Automatic Seating Allocation

[oz_mark]

It won't be random. Somehow I cannot see someone programming a random number generator to decide how to allocate seats.

Well, if say they did it based on the order of your booking reference that would be random. Or maybe they did it in whatever order some query returns the passenger records which could look random.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Well, if say they did it based on the order of your booking reference that would be random. Or maybe they did it in whatever order some query returns the passenger records which could look random.

I don't know about you, but my booking references are not in random order. If you were to sort on booking reference I'd find it to be in time order of booking.

 

[clifford]

Slightly o/t..ish, but I recently booked a SIN-SYD-SIN ticket and got seat 33C allocated both ways. Pity this can't happen when booking out of Oz. Why is this?

And as far as my nemesis DJ is concerned, I recently flew them DRW-BNE-SYD (well they were heaps cheaper then QF) and was allocated seats 2F and 2F. Better than it sounds, as on the first leg I had the whole row to myself, and on the second leg it was actually a bulkhead with the middle seat blanked off.

Why are these airlines being nice to me (or are they just incompetent?).

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

or maybe you just got lucky?

 

[oz_mark]

I don't know about you, but my booking references are not in random order. If you were to sort on booking reference I'd find it to be in time order of booking.

Mine are all over the place. Anyway, it is not hard to randomise orders!

 

[millesm]

Since becoming QF Platinium I've been allocated a bulkhead seat on my past 4 flights, all between Melb and Sing.

Booked with less than a weeks notice and changed flights twice on one leg but the bulkhead was pre-allocated each time.

This may have been luck, but it makes me a happy traveler, especially when I had an empty seat next to me on 2 occasions

I'm about to book 1 more trip to Sing for next week so hopefully it will happen again!

Prior to being QF Platinium, I had to beg before I was given a bulkhead and have even seen entire bulkhead rows empty between Mel and Akl on more than one occasion.

 

[YankeeZephyr]

Hi all
I'm flying SYD-MEL-SYD at least once a week, and found that I was usually at the back, with a window (which suits me when I'm not travelling every week), but since going silver, I have been in front of the wing, with a window
Been doing this since before Christmas, and got Silver the 'hard way' (30 flights). Won't get to Gold before my anniversary (end of April), but we'll see how it all goes for the next few months

My wife often travels with me, and we have found that if we book separately (me through work, and her through QF website) we are usually seated together, but if we both book together (same reference), there's a good chance she will be seated elsewhere

I asked about this at SYD, and got the following response
Seating allocation is made up about 48 hours before the flight
People with the same surnames are usually placed together (or at least near each other)
People who are in group booking are then placed together, or near each other
She said something about looking for people who were from the same company (I have been seated with people I work with more than once, who I didn't know were on the same flight, so this holds out)
Then it's based on 'loyalty', which I would assume means Platinum to Bronze, with QC in there somewhere

Not sure if this really adds anything to this, but, it makes sense to me, and I can live with it (usually)

YZ

 

[ninin]

Great topic.

I am a Platinum Frequent Flyer and recently flew MEL/BRIS/MEL. The flights were booked on line about a week before departure. (Incidentally there were two of us flying, both Platinum and booked at the same time with the same booking ref numbers).

I checked in almost exactly 24 hours before the flight departed. I was shocked to see that our seat allocation was in the second last row. Fortunately I was able to change the seat allocation and move forward to just behind the exit rows. Still not great but at least not at the back end of the plane.

I wasn't able to do the online check-in for the return flight which was on a Sunday afternoon. When we arrived at the airport almost a full hour before the departure time (with only a small item of hand luggage) I went staight to the Q Club to check in.

Same deal, seats allocated in the second last row. I was furious but told to come back before the flight boards and they "would see what they would do". I wasn't happy but calmly asked how a Platinum Frequent Flyer, supposidely a valued customer could be allocated the second last row on a flight from Brisbane to Melbourne on a Sunday afternoon!

In short, the guy told me he couldn't understand it either but did say that the seat allocation is aparently finalised a couple of days before the flight leaves. He said that if you book within 2 days you could be allocated left over seats but this wasn't the case in my situation since I booked a week earlier. This makes no sense to me as you can check in right up to an hour before and change seats around.

Anyway we were moved a few rows ahead and as we sat on the plane in between groups of loud and noisy kids, I wondered why we bother to be loyal to Qantas. As my anniversary approaches and I am reviewing this year's RTW holiday, I realise that we will be a couple hundered points of retaining Platinum. Normally we would do whatever we could to retain the staus by taking extra flights.

But what for? Really what is the point? Should I make the effort and spend the extra dollars on flights when from my experience doesn't appear to have made any difference?

Thanks for listening. nterested to know your point of view?

Ninin

 

[NYCguy]

Interested to know your point of view?

My point of view is that you probably shouldn't scuttle the chance to requalify for WP on the basis of one disappointing seat allocation on one 2-hour domestic flight.

I don't always get the seat I want, or even the seat I reserve online months before the day of travel (though admittedly the latter is very infrequent). I would never dream of asking the check-in/GA how they could possibly allow a person of my status to sit in seat xx_, because I fly X-hundred-thousand miles a year and I have a black/platinum/whatever-coloured card that means that they supposedly look after me better than everyone else. My status is in the database, it prints on my BPs, and it is undoubtedly obvious to any employee who brings up my booking on their terminal.

But alas, as the song goes, "You can't always get what you want".

There is no real way to guarantee yourself the seat of your choice, or even a "good" seat. Airlines reserve the right to change seat allocations whenever they like, even after the pax have boarded. They are even within their rights to downgrade you if they consider it necessary.

You got to your destination on time, and in one piece. Sure, the kids up the back were irritating, FF-nobodies who fly once a year (if that) to see Granny. But in the end, did they cause you any real harm? Apart from the harm done to your ego and your sense of entitlement, through having had to endure 2 hours of being a lonely platinum island in a sea of bronze?

 

[jakeseven7]

I have to say I seem to be very lucky compared to some people in the thread. Have never in my life been allocated a middle seat on Qantas (even when I have booked 2 hours before departure!). Always get in the first 20% of economy seats domestically, and my surname starts with 'H'

I have another factor to throw into the mix though for consideration, our work deal with Qantas gets booked through on specially coded classes and I have noticed that when I fly with work domestically I will always get the best of the best economy seats. I did ask our procurement team and they said that we do get some sort of marker on our booking information (but I can' imagine the whole company is CIP?!)

CHeers

 

[serfty]

... I checked in almost exactly 24 hours before the flight departed. I was shocked to see that our seat allocation was in the second last row. Fortunately I was able to change the seat allocation and move forward to just behind the exit rows. Still not great but at least not at the back end of the plane. ...

This happens occasionally and I have come to the conclusion that there are two causes:

* a CL or similar booked the flight and your choice seats initially allocated to you were usurped by an agents. In these instances they really should be making several changes moving people around, but in a massive demonstration of 'least' effort simply toss you to the back where a seat or two my be free.

* To have it happen twice on the one booking also may imply that your frequent flyer number/Status may not have been correctly attached to the booking in the first place (not by you, by the system/agent).