Domestic seat selection now up and running

[djfuzz]

Simon,

IME FF redemption tix and points upgrades negate your WP status for seating.

SYD-PER paid J 1A everytime, SYD-PER FF J row 4 or 5 both A333/A332.

YMMV.

ejb

Strange, have had the opposite experience on international flights. We received a points upgrade from Y+ to J on QF30 and were able to allocate seats in the First cabin (thanks to Mrs Djf's WP), which according to our discussions with some other pax apparently weren't available to other J pax / non-WPs.

 

[serfty]

PCV takes status, revenue and other factors into account.

It's not black and white.

FWIW, on award booking I see similar seating availability as for revenue.

 

[YQY]

Simon,

IME FF redemption tix and points upgrades negate your WP status for seating.

Not sure about this - I recently booked a flight to Singapore during the September/October school holidays using points - i could select exit row J seats or seats at the front on the upper deck on the 744.

 

[Tooner]

OK,

On all domestic flights I have, all seats in the first two rows of economy and exit rows are blocked out. With Business class, row 1 is blocked.

I can select from ANY other seat in the booked cabin as a WP. Early days I guess as other have not yet taken their opportunity.

Same for all my further out flights, however my return MEL-SYD tomorrow night has 23A, B & E available.

Seems it is like OLCI - select the best seat you can on booking, then keep watching closer to the date as the, presumably CL only, blocked seats are potentially released

 

[kpc]

Syd-Adl on points: As QF Gold, the most forward aisle seat I can select is row 11 (737); no difference for my return which is a paid red e deal.

With the old system, as a QF Gold, on the same route with similar aircraft, I would never be allocated any further back than row 6....so this is a backward step for me!

 

[oz_mark]

Syd-Adl on points: As QF Gold, the most forward aisle seat I can select is row 11 (737); no difference for my return which is a paid red e deal.

Ditto - I can see (on a V fare) row 11,12, skip the exit rows, then everything from 15 back.

 

[simongr]

How interesting - I have now been moved to 1J - which implies an equipment change (as I can now see two aisles).

Interesting that I have my old BP in 2C and if I hadn't rechecked I would have had a beep at the gate.

What is even more interesting is that no aircraft type is showing - so perhaps I might have a repositioning skybed equipped aircraft

 

[Smackbum]

My suspicions are that preallocation is only useful if you want to move back or pick an unusual seat for your profile, like a sudden whim for a window seat.

By opening up a limited (by status) selection Qantas will have back-filled the cabin slightly before the automated T-24 engine deals the cards to the unallocated pack. This should mean more chances to improve on your default pecking order when doing OLCI.

So my advice would be to leave the seat selection alone unless you have to coordinate with a colleague or have a hankering for a particular position in the cabin. I doubt whether Qantas would introduce a system that interfers with the "natural order" too much.

 

[JohnK]

With the old system, as a QF Gold, on the same route with similar aircraft, I would never be allocated any further back than row 6....so this is a backward step for me!

It will be a backward step for a lot of people. I have still not decided how it will affect me but since Altea has been introduced I have been able to eventually get the 1st row of WHY on over 90% of flights on my weekly SYD-BNE commute.

So my advice would be to leave the seat selection alone unless you have to coordinate with a colleague or have a hankering for a particular position in the cabin.

Exactly what I have been thinking. Should I pre-allocate the 3rd row of WHY now (much better than my usual pre-allocated theoretical seat) on all my flights and hope to get a better seat using OLCI or do I leave it alone?

I doubt whether Qantas would introduce a system that interfers with the "natural order" too much.

I think QF has disturbed the "natural order" too much already. Did we really need to be able to pre-allocate seats for domestic flights? So far it is barely acceptable for Platinums, while we hear reports that Golds are already too far back in the cabin and not much better for Silver. Who is likely to benefit most from this change?

 

[simongr]

From the feedback from the Qantas advisory panel - this is something that "people" want. Not sure who or why but it is considered standard practice for airlines and the fact that QF doesnt do it is seen as archaic.

I am not saying they are right - just the perception of the mum and pop crowd I guess.

As long as they maintain buffer zones for WP/SG etc then it should change anything. All I havent been able to pre-allocate is the front row of J and first 2 rows of whY - which I havent been sat in this year...

 

[serfty]

... Who is likely to benefit most from this change?

CL!

I have decided to do a test in a HKG-xSYD-MEL flight I have coming up.

it may be the last time I use it.*


*Unless I have to, like on a LONE4 I have with -NRT-xSYD-MEL-AKL where I can't get to the MEL-AKL part until actually selecting seats xSYD-MEL.

 

[pauly7]

i fly between Sydney and Melbourne on a weekly basis (K) - I get seats allocated on rows 23-26 on a consistent basis - irrespective of checking in online or at the airport. 95% of the time i get allocated D or F and often no one sits in E.

I always pick a 767 (& recently A332) due to lack of overhead bin space on the 737.

Where is the A332 lurking on the Syd/Mel runs?? Will have to book it!

 

[serfty]

How interesting - I have now been moved to 1J - which implies an equipment change (as I can now see two aisles).

Interesting that I have my old BP in 2C and if I hadn't rechecked I would have had a beep at the gate.

What is even more interesting is that no aircraft type is showing - so perhaps I might have a repositioning skybed equipped aircraft

A 333 is operating SYD-BNE this evening; mind you it's only a "½ Hour" flight ...

(Today it has flown SYD-MEL and is currently operating back to SYD before heading to BNE. It's scheduled to operate an OMG hour flight back to SYD tomorrow.)

 

[simongr]

I will let you know if I am on it - though "My Flights" shows a 763 now...

 

[serfty]

I will let you know if I am on it - though "My Flights" shows a 763 now...

The only 763 depart at 17:05 and 21:05, the 333 at 18:35. Rest are 73H's; both 763 are millennium.

 

[IainF]

I am on QF632 from MEL-BNE tonight at 6pm. I was able to grab 9F 2 days ago, then did OLCI to 5C, then got moved to 13A (exit) and am now in the QP and have moved to 4A.
I am an AA PLat.
I have a flight from BNE-PER next week and will advise of the seat selection for that. (am thinking about pocketing the cash from work and using 35k AA points for a nice return J experience.

Cheers
IainF

 

[mannej]

Slight OT, but this thread may help to answer a question that I have.

QF648 on 4/3 is being operated by A332, however the number of seats in J will give me an idea of the rego/ interior set out of the 332 being used. Is anyone flying that night in J, and if so, what is the layout in J?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnK]

Has anyone with low or no status and high fare class (like K, Y etc) tried to pre-allocate seats for that booking? What sort of seat map do you see? It would be interesting to see if no status and high class fare can choose to pre-allocate seats from the CL or Platinum sections. I guess if you were not Silver and above then you could not pre-allocate anyway.

CL!

They were getting great benefits out of the old system. No need to change for them.

I have decided to do a test in a HKG-xSYD-MEL flight I have coming up.

it may be the last time I use it.*

I tried testing it yesterday and if it works the way I think it will work then I will continue to use it under those circumstances only.

The only 763 depart at 17:05 and 21:05, the 333 at 18:35. Rest are 73H's; both 763 are millennium.

I have noticed that quite a lot recently. I have noticed recently QF have replaced flights originally scheduled for 763's with 734's and 738's. Not my preference even on short haul flights especially when I have taken the time to specifically select flights operated by 763's.

 

[medhead]

Well i feel very special. a day later and still no seat selection for me, QC PS. A not so quick call to QF (the response to my email was to call them, big + for the 24 hour turn around on my email) and they guy on the phone couldn'y find out why i can't seat select. I'm eligible but it just isn't working. So they have sent me off as a test case to IT.

To the other PS here who can't see seat slection I'd suggest calling qantas.

So sorry JohnK, this PS can't test for a high fare class, because I'm an IT test case and also I only buy NOQE. But when on the phone I asked if fare class would be the reason i can't seat select and they said that fare class did come into it. Of course i might be reading too much into that response.

 

[2muchplastic]

Well this little WP managed to select from what seems to be an empty 738 (not a single seat allocated!) for a BNE-SYD and back next week.
All available except rows 4 & 5 in Y on a (not so) cheap O fare. So 6C it is until T-24 when I'll try and jump into 4C/D again.