birder
Intern
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2011
- Posts
- 76
If you don't want to read a whinge, stop now.
I am platinum (just earned it for next year as well) and can only fly economy (employer's rules). I booked a trip to the US on Virgin/Delta, with the hopes that I could use some of my points to upgrade to PE on the Sydney-LAX leg (and return). Well, it turns out that my booking class wasn't high enough to allow me to even ask for an upgrade for the SYD-LAX leg, but it was for the LAX-SYD leg. But, they told me that I had to call so many days out, and since I was not yet in that window, I would have to call back. I explained that I would be in the US and my roaming charges are outrageous, but they explained that that's their rules and too bad. So I call from the US, talk to the Velocity people, get transferred to the intl velocity people, and then they tell me that there is no availability. I say, Well, my flight is still days away, can't you put me on a list in case availability opens up? NOPE. I have to keep calling back. Whoever calls at the right time gets the seat.
I'm sorry, but this is mickey mouse operations. They should have a system in place so that people can request upgrades (online, not by silly phoning) and then they make decisions on upgrades based on a combination of factors (status, price paid, when the request was made, etc). Instead, it is simply luck of the draw - whoever calls when availability opens up gets it. Status does not factor into it at all.
As I raised in an earlier post, what value is platinum on Virgin Australia? Surely an airline that wanted to look after its top tiers would give them some preference in upgrades, right?
I am platinum (just earned it for next year as well) and can only fly economy (employer's rules). I booked a trip to the US on Virgin/Delta, with the hopes that I could use some of my points to upgrade to PE on the Sydney-LAX leg (and return). Well, it turns out that my booking class wasn't high enough to allow me to even ask for an upgrade for the SYD-LAX leg, but it was for the LAX-SYD leg. But, they told me that I had to call so many days out, and since I was not yet in that window, I would have to call back. I explained that I would be in the US and my roaming charges are outrageous, but they explained that that's their rules and too bad. So I call from the US, talk to the Velocity people, get transferred to the intl velocity people, and then they tell me that there is no availability. I say, Well, my flight is still days away, can't you put me on a list in case availability opens up? NOPE. I have to keep calling back. Whoever calls at the right time gets the seat.
I'm sorry, but this is mickey mouse operations. They should have a system in place so that people can request upgrades (online, not by silly phoning) and then they make decisions on upgrades based on a combination of factors (status, price paid, when the request was made, etc). Instead, it is simply luck of the draw - whoever calls when availability opens up gets it. Status does not factor into it at all.
As I raised in an earlier post, what value is platinum on Virgin Australia? Surely an airline that wanted to look after its top tiers would give them some preference in upgrades, right?
