Qantas New Check In Seating Allocation

[simongr]

On balance you may be right, Simongr!

I did think it a requirement, however, for cabin crew to ensure passengers had read the exit row safety briefing card?

Yes but I expect that a lot of people say yes without reading it and then get stuck into the Champers/Wine/Beer/Gin and will be basically a fat lump of lard in the event of an accident.

 

[oz_mark]

Yes but I expect that a lot of people say yes without reading it and then get stuck into the Champers/Wine/Beer/Gin and will be basically a fat lump of lard in the event of an accident.

Maybe they shouldn't server alcohol in the exit row. That would make those seats much less appealing

 

[JohnK]

I'm thinking there will be premium zones as there is for international flights. Still not as good for late booking top tier if that's what is to happen.

That is my concern. By allowing pre-allocation of seats the front of the cabin fills up with QF Silver, Gold plus Platinums then the late bookings, like myself, will not have much choice of seats and may even end up in a middle seat.

Of course we don't know what the parameters will be for the new system but I it is much better under the current system where Platinums get the better allocated seats when seats are automatically allocated by the computer 24 hours before the flight. After all this is one of the benefits of being a Platinum and it may be eroded with the proposed new system.

Seems like if QF follow that model then people wont really see much difference...

If there are only a few rows at the front of economy reserved for QF Platinum, Gold and Silver then potentially you could have high status passengers down the back of the aircraft. Not a wise move in my opinion that is likely to be of more benefit to lowly, or no, status travellers....

 

[dot]

I just did an OLCI for my MEL-SYD-MEL flights tomorrow and am not impressed with the new system - it consistently fails to give me what I would consider matches my profile... window forward.

MEL-SYD (738) allocated 17F while both window seats are available every row from 4 to 16 (except for pax in row 9 and the exit rows blocked out) . While I did get a Window, it is hardly forward!

SYD-MEL (767) allocated 44K while every window seat ahead of me from row 24 to row 40 (43 is an exit row and not available for selection and 41/42 don't exist) is available. Again, window but hardly forward.

Between now and my previous domestic only flights, where I had "Forward Window" in my profile (and was allocated forward aisle seats on both legs of that trip), I changed my profile to "Window Forward" and it seems to have not worked as I would have expected. With the old system, I got a forward window every time except if I changed flights at the last minute.

Admitedly, if I check in early enough, I can select the seats I actually want, but I dont always get the chance or remember to do that, so I am very dissapointed with the new allocation system. I would have thought as a WP (PG) for the past 3 years and 2 years of WP prior to that was well (not to mention also being LTG), that I would have been one of the more 'statused' pax on the flights - yet I am hardly getting the seats I want pre-allocated... Not Happy Jan!

 

[JohnK]

Disappointed yet again. I have been allocated 30F on this evenings SYD-BNE flight on a 767.

After making a comment to check in agent he looked up the status of passengers and counted 20 Platinums plus a Chairmans lounge on the flight. They must have all asked for forward aisle and not one of them in business class or window seats.

It would appear that QF want to disappoint more of their Platinums in favour of non frequent flyers. I have given up on getting a decent forward aisle seat on future domestic flights. I will be really angry if I can't pre-allocate exit row on long haul international flights. Still waiting for reply to my feedback from QF....

 

[Mal]

Made a domestic booking through a TA today, and my seating preference is listed on the Qantas site as:

"Seat Request: Front of aircraft"

That's new to me! Wonder if that's the pilot's seat, or Business, or even hanging off the nose!

 

[tscharke]

Made a domestic booking through a TA today, and my seating preference is listed on the Qantas site as:

"Seat Request: Front of aircraft"

That's new to me! Wonder if that's the pilot's seat, or Business, or even hanging off the nose!

perhaps stuffed into the radar cone!

 

[Keith009]

Seems like OLCI for international itineraries has started?
Cause I've just OLCIed for my MEL-SYD tomo which is meant to be connecting to AA7359 (QF3) to HNL, same PNR and tix. OLCIed for only the QF segment tho.

Anyway got 23B on QF442 MEL-SYD, a 763 service.

 

[docjames]

Sorry to drag out old thread but thought this was interesting:

Both flights on 737-800
Travel last saturday (FF Bronze when booked / seat allocated): 23EF

Travel tonight: Preallocated 9DE (now FF Silver).


New allocation system seems to work as intended!

 

[Hawkeye]

Somewhat weird pre-allocation just happened.

My wife and I are flying PER-ADL (734) followed by ADL-BNE (738), at the backend of an AONE4 with both of us on the same itinerary. Both WP's - she has Window, Forward in her profile; I have Aisle, Forward.

Ok, so PER-ADL: she gets 1D (Aisle), I get 2F (window)!?! Neither adjacent seat allocated (1A and 1C only other allocated seats), so I put myself into 1F. Slightly less weird, but ADL-BNE she gets 2C, I get 2D - adjacent seats across the aisle. I hopped across to 2A. Other than us, row 1 was completely allocated.

It seems somewhat unusual to split people on the same itinerary across different rows and sides of the plane. Certainly not happened before. Fortunately, light loads so easily fixed.

 

[garyjohn951]

Somewhat weird pre-allocation just happened.

My wife and I are flying PER-ADL (734) followed by ADL-BNE (738), at the backend of an AONE4 with both of us on the same itinerary. Both WP's - she has Window, Forward in her profile; I have Aisle, Forward.

Ok, so PER-ADL: she gets 1D (Aisle), I get 2F (window)!?! Neither adjacent seat allocated (1A and 1C only other allocated seats), so I put myself into 1F. Slightly less weird, but ADL-BNE she gets 2C, I get 2D - adjacent seats across the aisle. I hopped across to 2A. Other than us, row 1 was completely allocated.

It seems somewhat unusual to split people on the same itinerary across different rows and sides of the plane. Certainly not happened before. Fortunately, light loads so easily fixed.

This it seems is current procedure with QF over last 2 months, my wife and I have done 8 flights and all of them we have not been together. I've been told computer problem.

 

[oz_mark]

This it seems is current procedure with QF over last 2 months, my wife and I have done 8 flights and all of them we have not been together. I've been told computer problem.

Happens sometimes when people try to be overly clever with software and rules engines. Unexpected results that take a while to iron out.

 

[docjames]

Not in all cases it would appear - mrsdoc and I have been seated together all our flights. Now both silver, preference fwd aisle for me, fwd aisle for mrsdoc. Always got DE or BC.

 

[JohnK]

And my seat allocations are getting stranger. Last week BNE-SYD I managed to get to 4C via OLCI after being allocated row 7 and when I boarded the flight there was someone sitting in 4B but no one in 4A. On Sunday for SYD-BNE I had 7D and today I am allocated 6C.

I hate this new check in system. When I was Gold and early days of Platinum I was always getting row 4 on the 737s or at worst row 5. These days I have no idea where I will be sitting. Serves me right for being loyal to Qantas....

 

[docjames]

And my seat allocations are getting stranger. Last week BNE-SYD I managed to get to 4A via OLCI after being allocated row 7 and when I boarded the flight there was someone sitting in 4B but no one in 4A. On Sunday for SYD-BNE I had 7D and today I am allocated 6C.

I hate this new check in system. When I was Gold and early days of Platinum I was always getting row 4 on the 737s or at worst row 5. These days I have no idea where I will be sitting. Serves me right for being loyal to Qantas....

Wouldnt you have been in 4A?


And i must say there's precious little difference between 7D and 6C really.

I'd suggest (kindly) that if you're in any of rows 7, 6, 5, or 4, that's not much of a difference. We'd all love to have our favourite seat every flight, but that's not going to happen. Your allocations (tht you list above) dont seem that weird to me, but others may disagree. If you were suddenly getting row 15, that'd be weird.

 

[JohnK]

Oops! That should have been 4C.

Not a big deal but when you see people seated in front of you holding a boarding with no status then it becomes a little confusing. And I was allocated row 45F on a 767 last month....

 

[docjames]

And I was allocated row 45F on a 767 last month....

Ugh, why? Thats bad....

 

[garyjohn951]

I'd suggest (kindly) that if you're in any of rows 7, 6, 5, or 4, that's not much of a difference. We'd all love to have our favourite seat every flight, but that's not going to happen.

I agree I find any of those seats ok, it just that when the good lady gets 4C and I get 5A, and my pref is aisle and her's is window, that is what is so weird about this system

 

[JohnK]

Ugh, why? Thats bad....

I don't know. I guess it is the quirkiness of the new check in system....

 

[docjames]

I agree I find any of those seats ok, it just that when the good lady gets 4C and I get 5A, and my pref is aisle and her's is window, that is what is so weird about this system

Fair call.