Do I have a shadow.........

[Ikara]

........or am I being paranoid?

I don't travel much these days - I did my third trip this year yesterday - ADL/SYD return. As a LTG, for each of my three trips I have been able to choose an exit aisle seat at no cost - very comfortable, thank-you very much. Each of the flights has been near full as I tend to travel on day trips, so early AM out and PM return - basically "peak" times. Yet for four of the six legs I have had an empty middle seat in the exit row next to me.

My question. Is QF being nice to me for all the flying I did to get to LTG after years of WP? Or are people NOT willing to pay the upgrade cost for the exit rows and there are not enough SG's & WP's wanting to fill them?

I suspect the latter of the two. Am I correct?

JB

 

[drron]

Sorry to burst your bubble but in the last 2 months I have had 12 QF domestic Y flights.10 of the 12 I had a shadow.At least 6 times on fairly full flights.But I am only a comped PS with a little over 2000 lifetime SCs.

 

[Happy Trails]

The exit row fee only applies to the transcon A330s, so I expect people are simply avoiding the middle seat.

 

[Ikara]

Sorry to burst your bubble but in the last 2 months I have had 12 QF domestic Y flights.10 of the 12 I had a shadow.At least 6 times on fairly full flights.But I am only a comped PS with a little over 2000 lifetime SCs.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaw - you know how to burst a man's bubble. And here I was thinking I was finally a DYKWIA!

(Only joking!)

JB

 

[tyrolean]

Oh sorry: In German "to have a shadow" means "very stupid, foolish,...".

For the seat blocking: It worked quite good on my few domestic flights with QF in Y. Traveling in Y with my family of 4 on a 737 I put them on ABC and me on D. E did stay empty on all flights.

 

[mannej]

........or am I being paranoid?

I don't travel much these days - I did my third trip this year yesterday - ADL/SYD return. As a LTG, for each of my three trips I have been able to choose an exit aisle seat at no cost - very comfortable, thank-you very much. Each of the flights has been near full as I tend to travel on day trips, so early AM out and PM return - basically "peak" times. Yet for four of the six legs I have had an empty middle seat in the exit row next to me.

My question. Is QF being nice to me for all the flying I did to get to LTG after years of WP? Or are people NOT willing to pay the upgrade cost for the exit rows and there are not enough SG's & WP's wanting to fill them?

I suspect the latter of the two. Am I correct?

JB

The free exit seat isn't a function of LTG but the fact that QF don't charge for these on domestic 737 services.

 

[Ikara]

Guys,

Oh bugga! The Australian of the Year tells me that I shouldn't say "Guys", but what the hell - I'm 70 and he confuses me with someone who cares!

I'm taking the piss out of myself - it's something that we do at my age.

It's a bit like a "Dad" joke.

Sorry.

I'll go to bed with my milk and biscuits now...................

JB

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Whether having that empty seat is a benefit, or just by a chance, its much better getting the chance of an empty seat next to you, than flying on one of the other Aust domestic airlines, which also has a FF system, but a lousy one at that.
They never give me an empty seat next to me on *their* flights.
**((5 SC earning per shorter Aust domestic flight, what the... nuff said.))**

 

[RichardMEL]

It is also possible that the empty seat was blocked for a Plat (or higher) in the 3rd seat.

Remember though that nowhere is a "shadow" a published benefit under the QFF scheme. Some request them. Many seem to get them but it's absolutely not an entitlement(in my view at least) and of course if your flight is full then "No shadow for you!"

I had a friend fly the other day who just attained Gold (OK, I gave it to her via the 2400 SC ) anyway her first flight she had the middle empty too in the exit row. She was very happy. EF did not show a block per se. It may have been pure luck (it was a short MEL-ADL hop) - either way she thinks this Gold thing is pretty good

so totally worth the gift for me

 

[bismarck]

I suspect it's a combination of a couple of factors.

1. Most people don't choose their seats, just letting the system default select for them (I roll my eyes when my WP boss is strolling to the back of the plane while I'm in the exit row)
2. Those who do select are not likely to want the middle seat
3. The other person in the row may be WP and you are benefitting from their shadow

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Hmm...
Maybe too the other person could have bought a comfort seat IF its possible for exit rows.

 

[bismarck]

Hmm...
Maybe too the other person could have bought a comfort seat IF its possible for exit rows.

I think the number of people buying comfort seats would be vanishingly low.

 

[JohnK]

Quite lucky past 2 flights. Someone in 4B but 4E vacant.

Shadows are mainly luck unless you have been promised a shadow very late in the check-in process.

I think the number of people buying comfort seats would be vanishingly low.

Does anyone outside of AFF purchase comfort seats? It makes no sense for anything other than status.

 

[equus]

Does anyone outside of AFF purchase comfort seats? It makes no sense for anything other than status.

I presume that some buy them for ... comfort - which is why QF created them. The AFF repurposing for status acquisition would not have been part of QF's original intent.