Allocated 26J on QF 747-400

[NM]

For an upcoming booking, I was checking seat assignments etc when I noted that my previous selection of 3B (with Mrs NM in 3A) had been changed to 26J. Mrs NM was still assigned 3A. Hmm, ExpertFlyer shows 3B was taken, but by whom. And 26J is nowhere to be seen on the seat map. And Manage Your Booking just hung when trying to display the seat map.

So a quick call to Qantas and the very friendly agent could only laugh and we posited that perhaps Mrs NM had found a more favourable seat buddy for the trip. She could see someone was ensconced in 3B, but could not tell who or if it was indeed me or someone else. The system was telling her I was in 26J.

Anyway, the friendly Qantas agent called seating department and it seems there was going to be an aircraft change to a config with the old F cabin, and of course 3A (Mrs NM) exists in that seating plan, and I was moved to 26J. Then the aircraft swap was reversed but my seat did not return to 3B. So still not sure someone else had been assigned 3B after the aircraft un-swap or if the system had me in two places - only one of which exists.

I wonder what would have happened if I didn't check just now and turned up at the airport only to find Mrs NM with a new seat buddy and me left holding a BP with a non-existent seat??

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For an upcoming booking, I was checking seat assignments etc when I noted that my previous selection of 3B (with Mrs NM in 3A) had been changed to 26J. Mrs NM was still assigned 3A. Hmm, ExpertFlyer shows 3B was taken, but by whom. And 26J is nowhere to be seen on the seat map. And Manage Your Booking just hung when trying to display the seat map.

So a quick call to Qantas and the very friendly agent could only laugh and we posited that perhaps Mrs NM had found a more favourable seat buddy for the trip. She could see someone was ensconced in 3B, but could not tell who or if it was indeed me or someone else. The system was telling her I was in 26J.

Anyway, the friendly Qantas agent called seating department and it seems there was going to be an aircraft change to a config with the old F cabin, and of course 3A (Mrs NM) exists in that seating plan, and I was moved to 26J. Then the aircraft swap was reversed but my seat did not return to 3B. So still not sure someone else had been assigned 3B after the aircraft un-swap or if the system had me in two places - only one of which exists.

I wonder what would have happened if I didn't check just now and turned up at the airport only to find Mrs NM with a new seat buddy and me left holding a BP with a non-existent seat??

I think you know the likely answer to that!

If no seats were available in business class QF would have offered you the choice to fly another day, or to downgrade, and promise you a refund of the fare.

Easy if you booked with points... but if you paid cash, the refund is unlikely to reflect the true price difference. And Qantas won't tell you how they calculate it.

 

[bsb]

Happened to us out of SCL last year. Did not know until we arrived at the airport. I was polite but very firm and after a lot of calls, the original seats were reassigned. Not sure if the check in team were employed by QF, but their Latin laid back way was quite amusing.

 

[NM]

Happened to us out of SCL last year. Did not know until we arrived at the airport. I was polite but very firm and after a lot of calls, the original seats were reassigned. Not sure if the check in team were employed by QF, but their Latin laid back way was quite amusing.

That was my fear and why I called QF straight away. My first thought was that some high-status FF member had wanted the seat and had me moved. But 26J does not exist on the seat map. Turns out is was not the case, but there was an aircraft swap that was then reversed. Just goes to show how things can get messing, even with both passengers on the same booking, when there is an event such as aircraft change and the computer does its own thing.