Jetstar domestic seat allocation

[crm911]

I fly on JQ612 most Mondays from AVV to SYD at 9:05. As there aren't many flights from AVV, the flight is pretty full to completely full. The booking is done by the company TA, so I don't have much visibility of that process. Invariably, my seat is somewhere at the back of the plane, i.e. use the rear staircase if there is ground staff to watch over us, or be the last to get off. The return flights are similar.

The AVV-SYD flights are not full of regular commuters (that I noticed) - often bunches of 10-20 tourists and mostly elderly couples on holidays. They may account for long-range bookings.

My question is - how can pax get a seat towards the front? Book months in advance? A two-week advance booking couldn't get me a seat up front.

 

[AIRwin]

You mentioned you don't have much visibility over the booking process, so not sure if you/your TA are aware that the upfront seats can be booked for a fee?

 

[crm911]

I was not aware, but the company rule is to book the cheapest fare, although they pay the extra $19 (I think) for a Starter Plus rate so I get some points. Thanks.

 

[AIRwin]

The upfront seats (rows 1 to 5 except 1A/1B/1C) are $11 (or $25 for seats 1A/1B/1C) and I've checked that they are still available on JQ612 on 29 April (9 days in advance). If the company won't cover it, you may wish to consider paying for it yourself. You can still do so after the booking has been made through the "Manage Booking" function on the JQ website - you'll need the booking reference as well as the contact email under which the booking was made. Send me a PM next time and I'll be happy to show you how...

 

[crm911]

Thanks, but as I have already checked in for Monday, I can't see that option. I will look for it next week when I have the booking for the 29th.

 

[AIRwin]

That said, I have ended up in seats 1B/1C on a JQ domestic flight without paying for it by checking in early at the airport rather than online. I'd reckon that some of these up front seats may remain "unsold" on flights, so the passengers you have seen occupying those seats would most likely NOT have paid for them and were allocated to them upon check-in. Early check-in may not work for you and that's a chance you'll be taking (although you can look at the seat availability once your bookings have been made and decide if you want to risk it)...PS - I just did a dummy booking for tomorrow's JQ612 and the following seats are still available: 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 2D and 5C. So if you ask the check-in staff at the airport nicely, they may allow you to change your seat.

 

[crm911]

I have once been moved without asking from a centre seat to an exit row on JQ, so I will ask. Thanks.

 

[Pablo]

I was not aware, but the company rule is to book the cheapest fare, although they pay the extra $19 (I think) for a Starter Plus rate so I get some points. Thanks.

If its a starter fare you get a standard seat selection for free - I normally can get row 7 or 8 if I book far enough out (month). You'd know if it was a starter as you should get frequent flyer points.