Qantas New Check In Seating Allocation

[JohnK]

Well, that totally blows my theories out of the water.

Not quite as my observations should only be considered as theories as well. For all I know they could have got there via OLCI, got there via Quickcheck after someone else cancelled out of the seat or simply got there by being on a higher airfare.

Wish I knew what was going on and as far as I am aware Qantas staff are maintaining the line that a Platinum should still have preference over a higher airfare. Maybe we will never know as we are drawing nearer to being to select your own seat at booking time. Another can of worms waiting to be opened....

 

[Moody]

I don't know if your research constitutes stalking but it may indicate some sort of therapy is required. I only get cheesed off when I get a truly coughpy seat like row 11 on a Virgin 737, or the Qantas system splits my family into different rows, or suffering the BA system that can never connect passengers on different booking references no matter how many times you ring them up beforehand.

My pet hate at the moment is self-checkin kiosks at airports. They do a reasonable job for individuals but are often useless when travelling as a group and seem to guarantee that the lowest common denominator wins out. Everytime I get to a real person the result is better so whats the incentive?

 

[Groundfeeder]

Everytime I get to a real person the result is better so whats the incentive?

My last 6 or so flights mainly BNE-CNS/TSV-BNE have generally provided OLCI of exit row window. When I've dipped out and got rows 5 - 8 on B738 with seq. <5, I've asked at the QP Bag Drop if exit row window was available and been granted my wish, maybe because of my height.

I've been in exit rows with people beside me that don't fit my perception of business FF's, so they're getting those choice seats allocated somehow.

My guess with groups/family travelling is that forward portion of aircraft is usually the most popular and therefore allocated to most high status fliers, where the rear is usually vacant for such numbers to be able to sit across the cabin together.

 

[comint]

My guess with groups/family travelling is that forward portion of aircraft is usually the most popular and therefore allocated to most high status fliers, where the rear is usually vacant for such numbers to be able to sit across the cabin together.

Recently I was on a full Cityflyer flight, where the FAs were educating complaining families/groups that unfortunately they would be unable to sit together - as Qantas now places a priority on allocating seats to its most frequent fliers. (There were no more peeps out of them, like "we won't fly Qantas again", as they realised that Qantas had already decided how much commercial value their custom was worth! Just quiet resignation as they moved off to their various 737 middle seats.)

 

[ejb]

I am trying hard to analyse the new check-in system and without any specifications I think I may have an explanation.

On todays flight there are only 7 aisle seats allocated at the front of economy. There is 4CD, 5CD, 6CD and 7D, the one I was originally allocated. The rest of the aisle seats, apart from 18D and 29D which I think are OLCI or rear aisle preference, are all vacant.

So it would appear that on my flight there are only 7 passengers with any status and have a forward aisle preference and they have been allocated the first 7 aisle seats in economy. As a Platinum I have the last of these aisle seat allocations which makes me think that there could not be another 6 Platinums in front of me and then no-one else with any status behind me, either Gold, Silver, QC or Bronze. So what is happening? I think seat allocations are done on cost of airfare first and then any status.

Not a big deal but it would explain some of the strange seat allocations recently and I do travel on the cheapest red e-deals. Any thoughts on my analysis?

I have noticed this as well. When I pay for SYD-PER J on the A333 I get 1A or 1F when I use points I get 5A or 5F.

ejb

 

[JohnK]

I don't know if your research constitutes stalking but it may indicate some sort of therapy is required.

Stalking? Therapy? Why? As an analyst programmer who has seen many systems designed and implemented very poorly I am interested to find out what criteria Qantas has used in this implementation and the reasoning behind the use of this criteria....

 

[meljfk]

Sorry if this has been discussed previously! (I skimmed through and couldn't find it!)

But...

how would/do codeshare fares factor in to this?

If I book an AA flight MEL-SYD-LAX-ORD-DTW (In 'H Class') with the return JFK-LAX-MEL (In 'V Class') would the system view this as 'better' than

MEL-SYD-LAX in 'H Class' on QF and JFK-LAX-MEL in 'S Class' on QF?

Being a SG -- would this actually end up making much of a difference, just out of curiosity?

(And on a side note -- does H class on AA = disc. Y status credits?)

 

[serfty]

... (And on a side note -- does H class on AA = disc. Y status credits?)

Any flight that:

• is in economy,
• is not Qantas Oz Domestic,
• earns points/SC's and
• is not booked in Y class

is classed as "Discount Economy" with QFF.

 

[medhead]

Recently I was on a full Cityflyer flight, where the FAs were educating complaining families/groups that unfortunately they would be unable to sit together - as Qantas now places a priority on allocating seats to its most frequent fliers. (There were no more peeps out of them, like "we won't fly Qantas again", as they realised that Qantas had already decided how much commercial value their custom was worth! Just quiet resignation as they moved off to their various 737 middle seats.)

I'm having trouble accepting that QF would let their staff make such a public statement. The implication is that QF are no long prepared to offer the ability to sit with your family and friends if you buy a cheap ticket. A reduction in expected standard without any prior notice at the time of purchase. My reaction is that perhaps QF shouldn't offer cheap tickets if they don't like providing the same basic service for cheap tickets.

As for deciding the commercial value of the customers only warrants middle seats. I guess they've decided they don't need to fill the middle seats anymore and I'll look forward to them moving to a 2, 2 config.

Or perhaps they do actually put middle seats in because that is how the flight becomes commercially viable. :shock:

Anyway, I look forward to my next family trip. I'm going to enjoying it. But probably not as much as the CLs/WPs who will be sitting on either side of my 4 year old.

 

[comint]

medhead, don't panic too soon. First up, my example was an extreme one - a FULL CITYFLYER flight, which I should have mentioned was one of those early morning peak ones, ones that always remind me of the "Virgin Blue; Don’t Follow Suit" ads, that use to be around a while back.

I am guessing that it was packed full of Qantas loyalists (from Club members to Chairman's Loungers), all of them/us with pre-flight preferences of aisle or window. So, once a 737 has more than 2/3s of its passengers noted as preferred regular travellers, it starts to run out of seats other than middle seats. (High proportion of individual travellers.)

Also, I said families/groups, trying to imply that I thought they maybe families, but there could have been some other relationship causing them to travel together. The term "family" covers a large range of group travel options, which in my example lead to me having the (I assume again) teenage daughter sit next to me. There were no scenes of screaming 4 year olds being torn away from panicked parents! (Presumably, this is why Qantas.com allows you to indentify when you are travelling with children, even if it doesn’t give them a discount!)

IT is no secret this new system ranks people. It makes good business sense in my opinion. Now the exact opposite is true at Jetstar (Light fare), which is very family friendly. For example; when I rocked up at the Qantas Club (in Adelaide actually) the other day, the response was - I can’t sit where I wanted because families had to be accommodated to sit together!

 

[medhead]

I'm certainly not in a panic about the possibility of seating separately from the kids. neither of mine are screamers (now they are > 18 months old) more like a bag of live angry snakes or alley cats. Small but annoyingly restless at times. So seating away from them could be quite good, for me.

Anyway, sounds like there was good reason for your example. I just think the explanation given was not the best coporate image

 

[Moody]

Stalking? Therapy? Why? As an analyst programmer who has seen many systems designed and implemented very poorly I am interested to find out what criteria Qantas has used in this implementation and the reasoning behind the use of this criteria....

It was more the unhealthy interest in your fellow passengers status. But I think any system that can let passengers play with selection to the point of there being no seats together for families is severely flawed. I think the old system worked pretty well so I wonder what made Qantas start all over again. Must have been a good salesman!

 

[openseat]

Now the exact opposite is true at Jetstar (Light fare), which is very family friendly. For example; when I rocked up at the Qantas Club (in Adelaide actually) the other day, the response was - I can’t sit where I wanted because families had to be accommodated to sit together!

I was wondering what had happened to my Jetstar pre-selected seating out of ADL last week. I found that I was moved from 3D back to 23D when I checked in online.
So be warned of JQ seat shifting.

 

[possumoz]

So be warned of JQ seat shifting.

Oh dear..seat shifters..sounds very dangerous to me. I'm sticking to good 'ol Qantas, at least they only have dragons to tame.
Bit OT I know but I'm in a procrastinating kinda mood, anything but another written report!:-|

 

[Groundfeeder]

I can’t sit where I wanted because families had to be accommodated to sit together!

Problem solvered!! If there's more than 1.1 of you - fly Deathstar.
Oh, and the bag of snakes/cats will probably score 1A!!

 

[JohnK]

Checked in last night at -24 hours for todays flight and there was only 7 aisle seats allocated and I was in 7D.

I moved myself to 4F but I think I made a mistake. The aircraft is a 734 and if I remember correctly row 4 does not have extra leg room like the 738. Can someone please confirm? OLCI is showing 6D vacant so could try to grab this before someone else takes it.

 

[serfty]

With the variable configuration Qantas 734, Rows 1-5 are "converta seats", so all have "J" leg room.

Aside from that 73H/734 are often subbed for each other, so row 4 is the place to be (especially if this is the front row of WHY on the 734).

 

[NM]

Aside from that 73H/734 are often subbed for each other, so row 4 is the place to be (especially if this is the front row of WHY on the 734).

Or better still if the J cabin extends 4 or more rows

 

[dot]

Again, I am unimpressed by the new seating allocation system - I have just booked a Y SYD-BKK (QF1) for next Wednesday and the allocation system has given me 70A! I have no idea how that comes anywhere near close to my preference of Window, Forward. I find it difficult to believe that as a WP PG and LTG, there would be too many PAX with higher status in Y that would push me back to the third last row. Sure, I can ring the QFF premium line and request a seat further forward, but the allocation is hardly representative of my preference.

By contrast, on the return flight later next week - flying on BA, I got allocated 30A (second row of Y) - it would appear BA have their seating allocation working correctly.

It will be interesting to see where I get allocated in the MEL-SYD and SYD-MEL legs and see how wrong QF get it again.

I am not a fan of this new system - the old system worked a charm as far as I could see.

 

[straitman]

Again, I am unimpressed by the new seating allocation system - I have just booked a Y SYD-BKK (QF1) for next Wednesday and the allocation system has given me 70A! I have no idea how that comes anywhere near close to my preference of Window, Forward. I find it difficult to believe that as a WP PG and LTG, there would be too many PAX with higher status in Y that would push me back to the third last row. Sure, I can ring the QFF premium line and request a seat further forward, but the allocation is hardly representative of my preference.

By contrast, on the return flight later next week - flying on BA, I got allocated 30A (second row of Y) - it would appear BA have theri seating allocation working correctly.

It will be interesting to see where I get allocated in the MEL-SYD and SYD-MEL legs and see how wrong QF get it again.

I am not a fan of this new system - the old system worked a charm as far as I could see.

dot,

I would ring and get the seating allocation sorted and at the same time ask the hard questions. I'd also send feedback via the links on Qantas.com

Some real explanation is warranted.