Vindictive seat selection?

[Dantine]

Hi all,

I have just switched to a new job that is seeing me travel on a fortnightly basis (finally actually meeting the criteria of the title of this site!). Still a NB, so get rubbish seat choices, but early days. I'm hoping to scrape a bit of status, if only to get a free bag tag or two.

After five flights though, it appears to have discovered I have a penchant for aisle seats and is not letting me have one? When I looked at a seat map two days ago before putting in my FF number, but also before T-80, it would let me select the aisle seats, and I'm kicking myself for not doing so then!

Does the system hate me or is QF playing games with the noobs again?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Looking at it from the Platinum end of the scale, I'll specifically choose an aisle seat with nobody in the middle and it irks me when some noob bronze person decides to take the middle seat towards the front, despite there being plenty of better seats towards the back.

 

[serfty]

I suggest that you always select the best seat available to you each time you check the seating.

You can always move to a better seat should one become available; while someone else may grab the one you were thinking of earlier but did not secure.

 

[richie9x]

Do you have a seating preference set for your FF account? You can have it set for either window or aisle. I get the feeling that sometimes if you have it set as window that can make some aisle seats not available for selection even if no one is in them.

Even for me as platinum sometimes I see the aisle seats for the first half (rows 4-12) of a 737 all unavailable, yet several window seats still available. My preference is window so is fine by me.

I believe that sometimes seats will be reserved for passengers even if they do not select them via advanced seat selection. For example if there are 10 higher status FF passengers with an aisle preference who have not used advanced seat selection yet then the system will try to keep 10 aisle seats available for them.

 

[Dantine]

I don't mind sitting towards the very back if it means that the middle seat is free (3 out of 4 so far this last month).

To me it is just bizarre that at T-80 it decides to block all available aisle seats (at least 14 of them), and ONLY aisle seats where there were previously several to pick from. Only plausible explanation is richie's that there were a lot of unfulfilled aisle requests.

But will have to take your advice and get the best available seat every time and not give it up when the session timed out as happened last time.

 

[Pushka]

Looking at it from the Platinum end of the scale, I'll specifically choose an aisle seat with nobody in the middle and it irks me when some noob bronze person decides to take the middle seat towards the front, despite there being plenty of better seats towards the back.

I am not a noob, but also not platinum. I would also take a seat near the front, even if in the middle. A seat towards the back is not a better seat. And even if there was a seat on the aisle, with a spare seat next to me, towards the back, it usually doesnt mean that seat will be spare when I board. I try to nab seats on their own up the front, but if it comes to front or back choice, front will win regardless of seats being vacant.

 

[Bigjim]

Interesting comments
"some nobody" takes the seat beside me

Wake up a smell the roses ! You dont own the plane seats !

And if your that concerned with some nobody sits beside you, then maybe you should buy two seats.

Just because you are a certain status doesn't mean us plebs bow down to you we all pay money

My 5 cents worth

 

[munitalP]

Interesting comments
"some nobody" takes the seat beside me

Wake up a smell the roses ! You dont own the plane seats !

And if your that concerned with some nobody sits beside you, then maybe you should buy two seats.

Just because you are a certain status doesn't mean us plebs bow down to you we all pay money

My 5 cents worth

If/When you gain status, you'll understand...

 

[medhead]

Interesting comments
"some nobody" takes the seat beside me

Wake up a smell the roses ! You dont own the plane seats !

And if your that concerned with some nobody sits beside you, then maybe you should buy two seats.

Just because you are a certain status doesn't mean us plebs bow down to you we all pay money

My 5 cents worth

Mate the most uncomfortable thing on a plane is having someone in the middle seat. It is especially annoying to have this happen when there are plenty of empty seats in the aircraft such that everyone except family groups could have an empty middle seat. My one prime example was for a platinum flyer who though it was a good idea to get row 4 middle, when there were whole empty rows in the aircraft. Regardless of who the person is, to force 2 other people into discomfort in that situation makes you a nobody.

 

[Pushka]

If/When you gain status, you'll understand...

Of course he understands it is nice to have a free seat next to you; but seriously, unless you buy two seats you dont have a right to expect one.

Does getting Platinum status grant you the right to look down on others? Funny, it doesn't have that effect on my partner, he just enjoys the spare seat when he gets one, and the occasional upgrade to first (International, obviously). It is always a pleasant surprise for him, rather than the expectation. Life is nicer that way; you dont feel aggrieved when things don't go 'according to your grand plan'.

 

[straitman]

Of course he understands it is nice to have a free seat next to you; but seriously, unless you buy two seats you dont have a right to expect one.

Does getting Platinum status grant you the right to look down on others? Funny, it doesn't have that effect on my partner, he just enjoys the spare seat when he gets one, and the occasional upgrade to first (International, obviously). It is always a pleasant surprise for him, rather than the expectation. Life is nicer that way; you dont feel aggrieved when things don't go 'according to your grand plan'.

Just as you have expressed your opinion, other have the right to express theirs also.

What you have to do is agree to disagree.

I understand both sides of the equation, which in reality need not be too far apart.

 

[Joshua]

Does getting Platinum status grant you the right to look down on others?

Only for some people. Some of us pay for J and look behind at others.

 

[medhead]

Of course he understands it is nice to have a free seat next to you; but seriously, unless you buy two seats you dont have a right to expect one.

Does getting Platinum status grant you the right to look down on others? Funny, it doesn't have that effect on my partner, he just enjoys the spare seat when he gets one, and the occasional upgrade to first (International, obviously). It is always a pleasant surprise for him, rather than the expectation. Life is nicer that way; you dont feel aggrieved when things don't go 'according to your grand plan'.

the problem is that the comment it misinformed. No one is looking down on anyone. The comment clearly referred to people who take middle seats when there are plenty of better seats down the back.

As for getting a surprise, I pretty much know before I get on a flight if I have a spare seat or not, thanks to AFF and Expertflyer.

For the OP, here is the seat map from expert flyer for a platinum. QF 970 22 August.

		A	B	C		D	E	F
4		-	X	-		X	X	X
5		-	-	-		X	X	+
6		X	X	-		-	X	+
7		X	X	X		X	X	+
8		+	+	+		X	X	+
9		-	+	+		H	+	-
10		+	+	+		X	X	X
11		+	+	+		H	+	+
12		+	+	-		H	+	+
13	E	-	X	-		-	X	X
14	E	X	X	-		-	-	X
15		+	+	+		+	+	+
16		-	+	+		+	+	+
17		+	+	+		+	+	-
18		+	+	+		+	+	+
19		-	+	-		+	+	-
20		+	-	-		-	-	-
21		+	-	-		-	+	-
22		-	+	+		+	+	+
23		+	+	+		+	+	+
24		+	+	+		+	+	-
25		+	+	+		+	+	+
26		+	+	+		+	+	-
27		+	+	+		+	+	+
28		+	+	+		+	+	+
29		+	+	+		+	+	+
		A	B	C		D	E	F

X - Blocked
- Occupied
+ Available

 

[markis10]

Keep in mind a lot of aisle seats are for assistance passengers.

 

[Simo]

I also always try and get a spare seat next to me as well.

This week i have done 4 flights next week I have 5 flights and the following week 3 and so on.

I am a new Plat member but do enough miles in the air and you will fully understand what we are talking about.

Last year i did app 120 flights.

I spoke to someone and they said it doesn't worry them if they are in the middle but they only do under 10 flights a year.

I want to get some catch up sleep and someone next to me can make it harder.

 

[GCC]

I think the OP was asking more about the foibles of the system than his right to a seat.
I flew back WLG - SYD yesterday, and when I looked at advance seat selection 1 week ago, row 4 and all exit rows were showing full, and every seat back to row 10 was not available to me as WP. I even rang the WP desk to check seating and the CSA said that on both booking systems the most forward aisle seat was row 10.
I assumed the flight must have been very full and grabbed row 10 aisle.
Was surprised to find that the flight was only 50% full - nearly every middle seat empty, including row 4 and both exits. There was no way the guys in the exit rows had status. So I assume that WP and/or CL had already grabbed row 4 window and aisle and middle was blocked by shadow, & exit rows had been purchased.
But then how come middle seats in exit row or forwards of row 10 weren't available to me as WP?
And on the SYD - WLG flight, again about 50% loaded, I had row 4 aisle and noticed the pax in opposite aisle was WP. We both had pax in middle seat, and again lots of empty middle seats all the way down the plane. I thought that's what the WP shadow was meant to prevent?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I would also take a seat near the front, even if in the middle. A seat towards the back is not a better seat.

IMO the best economy seat is one where nobody is next to you, regardless of row...

Infact there must be something to this because in a carpark the exact same thing happends. I park next to a pole well away from other cars but when I return someone has parked next to me despite there being plenty of better spaces. Can anyone explain this logic?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

And on the SYD - WLG flight, again about 50% loaded, I had row 4 aisle and noticed the pax in opposite aisle was WP. We both had pax in middle seat, and again lots of empty middle seats all the way down the plane. I thought that's what the WP shadow was meant to prevent?

I'll specifically choose seats with nobody next to me (or stay put if my shadow is hanging around). Board the plane and check ExpertFlyer to confirm nobody is next to me -- and BAM! Someone is now there. Always happends in the minutes just before boarding. When this happends in Biz Class it's an upgrader or staff travel - I can suck that up. But in whY... the shadow aint doing it's job.

 

[medhead]

Well if it's the foibles of seat selection. I thought I had this sussed a while ago, but having read this thread I'm not so sure anymore.

My understanding is that firstly the computer assigns everyone a seat, no doubt based on status and seat preference. Following the underlying computer assignment we all get to do seat selection. The computer is set up to allow limit seat choices based on status, for example as a platinum on a 737 I can only normal select up to row 6. Similar gold is about row 10 and so on for lower status. When you select a seat that is then considered a firm seat choice and hence overrides the computer pre-assignments. This all changes at T-80. Now this gets into my my speculation. When trying to make a seat select I believe that you can bump someone out of their pre-assigned seat when you do seat selection, but can't bump someone out of the seat selected seat. So if for some reason I wanted to sit in 24C on a 737, and that seat was preassigned to someone who is lower than platinum I could do that. But if they were platinum or had picked that seat then I can't select 24C.

So extending that Gold can bump pre-assigned seats of silver and bronze, but not gold or platinum. Silver can bump bronze but not silver, gold or platinum. Remember that despite all my talk of bumping, once you select a seat it is yours.

So what has happened with the OP. I can only think that a lot of seats have been pre-assigned to QFF members. As a NB there is basically no ability of a NB to bump someone out of a pre-assigned seat, unless they are non-QFF members who will not have a seat preference. I would suggest to keep checking in the hope that 9, 11 or 12 D get released at some stage. Also as you progress in status level watch how things change and don't be afraid to experiment with seat selection.

 

[serfty]

Until T-80 I beleive Altea uses a combination of 'notional' seats and status blocking.

After that it goes to full 'notional seats'.

e.g. I as a WP travelling in economy, genaerally cannot select closer to the front than the third row of coach class until T-80. (In J 'tis the second row beeing available)

Those who are WP+/CL can select more forward.

After T-80 this all changes.

This is for domestic flight of course.