Not so great experience on UL

[Ade]

I'm not sure if it was a money earning measure by UL, pax can no longer select the bulkheads/exit rows for free, even after check-in has opened for all. From my experience, once check in has opened for the general public, all the seats on the plane are for grabs. There are some rules that apply to who can be seated on an Exit Row.

Until April this year, I was able to select these seats for free once check in has opened. Sometimes if the flight is operated on a QF codeshare (as was the case this time QF3423, operated as UL309), QF customer service can select seats. I called up HBA to see if I can get a bulkhead allocated to me on this service, HBA agent came back that the system is not showing any seats to select. Might be UL was NOT showing/allowing QF to select seats.

So, on my arrival into SIN, I headed to the Transfer Desk A to see if bulkhead seats were available to be allocated to me and was told yes, but it would cost me US$50 to select a seat. I was surprised. I explained that usually once the check in is opened, the airport staff can allocate any bulkheads or exit rows, if they are available. The DNATA lady was very clear in emphasising that this is not the case.

All UL interactions at SIN are handled by DNATA now, no UL staff on the ground doing any ground operations. I looked around to see if any UL staff were around to help, but no. So I simply accepted the 18C I was allocated to and walked away.

I also checked once at the gate to see if the gate agent can select bulkheads. She said that seats are available, but ONLY for sale. They will cost US$50/seat and are NO longer offered for free. And as it were, the bulkheads were empty when the doors were closed. But after takeoff, someone from the back walked up to the bulkhead and made it their own. I was neighbour free, so didn't bother changing my seats.

Another issue with the DNATA processing is that they don't seem to know/understand the OW rules. OWE can board along with J pax. So when J boarding was called, I rocked up and showed my Y BP. The DNATA supervisor told me, rather strongly & angrily that boarding is only open for J pax and not Y. He also went to grab my hands so as to prevent me from boarding. I was shocked, to say the least.

I was taken aback by the lack of understanding/knowledge, more importantly the lack of decency to NOT touch a human being when one is not a security threat. I simply shrugged him off, looked at the UL FA who was near the gate and said "I'm a One World Emerald", she immediately intervened, and let me board "Welcome aboard sir, I apologise for what happened during boarding"

Part of the problem was that DNATA when processing pax, they retain the larger part of the BP that clearly prints "FF EMERALD QF" and give the little docket to pax. This docket doesn't show the pax status. Simply says "Economy", which contributed to the problem when I attempted to board alongside J. What a fail !! However, CMB-MAA, the gate agent retained the small docket part of the BP and gave pax the larger part of the BP that clearly shows the status.

After arriving into CMB, I had some issues getting into the lounge (which I had described in another thread earlier, link here). I asked the lounge agent at CMB to check if she was able to allocate me a bulkhead and she was not able to as well. She said that she can select bulkheads for US$50/seat. So it is clearly a money earning measure by UL...

#NotHappyJan

 

[AIRwin]

Looks like the charge has also increased:

https://www.srilankan.com/en_uk/flying-with-us/seat-with-extra-leg-room

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I’m mixed about this. As a person who regularly aus for reXtra legroom seats it is annoying that they open up that part of the cabin for free once on line check in opens. Those seats should be reserved only for pax who have paid.

That’s different to row 4 on qantas which is not a paid seat, just restricted for status.

If I had paid for an exit or bulkhead on UL I wouldn’t want a potential spare seat nabbed by someone who didn’t pay.

On a recent SQ flight we paid for exit rows, and while they had to fill the other seats because the plane was full, as paid pax we were given the whole row. Barely another open seat on the whole plane.

 

[wandering_fred]

The UL bid for upgrade program works well on the regional routes.
Recently successful on BKK-CMB and CMB-KUL at just over the minimum bids. Note I do book the mid range economy fare classes - just in case. The upgrade retickets into I class - which the QFF program accepts as business class. Also note the standard non-QF SC penalties apply between Australia Colombo and European destinations. And those routes would be more "competitive (read $$)" than regional ones.
But every little bit helps with the wandering
Fred

 

[encryptededdy]

Another issue with the DNATA processing is that they don't seem to know/understand the OW rules. OWE can board along with J pax. So when J boarding was called, I rocked up and showed my Y BP. The DNATA supervisor told me, rather strongly & angrily that boarding is only open for J pax and not Y.

I've had this with dnata staff while boarding a QF flight in Singapore. Quite annoying (and embarrassing). Didn't grab me though.

 

[Ade]

I've had this with dnata staff while boarding a QF flight in Singapore. Quite annoying (and embarrassing). Didn't grab me though.

Someone I know told me that he did not have a good experience with DNATA staff ex-SIN. .. looks like a common occurrence these days eh!