Big development! Qantas seat selection!

[Commuter]

I'm wondering how this is going to work when I need to book a flight to MEL next week!:shock:

The ones I did included a number of SYD <-> MEL. The remaining seats were a bit poor (the worst one being the 4th row of economy being the first one with aisle or window availability, from memory), but I think almost every one of the flights had the exit row still completely empty.

I couldn't get the first row (aisle or window - middle seat does not count!) of economy on any of the SYD <-> MEL.

 

[GoldenWinger]

yeah really not happy about WP not being able to book row 1...luck I booked my MEL-HKG prior to this happening and got row 1A.

FYI, British Airways still recognises QF Plat and allows 1A to be booked via BA.com ...

I think for seating WP and CL should be equal.

 

[jamesatfish]

yeah really not happy about WP not being able to book row 1...luck I booked my MEL-HKG prior to this happening and got row 1A.

Does anyone know if this change affects seat allocations made by phone to the Qantas call center, or just online? Similarly I've been allocated 1A on a LHR-SYD flight next month (on the 388) by requesting the seat over the phone - it would be a shame if that row was no longer available for WPs to request.

 

[GoldenWinger]

No even phoning up it is restricted - I'm booked also on the A380 SIN-LHR in June and tried calling the premium desk - she was very helpful but she couldn;t assign seat - she then put me on hold for a about 5 mins and had to get someone with an overide authority to confirm it - she did specify it was one off...

Hopefully won't get VH-OQC which still has a faulty 1A - the LCD control panel is broken on the right hand bottom corner where the seat movement icons appear - bascially had an inoperative seat where crew had to manually adjust - got a $200 comp voucher from QF - bit measly I think,

 

[jamesatfish]

No even phoning up it is restricted - I'm booked also on the A380 SIN-LHR in June and tried calling the premium desk - she was very helpful but she couldn;t assign seat - she then put me on hold for a about 5 mins and had to get someone with an overide authority to confirm it - she did specify it was one off...

Hopefully won't get VH-OQC which still has a faulty 1A - the LCD control panel is broken on the right hand bottom corner where the seat movement icons appear - bascially had an inoperative seat where crew had to manually adjust - got a $200 comp voucher from QF - bit measly I think,

Hmmm - this is my first A380 flight so fingers crossed I don't end up with that same issue in 1A...

As for not being able to allocate Row 1 any more unless you're a CL member - guess that makes a stronger case for choosing a BA flight when travelling alone in F where OWE status is enough to be allocated 1A or 1K.

 

[v8Statesman]

As for not being able to allocate Row 1 any more unless you're a CL member - guess that makes a stronger case for choosing a BA flight when travelling alone in F where OWE status is enough to be allocated 1A or 1K.

I have been very quiet on the "Watering down of WP benefits", but I have to say this one sucks! WP if for (mostly) very frequent flyers. CL is for....well lets face it "brown nosing". Fair enought they want to look after CL's. But I doing think it should be to at the expense of WP's!

Let the CL's have a special lounge. Give them free upgrades. Don't give them a row on every aircraft!

 

[Commuter]

I have been very quiet on the "Watering down of WP benefits", but I have to say this one sucks! WP if for (mostly) very frequent flyers. CL is for....well lets face it "brown nosing". Fair enought they want to look after CL's. But I doing think it should be to at the expense of WP's!

Indeed. I am not too happy about this either.

 

[Ewing]

Has anyone had problems since these changes where multiple pax in the same booking are not seated together?

I've had a couple of domestic flights (J) and and have had the following in CMK (and on the Qantas site):

It's been met with some confused remarks from the agents at the check in desk, who've adjusted our seats so we're together.

I don't have any other domestic flights pre-booked to check what comes up in the seat selection, but in terms of international flights I seem to be able to select from almost anything that's not shown as occupied or blocked in E/F (and not being CL, row 1 is blocked).

For example, upcoming J in 2 class 744:

Those seat allocations are what I've been given by default. One thing that's interesting is that 4A/K are showing as available in E/F but blocked on the QF site.

 

[JohnK]

I'm a PS/QP - checked my flights - when traveling alone - can log in and get up to row 5.

Well done QF a really big development! I wonder what the Platinums will be thinking when they are seated in row 20....

 

[jamesatfish]

One thing that's interesting is that 4A/K are showing as available in E/F but blocked on the QF site.

Must be something magical about 4A/K - those same seats are unavailable on my upcoming 744 bookings too.

Qantas:

Expert Flyer:

Check My Trip:

 

[Grooba]

As a WP I would like to see more rows of aisle and window seats blocked for WPs (perhaps to Row 3, with middle seats being made available to SGs).

Exit rows were still mostly available for domestic flights but I don't bother with them for domestic, so it's not really an issue.

Why would a SG want to sit in a middle seat? I think they wouldn't.

No one wants to sit in a middle seat so regarding middle seats how about this algorithim of sorts...

all window / aisle seats should be first prefs all the way down front to back, then what ever is remaining middle seats should be allocated from the back to the front. This way, the last middle seats to be allocated would be at the front which would mean the CL/WP pax would have the greatest chance of having a seat next them free at the front of the aircraft.

 

[simongr]

Must be something magical about 4A/K - those same seats are unavailable on my upcoming 744 bookings too.

4AK are Bassinet positions so you wont be able to prealllocate online - possibly unless there is a small person in the booking.

all window / aisle seats should be first prefs all the way down front to back, then what ever is remaining middle seats should be allocated from the back to the front. This way, the last middle seats to be allocated would be at the front which would mean the CL/WP pax would have the greatest chance of having a seat next them free at the front of the aircraft.

This is the crux of the problem - at the point of booking QF don't know how many seats to make available to various levels in the program.

It would appear that QF have taken the "safer" option and protected their most valuable assets - CL. No matter how important WPs think that they are, the majority are likely to business travellers flying on a company policy and if teh CLs decide to change carriers then the WP can't do anything about it. Even they only fly once a year a CL is worth more than all the rest of the company funded WPs put together.

 

[Commuter]

Why would a SG want to sit in a middle seat? I think they wouldn't.

No one wants to sit in a middle seat so regarding middle seats how about this algorithim of sorts...

Not that they are likely to want to sit there, but they could make it available to them, so that WP/SG with a front-row-of-class fetish can have it, that's all.

 

[bambbbam2]

Why would a SG want to sit in a middle seat? I think they wouldn't.

Speaking as an SG, I would MUCH rather an aisle seat slightly further back, with an empty middle, than I would an exit row seat middle..

 

[Sequel]

With regards to QF Link, I believe you wont be able to choose a specific seat as they are allocated for weight distribution (due to the smaller nature of the planes).

With regards to my BNE-MEL-BNE tomorrow, booked yesterday. At no point yesterday would it accept my choice of seats, always coming up with an error message.

BNE-MEL is Red E-Deal, and yesterday it was showing 4C as the only free seat available in 4 (but It wouldn't accept my request). OLCI at T-24 this morning, allocated 5A, even though 4ABC were all free (Seq# 5). Selected 4A.

MEL-BNE tomorrow afternoon, Flexi-saver ticket, yesterday morning was showing 4D only free seat until row 7. Yesterday afternoon that seat had disappeared. OLCI at t-36 (due to return flight on same day), only seat available to me is 7A, 8A or something in row 9 and back (ie only 2 free seats out of the first 30 seats!!).

 

[Commuter]

Speaking as an SG, I would MUCH rather an aisle seat slightly further back, with an empty middle, than I would an exit row seat middle..

I may take an exit row middle seat on a long haul flight, but certainly not on short-haul. I think I'd rather take the aisle right down the back where it comes 2-4-2 though.

 

[docjames]

I'm a PS/QP - checked my flights - when traveling alone - can log in and get up to row 5.
?

What fare class did you purchase?

Both me and mrsdoc are PS (she's QP as well) and on 4 different BNE-MEL flights between October and December we cant get ANY forward of Row 19 (basically, we can chose ANY seat abcdef from 19 backwards and not any the last three rows so weird that some PS get up to row 5, some get nothing.

I DONT LIKE THIS NEW SYSTEM !!:evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

 

[docjames]

:evil: UPDATE: I can now no longer even select a seat (the button is gone) :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

Useless.

Anyone else able to check seating today or is it just my ff that's screwy?

 

[Dave Noble]

Must be something magical about 4A/K - those same seats are unavailable on my upcoming 744 bookings too.

They are the nicest F seats; thanks to being a bassinet position there is a nice area at side of seat to put the meal on whilst I use the table for the laptop; 4K followed by 4A are my choices with 1AK being the ones I make sure to avoid

Dave

 

[Kendall Roy]

:evil: UPDATE: I can now no longer even select a seat (the button is gone)

Useless.

Anyone else able to check seating today or is it just my ff that's screwy?

Same here.

Looks like QF have deployed this tool on a "soft-launch" basis to gauge feedback from customers. Perhaps too many AFF members provided negative feedback? :mrgreen::evil: