Seat allocation on Domestic Qantas flights

[obsgyn]

Can anyone tell me how seats on domestic flights are allocated. I am a PlatiumFF with a request on forward widow and am always allocated in row 5 on the737 planes. I ahve never been given row 4. What irritates me more is that the people allocated row 4 are not even FF members or people holding bronze,silver or gold FF. Is there anyway of getting into row 4. When I complained, I getthe cook a bull story of computyer allocations. I was bumped way back to row 12on 737-800 recently and most of thepeople ahead of me had a lower FF status or were not even FF. Is this the way Qantas rewards its loyal customer.

Obsgyn
FF Platinum

 

[NM]

Domestic seat allocations are done by the computer system on the wee hours of the day of the flight based on the seating preferences prioritised by FF status.

However, it is possible non-status people get some good seats due to several factors:

1. They checked in for the flight very early and before the auto-allocations were done by the computer. This can happen for connections from long-haul international flights where the checkin may have been done at somewhere like JFK, LHR or some stranger place like KBP.
2. A high status person, maybe even a Chairman's Lounge member, had that seat allocated by the computer, but for any number of reasons did not fly in that seat. That may have received a complementary upgrade, an operational upgrade, on-departure upgrade using points, or changed flights after the allocations were done.

 

[Yada Yada]

I was bumped way back to row 12on 737-800 recently and most of thepeople ahead of me had a lower FF status or were not even FF. Is this the way Qantas rewards its loyal customer.

How did you find out that most of the people in the rows in front of you were lower or non-status?

 

[Platy]

I went through a phase when I nearly always was given an inappropriate seat (ie preference for forward aisle ignored) despite being Platinum.

At check in I was told the customer service person couldn't even see my preference.

The entries in my propfile were correct and up to date.

To this day I believe that there was a systematic problem - I think for a while perhaps when you booked a red e deal online it didn't cross populate the booking database with the FF database.

Or perhaps there was some problem with my data in their system (not my fault!).

It took repeated complaints to senior staff to sort the issue out and I never did find out what the problem was.

I too have ended up at row 5 on 737-800s and been amazed to see casual passengers in row 4.

QF has a LONG LONG way still to go to look after its most loyal customers.

I think there is far more to this whole issue than the helpful observations from NM.

 

[bigjobs]

Yada Yada
Posting Freak


Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 145
Location: SYD
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:40 am Post subject: Re: Seat allocation on Domestic Qantas flights

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How did you find out that most of the people in the rows in front of you were lower or non-status?

I am curious about that one too.

 

[Platy]

Sometimes you can't help but notice their boarding passes (eg they put them in the magazine pouch in the back of the seat in front)...sometimes CSMs leave the passenger manifest in full view...sometimes I just simply ask the CSM and politely explain my concern (especially if I think there are subload staff sitting in J class when I can't get a paid seat or upgrade)...most CSMs are appalled at the way FF are let down by management policy, management's refusal to listen to their feedback and all but ready to have a "discreet" chat with you (usually best after they have finished the in flight service)

 

[Dave Noble]

Have you just tried *asking* for row 4 when you check in? Could be exactly what these people did.

Dave

 

[serfty]

Often row 4 on a 73H is not preallocated. I believe this is to give some space between the J PAX and the "unwashed masses". This normally occurs on light loads.

It is often available through Quick Check.