Involuntary seat change

[Happy Trails]

Are you saying that as a CLP1, if you book a flight last minute (probably at a large premium too) that you shouldn't be able to have an aisle seat, just because 150 other non-status passengers have checked in?

There's certain circumstances for it- obviously not for the reasons you first think of.

A better and more equitable solution might be to keep a few prime seats blocked until the last minute.

 

[harvyk]

Are you saying that as a CLP1, if you book a flight last minute (probably at a large premium too) that you shouldn't be able to have an aisle seat, just because 150 other non-status passengers have checked in?

Yes I am...

I completely understand if QF wants to give higher status pax first pickings at the prime positions, but once it opens up to all at T-80 I see no reason why a person who has picked a seat months earlier should be bumped because some with a higher status decided they wanted that seat for themselves. A seat once it has been assigned should stay that way unless there are actual reasons why and in the spirit of this thread, a family wanting to sit together is IMHO a more valid reason than because a CLP1 wanted 4C.

 

[legroom]

A better and more equitable solution might be to keep a few prime seats blocked until the last minute.

See my post (#38) earlier where I had suggested the same idea.

 

[TonyHancock]

See my post (#38) earlier where I had suggested the same idea.

With the obvious proviso that on QF flights at all times the staff will find someone with no status to sit in the middle seat next to me.

 

[Happy Trails]

See my post (#38) earlier where I had suggested the same idea.

Indeed you did, great minds think alike.
Though I was was thinking of something a bit more 'last minute' than T-80.

 

[doctau]

I agree with others that it's difficult to automate, since there are too many corner cases (and not everyone agrees what should happen in them), and as soon as you get humans involved you end up with people trying to push things to their own advantage.


I definitely see both sides, how it's useful to have families (especially with young children) sit together, but hate getting kicked out of my picked seat. It doesn't have to be with kids though, take me for example. mrsdoctau is a slightly nervous traveller, nothing crazy and she isn't afraid of the plane crashing or anything, but wants to sit next to me "just in case". On the number of times we haven't been on the same PNR (like her a red e-deal and me a flexible fare to get more SC), there has been twice that we haven't been able to get adjacent seats, so I need to ask about moving. If the answer is that we can't, then she would be fine with it, but I'm obliged to ask.

One of the two times we both got moved from somewhere at the back up to the front Y seats, possibly taking an AFFers carefully chosen seat. If so, I'm sorry - we didn't ask to go up front, just somewhere together if possible.


I think with families, it's reasonable for them to ask to sit together, but they should accept whatever seats they get given, and not try to get good ones. If they go from split-up good seats to together bad seats, that's the trade-off they'll take for sitting together.


As to status-based re-assignment? Status is great when you get to use it to your advantage over the poor plebs without it, but terrible when the high fliers of CL use it to their advantage over you

 

[legroom]

Indeed you did, great minds think alike.
Though I was was thinking of something a bit more 'last minute' than T-80.

Even with T-24, it is still more equitable than ejecting another fellow pax - something I could never contemplate even if it were offered to me.

Something in my fibre says it is not right.

Others are entitled to grab / enjoy what is on offer if they feel 'right' about it.

By the way of an analogy, you do not have to give up your bus seat to a senior (no, not thinking of cove) but it is the right thing to teach your child to do as well as doing it yourself.

 

[joemenzies]

Sunday week from Delhi to Singapore Jet Airways arrived at my prebooked aisle seat to find young lady sitting there instead of her middle row seat.
The Flight Attendant asked me to sit in the middle but I refused and the lady moved to the middle after the attendant said he would find an alternative seat after takeoff. It is annoying when this happens and makes things unpleasant for all. There was no alternative seat as the plane was full.

 

[doctau]

As a private employer who has tried to compete for 30 years with the public service for admin personnel, I have to say that at the lower levels (say under EL1), the public service seriously overpays.....While I admire your reasons for having entered the Public Service - they do you great credit, in my experience that is not something most people think of when trying to get a job there. In fact I have heard people say that getting a job in the public service in Canberra in liking winning lotto.

It really depends on what part of the public service you are in and your role. Some of it pays better than the private sector or has a nice cushy job, and other parts pay much worse.


ABout 8 years ago I joined the PS as a just-out-of-Uni graduate doing IT. At the end of our 12 month "gradate" program we were APS6, which is the highest non-management band. Want a pay rise more than the small increments or a promotion? You have to move to EL1 which, even if it's "technical EL1" and has no management responsibilities loses you paid overtime (work weekends for free), flex time, etc.

Or do what most people do, and quit to go to the private sector. I think from my graduate intake, there were only 40% of us left in the public service after 2 years (12 months after the end of the grad program). Myself, I lasted 2.5 years before I left for a job paying 40% more than my public servant salary.


The bad thing about the public service is that it's almost impossible to get fired, which is why you get the lazy wankers who coast by for years on an average wage. If you're good at what you do, the public service isn't the place for you

 

[JohnK]

A better and more equitable solution might be to keep a few prime seats blocked until the last minute.

Like 4C and 4D on a QF 737?

And 99.9% of the time you are going to stop high status frequent flyers from selecting those seats and then the bronze, without seat allocation, getting on to the flight last will end up in those seats.

I really do not see anything wrong with taking the best available seat on a flight if you book or switch at the last minute. I have refused an offer to move to earlier flights where the best available seat was a middle seat.

 

[amaroo]

It really depends on what part of the public service you are in and your role. Some of it pays better than the private sector or has a nice cushy job, and other parts pay much worse.


ABout 8 years ago I joined the PS as a just-out-of-Uni graduate doing IT. At the end of our 12 month "gradate" program we were APS6, which is the highest non-management band. Want a pay rise more than the small increments or a promotion? You have to move to EL1 which, even if it's "technical EL1" and has no management responsibilities loses you paid overtime (work weekends for free), flex time, etc.

Or do what most people do, and quit to go to the private sector. I think from my graduate intake, there were only 40% of us left in the public service after 2 years (12 months after the end of the grad program). Myself, I lasted 2.5 years before I left for a job paying 40% more than my public servant salary.


The bad thing about the public service is that it's almost impossible to get fired, which is why you get the lazy wankers who coast by for years on an average wage. If you're good at what you do, the public service isn't the place for you

Pretty much exactly what the BIL & SIL say........both ex-PS.

 

[basso]

Are you saying that as a CLP1, if you book a flight last minute (probably at a large premium too) that you shouldn't be able to have an aisle seat, just because 150 other non-status passengers have checked in? There's certain circumstances for it- obviously not for the reasons you first think of.

What arrogant elitist tripe....

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Pretty much exactly what the BIL & SIL say........both ex-PS.

I'm in the PS at present - If I went and did my job in Canberra, I'd be making an extra $30k per year. Bah humbug etc.

 

[serfty]

Sunday week from Delhi to Singapore Jet Airways arrived at my prebooked aisle seat to find young lady sitting there instead of her middle row seat.
The Flight Attendant asked me to sit in the middle but I refused and the lady moved to the middle after the attendant said he would find an alternative seat after takeoff. It is annoying when this happens and makes things unpleasant for all. There was no alternative seat as the plane was full.

Welcome to AFF

 

[Mr_Orange]

I definitely see both sides, how it's useful to have families (especially with young children) sit together, but hate getting kicked out of my picked seat. It doesn't have to be with kids though, take me for example. mrsdoctau is a slightly nervous traveller, nothing crazy and she isn't afraid of the plane crashing or anything, but wants to sit next to me "just in case". On the number of times we haven't been on the same PNR (like her a red e-deal and me a flexible fare to get more SC), there has been twice that we haven't been able to get adjacent seats, so I need to ask about moving. If the answer is that we can't, then she would be fine with it, but I'm obliged to ask.

If you call Qantas it is possible to have your PNRs linked so that you can select seats together.

 

[joemenzies]

Thanks

Welcome to AFF

 

[Kangol]

I really do not see anything wrong with taking the best available seat on a flight if you book or switch at the last minute. I have refused an offer to move to earlier flights where the best available seat was a middle seat.

Same, even when on a deep discount fare I have gotten the "it's normally not allowed but we can do it for you just this once".

A bird in the hand as they say....

I've been in 4C once with a 4B shadow and someone in 4A, 4DE was blocked with an older lady by herself in 4F (CL perhaps?). Now it wouldn't be so bad to have someone in 4D if a single pax wanted it but then again the load was reasonably light so that may have changed things...

 

[haggiscat]

I was once moved at the gate by a surly person who said to the FA 'this is one of the ones who has to be moved', and was ejected from 4A into 29A.

The reason proferred was load management, which I was quite happy with (although not the attitude of GC) but when I boarded, 4A and 4C were taken by someone else.

Not quite sure how that works but the two gold passengers in front of me had been moved from row 7

 

[haggiscat]

I once met a p1 ex Sydney who, finding her usual row 4 seat had been taken at the last minute (by a knob in 4D) just waited til last, strolled on and sat right between us in the middle. I thought this was a pretty neat trick. Next time it happens to you, go sit in the CL guy's shadow seat and kick back. She was a total babe and chugged Emily's Run the whole time, much to the obvious displeasure of guy in 4D trying to work on his papers.

 

[JohnPhelan]

With the obvious proviso that on QF flights at all times the staff will find someone with no status to sit in the middle seat next to me.

....... and that they will be immediately ahead of me in the PB line.