I had upgraded so checked in via another lane and went off to the exec lounge. When I met up with fellow travellers at departure gate I was told of the major problem which had occurred at the economy checkin.  The Virgin desk agents were amazed that no one had checked in on line and printed their boarding passes, the plane had been overbooked and therefore 13 out of 21 people were told there was no room for them. It wasn’t as if they were at the back of the queue as our coach driver had made good time and arrived before checking desks had even opened.  So our group was first in line. They looked around for the check in kiosks sometimes available at airports but there were none to be seen.

 Unfortunately at this stage we had said goodbye to our TM Mary who had left us 4 hours earlier to catch a train to New York with 7 people who had booked a New York add on. She also had to be there to welcome brand new guests for a TS New York weekend as well as the 7.

Following a lot of anger at the desks it sounded as if they relented and finally allowed them a seat.

We also had 2 ladies who had booked special assistance and couldn’t believe that they couldn’t get on board.

So to clarify are we expected to self check in on line the day before or not.  If so can this be done the day before by the TM thus ensuring that everyone is accounted for and has a seat number and boarding pass.  When I go on holiday I really don’t expect to go and find a computer linked to a printer to make sure I can board a plane.

It really put a damper on what was a lovely holiday.

Gill

I'm very sorry to hear that this happened. Yes, we would always reccommend for customers to check in online before they travel, if this is possible.

I have passed this to our Aviation team to look into further.

Thanks,

Vickie

This is an interesting response as generally we are told that we cannot check in online because JY make a group booking.  Has the policy changed?

I recently flew with Virgin Atlantic for the first time - and was not impressed!  I was travelling with friends and we had serious problems checking in online, which caused a fair amount of stress.

All the best,

Bob

Thank you for your feedback, I've passed this to our Aviation team.

Thanks,

Vickie

Apologies, yes you're correct - if it's a group booking you are not able to check-in online.

Thanks,

Vickie

No, if it's a group booking customers are not able to check-in online.

I've passed your feedback to our Aviation team.

Thanks,

Vickie

Kind regards

Jaya

“We Organise Everything”, mentioned in the Brochure is one of the reasons, I choose to book my holidays with JY!!. I understand this means also, that the seats on the flights to and from the destination is guaranteed too!?.

Please correct me if I am expecting too much, thanks.

Regards,

Drewpat.

Can I ask a question please :-

"Are JY happy for the tour manager to depart to deal with the customers going on an extension, BEFORE checking that the people flying home are checked in and sorted out ?"

In most cases, a Tour Manager will be at the airport to ensure all main tour passengers are checked in. However, in some cases the Tour Manager has to accompany the add-on passengers who are travelling earlier. If there are any issues at check-in, customers can call the Tour Manager or if they’re not available, the Duty Office, if any help is required.

Thanks,

Vickie

It is the norm to do so with most airlines now.

The reason given by JY and Travelsphere is that we cannot do so because it is a group booking.

However other companies I travel with on group escorted tours give us codes so we can check in online.

Come on JY and Travelsphere....... catch up !

I have also had the tour manager leave with the main party while I have done a add on. With Kenya JY did arrange for those on the add on to get to the airport, when I did a add on in New York the group had to source and fund the taxi ride back to JFK airport we were not impressed.

I have had JY Managers meet me at the destination airport and also travel from departure.

I always feel safer with a JY Manager being with me at the start and also at the end..

There was a USA tour a few years ago when we were checking in to come home there was a shortage of seats and some had been bumped off, I have no idea what would have happened if the JY Manager was not with us, she really did come into her own and get things sorted, but if she hadn’t there would have been many distressed clients,

As for calling the tour manager if there is a problem on over 12 tours across the world only 1 JY TM has given her MB number out. Also the other issue is not all MB work abroad or people don’t know how to use them correctly so that’s when panic comes in

Just my experiences

Cindy

I've been on a number of tours when the tour manager has not flown home with the group - this could be because they are escorting those on an add-on or if they are meeting another group.  In those situations, the local guide has stayed with the group and helped them check-in and ensured everything has been all right.  It sounds like this isn't happening in all situations, but this needs to be company policy.  The attitude many airlines have towards their customers can be pretty appalling these days and the assurance of having assistance at check-in, when there may be possible issues with either the booking or the threat of being "bumped," is invaluable.

I also agree with Cindy - all tour managers should give us their mobile number in case of emergency.  It's been my experience that only a handful of them have done this.  There is also not a lot the duty office can do, from a distance of thousands of miles, if the airline refuse to check somebody in.

All the best,

Bob

Regards

Jaya

This is only going to become a more regular problem going forward.

Either the flight bookings are changed from group to individual (which will mean holidays will get more expensive) so we can book in ourselves before reaching the airport, or Just You check us all in advance of reaching the airport and hands us our boarding passes when we get there and by the TM at the hotel on the return leg. .

Regards

Chris

I'm heading on a JY holiday in a couple of weeks which uses Ryanair - so we have to check in online.  With my luggage labels, JY sent a notice in a large font telling us we needed to do this and giving us the email address they use when booking the flights, to enable us to do this.  Our booking reference, beginning with "A" is part of the address used.  It was very simple to do this and I now have my boarding passes for both flights.

Best wishes,

Bob 

PS many airlines, especially those doing long haul, will still let you check in at the airport and this is JY's preferred method, for those flights