Gold Shadows?

[ajw373]

Just curious if gold FF'ers (or maybe even just life time gold FF'ers) get shadows?

The reason I as is I booked some flights yesterday for Canberra-Sydney-Canberra tommorrow. At seat selection time on the outbound flights I choose a window seat in a (forward) economy row that had someone in the isle but the middle empty. For the return I booked a window seat, also forward in a row that was empty. Then 10 mins later I just did a double check and noticed that the middle seat CBR-SYD was now occuiped (making the row full) and coming back the isle was empty but the middle seat occupied. Now don't know why somone travelling on their own would select a centre seat, especially when so much was empty, so to me it looks like I have a shadow, but didn't think golds got them.

 

[oz_mark]

Sometimes they do. I've seen it occasionally, but doesn't happen so often.

 

[DTM1]

You should check on expertflyer to see if it's really a shadow, or whether someone has actually chosen the seat. I'm not aware of Gold FF having a shadow. some people simply prefer to be closer forward, regardless of where they are seated in the row.

 

[serfty]

Altea has usurped the 'shadow' to some extent, and E/F now only returns an 'approximation' in relation to blocked seats.

However, with that, it is conceivable that seating adjacent to an SG with a relatively high PCV could exhibit such behavior.

I would suggest moreso on lightly loaded flights.

 

[mitch24]

I have been on a few heavily loaded flights recently from CBR-MEL-CBR and while the row 10+ are all full, the (I am guessing) WPs and SGs have all had a vacant seat next to them up the front. Kinda nice really!

 

[macrop]

Remember you don't see your own shadow from your own login. Expert flyer shows it (mostly) as as well as getting a low status work colleague to check using their login. Obviosuly, if they are only on the same flight. I can plop myself in a near back row seat (before T80) and they will see my shadow once they log in.

Also, the system spits back different seat availability once inside T80 depending on their status, meaning a bronze could choose only a middle seat up front but the aisle seat was occupied in their eyes (when they were logged in) and that is why they have chosen the middle seat perhaps. A higher status member maybe able to choose that seat though if they login. I suspect this is what you are seeing. A bronze or non member grabbing a middle seat as close to the front as they can get.

 

[flyingfan]

When SG, I had what felt like a gold shadow a couple of times on the MEL/SYD route - when I in row 24 or so, the seat next to me was empty but as far as I could see of Y it looked pretty full. However I don't have much data to back this up.

 

[mrpooky]

I'm on my third year of QFF SG and it doesn't seem consistent at all.

I suspect there is no SG shadow, just luck of the draw.

 

[JohnK]

Probably best chance of happening on lighly loaded flights but there are too many variables for it to happen consistently.

 

[cmon0005]

I have had a gold shadow flying in J MEL-SYD (as far as I could tell by EF) as only 1 other had a blocked seat in the row in front of me, and about 4 vacant seats.

 

[daturtle]

I've had it happen a few times to be a a PS on the Isa BNE route on heavy loads but I suspect it's more of a case of the person in the window seat being WP rather than my own status.

 

[ajw373]

Turns out both flights the middle seat was empty. Before I left this morning I double checked both and the middle seat was showing as occupied.

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Have had it before travelling domestially, but was actioned by lounge staff. Last time it happened the flight was a '717, so didn't make a huge difference but the gesture was appreciated.

 

[k_sheep]

I find I get an empty middle seat at least 50% of the time. I almost never fly at "peak" times though.