed after my flight... easiest £400 free customer service I ever received...

Dodgey_Rog

2,019 posts

278 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
British Airways used to throw money and upgrades at you years ago, a few times i had my flights paid for and was only an hour or so later than originally planned.

sneijder

5,221 posts

252 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
This is my job, and it's really not that bad to deal with once you know what you're doing.

Because I'm ace I normally have all the volunteers I need at the gate, it's just a case of 'selling' it. If anyone's going home I tell them we're busy today, and how would you like an extra days holiday on us. Can't go wrong at that, and I offer to ring their boss too. There's always an old couple who want a few quid compensation and an extra day with the grandkids.

If there's no one like this available, I'll re-route passengers flying long haul. I'll have a few in the pipeline before check in has opened. Generally folk will get around a hundred quid and get there at the same time if not earlier.

When you buy a ticket, in really general terms you're not buying a seat. You're buying a contract for Airline X to get you from A to B within a reasonable time of the time you requested.

If the plane is oversold, passengers with staff tickets are booted off first, then I upgrade until all the classes are full. I upgrade purely on frequent flier cards in the system, this whole dress smart business has never worked with me. If you fly more often and spend more than a bloke in a suit you deserve it.

The crud really hits the fan when there is a configuration change and you suddenly find you have 20 less seats than you thought.

Sounds like a bad idea, but the airlines closely monitor the flights and have a different model for each flight number for the level they can oversell.

No-one flys business with Turkish, so they will happily oversell economy by 12 seats knowing full well they'll fit in the empty business seats.

From what I've heard the hotel business can get away with overselling a much higher percentage.


Puggit

49,230 posts

266 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
quotequote all
sneijder said:
If the plane is oversold, passengers with staff tickets are booted off first, then I upgrade until all the classes are full. I upgrade purely on frequent flier cards in the system, this whole dress smart business has never worked with me. If you fly more often and spend more than a bloke in a suit you deserve it.
82 flights in 2 years and star alliance gold status, and I'm STILL waiting for that first op-up!

Although I know sneijder works for BA, so he's no use to me!


Edited by Puggit on Wednesday 2nd December 09:01

Zippee

13,834 posts

252 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
quotequote all
whoami said:
Zippee said:
I don't understand how airlines can do this? You've paid for a seat, surely once all seats on the flight are sold then thats it - how can they oversell?
Are you being serious?
I was yes! Please excuse my naivety for assuming that people may expect to get something they purchased.

As for the other more helpful replies detailing about t&cs etc it now makes more sense (still don't think its particularly fair though)!

HereBeMonsters

14,180 posts

200 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
I am seriously considering it. The thing is I'm interested networking primarily, with the very small possibility of picking up some freelance work in the future - I'm not actually retailing anything. The only reason I'm considering it is I already have a number of 'industry' people on my personal page. I don't really do anything too scandalous, but there is the potential for something to go wrong if you mix the two...
WTF?

Jackpot

355 posts

206 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
quotequote all
Something that annoyed me when I flew a couple months back, a mate of mine booked a return flight but booked the outgoing flight on the wrong day, it worked out cheaper for him to just book a single one-way flight for the outgoing than it was to change the booking, no problems there he booked a new flight. When it came to the return flight he was told that as he never turned up for the outgoing flight that they had sold his seat for the return flight!? We were a little miffed about this as he'd paid for the seat so logic would say he had a seat on the flight, when you pay for something surely you 'own it' until the agreed has been fulfilled?

If they re-sell the flight then logic would also say a refund should be given.

We argued at the time and he did get a seat on the flght but I do not think this is right at all!

If I pay for something over the phone for local shop and say I will collect it on Monday, but something comes up so I can't make it until Tuesday, I'd be pretty pissed if on Tuesday I go in and they'd sold it to someone else, I'd be expecting a full refund.

I know this is not quite the same but just trying to make my point! biggrin

Edited by Jackpot on Wednesday 2nd December 11:18

Jackpot

355 posts

206 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
quotequote all
HereBeMonsters said:
Chris71 said:
I am seriously considering it. The thing is I'm interested networking primarily, with the very small possibility of picking up some freelance work in the future - I'm not actually retailing anything. The only reason I'm considering it is I already have a number of 'industry' people on my personal page. I don't really do anything too scandalous, but there is the potential for something to go wrong if you mix the two...
WTF?
That's a quote from the 'Facebook for work' thread from a week or 2 back?

How strange.