Ticket on multiple airlines: seat selection?

[cgichard]

For a forthcoming MEL-ATH return I found the best combination of flights/timings on the LH website. I was able to book PE seats on the LH segments (HKG-MUC and MUC-SIN), but that leaves me with no seat allocation for MEL-HKG on CX or SIN-MEL on SQ, both booked in PE. [No PE on the LH MUC-ATH return segment, so I'm in Y for that, but it's a fairly short flight.]

I can't find how to access my CX or SIN bookings to select seats, as the whole e-ticket has only a LH number. In this situattion, is it in fact possible to select seats ahead of time on CX or SQ, or even by checking in online shortly before the each of these flights?

Or is seat selection on these airlines something I have to forgo as a penalty for booking a multi-airline return?

 

[juddles]

I am not familiar with CX or SQ systems, but with many multi-carrier bookings the first step is to identify the PNR or reference for each of the airlines, as they are often different. When you get those, then go to each airline's website and try seat selection.

 

[cgichard]

I am not familiar with CX or SQ systems, but with many multi-carrier bookings the first step is to identify the PNR or reference for each of the airlines, as they are often different. When you get those, then go to each airline's website and try seat selection.

Thanks, juddles. But where do I start looking for those PNRs? Do I phone LH customer service and ask them or will CX and SQ be better placed to tell me?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I can't find how to access my CX or SIN bookings to select seats, as the whole e-ticket has only a LH number. In this situattion, is it in fact possible to select seats ahead of time on CX or SQ, or even by checking in online shortly before the each of these flights?

Or is seat selection on these airlines something I have to forgo as a penalty for booking a multi-airline return?

Try using the website www.checkmytrip.com and enter your LH Amadeus pnr which should then reveal your SQ pnr. As CX are also an Amadeus system user the LH and CX pnr should be the same. Once you have those pnrs then go to that airline's own website to do your seat allocation and add your frequent flyer number etc.

Having multiple airlines on a single ticket should not affect the ability to select seats where the flight is sold/marketed as CX or SQ. Where it can get problematic is when the SQ and CX flights are booked as LH codeshare flights with an LH flight number as often that can prevent you selecting seats.

Try and do it yourself and it you can't call up CX & SQ respectively.

What ff programs are you crediting the flights to?

 

[jokes128]

I had an itinerary booked by UA and involved flights with TG, NZ and SQ. I rang up UA office with my UA booking confirmation number to obtain the PNRs for each of the other three airlines(coincidentally TG and SQ has the same PNRs). Then I had to ring up each airline separately to do seat selection and other queries regarding their flights. TG let me choose the seat over the phone, NZ didn't bother and just asked me to use the PNR to go online and choose seats, and I didn't have time to ring up SQ yet as I just have a single SQ flight only so it's not of priority.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For UA issued tickets the itinerary should have a little hyperlink along the lines of 'other PNRs'. Clicking that opens a small list with all the airlines' references. Might not work for all airlines, but it shows TG for example.

 

[OATEK]

For my AY flights in J involving CX to/from SYD, I simply rang up Cathay Pacific, told them the booking reference, and they allocated the seats that I had scoped out through expert flyer. Provided CX allow free seat selection for PE, you should try them first.

 

[cgichard]

Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions. I didn't know about checkmytrip.com, so I tried that first - usefully because it showed Economy instead of the Premium Economy for the initial MEL-HKG leg on CX. So I need to phone LH and/or CX to get that sorted.

I had used my SQ KF FF number when booking through LH and to my surprise I found the whole trip listed under My Bookings on the SQ website. That enabled me to select a seat on the final SQ-MEL leg. But it showed a row of question marks for the class of the booking for the CX leg, confirming that that is unclear in the Amadeus system. Fortunately none of my flights are booked as LH codeshares.

For seating on the non-LH and non-SQ flights I could simply indicate a preference for window or aisle.

Nearer the time I shall go through this exercise again to select my preferred vegetarian meal. I'm intending to travel HLO to avoid the uncertainties of bag checking on such a trip.

 

[jokes128]

For UA issued tickets the itinerary should have a little hyperlink along the lines of 'other PNRs'. Clicking that opens a small list with all the airlines' references. Might not work for all airlines, but it shows TG for example.

Thanks MEL_Traveller. I checked my email again and it was hidden under "manage booking", which I didn't bother clicking on it since I thought it is only for changing flights etc........it has TG and NZ but not SQ booking numbers, but the UA hotline told me the booking numbers for TG and SQ are the same.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks MEL_Traveller. I checked my email again and it was hidden under "manage booking", which I didn't bother clicking on it since I thought it is only for changing flights etc........it has TG and NZ but not SQ booking numbers, but the UA hotline told me the booking numbers for TG and SQ are the same.

using those booking numbers you can access the 'manage booking' function on all airlines... seat selection, meals etc etc. Much easier than calling, and it only takes a minute to check back frequently to see if better seats open up.

 

[madrooster]

LH uses Amadeus, as does SQ and CX.

If you are booked on a SQ flight number, you can use the same LH booking reference on the SQ website.

If you are booked on a LH codeshare operated by SQ, you will need to call SQ with the LH booking reference (they share the same booking reference as SQ is a carrier that has migrated to Amadeus single PNR concept).

If you are booked on a CX flight number, you can use the same LH booking reference on the CX website.

If you are booked on a LH codeshare operated by CX, you will need to call LH to get the CX codeshare operating carrier booking reference, and then use that to do seat selection on the CX website (CX has not migrated to Amadeus single PNR concept).