AirNZ changed my J seat selection without notifying me

[transpactraveller]

First time flying to the US with Air NZ (from Sydney with the Auckland stopover).

I selected 3A when I booked a few weeks ago, but when I checked in I'd been moved to 7J - next to the toilets and galley. Not a great spot and didn't get much rest.

I asked about it in the lounge - they told me the aircraft had changed from a 777-300 to a 777-200 which has less business class seats, meaning there had been a reshuffle, and that I was lucky I hadn't been moved to economy!

I think I'm most disappointed that I didn't get notified of the change - if I was told earlier I might have had a chance to re-select a better seat. I probably should have guessed something was up when the booking disappeared from the app a few days out and I had to re-add it.

I normally fly direct with Qantas and haven't had a seat changed like this before. Are these aircraft swaps on trans-pacific routes common with Air NZ?

 

[serfty]

IME such seat changes are no more common on AirNZ than Qantas or any other airline.

If seating is important to you then you should be checking regularly.

I do that, as well as useing Expertflyer's aircraft change alert as well as seat alerts for the specific seats I have selected on my upcoming flights.

 

[trooper]

Funny...Ive always picked either 7A or 7K.....never noticed any noise from behind....ang they feel more private.

 

[dajop]

Like other carriers with the same engine type, Air NZ have been having lots of aircraft changes lately due to the problems with the engine type they have on the 787 requiring 787’s to be taken out of service at certain times to rectify.

 

[Jack_OC]

I think I'm most disappointed that I didn't get notified of the change - if I was told earlier I might have had a chance to re-select a better seat. I probably should have guessed something was up when the booking disappeared from the app a few days out and I had to re-add it.

I've experienced involuntary seat changes with numerous airlines. Most of them never proactively advise passengers of these changes. From memory, I believe Lufthansa do but that's about it. I've had this experience recently with Singapore Airlines and Finnair, in both cases on bookings where I was travelling with my wife and kids (all the same booking), and not only did they change our seats and not notify me, they also split us up - in one case (SQ) leaving my wife beside the 2 kids and me somewhere else, and in the other (AY) leaving my 6 year old completely separated from the rest of us, so he would have been sitting beside some random passenger on a 3 hour flight. There was no aircraft change to explain that one either - and I have OneWorld Emerald status so it was a bit surprising that I would be picked on if they really had to move people about, especially when I was originally seated beside my young child!

Anyway, moral of the story is exactly what Serfty said - if seating is important to you then you have to make a point of rechecking regularly. I do that and consequently became aware of both of the above incidents in advance, so I had time to rectify. Sometimes there will be nothing you can do though, especially if there is an aircraft change.