Qantas Neighbour Free Seat Reservations

[CMA222]

This from the web site covers this:
... as in, pay your money but we'll fill that seat if we want to (and of course, as before we'll move you anywhere if we like). If you lose your neighbour-free seat, we may give you a refund, but you'll have to apply for it and you'll have to wait months for it.

The seat is not ticketed. It is vacant. You simply have a note on your boarding pass that your seat reservation is next to it.

The website says:

Neighbour Free seats are subject to availability and may need to be changed for operational, safety or security reasons, even after boarding the aircraft.

So it is not guaranteed until they close the doors, but could still be changed after that if they want/need to. At any point the cabin crew can reallocate the seat for "operational reasons" and if another passenger chooses to use it and the crew (understandably) do not want to create an incident, they simply say "Sorry, operational or (crew) safety reasons! Good luck getting your money back.

 

[jase05]

I’ll say it again but how can NZ make it work seamlessly by all reports yet for QF it just seems like a gamble

 

[Beano]

Recently flew WLG-MEL. Was offered J upgrade, at a price, but not neighbour free seat. I was travelling with Mrs Beano so booked seats A and B. Found out C was blocked so had a neighbour free seat anyway.

 

[justinbrett]

Recently flew WLG-MEL. Was offered J upgrade, at a price, but not neighbour free seat. I was travelling with Mrs Beano so booked seats A and B. Found out C was blocked so had a neighbour free seat anyway.

This is only for domestic flights

 

[serfty]

I’ll say it again but how can NZ make it work seamlessly by all reports yet for QF it just seems like a gamble

AirNZ use an antimacassar over the spare seat with writing, to paraphrase, telling interlopers to buzz off.

Moreover, Works Deluxe seating is at the front of the aircraft the first half a dozen rows have additional pitch so easier for CSM to manage.

Back when I was *E and S2S was introduced, elites got access to the front rows where Works Deluxe had not been provisioned.

 

[jase05]

AirNZ use an antimacassar over the spare seat with writing, to paraphrase, telling interlopers to buzz off.

Moreover, these Works Deluxe seating is at the front of the aircraft, so easier for CSM to manage.

My point is though it’s possible if QF really wanted to do it.
QF wouldn’t do it that way though as they wouldn’t want to upset the WP’s otherwise they could easily make the first few rows of Y as guaranteed neighbour free seats.

 

[serfty]

My point is though it’s possible if QF really wanted to do it.
QF wouldn’t do it that way though as they wouldn’t want to upset the WP’s otherwise they could easily make the first few rows of Y as guaranteed neighbour free seats.

It is a different situation.

S2S was a bean counter's way of getting rid of J seating.

The QF thing is a way to "value add" on less full flights.

Irrespective,AirNZ antimaccassar works.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Heh, had to find out from (dr) google what that word meant!

 

[PineappleSkip]

Did have me wondering whether Makassar is a worthwhile destination.

 

[AFF Editor]

There's some further information about eligible routes and pricing here:

Qantas Expands Neighbour Free Seat Reservations

Qantas Neighbour Free allows customers on selected domestic flights to reserve an empty neighbouring seat for a fee, starting from $30.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Ausbt]

I was once flying Y on EY, I think LHR-AUH and as a VA WP and check-in kindly advised me "I will block the middle seat for you". Much appreciated! So I'm window and there is an older lady on aisle. She's involved in a bit of a conversation with a younger lady across the aisle with all of those seats being full. They kept looking at me a bit in an odd way, but I wasn't engaging. It turned out they were mother-and-adult-daughter and they wanted to move daughter over to my nice shadow seat. Yeah, well, difficult. Different story when you pay for it I guess but a shadow seat isn't a shadow seat if someone else decides to just sit in it.

 

[Daver6]

Just received an offer for my flight on Thursday, PER-ADL. They want $65 to reserve a neighbour free seat. I'm basically presented with these options, all down the back of the bus. I'm currently in 4C.



This is what the current map looks like on EF


A few observations here.

• no way am I paying to sit at the back.
• $65 seems steep for a 3 hour flight
• Looks like someone in 28A probably paid for a neighbour free seat. If I really wanted a free neighbour free seat I should just pick 28C

 

[Flyfrequently]

Just received an offer for my flight on Thursday, PER-ADL. They want $65 to reserve a neighbour free seat. I'm basically presented with these options, all down the back of the bus. I'm currently in 4C.

View attachment 330040

This is what the current map looks like on EF
View attachment 330041

A few observations here.

• no way am I paying to sit at the back.
• $65 seems steep for a 3 hour flight
• Looks like someone in 28A probably paid for a neighbour free seat. If I really wanted a free neighbour free seat I should just pick 28C

I would stick with 4C @Daver6 !

 

[justinbrett]

Just received an offer for my flight on Thursday, PER-ADL. They want $65 to reserve a neighbour free seat. I'm basically presented with these options, all down the back of the bus. I'm currently in 4C.

View attachment 330040

This is what the current map looks like on EF
View attachment 330041

A few observations here.

• no way am I paying to sit at the back.
• $65 seems steep for a 3 hour flight
• Looks like someone in 28A probably paid for a neighbour free seat. If I really wanted a free neighbour free seat I should just pick 28C

Do you have your FF# in EF? I took mine out so I can see the shadows.

It would be interesting to see if 4B is blocked.

 

[Daver6]

Do you have your FF# in EF? I took mine out so I can see the shadows.

It would be interesting to see if 4B is blocked.

Yes I do. In the past (pre-Covid) 4B would show as blocked if I had a genuine shadow. MrsDaver6 who is flying on a seperate ticket, same flight is SG. She is in 4D but 4B and 4C (prior to me selecting it) were blocked for her.

What's interesting is both of us can select the blocked seats in rows 28 and 29 as wall as 30A.

 

[justinbrett]

Yes I do. In the past (pre-Covid) 4B would show as blocked if I had a genuine shadow. MrsDaver6 who is flying on a seperate ticket, same flight is SG. She is in 4D but 4B and 4C (prior to me selecting it) were blocked for her.

What's interesting is both of us can select the blocked seats in rows 28 and 29 as wall as 30A.

My recent shadows only appear blocked on EF without my FF number entered; they do not appear blocked on QF. However they were shadows and stuck for the flight.

I imagine most WPs don't actively seek out middle seats.

 

[AIRwin]

Looks like someone in 28A probably paid for a neighbour free seat. If I really wanted a free neighbour free seat I should just pick 28C

28B shouldn't display as an available neighbour free seat then?

 

[Daver6]

28B shouldn't display as an available neighbour free seat then?

You must be right. Just some person picked 28A.

 

[CaptJCool]

You must be right. Just some person picked 28A.

yet your earlier comment made me think

wait, what, QF selling the middle seat as a neighbour free seat to both the Window and Aisle occupants?

so that way, could QF in fact make $130 for the spare seat ? how nearby would that make it to a Red-E deal tic?

 

[Daver6]

yet your earlier comment made me think

wait, what, QF selling the middle seat as a neighbour free seat to both the Window and Aisle occupants?

so that way, could QF in fact make $130 for the spare seat ? how nearby would that make it to a Red-E deal tic?

That could also possibly be why they say the spare seat isn't yours to put your stuff on. Could be interesting when pax in A and C show each other their tickets, both showing that they paid for the B seat.

I suppose where you're flying as a couple and only one needs to pay for the spare seat, yet both benefit is an ok scenario.

At the end of the day, I can't see too many status pax be willing to cough up to sit right at the back of the bus.