OLCI - What's the point? Shocking seat selection

[JohnK]

JohnK, I am not ignoring your comments at all. In fact, based on your comments, does it mean for my flight, QF Bronze only has row 29 to select? I was never pre-allocated any seats. My first seat provided by QF (as you mentioned in comment) was 29A/B, and that's it. If that is the case, then obviously QF only opens up row 29 for QF NBs? What about the people who are NOT even QF NBs? Where should they sit then?

You were pre-allocated a seat. This is the seat you first see when you go into OLCI. This pre-allocation happens at ~T-24 hours and before OLCI opens up for the flight. In fact it may even happen at ~T-48 hours for all flights or flights with international connections. So for your flight rows 22-29 may have been Bronze seats already pre-allocated. Those with no status at all (actually is Bronze a status anyway?) may only get middle seats down the back somewhere. We do not know the exact breakdown for your flight or any flight for that matter.

Also take into consideration that you cannot trump someone's theoretical pre-allocated seat if they are the same status as you. So even if you use OLCI check-in first you can only improve on your pre-allocated seat if there are pre-allocated seats in you zone or if someone of the same status has vacated their seat. i.e 4C may have been vacant when you used OLCI but can only be taken by someone of higher status and you would just see it as occupied.

 

[markis10]

Let me put it another way, Bronze members have a very small pool of seats to choose on a Friday PM flight to most destinations, that pool gets bigger once blocks come off closer to departure.

 

[simongr]

Actually we have no preferences but there are two of us flying together and we do not want to sit separately. That was the problem because all other seats available are single seats and are all middle seats (so cannot even get 2 aisle seats in the same row if we wanted).

That is the point though - you wanted seats together and had no preferences for aisle/window - so people with a preference would have been allocated various window and aisle seats first squeezing the number of available rows with two seats free.

I do OLCI as it gives me a BP so I can breeze through the airport at 5:45AM. I then recheck for better seats during the day (I am WP so generally have a decent seat anyway).

You were really on a loser on this flight:

- Peak time for business travellers who mostly have some form of status
- Two pax
- Cheap tix (which we do believe has some impact on seat availability now)
- No status
- No preferences

Personally I would be thinking about whether QF is right for you in these circumstances and whether a different flight or different carrier is a better option.

 

[simongr]

Quick update. OLCI this morning for tomorrow's flight (QF405 SYD-MEL in whY and QF454 MEL-SYD in J).

Initially offered 10D SYD-MEL. For me as a WP that is pretty far down the aircraft - it means about 9 WP/CL of better value to QF ahead of me... I was able to move to 8D Though

 

[ozbeachbabe]

On peak hour flights between places like BNE/SYD/MEL/CBR/ADL it's not uncommon for 60-80 pax to all be QCBR and above thereby included in a theoretical seat map.

Most of these pax are solo travellers so would being occupying a window or aisle seat which would be 'reserved' on the theoretical seap map and thus not showing available to pax with a lower status eg FFBR on a cheap ticket.

Given that a 737-800 has 26 rows (row 4 to row 29) multiple that by 4 being the number or aisle or window seats per row ie seat A,C,D,F which is 102 seats. There are 52 middle seats eg 26 rows with B & E seats which is why there is bugger all seats left together for 2 pax travelling together with no status regardless of when they checkin eg sequence numbers 11 & 12.

 

[Warks]

Quick update. OLCI this morning for tomorrow's flight (QF405 SYD-MEL in whY and QF454 MEL-SYD in J).

Initially offered 10D SYD-MEL. For me as a WP that is pretty far down the aircraft - it means about 9 WP/CL of better value to QF ahead of me... I was able to move to 8D Though

Funnily enough I'm on SYD-MEL tomorrow morning (Thurs) and got offered 10D as well. Which is okay for a PS. The difference is I'm on a flight after 830am. There were window seats available further up but I never take those on a 737.

 

[simongr]

Just snagged 6C now with no-one in 6B at the moment...

It also looks like J is completely open as the only seats I can't snag are row 1 - everything else is empty...

 

[kamchatsky]

That is the point though - you wanted seats together and had no preferences for aisle/window - so people with a preference would have been allocated various window and aisle seats first squeezing the number of available rows with two seats free.

I do OLCI as it gives me a BP so I can breeze through the airport at 5:45AM. I then recheck for better seats during the day (I am WP so generally have a decent seat anyway).

You were really on a loser on this flight:

- Peak time for business travellers who mostly have some form of status
- Two pax
- Cheap tix (which we do believe has some impact on seat availability now)
- No status
- No preferences

Personally I would be thinking about whether QF is right for you in these circumstances and whether a different flight or different carrier is a better option.

I wouldn't say QF is not the carrier for me. I never have any real issues with QF Domestic. In fact, I did enjoy most of my flights in QF Domestic, even though their dinner could taste better . If their ticket price is not too much more expensive than DJ and TT, I would rather fly QF. I try not to fly TT unless the cost difference is too great. My flight from ADL-SYD was great and have no complaints!

But it is more of principle of OLCI. I believe that OLCI should allow pax overriding QF assigned seats for people with the same status or below (that have not already OLCIed). This encourages even more people to OLCI and free up more QuickCheck terminals. It is really my opinion, that's all. Also I do hope that QF don't treat QF NB the same as non-QF/OW NB (ie not even a member), as that would be a travesty in my view.

Maybe we are just unlucky that this time we were assigned to seat 29A/B. During the flight there are tons of people lining up for toilet but didn't really affected us given we were not sitting at aisle. Yes we were the last to get out of the plane but it didn't affect us much as we hired a car instead of waiting at the back of taxi queue (which in ADL it wasn't long at all).

 

[Must...Fly!]

I thought I would add to this with seat selection for my flight to Wellington from Melbourne on Saturday morning.

There are still 7 award seats available and 9 or more across the board on seatcounter for economy (9 seats on qantas.com still gives me red e-deals at the one price)

There were plenty of seats I could choose up until this afternoon when I logged on, and the whole plane is "occupied" apart from 2 aisle seats behind me!

QFF NB on an award ticket...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

MF

Do you mean that had you done the checkin process earlier when you saw those other seats it would've allowed you to select a better one ?

Mind you I've seen a FFBR on an "X" class ff redemption get 23J first row of Y on a QF 767 when doing OLCI. There must be this witching hour eg minus 25 where there's a small window of opportunity to snag something better.

I also wonder if the system tries to sometimes "trim" the aircraft by occasionally allocating fflyers aft seating to balance out everyone on the plane. Have seen this on a Qanas Link flight B717 but when you have a look at the seat map immediately after there is much more of a selection further forward so you just move yourself.

 

[drewbles]

I thought I would add to this with seat selection for my flight to Wellington from Melbourne on Saturday morning.

There are still 7 award seats available and 9 or more across the board on seatcounter for economy (9 seats on qantas.com still gives me red e-deals at the one price)

There were plenty of seats I could choose up until this afternoon when I logged on, and the whole plane is "occupied" apart from 2 aisle seats behind me!

QFF NB on an award ticket...

If you're on QF38 on this Saturday, here's the current seating map:

Note that X is blocked. That's visibility of seating for a WP. Remove it and make it NB:

Big difference in availability for NB to WP there.

FWIW, there's no award seats available on that flight in either Economy of Business. All I see is:

J2 C2 D0 I0 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 VC SC NC QC OC XC E0

. It's likely to be a pretty full flight.

 

[Must...Fly!]

snip!

You're looking at QF38, that's the return WLG-MEL!

I'm on QF37 MEL-WLG on Saturday 20/2!

I'm on QF38 on Monday 22/2 coming back, I managed to snag a single digit window seat as NB...how I managed that I'll never know!

 

[simongr]

EDIT- Mis-read original post.

 

[JohnK]

We will have to agree to disagree. I dont think that I should have to use OLCI at T-23:59 to get the seat I am currently allocated over a QF NB.

To be fair to edison he did mention that he would prefer it if it was possible to trump a theoretical seat for same status or below if they have not already used OLCI. So a Bronze could not trump a theoretical seat of a Platinum.

But in reality you can only trump theoretical seats of someone with a lower status who has not aleady used OLCI.

 

[drewbles]

You're looking at QF38, that's the return WLG-MEL!

I'm on QF37 MEL-WLG on Saturday 20/2!

I'm on QF38 on Monday 22/2 coming back, I managed to snag a single digit window seat as NB...how I managed that I'll never know!

Grrr mis-read my bad sorry I saw 'WLG' and 'MEL' and didn't read 'To WLG from MEL'

move along and ignore me

 

[serfty]

Grrr mis-read my bad sorry I saw 'WLG' and 'MEL' and didn't read 'To WLG from MEL'

move along and ignore me

Nice images though - gives the idea.

 

[kamchatsky]

To be fair to edison he did mention that he would prefer it if it was possible to trump a theoretical seat for same status or below if they have not already used OLCI. So a Bronze could not trump a theoretical seat of a Platinum.

But in reality you can only trump theoretical seats of someone with a lower status who has not aleady used OLCI.

Then the real question is whether QF/OW NB is higher status than no membership at all, given that I was on the last row.

Of course I was never sure of other pax in that flight but I highly doubt that everyone on that flight is at least a QF NB.

And no, I do not expect to be able to override seats that are allocated to higher status. That's what status is for, and there is a cost to attain higher status.

 

[markis10]

Then the real question is whether QF/OW NB is higher status than no membership at all, given that I was on the last row.

Of course I was never sure of other pax in that flight but I highly doubt that everyone on that flight is at least a QF NB.

And no, I do not expect to be able to override seats that are allocated to higher status. That's what status is for, and there is a cost to attain higher status.

Preferred Seating is not a benefit of the Qantas Frequent Flier Program at the base level, all you are entitled to is the right to earn points, otherwise there is no advantage over non members/tour groups etc

 

[JohnK]

Then the real question is whether QF/OW NB is higher status than no membership at all, given that I was on the last row.

You may find that they are both the same when it comes to seating preferences. The benefit a Bronze has over a non-member would be a higher value to Qantas and possibly first shot at the rest of the seats available.

Of course I was never sure of other pax in that flight but I highly doubt that everyone on that flight is at least a QF NB.

Do keep in mind that there are 48 middle seats (excluding exit rows) on the 737-800. You never know how many couples are on a flight but that leaves a lot of middle seats available for non-status and non-members.

 

[medhead]

You may find that they are both the same when it comes to seating preferences. The benefit a Bronze has over a non-member would be a higher value to Qantas and possibly first shot at the rest of the seats available.


Do keep in mind that there are 48 middle seats (excluding exit rows) on the 737-800. You never know how many couples are on a flight but that leaves a lot of middle seats available for non-status and non-members.

But as noted preferred seating is not a benefit of bronze. It seems pretyy obvious to me that it was an aircraft full of people with the same or better status and 2 people travelling, leaving a limited choice in row 29. Also note that the OP has said there were other single seats available further forward. So individually they could have had a better seat, but choose to sit together.