Virgin Atlantic - paying for seats?

[bambikate]

We booked and paid for our seats, for us it was with the peace of mind, however I did wince handing over the cash...

[Mikeeboy]

Originally Posted by misterh

Let's go back to the old days... You queued at check-in and they gave you a seat and a sticker: 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. No choice, often not sitting together, often not on the same row.

Things have moved along and now people can choose their seat:
- in the bubble
- near the front for immigration
- over or in front of the wing for nervous fliers (less turbulence), etc.

Airlines are typically making 5-6% profit on costs of tens of billions of dollars each year. If they didn't charge to book seats - and a fair chunk of people didn't pay - then they'd have to get revenue from somewhere else. Which would mean putting the ticket price up for everyone.

So if people didn't pay £25 then probably your ticket would have been £10-£15 more anyway. So you only really paid £10 for your seat. And that makes everyone a lot happier

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No need to go back to the old days. Once the plane is full, a computer can work out the best seating arrangements. Now, we end up with single seats all over the place which causes all the problems, when the last person to check in is a single parent with 6 kids.

I'm happy to have £10 added to my ticket, if we all pay it. I can't get a bubble seat, or near the front for immigration anyway because people have paid their £25 before me. Maybe those seats should be more expensive? £150 for a seat in the bubble, still want to sit there?

It's a farce, and it's only because people are already waving goodbye to £££££ for their 'holiday of a lifetime' that they are hoodwinked into thinking it is short change.

[purple myra]

Just be happy you are flying VA and not BA where the prices vary and all start above £25!
We have just paid £172 for two adults to sit in their preferred seats (London - LA and then Dallas - London)

I pay if the seats I want are still available... if my favoured seats have already been snapped up then I just take my chances as the rest of the seats are all much of a muchness to me.

[HelenJNT]

Originally Posted by purple myra

Just be happy you are flying VA and not BA where the prices vary and all start above £25!
We have just paid £172 for two adults to sit in their preferred seats (London - LA and then Dallas - London)
.

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Wow. Just wow. I don't know what to say to that! So expensive.

I suppose I wasn't expecting it because I flew transatlantic with United a couple of weeks ago and it never cropped up. Chose our preferred seats at the time of booking, then they were still there at online check-in and there was no issue and no extra fee. Shows how things change between trips as we flew Virgin in 2013 and I don't think they were charging then. Or if they were, it passed me by once again!

[bill55bill]

It amazes me that there are always people ready to stand up and defend the indefensible.

It's a money making scam, nothing more and nothing less.

They will have a full list of passengers way before the day of the flight and it would take them ten minutes to sit everyone together in their respective parties.

Trouble is , there are too many people daft enough to pay it, if everyone stopped acting like sheep they'd soon stop.

Delta don't charge for you choosing your seat online so if it's good enough for them why not for Virgin?

Imagine making a booking for a restaurant and then being charged an extra tenner to be sat with your friend/partner, nobody would put up with it so why is a plane any different?

[Guest]

We haven't paid to book seats, we are working on the theory that with 2 children age 6 and 9 and 1 child age 12 (yes she is still a child) then either me or hubby will get sat with littlies and if eldest is put on her own we will swap with her. Sure I won't mind!

It does nark me a bit that last january we paid the child tax on 3 flights, booked our seats sat together and didn't have pay for the privilege but this year cause she is 12 and the child tax is scrapped we would have to fork out extra just to be sat together.

[Connor999]

This year, I have paid £35 each way for 3 of us for extra legroom seats in the bubble. I treat it as part of the holiday and am looking forward to it. I think it is personal preference and prefer that we all sit together. Obviously, I would rather not pay but considering the whole cost of the holiday, it is not that much. You can't put a price on memories.

[aay_esha]

We've just the past week paid to select our seats. I have heard too many stories from people I know being split up at check in and I hate flying and i'm super anxious already so it has given me a little peace of mind knowing where i'll be sat and that DH will be right beside me.

I was by no means happy about paying £100 but in the end it was that or making myself ill stressing which unfortunately I do!

[purple myra]

Originally Posted by bill55bill

It amazes me that there are always people ready to stand up and defend the indefensible.

It's a money making scam, nothing more and nothing less.

They will have a full list of passengers way before the day of the flight and it would take them ten minutes to sit everyone together in their respective parties.

Trouble is , there are too many people daft enough to pay it, if everyone stopped acting like sheep they'd soon stop.

Delta don't charge for you choosing your seat online so if it's good enough for them why not for Virgin?

Imagine making a booking for a restaurant and then being charged an extra tenner to be sat with your friend/partner, nobody would put up with it so why is a plane any different?

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Yep, but I think the point is ... I want to be the one choosing my seat. It isn't always just about sitting together.
Anyway, I'll happily be sheep-like if it means I get what I want. I've never understood why some people get bothered by what others spend their money on.

[dismadbrit]

Originally Posted by jaccuziman

Hello Everyone
As has been said man, many, many times on here, paying for your seats is all a con !

You pay, you pay for several seats, it means nothing !

It is a preference.

They can still move you, pay or not, they do move you, pay or not.
You are paying to say, please Sir can we sit there please, and we will pay Sir, don't move us please sir! But they have, they will, and they do move people.

We are a family of four, 2 adults, 2 kids 6+4, and this time we are taking my mum + dad.

There is no way I am paying £150 each way, to say please Sir can we sit there, and please Sir don't split us up !

So I am one of those annoying people that won't pay, and may cause you to lose your paid for seat !

If they want to make everyone's flight £25 more expensive, and everyone picks a seat at booking, all well and good, I will pay it !

But then ooooohhhhh that's not a cheap seat is it, it's £25 more.
Rubbish, if they added it on for everyone ,o.k, what's £25 but a small part of the fare.
But no they don't, they want to play games and sell you a seat as cheap as they can, because it looks better for them, we are good, we are cheap.
It's all a pile of pants !

We are going on Virgins seat policy, they will not sit a 6 or 4year old away from at least one adult member of the party.
So I or wife will be Sat in a 3 with kids we all will be in a 4, or they will put us in 2 twos with a child each, and well, mom + dad will be together, or apart, and where ever !

But I have paid a lot of money , and am paying no more.
We all understand what might happen, so be it!

Who cares, we are going to spend 2 weeks on holiday in the land of the mouse.

And the ones that don't have to sit with the kids, will probably have a better flight anyway, HasHANAh.

I am Mr nasty who won't pay, direct all your evil rants to me, and I will just laugh it off and have £300 to spend on ourselves having fun, instead of to Mr Branson, and his Cronies.

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It's a long fall off a high horse!