So good QANTAS. Well done.

[Colster]

Big shout out to QF for their fantastic triple act today. Currently at gate 24 on QF1. Late last night I got notification of 4x PE-J upgrades. Wonderful number 1. At check in, the wonderful F check in person, Pam, spent a huge amount of time making sure the mini coasters didn't need to sit next to strangers, and re arranged half of J to accommodate. Wonderful number 2. Then after being seated, the CSM and 2IC separately informed me that RedRoo had let them know that it was my youngest's birthday and not only did they try to get a cake onboard, but the captain (Michael McKinley) has invited us to the flight deck on landing at Dubai for a special hello. Wonderful #3.

As mich as this forum likes to cough about the flying Roo, I just want to point out, as someone else has in their signature, when they are good, they are VERY good.

Well done all round QF.

 

[grrofunger]

I just wanted to have a whinge about my seat reassignment in J on QF1.

I booked this flight exclusively for the seat only to find i got moved just as i was about to board, I had been checking EF daily to make sure my seat was still safe and i even had a shadow last time i looked.

Is this a way to treat a loyal WP? changing my seat just before departure!?!?

To top it off i find out it was for kids who got upgraded ! so not only do i get my seat moved , it was for an upgraded kid ! and i have to put up with kids in J now?

Kids should not be allowed in J

Redroo sort this out please DYKWIA ?!?!?

 

[grrofunger]

yeah nah just joking

Good to hear Colster

 

[RichardMEL]

Joke or not, that is the other side of the coin of the good deed to reshuffle J.....

it gets trickier with kids with all those rules about not sitting kids next to single men and all that (is that a QF thing or a USA thing I keep forgetting).

Happy for all the effort made for the OP absolutely but there is another side to that with the seat swapping.

 

[teamhamsandwich]

I just wanted to have a whinge about my seat reassignment in J on QF1.

I booked this flight exclusively for the seat only to find i got moved just as i was about to board, I had been checking EF daily to make sure my seat was still safe and i even had a shadow last time i looked.

Is this a way to treat a loyal WP? changing my seat just before departure!?!?

To top it off i find out it was for kids who got upgraded ! so not only do i get my seat moved , it was for an upgraded kid ! and i have to put up with kids in J now?

Kids should not be allowed in J

Redroo sort this out please DYKWIA ?!?!?

Got a laugh out of me!

 

[casanovawa]

Yeah i'd be a bit annoyed if i didn't get another seat very similar to what i often spend times months ahead selecting...

 

[amaroo]

It's a terrific feeling when you get a family sized 4 x upgrade

 

[Cruiser Elite]

it gets trickier with kids with all those rules about not sitting kids next to single men and all that (is that a QF thing or a USA thing I keep forgetting).

It is a common sense thing and a MUST in the world we live in today - a MUST to protect not only the children but the single male also.

 

[RichardMEL]

It is a common sense thing and a MUST in the world we live in today - a MUST to protect not only the children but the single male also.

OT that's all fine and good and I'd be happy enough to not have a kid sitting next to me (though I have had examples in the past of really well behaved kids so I hasten to not generalise).

I won't even get into the "in the good old days.." argument

but what I will say that is more relevant to this thread (imho anyway) is if I had selected a seat and I was a paid J pax but then been moved prior to boarding because of kids that were upgraded, I'd be pretty annoyed and feel hard done by. I mean sorry but I've paid for my seat vs an upgrade (yes, if a points upgrade it's still paid, but it's not on the same level as a paid J seat) and I think that lot should get last pick of seats. I know, I know.. they're not picking them, the staff is however if I was moved from my assigned seat so the family can sit together, or have the kids, for example, sit in 11AC on the 380 when I'd selected 11C, then I'd yeah be annoyed unless I was moved to say 11J, or a similar seat.

Of course I am not saying this actually occurred on this specific flight. I'm just thinking of recent threads noting pax with preassigned seats and status being moved for various reasons. Yes, as I indicated, it's a grey area if there's 4 split seats left and to keep the "child safety" policy that forces a move, I think I would be more understanding, but I still think that hopefully if people are going to be moved, it would be other upgraded folks ahead of paid pax with status.

sorry I feel like I've made a big deal out of this, which I really didn't intend to

 

[Princess Fiona]

Well done Colster and QF
I think (?hope) that the QF staff are pretty sensible about asking passengers to shuffle around the cabin for seat selection to get kids together etc. I know most passengers are pretty sensible too. I'd move to a similar standard seat to that which I'd chosen without any hesitation and to be honest I doubt it would even cross my mind if it's an upgrade or not, given that I'm a frequent upgrader myself from J-F.

 

[michaele]

I just wanted to have a whinge about my seat reassignment in J on QF1.

I booked this flight exclusively for the seat only to find i got moved just as i was about to board, I had been checking EF daily to make sure my seat was still safe and i even had a shadow last time i looked.

Is this a way to treat a loyal WP? changing my seat just before departure!?!?

To top it off i find out it was for kids who got upgraded ! so not only do i get my seat moved , it was for an upgraded kid ! and i have to put up with kids in J now?

Kids should not be allowed in J

Redroo sort this out please DYKWIA ?!?!?

You just won the best post on AFF ever.

On another note, last week I was near a kid on the transfer shuttle at SYD. After waiting in the line and then boarding with him, his siblings and parents, I must admit I (somewhat ashamedly) instantly assumed it would be rather annoying little transfer. After engaging in his rambling talking and getting him to sit down and join me at the window, he was quite enamored with the trip across the tarmac - and loved spotting the different planes. He freaked out (in a good way) when a JQ A320 flew right over the top of us. Made me realise, sometimes we can all be a bit more understanding - even if we shouldn't have to put up with it.

Although, I must admit, not even his mum was looking forward to the upcoming 17 hours up to LAX then YVR..

 

[RichardMEL]

Well done Colster and QF
I think (?hope) that the QF staff are pretty sensible about asking passengers to shuffle around the cabin for seat selection to get kids together etc. I know most passengers are pretty sensible too. I'd move to a similar standard seat to that which I'd chosen without any hesitation and to be honest I doubt it would even cross my mind if it's an upgrade or not, given that I'm a frequent upgrader myself from J-F.

per the OP it seems that "reshuffling" was done by the F agents and that nobody was specifically asked. I may have it wrong, but that's my reading of the post.

As a pax, I'd be MUCh happier if I was approached and asked, paged to the gate podium etc and consulted "We'd like to seat these kids together" "or unfortunately due to policy we can't seat you next to a minor, we have these other options available would you be willing to take X or Y?" - or even on board.

As you say most people are pretty understanding and will be reasonable with reasonable requests (eg: couple wants to sit together, etc) but it's how this stuff is managed that can make or break a situation. There's working with customers, or upsetting people by moving them without so much as a how do you do. Yes, seat assignments are not guaranteed and all that - absolutely understand - but one method involves some acknowledgement that you may be unhappy and to try and work with you, the other doesn't and has far more potential for a negative customer experience.

Again, this is a general comment - not saying anything specific to the specific situation.

 

[baggyred]

there is a chance that the re-assigned pax got an op-up....

 

[RichardMEL]

there is a chance that the re-assigned pax got an op-up....

absolutely. Unless it was a 744.

The fact that 4 PE->J upgrades came through suggests a nont full J cabin anyway so there was probably the ability to move people to similar seats. Hopefully.

oh just to clarify my feelings on being upgraded vs paid travel my only feeling there was that if it were me, and I'd paid for J and been moved around I'd feel fare more annoyed than if I'd upgraded to J and moved. As I see it, an upgrade is, while not a gift (unless it's complimentary, but I'll assume points), it's something one usually accepts, and if it's last minute, usually doesn't have much of a choice over seats, even if it's a few days prior, your seating allocation may be limited - or more bluntly "be thankful it came through and accept your options" - but that's just the way I feel about it. If however I'd paid a revenue ticket and assigned that seat before upgrade windows opened and all that, then I, personally, would feel more of an entitlement to be upset about being moved (if not consulted). A minor point I know, and just my personal view. Others will vary I'm sure

 

[BAM1748]

A good news story. Excellent.


Matt

 

[kermatu]

Nice story. Congrats to family and to QF.

sounds like the reshuffling of seats happened at check-in, so I assume the moved pax weren't contacted.

 

[samh004]

It's great to hear of when everything comes together so nicely!

 

[drron]

Well done.Now a trip to remember.
Another who really doesn't have favourite seats apart from the one next to mrsdrron.
But with our luck we could well have been moved to F.

 

[OzEire]

Credit where it's due to QF.

As far as I know, the male adult/minor rule is for unaccompanied children only, not if their guardian is on same flight.... and, my 2c worth is that it's a stupid sexist borderline offensive rule that generalises all men as potential criminals. What a world we live in.

 

[grrofunger]

there is a chance that the re-assigned pax got an op-up....

nah mate i was still stuck in J with those bloody kids