VX putting you as Standby when arriving in LA - beware

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Rdarby

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Aug 1, 2011
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Arrived in LA on Sunday morning. Flew Flexi BNE to LAX to FLL, all on one Virgin Australia ticket. The internal LAX to FLL was on Virgin America. Arriving in LAX I needed a VX boarding pass.

I dropped my bag off at the transfer counter and then went to check in. They gave me a boarding pass and said I was standby. I started to explode so they told me to talk to someone in the Loft.

Now the Loft (their lounge) cannot assign a seat all the time, they have someone at the service desk which is in the gate area do it. I was told it would be assigned at boarding, and I would be called, so to hang around the service desk.

I went earlier than boarding and started to get huffy and they gave me what I wanted. But the issue is:
  1. It isn't really Standby, although some VX people will tell you it is. The Loft said the seat was there, just not sure which one. So don't panic unless like me you don't want a middle seat;
  2. There is something wrong with the VA-VX seat assignment integration. One lady told me it was a temporary IT problem. So watch out for it, as sitting in the middle for a 5 hour fight just after you got off a 13 hour flight is not pleasant;
  3. Another lady told me that the Americans can check in online and select seats well in advance, and since us VA people arrive last minute from their perspective they do a late shuffle of seats;
  4. Platinum means nothing on VX unless you argue! So good luck with priority boarding etc!

All up it really makes me wonder why I don't just arrange flights with the cheapest carrier in the US and forget the VA partnerships as they don't seem to do anything for me.
 
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I found priority boarding ok, I just waved my card and walked past. Didn't give them the opportunity to say no.
 
This sounds very similar to an experience I had earlier this year flying SYD-LAX-LA but using a VA codeshare flight on DL from LAX-LAS.

I too had a confirmed seat number. At SYD I was given a boarding pass but it didn't show my seat number. On arriving at the DL lounge in LAX and wanting to exchange my boarding pass for one with seat number printed on it. I was told that my boarding pass with the seat number would be handled by the gate staff. This did concern me as it seemed to suggest a similar scenario to that of the OP on VX.

When I went to the gate I approached the CSR and said I need my BP with my reserved seat number. I flashed my itinerary as well as the receipt I had for the purchased "extra comfort seat". It did seem for a moment that I might not be on the flight but I did persist and it worked out ok.
 
I have also had the no seat assignment situation with UA. In the end I assumed it was that I had purchased a 'normal' seat, and they only had 'economy comfort' seats left.

They didn't want to give me a comfort seat unless they had to (you can purchase the 'upgrade' at the check in kiosk) so delayed giving me a seat. They didnt get enough people paying for it, so ended up in 'comfort'.
 
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