Preselecting Seating leaving Open Seat between you. Is it gaming?

[ninin]

Time and time again my partner and I have flown on domestic flights in the window and middle seats, and found ourselves with a person placed (more) comfortably on the isle seat next to us. Look up and all the rows in front of us have spare middle seats. Being a couple, we almost always find ourselves with that extra seat taken. I have become so frustrated with this, that we now book window and isle seats on all our flights. Sometimes the seat between us is vacant, other times not. We usually offer to move for the person stuck in the middle.

 

[JohnK]

4.- The airlines tell you very clearly seat selections are not guaranteed.

Then don't offer the ability to preselect seats. Once you do that then seating is pretty much guaranteed.

I have pre-allocated seats for QF A330 in November where I sit in exit row window and wife and daughter in row behind me in aisle/window. I'd be extremely disappointed if someone decided that we should sit in the row of 4 with 2 middle seats.

That ain't going to happen and I'm not accepting that type of seat change.

 

[burmans]

Then don't offer the ability to preselect seats. Once you do that then seating is pretty much guaranteed.

I have pre-allocated seats for QF A330 in November where I sit in exit row window and wife and daughter in row behind me in aisle/window. I'd be extremely disappointed if someone decided that we should sit in the row of 4 with 2 middle seats.

That ain't going to happen and I'm not accepting that type of seat change.

Are you sure you don't have two signons to AFF? We know what happens when people throw those sorts of tantrums.

Banned from QF (for a few months)

 

[JohnK]

Are you sure you don't have two signons to AFF? We know what happens when people throw those sorts of tantrums.

The difference is I don't lose control but I do persevere when I am right.

Also terms and conditions don't mean much to me. If Qantas found a way to move me out of a seat that I had preselected for months then they can find a way to move out the person that was moved into my seat.

 

[juddles]

Then don't offer the ability to preselect seats. Once you do that then seating is pretty much guaranteed.......

But in 99% of cases the current system works, and you do in fact get your selection, which is a wonderful service. To not offer this just because every so often the seat cannot be delivered, would be ludicrous and harmful to all travellers.

 

[Moody]

What is it about airlines that so many people expect things that they do not pay for, and even if so, is not guaranteed? .

I (or my employer) have paid for every flight I have been on. Once there was no allocated seating at all, a few times seating was allocated at checkin, but 99% of the time some sort of seat selection was available. Like IFE or meals or baggage allowance IT IS PART OF THE PACKAGE CALLED AN AIRFARE.

I feel there is a totally different set of expectations when it comes to airlines, especially Qantas.

The rules are clear.

1.- The airlines tell you very clearly seat selections are not guaranteed.

2.- The airlines tell you very clearly seat selections are not guaranteed.

3.- The airlines tell you very clearly seat selections are not guaranteed.

Why can't people accept this?
.

Do you REALLY think that repeating the banal three times gives it ANY sort of gravitas? Seriously?? Not much point destroying the rest of your post then ......

 

[JohnK]

But in 99% of cases the current system works, and you do in fact get your selection, which is a wonderful service. To not offer this just because every so often the seat cannot be delivered, would be ludicrous and harmful to all travellers.

But it's not 99% of the time. I don't have the facts but there'd be multiple requests for seat changes per flight and the more people on board the more requests there'd be.

P.S. It happens to me quite often.

P.P.S. The seating software is not that great. I thought I had pre-allocated 6D for this weekends flights. Shocked to receive boarding pass for 10F. Aisle preference has been on my profile for long time.

 

[juddles]

But it's not 99% of the time. I don't have the facts but there'd be multiple requests for seat changes per flight and the more people on board the more requests there'd be.

P.S. It happens to me quite often.

P.P.S. The seating software is not that great. I thought I had pre-allocated 6D for this weekends flights. Shocked to receive boarding pass for 10F. Aisle preference has been on my profile for long time.

JohnK, it may not be 99%, but it is still very high.

I agree seating software is "not that great" - especially across airlines (ie when you book codeshares, etc). Which is probably one of the reasons airlines do not "guarantee" a seat selection request.

 

[sjk]

Do you REALLY think that repeating the banal three times gives it ANY sort of gravitas? Seriously?? Not much point destroying the rest of your post then ......

See here for more of his 'literary' techniques:

juddles' reflections

 

[FL360]

I know a seasoned Y traveler with no status, her strategy to always get an empty seat next to her is
1. have no carry on, prepare to store the small bag under the seat in front of her.
2. be the absolute last person to get on the place, get on the plane 30 seconds before they are going to close the real boarding.

once getting on, just pick a seat with no one next to it, the crew will not challenge her most of the time, because they know that she won't be seating on someone else's seat and they know by forcing her to do so they might delay the plane's departure and the consequences will be adverse, on the crew.

 

[Mattg]

Of course, there is this:

View attachment 132335

I used to see this kind of thing often on Airberlin. There was an actual, published benefit of a blocked neighbouring seat for Platinum flyers unless the flight was full (which pretty much never happened, hence why AB went bankrupt). People would choose 3B or 3E and get the row to themself more often than not.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Haven't read the thread, but did read the first post, so my reply is to that post and to the threads title, which is a question.

Of course it's not gaming the system! Status (or prepayment sometimes) does allow seat selection and there are no rules that I'm aware of that prevents a window and aisle or two aisles (or in fact 2 windows) being selected. Of course a couple doing the window and aisle trick, run the risk of a person sitting between them.

The moving of people from a preselected seat is something that shouldn't happen (except in special circumstances) and it's a PITA, to be sure. Airlines like QF should discipline staff that do it for no reason (but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't bother) and where a fee was paid for that option, the fee should certainly be refunded IMHO.

 

[JohnK]

JohnK, it may not be 99%, but it is still very high.

I agree seating software is "not that great" - especially across airlines (ie when you book codeshares, etc). Which is probably one of the reasons airlines do not "guarantee" a seat selection request.

My whole point in all of this is that "staff" that move people around because this is where they think people should sit or want to sit is wrong and needs to be stamped out.

I choose where to sit. If that is aisle and window, or aisle and aisle or 2 separate rows then that's my choice and my request should be honoured all of the time as I went to the trouble of securing a seat.

If someone wants to change seats because they are not happy where they are seated then ask the person to change seats and if they refuse then ask someone else. Like I want to give up bulkhead or exit row on a 9 hour flight to make a lazy person happy.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Mea culpa.

Selected seats in a booking for Mrs Pineapple and Mrs Passionfruit who likes aisles. 747. Took C and D aisles in a row where A, F and G were already selected, in the hope that B and E would remain vacant.

This would appear to be particularly egregious as the fruit ladies were gaming two middle seats for the selfish convenience of only two pax. Not sure what the appropriate punishment is for this outrageous behaviour. Boiling in oil? The guillotine?

Cheers skip

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Haven't read the thread, but did read the first post, so my reply is to that post and to the threads title, which is a question.

Of course it's not gaming the system! Status (or prepayment sometimes) does allow seat selection and there are no rules that I'm aware of that prevents a window and aisle or two aisles (or in fact 2 windows) being selected. Of course a couple doing the window and aisle trick, run the risk of a person sitting between them.

The moving of people from a preselected seat is something that shouldn't happen (except in special circumstances) and it's a PITA, to be sure. Airlines like QF should discipline staff that do it for no reason (but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't bother) and where a fee was paid for that option, the fee should certainly be refunded IMHO.

Ah. In this case the devil is in the detail

The thread accepts there are couples who like the window and aisle seats. And no matter what happens... even if a person gets seated in the B (middle) seat, the couple will stay in their window and aisle, not offer to swap, and not talk over the person in the middle.

The other type of passenger are those selecting the window and aisle, but with not intention of staying in those seats if someone else is seated in the middle. They will offer the person in B the window or aisle seat.

My sister and her travelling partner did that and the checkin agent said this was unfair and moved them to sit next to each other. It was unfair to the person potentially left thinking they had to s’enduire a middle seat for the next 24 hours.

The thread is not saying the first type is gaming, but proposes that the second type are. Often they will be using status to secure the seats free of charge, so it costs them nothing. But it’s potentially miserable for the intending solo traveller checking in at T-80 to see only middle seats left. And for most people that’s going to be a pretty rough 80 hours.

There’s an argument that these solo travellers should fork out big buck for advance seat selection. But that’s also potentially unfair. Someone using status as low as silver (just a few flights with a DSC promotion) costs a solo traveller big buck for no reason (remember, these are the couples that have no intention of sitting apart).

 

[Denali]

Whats wrong with attempting to "game" the system, worse case senario is you get the seats you booked with a stranger in the middle or one of you is moved to the middle.

Ive only done it once (2 flights), row 3 window and aisle and it worked for us, shadow in the middle but we're both big units so maybe the FA took pity on other pax plus we gave her chocolates (Christmas day flight).

 

[Tanga]

There's a chance adult members could be split up. But young children travelling will always be seated with one adult.

I have booked flights for my family, including young children, and we've been split up. This has happened on lots of airlines, including QANTAS. It has even happened when we've specifically booked adjacent seats. These changes are sometimes so late that we only find out about it at check-in, and then we get told that it's too late for them to fix it and to ask at the gate, or once on board.

I will say that other passengers have been pretty super about accommodating us when this happens, but obviously they shouldn't have to.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Whats wrong with attempting to "game" the system, worse case senario is you get the seats you booked with a stranger in the middle or one of you is moved to the middle.

Perhaps because in some cases it will be forcing people to pay for advance seat selection that they really don’t need to if those ‘gamers’ didn’t want A+C anyway?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Ah. In this case the devil is in the detail

Nope, I disagree. The two scenarios you mention are exactly the same. If you are permitted to select seats, then you are permitted to select seats. end of story. It has nothing to do with how "unlucky" it is for the middle seat occupier and I can tell you, I'm predominantly a single traveller and it doesn't effect me to the degree I find the need to complain about it. POM to BNE often shows windows and aisles booked with all vacant middle seats, but that's normal I'd reckon, as no one wants a middle unless they are in a group of family/friends. Like any seat selection, it's a case of get in early or risk missing out.

 

[zenyattamondatta]

I'm a little unsure as to whether this thread is fo' real, but here goes.

Let's call our intrepid solo traveller Hans.

Hans currently sees only middle seats for free. This is because he did not assign his seat as early as other passengers.

Scenario 1: Hans may be able to pay some money to get a better seat. That's the cost of his not being able to book as early as the others. It's not up to others to defray that cost.

Or else Hans opts for the middle seat.

Scenario 2A: Hans stays in the middle seat, blissfully unaware of whatever the people on either side might have been thinking, if anything.
Scenario 2B: Hans is offered a different seat which he prefers, and thinks "Score!"

In the event that Hans is such a sensitive soul that he ends up traumatized by the prospect of a middle seat, the scenario out of 2A and 2B under which he ends up happiest after that period of trauma is the one where he was lucky enough to sit next to 'gamers'.

Other than offer to swap seats, what else should these 'gamers' be responsible for? Driving him home from the airport? Buying him a pedicure and spa treatment? Upgrading him to first class?