Who changed my pre-allocated seat and why?

[oz_mark]

A question for you all.

With DJ have you had your seat allocation and simply accepted it or have you then gone through and done you seat selection? I have found that the booking shows an allocation but it shows you have not done a selection.

How does the outcome change if you do the selection versus not doing it? (I agree that you should not have to do so but also think that this is the solution to the problem)

Last three economy flights I have been autoallocated 3C and haven't really progressed past that point. I've sat in 3C, 3C and 3F.


(and might I add that all these 'Not valid for earn' flights are not helping with me retaining status!

 

[serfty]

In hundreds of Qantas domestic flights since seat pre-allocation became available on them, except for the occasional cabin upgrade cool and a few equipment changes, I have never been moved from my preallocated seat on check-in - ever. I have been WP all this time.

I am not stating this does not happen with QF because it does, but it seems to not happen so much with QF WP and even QF SG.

However, going by such anecdotes, with DJ, staff do not appear to be as concerned about moving elites around. It seems that by the very nature of rows 3/4 and who can pre-allocate to them these days they are not up to speed with restricting the movement of elites. (Assuming there are any rules.)

Yes, pre-selected seat is not guaranteed with either carrier, but with Qantas, my experience that it is pretty much set for WP.

I suggest the OP contact DJ to advise of the adverse issues experienced when travelling with them.

 

[drron]

Actually the only time mrs.dr.ron and I have lost our pre allocated seats has been on CX.D*mn LCC of an airline!

 

[markis10]

I think the seating issue is an obvious symptom of Open Skies inability to handle requests like this properly, the fact a bandaid solution is in place until the new cloud based customer package comes in next year points to an unlikely quick fix, possibly the meals issues also reported could well be another symptom!

 

[straitman]

I think the seating issue is an obvious symptom of Open Skies inability to handle requests like this properly, the fact a bandaid solution is in place until the new cloud based customer package comes in next year points to an unlikely quick fix, possibly the meals issues also reported could well be another symptom!

No disagreement but what I have tried to offer in Post #19 is a solution that (I think) works rather than everyone simply beating their gums about it.

 

[TonyHancock]

Qantas have heaps of issues as well but it does not make the issues VA have any more acceptable. And this post is in the VA forum not the Qantas forum.

But while we are on the issue you mention would you actually go ahead with the booking without checking every single detail including class of travel?

....but then again would you go ahead without making sure you had selected the no insurance option when booking your DJ flight?

Quite right on the forum it is a DJ forum, however did you not raise the comparisons with QF?

 

[markis10]

No disagreement but what I have tried to offer in Post #19 is a solution that (I think) works rather than everyone simply beating their gums about it.

'
I agree, until T-80 came in I was quite happy for the QF computer to do my bidding, it always remembered 24 has not got a window!

 

[777]

My conclusion is that no one is allowed to say anything bad about VA or people jump down their throat.

I'm have no problem with you saying bad things about VA, i do have a problem with you extrapolating minor issues into absurd hyperbole.

I had literally just finished posting this in another thread:

How often do we see a comment along the lines of "My priority bags came out 12th on VA today therefore it proves they are still a low cost carrier", "My QF flight was delayed 3 hours therefore Alan Joyce has destroyed a once great airline" "<insert inconvenient minor operational issue here> proves that <insert airline name here> are an absolute joke". These threads are full of people blowing up minor gripes into massively over the top arguments.

When you started this thread.

As i said, your criticism is valid but it's minor. You were moved less than a metre from your allocated seat - this is not proof of anything fundamentally wrong with VA, it is not a sign it is still a LCC, it is not a sign of anything - it's just a small seat move. As many other posts in this thread attest, this happens from time on all carriers.

From my point of view you can say all the bad things about VA that you like. Half the time i agree with you. It only gets ridiculous when you blow it out of all proportion and forget that, in the grand scheme of things, it's a minor hiccup and, in this case, not unique to VA.

 

[JohnK]

It only gets ridiculous when you blow it out of all proportion and forget that, in the grand scheme of things, it's a minor hiccup and, in this case, not unique to VA.

Not sure that I blew it out of all proportion but for me this is now 2 VA flights in 3 days and hassles in each one. All 3 issues fairly minor in the grand scheme of things but one has to wonder what is happening and is anyone aware?

- Cabin crew took forever and a day to serve the "free meals" and left little time to serve paying passengers. My wallet and credit card were on tray and I was not even asked if I wanted anything
- Luggage took ~25 minutes to come out
- Allocated seat has changed

And should I have known the seat changes are a known glitch on VA? Sorry had no idea as I only read a few threads a day on AFF. I am not a not a newbie but I am not going to do a search for "Seat changes" before posting this thread.

And in my opinion the seat changes are unique to VA. My QF experience mirrors serfty's comments in post #22.

P.S Would my whinge have been any different and/or taken seriously if I was moved to 23B?

 

[djfuzz]

This is just IME, but I found it interesting that I've had completely the opposite experience so far -

- Cabin crew took forever and a day to serve the "free meals" and left little time to serve paying passengers. My wallet and credit card were on tray and I was not even asked if I wanted anything
- Luggage took ~25 minutes to come out
- Allocated seat has changed

- Have never had an issue with meal service; in fact, I've actually been slipped a free LM pie on occasion, despite being prepared to pay for it;
- Luggage has almost always been first off the ranks;
- Allocated seats have never changed; in fact, the automatic allocation at T-14 has almost always got it just right.

On the flipside, I'm prepared to admit I've probably been extremely lucky so far.

And in my opinion the seat changes are unique to VA. My QF experience mirrors serfty's comments in post #22.

... and this is not IME either, although I'm prepared to give QF the benefit of the doubt as it has happened extremely rarely.

I'll agree that the fact that this has happened to you raises some concerns over the implementation of their status-related changes and the software they're currently using, but I'd still hope that these things can be fixed with time. On the other hand, I've mentally kissed goodbye the chances of regularly securing row 4 or 23 on QF for the foreseeable future.

 

[notzac]

I think moving a Platinum or Gold to different seats without good reason (and no, because someone else wants the seat or wants to sit together with someone else is not what I call a good reason) - irrespective of airline - is simply wrong. Shouldn't happen.

I don't recall having it happen to me (on any airline), and I'd be raising a customer service query looking for an answer fairly promptly if it did happen to me. JohnK, have you contacted the Platinum desk to find a reason for why this occurred?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

As we're comparing experiences here, my experience of seat reallocations have only been to better seats.

I don't reconfirm a preallocated seat unless I specifically wish to change it (I think that was what Bill was suggesting), but may do so from now on if that is thought to resolve computer changes.

Preallocation almost always gets it right (can't actually recall it not picking my preference since the implementation of that function).

I can't ever recall missing the insurance "uncheck".

I can recall twice mucking up a booking by buying a saver fare for the right flight on the wrong date! Despite being saver, DJ have both times corrected it for me without charge, so DJ are not the only ones to stuff up, but it seems they understand when others do!

JohnK, I appreciate you bringing up my personal favourite.....the ife. I haven't had an opportunity to whine about that for uhmm, at least 24 hours. Well done, but do you realise those "wankers" with their iPads will become the norm if DJ don't retrofit seat back options??

I only recline on short haul when I have space behind me (which was why I asked about the ATR rear seat.....I thought it may be a nice change). Personally, I can see no reason for people to recline into someones lap on a 1 hour flight.

 

[farstar]

Happened to me twice with QF last year. On both occasions it appeared I had been moved to allow a couple to sit together.

If they moved me forward and them back I would be happy with that in return for helping the couple out but if I was moved back I would not be happy.

 

[medhead]

I've done a positive seat selection with VA and had that changed, actually it was changed back to my pre-allocation. Allocated 3A by the computer moved to 4D checked in I was given 3A.

My conclusion is that no one is allowed to say anything bad about VA or people jump down their throat.

I think the issue is being balanced and reasonable about what is said. Case in point from this thread, neither airline guarantees a pre-selected seat but VA should remove it as a benefit? :?: That's unreasonable!

- Luggage took ~25 minutes to come out

Again this is not a VA thing only. So I just don't understand your point. Is it really only VA that has to fix slow luggage at SYD? How slow is your luggage with QF in SYD? Last time I had checked luggage into SYD it took ~25 minutes.


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[day-heg]

A question for you all.
With DJ have you had your seat allocation and simply accepted it or have you then gone through and done you seat selection? I have found that the booking shows an allocation but it shows you have not done a selection. How does the outcome change if you do the selection versus not doing it?
(I agree that you should not have to do so but also think that this is the solution to the problem)Maybe I'm wrong but it is a theory that I have thought about and seems to work for me.
Thoughts :?:

My theory is thus... if I book a flight more than a fortnight out - so before seat selection is available - I will always be pre-selected 3A, which is my seat of choice. This has happened without fail since seat selection and preferences options were added to the website.

If I book after T-14, I'll get whatever scraps have been left by the other Plats/Golds who booked earlier than me. I've been offered 3C before 4A which is fine, and offered 4A before 3B which is also fine - I've ranted elsewhere about Plats & Golds taking 3B/E on a half empty flight, so I don't go there!

I mostly check seat allocation as close to 2 weeks out as I can, if I'm in 3A I do nothing - ie don't confirm it, and I've never been bumped out to a different seat in the cabin.
If I'm elsewhere I'll check options but usually a happy with what has been pre-selected.

Staitman - not sure if this helps or hinders you theory actually, but it my experience!

 

[Ewing]

I like 3C (I then move to the window if nobody is seated there). This is the seat that the system seems to assign me by default, but I've had my seating changed on me on every recent flight that I can recall. It's quite annoying - so much so that I now double check my seating assignment before I leave the desk in the lounge.

My circumstances:

- Happened when I've selected a specific seat, or just let the auto-allocation stick. This seems to play no part.
- I always check-in at the lounge desk. I don't web check-in (if you could flash your BP or card at the lounge then I would, but the lounge staff seem to need to "check you in" to the lounge so I just get them to check me in for the flight at the same time).

Curiously I've always managed to get back into row 3, so it's not as if they released the seat for someone else.

The most annoying instance was last December when I was flying with 3 colleagues all on one booking. I put all of us together at the front of economy. When we got to the lounge and checked in, one colleague was in 3F, I was in 4D and the others were towards the back.

The lounge angel in Sydney fixed it up. She put me in 3F (it was a refit - I wanted the leg room) and the others in 4A, 4C and 4D (with 3E and 4B blocked) so it was ok but still frustrating.

 

[oz_mark]

I like 3C (I then move to the window if nobody is seated there). This is the seat that the system seems to assign me by default, but I've had my seating changed on me on every recent flight that I can recall. It's quite annoying - so much so that I now double check my seating assignment before I leave the desk in the lounge.

I wonder if the problem is that it puts everyone into 3C

 

[haydensydney]

Come on JohnK...

Most comments you have about VA are overtly negative. If you hate them so much then why do you fly them? For gods sake, save us the misery of having to read your ranting about how miserable your life is because of what are essentially, minor issues. Basically if something miniscule happens you use it against VA to validate your reasons for why you hate the airline so much. Glass half empty JohnK?

It really is quite simple: only fly with your darling QF - Australia's only full service airline according to you - and let us know how fabulous it really is on that side of the fence... especially when things don't go to plan, like engines falling off, aging 767s or company wide strikes.... which to me seem like far worse issues than getting a seating reallocation on VA.

 

[dk4]

...with DJ, staff do not appear to be as concerned about moving elites around. It seems that by the very nature of rows 3/4 and who can pre-allocate to them these days they are not up to speed with restricting the movement of elites. (Assuming there are any rules.)

Every time I check in at the airport with Virgin, with absolute consistency, before the boarding pass is printed I am advised "dk4, we have you seated in [num][letter] for this flight" and then asked "are you happy to remain there or would you like to sit somewhere else?"

I have assumed that this is a human assisted check-in service standard, because, as I have said, it happens every time, lounge check-in or land-side check-in.

So far, I am always in the seat that I have pre-selected, so no need to move. Maybe there is a problem, and hence the consistency in this question being asked during check-in? Doesn’t anyone else get asked?

 

[simongr]

I had this happen to me on VA/DJ as I posted here - I think it was because although I thought I had done a preallocation it was actually a sat selection and then I hadn't pulled the pin so to speak to lock in the seat. When I found I was in row 10 I cancelled and booked QF.

I have never had this happen o nQF except due to equip sub.

In fact he reason I am a QF WP is because of the great seats I get on DOM flights over other OWE (i.e. when I flew under my AA EXP OWE status I was consistently in row 14 - 17 on a 73x.