Booted from seat at gate - Does it happen often?

[medhead]

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

Would be interested in your observation of how people were spaced out. Were people in the rows in front of you? Generally they'll bunch people around the centre of gravity, which, as a non pilot or aircraft operations person, I assume is around the wings. Were most people bunched in around the wings?

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

I'd expect that on an ATR for sure, an F100 is a not really what I'd expect.

 

[a1ring23]

From what I saw it was approx every 4 seats there's be one free. Occasionally one row would have 2 free seats. No specific "grouping" of people at the front, over the wings or at the back per se, just a scattering of free seats throughout.

 

[PLANT]

Right it is not a Virgin plane but Alliance and therefore due to Trim they can move due to centre of gravity.
If it was a Virgin bigger plane then very unusual..... Thread closed.

 

[PLANT]

I had a pilot in helicopter over grand canyon put me up the back when all I could see is he wanted the heffa women sitting up front with him... Weight/trim/balance pft in that case!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

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

I'd appreciate being moved to the back left right.......ie, left right out!

 

[jb747]

Would be interested in your observation of how people were spaced out. Were people in the rows in front of you? Generally they'll bunch people around the centre of gravity, which, as a non pilot or aircraft operations person, I assume is around the wings. Were most people bunched in around the wings?

Not really. The item you aren't accounting for is under the floor. I've seen 767s in which individuals have had to be moved for weight and balance reasons. They might not make much difference, but that fraction of a percent movement of the CofG is enough to move the flight from within limits to outside. It may be an annoying reason, but it's real enough.

CofG limits change during the flight too. Fuel use changes it. The CofG of a 380 is about 39.5% on take off, around 40-42% for most of the cruise, but about 35% at landing. The cruise CG would be outside the take off limits. (Note...the bigger the percentage, the further aft the CofG). An aft CG is more economical, as you have less trim drag. But, an aft CG at take off is dangerous.

 

[medhead]

Not really. The item you aren't accounting for is under the floor. I've seen 767s in which individuals have had to be moved for weight and balance reasons. They might not make much difference, but that fraction of a percent movement of the CofG is enough to move the flight from within limits to outside. It may be an annoying reason, but it's real enough.

CofG limits change during the flight too. Fuel use changes it. The CofG of a 380 is about 39.5% on take off, around 40-42% for most of the cruise, but about 35% at landing. The cruise CG would be outside the take off limits. (Note...the bigger the percentage, the further aft the CofG). An aft CG is more economical, as you have less trim drag. But, an aft CG at take off is dangerous.

I did say generally, also in light of this being an F100. I'm not sure I was suggesting weight and balance is not a real issue.

 

[JohnK]

I was really angry today.

I checked seat map last night and moved myself from 7D->3D but did not check in online.

Went to check-in today ~15 minutes before check-in closes and I am handed a forward aisle boarding pass of 6C with SEQ 118. :shock: I asked for 3D back and given the usual rubbish about seats not guaranteed.

Went to lounge and spent the best part of 10-15 minutes trying to work out what had happened. I lost my cool a number of times when they are trying to explain the system to me. I know the system. Please don't tell me about seats not guaranteed. This is not good enough. It is a full flight. She cannot move me anywhere. Not the end of the world but not the point.

Apparently what had happened is they moved me and who knows anyone else to allocate 5 seats in row 3 to a group/family with absolutely no status. This is where I lost the plot even more. I believe they also checked me in to make that change as that sequence does not match the sequence number of someone checking in late.

She left the desk to go and check and my flight was called. I went and grabbed a couple of pies and a drink and was about to leave when she found me. She gave me a boarding pass for 3C and said she had to move part of the family and she is not going to do it again. She said I should have checked in online. I explained that my allocated seat should have no bearing on whether I am checked in or not. I should not have been moved. The place for the group/family was in row 28-29 not row 3.

I know I am out of line but amateur hour continues. This is just not good enough from Virgin. Time for another email.

 

[blackcat20]

I never can understand why the group that wants to sit together automatically gets the forward/better seats, and the people displaced get pushed to the back...

 

[yohy?!]

I was really angry today.

I checked seat map last night and moved myself from 7D->3D but did not check in online.

Went to check-in today ~15 minutes before check-in closes and I am handed a forward aisle boarding pass of 6C with SEQ 118. :shock: I asked for 3D back and given the usual rubbish about seats not guaranteed.

Went to lounge and spent the best part of 10-15 minutes trying to work out what had happened. I lost my cool a number of times when they are trying to explain the system to me. I know the system. Please don't tell me about seats not guaranteed. This is not good enough. It is a full flight. She cannot move me anywhere. Not the end of the world but not the point.

Apparently what had happened is they moved me and who knows anyone else to allocate 5 seats in row 3 to a group/family with absolutely no status. This is where I lost the plot even more. I believe they also checked me in to make that change as that sequence does not match the sequence number of someone checking in late.

She left the desk to go and check and my flight was called. I went and grabbed a couple of pies and a drink and was about to leave when she found me. She gave me a boarding pass for 3C and said she had to move part of the family and she is not going to do it again. She said I should have checked in online. I explained that my allocated seat should have no bearing on whether I am checked in or not. I should not have been moved. The place for the group/family was in row 28-29 not row 3.

I know I am out of line but amateur hour continues. This is just not good enough from Virgin. Time for another email.

Good for you, seems like a little noise and fuss is the only way to get this highlighted as an issue with VA.

Perhaps a strike/go-slow is called for at boarding to start impacting OTP

 

[mannej]

I never can understand why the group that wants to sit together automatically gets the forward/better seats, and the people displaced get pushed to the back...

And why they feel it necessary to lie about it.

 

[bullerdude]

I was really angry today.

I checked seat map last night and moved myself from 7D->3D but did not check in online.

Went to check-in today ~15 minutes before check-in closes and I am handed a forward aisle boarding pass of 6C with SEQ 118. :shock: I asked for 3D back and given the usual rubbish about seats not guaranteed.

Went to lounge and spent the best part of 10-15 minutes trying to work out what had happened. I lost my cool a number of times when they are trying to explain the system to me. I know the system. Please don't tell me about seats not guaranteed. This is not good enough. It is a full flight. She cannot move me anywhere. Not the end of the world but not the point.

Apparently what had happened is they moved me and who knows anyone else to allocate 5 seats in row 3 to a group/family with absolutely no status. This is where I lost the plot even more. I believe they also checked me in to make that change as that sequence does not match the sequence number of someone checking in late.

She left the desk to go and check and my flight was called. I went and grabbed a couple of pies and a drink and was about to leave when she found me. She gave me a boarding pass for 3C and said she had to move part of the family and she is not going to do it again. She said I should have checked in online. I explained that my allocated seat should have no bearing on whether I am checked in or not. I should not have been moved. The place for the group/family was in row 28-29 not row 3.

I know I am out of line but amateur hour continues. This is just not good enough from Virgin. Time for another email.

The last people that should have been moved at the gold/platinums occupying row 3... very poor treatment of regular customers.

I too would have made a fuss if I was moved out of Row 3 for some non-status flyers - especially when my mate (who is gold) generally gets told at checkin that he cannot move forward to Row 3 as it is reserved for Platinum members.

 

[Austman]

I never can understand why the group that wants to sit together automatically gets the forward/better seats, and the people displaced get pushed to the back...

I've had this told to me several times (not about moving pax who have already allocated their seats): Airlines sometimes reserve a row of bulkhead, or one row back, seats just in case a family checks in with, for what ever reason, unallocated seating together.

It can work in your favour too. If a family doesn't check-in, there can be a row of prime seats released for re-allocation, a minute after check-in closes. This has worked for me.

I suppose it's an arguable policy - but the seats that they reserve should be blocked for allocation until check-in closes.

 

[pauly7]

I was booted out of row 3 (with my partner) last week within T-24.

Rang Virgin (20 mins on hold...!) and thankfully got their AU call centre.

They said they couldn't do anything about it as it had passed onto airport control. I said not good enough and to try harder. 15 mins later and I had row 3 back with a lot of moaning and groaning from the rep. Was fed the line 'you were probably moved by the airport for a family or something'.

Seems like this is turning into a real ongoing problem for VA. Pretty annoying I wasted about an hour of my life fixing.

PS the flight was about 50% full.

 

[JohnK]

The last people that should have been moved at the gold/platinums occupying row 3... very poor treatment of regular customers.

I too would have made a fuss if I was moved out of Row 3 for some non-status flyers - especially when my mate (who is gold) generally gets told at checkin that he cannot move forward to Row 3 as it is reserved for Platinum members.

I don't quite understand why they would mistreat status flyers. There is a reason I book early and choose my seats early.

I am going to be well short of Gold come September. Not sure what I want to do because if that is how they are going to treat status flyers then I don't think I will bother spending extra money getting Gold again.

 

[cove]

When AA tried to dump us off a plane I too stood my ground. Some super high status flyer tried to steal our two First Class seats that we had bought. That SHSF found out the meaning of No Thanks as that plane was full.

 

[VulpesVulpes]

I don't quite understand why they would mistreat status flyers. There is a reason I book early and choose my seats early.

I am going to be well short of Gold come September. Not sure what I want to do because if that is how they are going to treat status flyers then I don't think I will bother spending extra money getting Gold again.

Yeah they told me on the phone when they rang me to follow up that they always try and prioritise "High value" members. By the way this has happened to other people around here I'm not so sure that happens in practice.

I'm in a similar situation where I could push for WP or I could just relax as gold. I am not convinced the level of service would be worth chasing WP....

 

[amaroo]

When AA tried to dump us off a plane I too stood my ground. Some super high status flyer tried to steal our two First Class seats that we had bought. That SHSF found out the meaning of No Thanks as that plane was full.

Nice work!

There are a few on this board that believe standing your ground will see you taken away in cuffs and never seen again

 

[tuapekastar]

I never can understand why the group that wants to sit together automatically gets the forward/better seats, and the people displaced get pushed to the back...

Or why people who don't plan have to inconvenience those who do.

 

[JohnK]

Yeah they told me on the phone when they rang me to follow up that they always try and prioritise "High value" members. By the way this has happened to other people around here I'm not so sure that happens in practice.

I'm in a similar situation where I could push for WP or I could just relax as gold. I am not convinced the level of service would be worth chasing WP....

I don't consider myself a high value member by any stretch of the imagination but I do have Gold status and I pre-allocated 3D.

Which warped staff member thinks that a group/family without any status should be allocated 3BC and 3DEF on day of travel when someone has already pre-allocated those seats. Not sure what they were trying to achieve.

To me it appeared to be a middle aged (or maybe older) couple and a youngish couple with a child. The child was speaking English while the others were speaking French. Not sure if they were tourists or locals. The older lady was holding boarding pass for 3D but she sat in 3F. The mother and child were now sitting in 4BC.

The flight in economy was full but the lounge staff member lied to me when they said there was nowhere they could move me. Row 1 business was vacant and after that stuff up that is where I should have been moved.

I keep trying to give Virgin a chance and they keep falling over themselves to stuff up.

I think there is a $9-$10 difference between Saver and Saver lite. Silver status should give me seat allocation somewhere around exit row. I can eat at home and a beer in the terminal doesn't cost that much.