Domestic seat selection now up and running

[anat0l]

This may be a pain for late bookers, but that would generally have been the case without this.

+1, as also with late OLCI persons. For example, I have been punished before (albeit as a new WP on the day this happened) where I did not OLCI and arrived at the airport, then ended up with a less than ideal seat (was lucky to pull bulkhead in the second cabin of a A332).

I don't see why late bookers should be able to have trumps seat selection, status for status (although that becomes less important as one gets closer to the date, and in this case at T-80).

Bottom line is that the goal posts are shifting a bit but otherwise this whole system is much the same as before. Even if you are a WP, if you want a certain seat you are going to have to be vigilant in minding the allocation windows (e.g. T-80 and OLCI) as well as being persistent. There is no other way. Having status only provides (and has provided) a weak protection for WPs in order to secure good seats.

In any case, this new system is only allowed for PS and higher (and their oneworld equivalents; not QP). So everyone else being savvy and if there aren't many mixed status multi-pax bookings (e.g. a WP and NB in the same booking), this should limit the number of NBs and nil status pax sitting at the front.

 

[YQY]

26/02 QF416 (MEL-SYD 0830)- I was allocated 24D (next to the crew rest area) during check in last night. Ticket class as K.

- 23 DE JK was already allocated 24 F doesn't exist on this flight
- 24 EF JK was already allocated
- 25 AB was was already allocated behind the crew rest area
- 25 DEF JK was free

I selected 25K ( i like a view even though i prefer aisle).

When collecting my boarding pass at the airport this airport I was allocated 1K

 

[mm472]

As a PS QP i cannot seem to allocate any seats for my already booked domestic flights,

BUT i did OLCI at T-23.58 for my flight today to BNE and was given 7A
this is the most forward seat i have been allocated in the 9 or so months of weekly flights i have been doing ,

so i suspect it has something to do with this change,
But still perplexed why i cannot allocate any thing for my future flights :shock:

 

[Warks]

As a PS QP i cannot seem to allocate any seats for my already booked domestic flights,

BUT i did OLCI at T-23.58 for my flight today to BNE and was given 7A
this is the most forward seat i have been allocated in the 9 or so months of weekly flights i have been doing ,

so i suspect it has something to do with this change,
But still perplexed why i cannot allocate any thing for my future flights :shock:

Nine months of weekly flights and you're only PS still?

As a PS myself I find that I get pretty good seats on off peak flights but in peak I get pretty ordinary seats. If I don't do OLCI it seems I get banished to Siberia at the back. This sometimes happens when I'm away as QF don't feel the need to send a reminder and as I don't have a printer with me I sometimes don't bother even if I do remember.

 

[dwwarlow]

Welcome dwwarlow to AFF.

What QFF status are you? I assume you are flying on a full fare Business ticket; mind if I ask what aircraft type and sector?

I think I must have been very lucky on each occasion, especially as these were all classic award tix and Im only QPNB. Aircraft were all 737, dont remember which series, and it was BNE- SYD - BNE

 

[moa999]

Screenshots of before and after T-80 on a Monday morning peak SYD-MEL as WP.

 

[anat0l]

Screenshots of before and after T-80 on a Monday morning peak SYD-MEL as WP.

So it went from "can't get front rows" to "can't get front squat".

For a peak flight, seems somewhat not unusual, but that is a stark difference.

 

[JohnK]

I don't think you understand ... they can't "get there first" as with "Theoretical Seating" their allocation would be somewhere aft; whether they preselect or not.

e.g. A SG preselects a seat on booking and picks a seat on row 30 (763), can't go further forward into the WP and CL 'zones'. At T-80 they come back to have a look and see maybe they can get to row 27, same as was the case prior to thi.

This may be a pain for late bookers, but that has generally been the case anyway.

Finally, it's certainly more beneficial for high state QFFers than the aborted implementation last year.

What I have observed with this new implementation is a few glitches already and one must select a seat in advance or else you could end up at the back of the allocated zone for your status or even worse even further back if the allocated zone for your status is full. How does a Gold grab row 5 at T-80?

Bottom line is that the goal posts are shifting a bit but otherwise this whole system is much the same as before. Even if you are a WP, if you want a certain seat you are going to have to be vigilant in minding the allocation windows (e.g. T-80 and OLCI) as well as being persistent. There is no other way. Having status only provides (and has provided) a weak protection for WPs in order to secure good seats.

A person of higher status should not have to work that hard to ensure they get the seat they requested in their profile for every flight.

But you are right. I am convinced that we need to pre-select a seat as soon as the booking is made and then check again from T-80 to ensure that the required seat is acquired....

 

[anat0l]

How does a Gold grab row 5 at T-80?

As a SG before it was quite easy for me to grab row 5 under the old OLCI system. What do you think would make it any different now?

A person of higher status should not have to work that hard to ensure they get the seat they requested in their profile for every flight.

Work hard? I've been doing it my way for a while. At least I can often get my choice seat 4C.

Even before, I start to panic when I haven't OLCI'd at T-18 or less. By that time, I am scared that row 4 is completely taken, and why shouldn't I be scared - I'm competing at least against all the other WPs and CLs on that flight, let alone SGs et al. who might have taken someone vacating a preallocated spot.

 

[moa999]

So it went from "can't get front rows" to "can't get front squat".

Not quite - the Qantas maps (although difficult to read) are quite different from e/f

Before T-80 - Could select anything bar 23 and 24

After T-80 - Still no row 23, but could now select row 24 (not that you would want 24 window on a 767). However substanitial numbers of other seats in rows 25-29 became greyed out (including all DEF seats)

 

[YQY]

So it went from "can't get front rows" to "can't get front squat".

For a peak flight, seems somewhat not unusual, but that is a stark difference.

Here are my seat allocation prior to T-80 for SYD MEL flights next week. I will post after T-80. I would consider these flights as peak.

 

[JohnK]

As a SG before it was quite easy for me to grab row 5 under the old OLCI system.

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't (or should I say weren't) the zones for each status enforced under the current implementation of OLCI?

What do you think would make it any different now?

Allowing people to cross zones at T-80 hours. Let's reward the people who persevere. How long will it remain at T-80 hours?

I will ask the same question I asked earlier. Did we really need to have advance seat selection for domestic flights? Who is likely to benefit most from it? Perhaps I am focusing on the wrong issues....

 

[oz_mark]

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't (or should I say weren't) the zones for each status enforced under the current implementation of OLCI?

Not sure there were zones, per se, but in the theoretical seat scenario, each pax had a ranking, and each seat had a ranking. The two rankings together would determine what you could and could not see.

 

[medhead]

As a PS QP i cannot seem to allocate any seats for my already booked domestic flights,

B

There are a few QP PS who can't seat selection. Like me. I called qantas and they are looking into it. I suggest you call as well.

 

[docjames]

There are a few QP PS who can't seat selection. Like me. I called qantas and they are looking into it. I suggest you call as well.

Dont get your hopes up, the selection is terrible so it's almost to the point of why bother....

 

[medhead]

Dont get your hopes up, the selection is terrible so it's almost to the point of why bother....

The options may be rubbish, but if I'm supposed to be able to do something like this because of my status then I what to be able to do it.

Perhaps I need to provide more information, I do not get the option/button to do seat selection when I go into manage my booking. Obviously the qantas system is not recognising my status or something like that. I would like to have that fixed and it seems that I'm not the only one with the problem.

 

[straitman]

I missed the 80 hr window for my Sunday flight but at about 9pm tonight, 57 hrs prior, I was able to select seats in Row 4 & 5 on a 738.

At T-57 I moved from Row 6 to Row 5. (A & C) EF shows B as blocked. (At this time some Row 4 seats were available but they did not suit out needs.)

At approx T-36 I looked again and Row 4 A, B, C were available and we moved to A & C again and the B block followed us. Just a confirmation that the blocking or shadowing does follow a WP.

If I'm up at 0130 (3hr and 40min from now ) I will look at the picture for the return flight.

 

[mm472]

There are a few QP PS who can't seat selection. Like me. I called qantas and they are looking into it. I suggest you call as well.

Thanks Medhead,,,

Shall call next week

Cheers MM

 

[JohnK]

At approx T-36 I looked again and Row 4 A, B, C were available and we moved to A & C again and the B block followed us. Just a confirmation that the blocking or shadowing does follow a WP.

If I'm up at 0130 (3hr and 40min from now ) I will look at the picture for the return flight.

I'd be ecstastic if the shadows followed me regularly.

By the way it is 1:30 now but you don't appear to be online to look at the picture for the return flight....

 

[samiam]

Okay, let's give this a spin...

I've just used seat selection to choose a seat on QF 775 to PER on Wednesday 3/3 at 0610. Time is now > 80 hours.

Furthest forward row I can see is 30.

I'll check back at around 10.10pm tonight (which should be T -80, if I have it right) and see if I
can sit in a zone (separated by some imaginary curatin) unto which a non-WP may or may not be 'worthy'