Is this a new charge by Qantas?

[concorde70]

From iol.co.za

Qantas not kid(ding) around

"Would you pay a shed load of money just to sit next to your own child on a plane? It may sound like a silly question, but one airline is assuming you’ll do just that. When I heard the news that Qantas had started charging for parents to sit with their offspring on long-haul flights, I assumed it was a belated April Fool joke. But, sadly, to the chagrin of overwhelmed, overcharged parents everywhere, it’s true.
From now on, economy passengers on long-haul flights will be asked to pay $20 (about R150) per person per flight for its Advanced Seat Selection service. In case you can’t do the maths, this means that a family of four will need to shell out a minimum of $160 on a holiday just to ensure that they can travel together.
Why is the airline doing this? Because, as any no-frills airline will tell you, when you haven’t stumped up for priority boarding, are last to get on the plane, and can’t find enough seats to enable you to sit next to your kid, there’s no guarantee that you’ll have seats together.
Qantas is by no means alone in introducing a seat-selection charge. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find an airline that allows you to choose a seat in advance without clobbering you for cash in the process. But should it really be considered an “optional extra” to sit with your child? Should we really have to pay to be sure that our kids won’t have to spend the entire journey wedged between strangers at the other end of the plane?
Only a couple of months ago, a poll revealed that children were considered the most dreaded passengers of all. And various surveys have found that a rather depressing number of people support the idea that kids should be banned from flights altogether.
Just when you thought airlines couldn’t make it any more difficult to travel with kids, they went and found a way. Flying with children is never cheap or easy, and it’s certainly never fun. Add in the fact that you’re treated like some kind of social pariah every time you go anywhere near a plane – and that you’re charged extra in the process – it’s a wonder any of us do it at all. – The Independent on Sunday"

 

[Storyteller]

11 years ago my family of 5 flew on SAA & Kenya Air, and over 4 flights we were spread all over the plane. On 2 occasions in 5 separated seats.

Recently on QF I had an UM moved to a seat near me. His original seat was next to an adult male. Not allowed on an overnight flight, so he was moved to J, to a spot where he had an empty seat on both sides.

 

[macrop]

I find that article another load of sensationalist beat-up cough. It has always been a lottery with seat selection if you are not a frequent flyer with priveldges with most airlines. Now there is the opportunity to do advance seat selection for a fee for those without the status. To me this is a positive outcome to those without FF benefits more so than a negative. It's not like it was free beforehand or was it?

I'm pretty certain qantas will still accommodate a family with a couple of small children at check-in regardless if they chose to pay the fee or not. Someone flying alone will be more than likely to be moved around. Still pays to get to airport early for those without status just like it has always been.

 

[medhead]

It clearly misunderstands how seating works on qantas, with the comment about "finding" seats. Seat selection or not, seats are still preallocated and there should be no problem sitting together.

 

[markis10]

It clearly misunderstands how seating works on qantas, with the comment about "finding" seats. Seat selection or not, seats are still preallocated and there should be no problem sitting together.

I beg to differ, while nothing has changed in respect to seat allocation or the lack of it, customers at least now have the option to ensure that it's not a lottery that it normally is for non status pax. It's still been a regular occurrence to have the last minute seat shuffle so a family can sit together for me, the last one when traveling in J a month ago when I was paged in the J lounge.

Seats are not preallocated automatically, and when the aircraft hits limits for the allocations by pax the lottery kicks in.

 

[Rebekkap]

Seats are not preallocated automatically, and when the aircraft hits limits for the allocations by pax the lottery kicks in.

They're not? News to me. It's always been my experience that when travelling on the same PNR, the people on the PNR have automatically been seated together - even if all of us at the time had no status.

 

[elbarto]

They're not? News to me. It's always been my experience that when travelling on the same PNR, the people on the PNR have automatically been seated together - even if all of us at the time had no status.

And it would also show up as a child in the booking. So when the seating allocations are being done, they're going to seat a family together. People will only pay this charge because A) they're daft and believe everything the media says or B) they want specific seats.

 

[Pushka]

This is a beat up. People on the same PNR are always seated together unless they arrive late. Qantas cannot allow people under 13 years to travel alone (and a seat on your own is alone) unless they have been tagged as such in the system. And when you try to upgrade with points it states that this applies to everyone in the same booking.

 

[nlagalle]

I beg to differ, while nothing has changed in respect to seat allocation or the lack of it, customers at least now have the option to ensure that it's not a lottery that it normally is for non status pax. It's still been a regular occurrence to have the last minute seat shuffle so a family can sit together for me, the last one when traveling in J a month ago when I was paged in the J lounge.

Seats are not preallocated automatically, and when the aircraft hits limits for the allocations by pax the lottery kicks in.

But were they on the same pnr or separate ones? I've never seen it happen personally.

The article is still badly written, it plays it out that families are only seated together if you pay the fee.

 

[ozmille]

I hate this sort of articles written by someone who does not get the process

 

[MarkD]

And it would also show up as a child in the booking. .

Maybe not, child is considered as up to 11, after that they are an adult fare




Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly app

 

[Rebekkap]

Maybe not, child is considered as up to 11, after that they are an adult fare

Either way, they're on the same PNR if you're booked together.

 

[awilcockson]

This is a beat up. People on the same PNR are always seated together unless they arrive late. Qantas cannot allow people under 13 years to travel alone (and a seat on your own is alone) unless they have been tagged as such in the system. And when you try to upgrade with points it states that this applies to everyone in the same booking.

I know it's not qantas, but on a recent flight on AA in the from Orlando to LAX, my wife, myself and my 6 and 7 year old children were all allocated seats I such a way that none of us were within less than 4 rows of each other. The gate agent was unable to help "you will have to ask people to swap with you on the plane".

And that's what we had to do ... Thank god there were a few kind people willing to swap ...

 

[Rebekkap]

I know it's not qantas, but on a recent flight on AA in the from Orlando to LAX, my wife, myself and my 6 and 7 year old children were all allocated seats I such a way that none of us were within less than 4 rows of each other. ...

And once when I flew Easyjet there was no allocated seating

I don't really see the relevance to whether or not Qantas seat people on the same PNR together automatically - which AFAIK they do.

 

[markis10]

But were they on the same pnr or separate ones? I've never seen it happen personally.

The article is still badly written, it plays it out that families are only seated together if you pay the fee.

3 times I have seen it and in all cases they were on the same booking (seen it 8 times in total but not aware of the booking status), the PNR status was raised vocally by the affected parties at the checkin desk.

Yes the article is a beat up but its also based on some truisms, we know from various posts here that an aircraft is never 100% available for seating allocation and will often close off allocation prior to departure date, so a late family booking could run the risk of being separated. As for children being seated on their own, again the system can do this in reality but it will be flagged, my last 767 to Darwin I had a toddler beside me in 23B, and I was moved by the QP to 23K so the family could sit together.

I am sure some of our members with front line check in experience can add to mine with their own.

 

[oz_mark]

I have seen a family that was scattered over the plane when they checked in. There was a bit of work done by at check-in to get them back together (and I had to wait at the next check-in desk while that was done - they stopped check-in on that flight while they shuffled people). So it certainly happens.

Anectdotally, there was a bad run of it when Altea was first introduced.

 

[Pushka]

I know it's not qantas, but on a recent flight on AA in the from Orlando to LAX, my wife, myself and my 6 and 7 year old children were all allocated seats I such a way that none of us were within less than 4 rows of each other. The gate agent was unable to help "you will have to ask people to swap with you on the plane".

And that's what we had to do ... Thank god there were a few kind people willing to swap ...

Yes, we had the same experience travelling in the USA where no seats are ever allocated prior to boarding. But we are talking about Qantas.

 

[jukebox333]

OP quote: "...In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find an airline that allows you to choose a seat in advance without clobbering you for cash in the process..."

Not so.

I flew CX PER-HKG-FRA and return in April in Y with SWMBO + 3 kids in tow, and was able to select seats the week of departure with no issue, and I have no status (NB).

 

[serfty]

Yes, we had the same experience travelling in the USA where no seats are ever allocated prior to boarding. ...

What airline was this; aside from WN (Who I have not flown), I believe seat pre-selection is generally available. On those USA carriers that I have flown, seat selection has always been available.

 

[medhead]

J is a different story because of the limited seats available in that cabin. I've also been asked to move when in J for a couple. Given there are 6x2 seat pairs on a 737 that is not a big surprise. In any case, is seat selection part of the J fare?

But I think you missed my point. The article states outright that if you get on last you have to find seats. WRONG!!!! Qantas gives you a seat when you check in. You do not find seats on a first come first served basis. So I stand by my statement that the article misunderstands the qantas process.