Qantas New Check In Seating Allocation

[comint]

Got allocated 24D for my HBA-MEL yesterday at T -8.

I wonder what happens if a higher ranked passenger, decides to change their seat allocation to take your theoretical seat (obviously before you check in)? So, when you come to check-in (& your original seat is gone, and their orginal ones been snaffled too), does the system just put you into the most forward/aisle available in that instance? Maybe you also lose your ranking, which means you can't nick a lower ranking passenger's more forward theoretical seat (I have assumed a lowish seq number at T-8).

An interesting side note, if flying out of HBA, the QP tends to be jam packed before QF flights, and only fills lightly before JQ flights. HBA QP only restocks its food offering AFTER each QF or JQ departure.
(Thus if flying QF, the trough has probably been fully scavenged by the time you get there.)

 

[JohnK]

JohnK said the other day that he thought theoretical seats were allocated once, only at the commencement of "the check-in". He would seem to be correct, as the system appears non-adaptive, and therefore (as others have suggested) constantly checking for a better seat (after original check-in) is a strategy worth pursuing, regardless of QFF status or flight value rank.

I do not the QF seat allocation sytem and I am only hypothesising based on actual situations I have encountered and programming and analysing computer systems for 20+ years. I would be very surprised if the system actually re-adjusted hypothetical seat allocations after each OLCI or airport check-in. So for argument sakes if 4CD became available at 4 in the morning it would appear to be fair game for anyone using OLCI at that time as I have seen people with no status sitting in these seats. And no I am not prying but if someone sticks a boarding pass in your face I am not going to look away. I am interesting in Status and seat # and seq #

One assumes this tactic will be a disaster for Qantas, as it will lead to creating unnecessary additional customer interactions, both online (relatively cheap) and at human assisted service desks (relatively expensive).

Personally I think QF has provided poor training and the users in charge of the system have a limited understanding of how to set the right parameters required for the system to function correctly.

<begin rant>

I find it hard to believe that I my customer priority was 10+ last week, 20+ in previous weeks and today I customer priority 2-5. No Platinums on todays flight? But 20+ Platinums on last weeks flight roughly at the same time.

Most of the excuses I have had are lame excuses and when I see people with lower status sitting in better seats in WHY my blood boils. It is one of the main reasons I maintain Platinum status. I may as well fly Virgin and continue to be sitted anywhere they feel like it.

Oh and by the way getting row on 4 on a flight from the back of woop woop to nowhere in particular means nothing as I was getting these seats as a Gold anyway. This new system offers nothing special other than to give more importance to passengers who have paid more for an airfare even if they have no status or only fly a few times a year. This is not the right to treat loyal customers commuting almost weekly.

</end rant>

 

[JohnK]

Weird for WP to get 24 anything!

It is actually quite good when the first seat in WHY is row 23. Even better when it is the mini cabin of 2 WHY rows on the 767.

I wonder what happens if a higher ranked passenger, decides to change their seat allocation to take your theoretical seat (obviously before you check in)? So, when you come to check-in (& your original seat is gone, and their orginal ones been snaffled too), does the system just put you into the most forward/aisle available in that instance? Maybe you also lose your ranking, which means you can't nick a lower ranking passenger's more forward theoretical seat (I have assumed a lowish seq number at T-8).

I have a funny feeling that a Platinum cannot trump another Platinums theoretical seat although I could be wrong.

But any trumping of seats during OLCI and after would mean that the system is able to adjust theoretical seats which I do not think that could happen.

Silly example is a high ranking Platinum takes my theoretical seat of 23F on a full flight but at a late stage the best seat available would be 47B. Do you move the lower ranking Platinum with original 23F ro 47B as they have not checked-in yet? Dop you adjust lower ranking passengrs with lower or no status if they have already checked-in?

Can of works comes to mind with this new system....

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Just curious what happens to theoretical seating when the following happens:

Say the ex-BA 767 with the mini Y (VH-ZX*) or 'gucci' cabin whereby there are 4 bassinets in the first few rows of economy ie in front of 23E, 26B, 26E & 26J.

Normally these first few rows are earmarked for premium pax so what happens when parents travelling with an infant ask for a bassinet? If they had a low value eg N class red-e-deal they would normally get seats down the back but in order for them to receive seats in front of the bsct a supervisor would need to do a system override to enable pax to be seated in say 26DE.

Assuming this is done what happens to the pax who theoretically were going to get these seats?

Mind you, as families travelling with infants often turn up at the very last minute (with about 8 pieces of luggage) chances are those seats would have gone anyway given check-in is just about to close.

 

[medhead]

[/font][/color]
So for argument sakes if 4CD became available at 4 in the morning it would appear to be fair game for anyone using OLCI at that time as I have seen people with no status sitting in these seats. And no I am not prying but if someone sticks a boarding pass in your face I am not going to look away. I am interesting in Status and seat # and seq #

My experience has been exactly this and that is why my strategy is to check in early and check in often.

I find it hard to believe that I my customer priority was 10+ last week, 20+ in previous weeks and today I customer priority 2-5. No Platinums on todays flight? But 20+ Platinums on last weeks flight roughly at the same time.

Not 20 WPs but 20 people of equal "value" for whatever reason, who can't get each others seat. This seems to match what you've described in the past.

Personally, I think there is a balance between good seats for WPs and good seats for the people who pay the high fares. Maybe given a high fare payer a good seat on their one off last minute flight might convince them to fly QF again next time, rather than DJ?

 

[JohnK]

Not 20 WPs but 20 people of equal "value" for whatever reason, who can't get each others seat. This seems to match what you've described in the past.

I am sure some people can find logic in this system but I cannot. In my opinion how can someone, or their company more likely, paying $200-$300 for a SYD-BNE flight twice a year be more important than a person paying $100 for a SYD-BNE flight 80 times a year? But this system can produce these anomalies. Qantas thinks this is good custmoer service....

Personally, I think there is a balance between good seats for WPs and good seats for the people who pay the high fares. Maybe given a high fare payer a good seat on their one off last minute flight might convince them to fly QF again next time, rather than DJ?

Just maybe. There are some people who think these people are more important than the Platinums who fly almost every weel but end up in 30D reguralrly....

 

[serfty]

Weird for WP to get 24 anything!

Was given 24B on 763 yesterday; could not OLCI as it was a domestic connection of an international booking.

 

[Tooner]

6, 7 and 8 (Dad got 8).

Of course if 1,2,3,4 or 5 suddenly decided they didn't want 5C, and changed, the sequence numbers wouldn't change:shock:

 

[JohnK]

Just when I thought I was starting to understand the new check-in seating allocation system something happens that totally confuses me.

I have been allocated 28D for tomorrow evening's flight BNE-SYD. There is no other aisle seat allocated further back which means I am the lowest value Platinum on the flight. No problem I can understand this and totally accept it having a lower value than most Platinums as I am on cheap airfares.

What is confusing is the number of aisle seats available in front of me and I cannot believe that many people have changed seats or flights within 1 hour of OLCI becoming available. What is happening? It appears to be an international configured 767 with no 23AC or 24AC and no 23F.

So far 23DK, 24DFK, 25CDFK, 26CDFJ, 27DF, 28D are all allocated.

So far 23EJ, 24EJ, 25AEJ, 26AEK, 27ACEJK and all available. So I make 6 aisle seats available in front of me. :shock:

I have done the right thing that should have happened in the first place and swapped from 28D to 23E. I don't think I will ever understand this system and anyone who thinks they understand the system are kidding themselves....

 

[medhead]

I have been allocated 28D for tomorrow evening's flight BNE-SYD. There is no other aisle seat allocated further back which means I am the lowest value Platinum on the flight.

JohnK you are worthwhile. Do you feel the love?

What I'm trying to say is that you are not neccessarily the lowest value platinum. They are probably many who are equally low platinums you just happended to get that seat.

 

[bambbbam2]

Got pre-allocated rows 70 and 74 for upcoming syd-sfo return flight.. hmmmmm

 

[Flashback]

Last night my mother was allocated 28J and me 32J.... I'm QP NB, she is NB. I OLCI'd first.

Odd...

 

[docjames]

Got 28F on Int config 767 SYD-BNE sunday night.

26D and 27F were empty, all the outboard paired seats were full in the forward cabin, didnt look further back. Other aisle seats full.

 

[JohnK]

Got 28F on Int config 767 SYD-BNE sunday night.

Which flight was that? It would appear that your Silver status is equivalent to my Platinum status. I got 27D on QF544 with a vacant 27E. It didn't matter as all I remember is waking up 10 minutes before landing....

 

[Timtammi]

This is an interesting one that i can't figure out how or why this would happen.

27/3/09 HKG - MEL QF30.
3 people travelling. 2 on one PNR one on another.
Preallocated 49ABC, shows confirmed on checkmytrip for both bookings.
On check-in at the Hong Kong Airport Express Train Station we are told we arent together and do we want to change. When asked we are told we are 49BC and one of us is 58H (I think). So I assume its the one on the separate PNR that has been moved (which is me). Wrong. Its one of the 2 on the joint PNR and its the one with the higher status (QG vs NB) that has been moved back to 58H. Furthermore, the QG in question has window seat in his preferences and this is an aisle seat!

Seems very strange to me.

Furthermore, when we get up to QP after arriving at the airport and look at checkmytrip again we still show as being 49ABC confirmed.

Yes, there was someone else in 49A. I dont know for sure but I'm assuming she was travelling all the way from London thru to Mel.


Cheers

 

[Flashback]

Which flight was that? It would appear that your Silver status is equivalent to my Platinum status. I got 27D on QF544 with a vacant 27E. It didn't matter as all I remember is waking up 10 minutes before landing....

A few too many beers before the flight, JohnK?

 

[docjames]

JohnK - QF552 (8pm)

It was a pretty empty flight, but i'm happy to swap status with you if you'd like!

 

[JohnK]

A few too many beers before the flight, JohnK?

I think it was the 4 double vodkas in <30 minutes after all the beers that did the trick. :shock:

 

[Flying Fox]

I've no idea what the circumstances were that led to it but when I OLCI'ed on the Friday for my MEL-BNE flight for the FT AGM last week, it had me in 14D on a 738, an exit row. AFAIK I did, and have done, nothing out of the ordinary to have this occur (I'm QP NB by the way, and my seating preference in my profile is IIRC aisle forward.)

Well this happened to me just last week. In all my flying with OLCI I have never been pre-allocated an exit row. Strange but happy to be lucky.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

This is an interesting one that i can't figure out how or why this would happen.

27/3/09 HKG - MEL QF30.
3 people travelling. 2 on one PNR one on another.
Preallocated 49ABC, shows confirmed on checkmytrip for both bookings.
On check-in at the Hong Kong Airport Express Train Station we are told we arent together and do we want to change. When asked we are told we are 49BC and one of us is 58H (I think). So I assume its the one on the separate PNR that has been moved (which is me). Wrong. Its one of the 2 on the joint PNR and its the one with the higher status (QG vs NB) that has been moved back to 58H. Furthermore, the QG in question has window seat in his preferences and this is an aisle seat!

Seems very strange to me.

Furthermore, when we get up to QP after arriving at the airport and look at checkmytrip again we still show as being 49ABC confirmed.

Yes, there was someone else in 49A. I dont know for sure but I'm assuming she was travelling all the way from London thru to Mel.

If you are on a 744 isn't 58H an exit row aisle? Who ended up sitting where?

The new checkin system is way too easy to change seats accidentally. That other pax allocated 49A ex LHR may have been moved there because it was vacant LHR-HKG then it's bumped the rightful owner of that seat HKG/MEL out of 49A and either randomly or deliberately into 58H.

Sounds like check my trip isn't in real time and maybe only shows original seats you were allocated at the time of booking.

If QF really need to get the nitty gritty of what checkin agent did what seat change, every action is flagged with the checkin agent's staff number. Even if you OLCI, when you bag drop your luggage it'll tell you who added the bags. Could be useful info at times.