Booted from seat at gate - Does it happen often?

[MH_fan]

So do you "pay to sit together"? Together in this instance means with the seat you are so fond to sit on?

If you buy 4 tickets on the one PNR I don't think it is unreasonable to be seated together. Sure - put the group in the back row if they have no status, but the virtual seat map that the reservation systems maintains from the get-go should not allow groups to be arbitrarily broken up.

If certain airlines make you pay to ensure that you sit together with someone, then I do. Even on VA, seat selection is free for non status passengers, so really it's just laziness when people don't pre-select their seats. You'd think that any number of passengers on one PNR should be automatically allocated seats together would be common sense but since when has that prevailed in situations like these?

 

[Bolthead]

This reminds me of when I flew LAX-SYD about 15 years ago on UA. Despite us all being on the same PNR and also being at the airport early they had all 5 of us in 3 rows. Our children back then where 12, 10 & 9. What also made it worse was not one of us got an isle seat. My hatred for United has continued since then and despite my vow never to fly with them again I unfortunately had no option earlier this year to fly internally with them and once again they stuffed us around. (Getting off topic so for another time)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Refuse to move and see how they react. Did that once with J* and won.

It's a bit hard to do that if they've already moved you & the new occupants of your seat have already boarded as opposed to being asked to swap onboard the a/c where you can decline.

 

[Blinky]

Happened to me once as a Velocity Gold member after I was seated in 3C. I complied, and sat in row 12 or something with my carry on stached miles away.

Only once in hundreds of flights, so I put it down to a "first world problem" and settled into the flight in the knowledge I did someone a good turn.

 

[yohy?!]

As long as one has a mobile BP and boards early it shouldn't be too hard to dispose of the new BP after passing the boarding gate and then taking ones originally assigned seat.

Might be a bit of discussion on board but if you're settled it may well be a case of "possession being 9 tenths of the law" and the interloper getting shuttled to the cough seat they tried to put you in

 

[tuapekastar]

I got moved recently (QF) to 'accommodate' a couple wishing to sit together but at least they paged me to the desk in the lounge and actually asked me, though had I said 'no' it may have become interesting. The move was actually beneficial to me on the circumstances.
Generally speaking I'm in the 'what is so special about families over singles' camp. I'm all for families being able to sit together but single travellers should not be displaced/ disadvantaged to suit 'entitled' families who do not have the foresight to plan their travel properly. I acknowledge there can and will be circumstances where the family is unable to avoid a situation like this.

 

[nlagalle]

Had it happen on both QF and VA.. the QF CSM was most apologetic and gave us wine including bottles to take home. VA basically said too bad so sad, CSM did nothing.. it wasn't til I put in yet another complaint that they offered me some upgrades to make up for it.

So while it happens on both, in my case QF did a much better job at service recovery than VA did

 

[cheapskate]

Happened to us recently, but it was from row 3 where they keep the oxygen. Fair enough, but why leave a single passenger in ABC, and choose to move three people (us) from DEF to accommodate the group with the ill traveller? So much for the family theory.

To put the solo traveller in 4 would have been better for everyone - we get the leg room and the solo passenger gets to lie down if they want. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

 

[VulpesVulpes]

So while it happens on both, in my case QF did a much better job at service recovery than VA did

And this is the main problem I had. If they asked me and maybe tried to make it slightly less of a balls-up then I wouldn't have an issue. I submitted a complaint so lets see where it goes!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I agree this situation would be annoying, but I was under the opinion seat selection was never 100% guaranteed anyway. Theres lots of indignation being bounced around this thread but the OP is gold and got row 5. Isn't that a plat seat? Was the family plat? Perhaps, perhaps not but VA may have reasons for what they did with regard to the status pecking order. Also, it's pointless saying shove the family down the back........the OP has already stated the plane was chockers with not a spare seat to be had and the family may have had a need to sit together (epileptic child etc). Simply saying it's not good enough is a knee jerk reaction. They chose to relocate one person rather than 3......seems logical in the circumstance of zero spare seats. Doesn't help the OP though as he/she was the one out of the whole plane who was affected. I can see the logic though and I can see possible reasons as to why.

Oh and VA still have very little idea about service recovery. They missed that page in their "How to" manual!

 

[cove]

On Virgin I have never been moved and I continue to clutch my special Red status tightly. I do have 7 numbers in points so I never book into economy and with Any Seat numbers being stratospheric I will make no changes.

 

[a1ring23]

Happened to me today again. Shafted from 1A to 5A. Wtf? I asked why - got told weight balance issues with this aircraft, seriously?

 

[medhead]

Happened to me today again. Shafted from 1A to 5A. Wtf? I asked why - got told weight balance issues with this aircraft, seriously?

What type of aircraft?

 

[PLANT]

How big are you?
200kg otherwise it's rubbish that you got bumped..... Will get back to you with real answer/reason

 

[mannej]

How big are you?
200kg otherwise it's rubbish that you got bumped..... Will get back to you with real answer/reason

Again without knowing the aircraft type, how can you substantiate this as rubbish?

 

[a1ring23]

It was a Fokker F100. I'm about 70kg.

 

[YSSY]

The only time it happened to me is with British Airways out of Terminal 5, I was booted from 1A to 3A. She explained that the Prime Minister would be in my place. Sure enough, Gordon Brown was bundled onboard before departure. I was most dissapointed.

 

[medhead]

It was a Fokker F100. I'm about 70kg.

The smaller the aircraft the more important the load and balance. What was the load like? Was anyone else sitting in rows ahead of you?

 

[a1ring23]

The smaller the aircraft the more important the load and balance. What was the load like? Was anyone else sitting in rows ahead of you?

80% full. Passengers scattered throughout the plane. A few empty seats here and there.

 

[blackcat20]

The smaller the aircraft the more important the load and balance. What was the load like? Was anyone else sitting in rows ahead of you?

Simialrly on our ATR flight yesterday, one gentleman was moved from row 2 to the back of thr aircraft for weight/balance.