P1 Gazumping the front row of whY

[dfcatch]

I guess I should report that I gazumped a CL bag tag from row 4 this morning. Me in 4F and CL bag tag in 5C. Still rows 4 to 7 all had empty middle seats.


Sent from the Throne

He wasn't bumped to J?? Oh the humanity !!

 

[whatmeworry]

Oh the woe of the status hoe!

 

[simongr]

Probably bought it on ebay

 

[MatF]

This is bullsh*t, row 4 is being blocked off even after OLCI on most flights even when it is completely empty on both sides. This has been the case on my last 3 flights.

Last time, I called them and got into R4 at T80 pretending my seating engine would not work (obtaining a benefit by deception, sure to have me arrested and charged, immoral, etc - I know). I was the only person in the whole row on a flight that was quite heavily loaded.

So it is being blocked off obviously in case any potential higher status passengers want it at the last minute.

I experienced this phenomenon this morning on QF510, SYD-BNE.

I logged in at T-80 (or shortly thereafter), and the best I could do was 24A on a B763.
24A was still the best I could get at OLCI at around T-18, so I stuck with it. All of row 23 was blocked out at T-18.

Onto the flight this morning, and 23A/B/E/F/J/K, all empty. There was one lonely soul in 23D.

Wasn't there a lot of talk when P1 was introduced that it wasn't going to devalue WP??

I've been a WP for the last 4 or 5 years, with exactly the same flying pattern each year (WGA-SYD-BNE-SYD-WGA every second week). Before this calendar year I was practically always able to get into the first row of economy - at OLCI if not earlier at T-80. Sadly, it looks like those days are over?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I have a flight next week and all of Row 23 is unavailable. I thought to myself wow there's a lot of CL/P1s on this flight!

 

[serfty]

... Before this calendar year I was practically always able to get into the first row of economy - at OLCI if not earlier at T-80. Sadly, it looks like those days are over?

I would not say that ... it could be a few WP1's rebooked their Monday morning flights ...

 

[Ewing]

I experienced this phenomenon this morning on QF510, SYD-BNE.

I logged in at T-80 (or shortly thereafter), and the best I could do was 24A on a B763.
24A was still the best I could get at OLCI at around T-18, so I stuck with it. All of row 23 was blocked out at T-18.

Are you sure it was blocked and not actually taken? I haven't experienced this problem.

Here's seat selection of a 767 flight this week (MEL-SYD):

A 737 flight I'm on is a bit more restricted due to horrible fellow passengers actually selecting seats , but I was able to get what I wanted:

 

[medhead]

I'm not sure of the problem, row 4 remains relatively easy to get. 38 flights so far this year, I've missed row 4 eight times. But one of those was a last minute change to an earlier flight. 2 out of 7 non row 4s were since May and the rest in Jan and Feb.


Sent from the Throne

 

[MatF]

Are you sure it was blocked and not actually taken? I haven't experienced this problem.

First time I've seen it too. How far out are those flights you've shown?

I didn't screen capture it, but row 23 was both totally "unavailable" both at T-80 and OLCI, but there were seats available in every row back from there. I guess they could have all been taken, but it seems a bit of a coincidence that 6 people from row 23 all moved flights after OLCI. Should also note that row 24 was full except for a shadow next to me (or I was lucky )

I would not say that ... it could be a few WP1's rebooked their Monday morning flights ...

Sounds like something P1s would do

I'm not sure of the problem, row 4 remains relatively easy to get. 38 flights so far this year, I've missed row 4 eight times. But one of those was a last minute change to an earlier flight. 2 out of 7 non row 4s were since May and the rest in Jan and Feb.

Hasn't been my experience, though I haven't been on a 737 much this year.

 

[Ewing]

First time I've seen it too. How far out are those flights you've shown?

737 is on Wednesday. 767 is on Thursday.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

My recent experience was QF642 PER/SYD on a 333 I was able to select 31K at the time of booking then the day prior 23K which at the time was showing a WP shadow in 23J. On the flight there was a guy in 23J who I could see from his boarding pass was only QP.

At the end of the flight he was asking the F/A how you get the exit row seats etc & mentioned he'd gone to the Supervisor in PER at counter 20 who had given him that seat hence bye bye WP shadow, not that I hold that against him as I had after all only paid for one seat & when I say paid, it was the annual freebie Amex card QF ticket which is booked in 'O' class.

On QF577 last week I had chosen 26K which IMHO is less cramped than row 23 on the 333 due to the bulkhead between row 23 & the galley. The day prior I could see 23A was available but didn't select it due to someone already being in 23B & lack of space in that first row. I noticed from Expert Flyer that 26J was still a WP shadow & ended up staying that way.

If you're after a shadow you're better off to not choose the first row because there will always be someone who is happy to part with a perfectly decent aisle or window seat to get a middle seat in the first row of whY. Why? Because he who has the most forward seat wins.

 

[JohnK]

Wasn't there a lot of talk when P1 was introduced that it wasn't going to devalue WP??

I reported this issue on AFF a few months back and most people were saying there was nothing wrong and it was my profile.

It is a lot better now (no calls to Qantas about my profile) but there are still flights where I cannot get to the front row no matter how hard I try.

Something is happening behind the scenes and even if there is 1 Chairmans Lounge/Platinum One on the flight then the whole front row gets blocked.

 

[MrJetset]

I reported this issue on AFF a few months back and most people were saying there was nothing wrong and it was my profile.

It is a lot better now (no calls to Qantas about my profile) but there are still flights where I cannot get to the front row no matter how hard I try.

Something is happening behind the scenes and even if there is 1 Chairmans Lounge/Platinum One on the flight then the whole front row gets blocked.

It's not just status, but also fare type that determines seat selection. So a WP on full Y should be able to select 23, as opposed to a WP on a deep discount fare.

I generally book the cheapest fare for work, and have found I only fail to get row 23 or 4 perhaps 5% of all my flights.

 

[JohnK]

It's not just status, but also fare type that determines seat selection. So a WP on full Y should be able to select 23, as opposed to a WP on a deep discount fare.

All my flights are the cheapest possible. I am able to get the first row ~90% of the time.

As I have said a few times already I suspect that on some flights the first row is still blocked after T-80 hours and no one knows when it will be unblocked. At that point in time when it is unblocked someone without status happens to be at the right place at the right time.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

All my flights are the cheapest possible. I am able to get the first row ~90% of the time.

As I have said a few times already I suspect that on some flights the first row is still blocked after T-80 hours and no one knows when it will be unblocked. At that point in time when it is unblocked someone without status happens to be at the right place at the right time.

If the flight had seats in J but was full in Y I imagine those in row 23 by virtue of their status would be the first to be op upd thereby vacating the coveted first row into which standby would go. If they happened to be staff there would be no status on their boarding passes or they could be commercial standby pax with no status but a changeable fare.

 

[QF029]

If you're after a shadow you're better off to not choose the first row because there will always be someone who is happy to part with a perfectly decent aisle or window seat to get a middle seat in the first row of whY. Why? Because he who has the most forward seat wins.

And here's me thinking that he who has the most legroom wins!

 

[sail0r]

window seats (despite the increased risks of serious illnesses) as I now only fly 763s pretty much and I find them more spacious.

simongr, are there actually increased risks that you are aware of?

 

[simongr]

I was only semi serious - at about the time of the post another article about the risks of window seats was linked.