Seat Selection - not very good for this WP

[Danger]

I never use (QF) online check-in and I don't like what I feel it's done to my seating allocation.

I don't want to wait up until midnight to chose my seat on a midnight flight from Perth to the east, nor do I want to wait by the computer for exactly T-24 hours. This is not a case of 'DYKWIA?' but I want my status to work for me.

In the past three weeks I've been on a 737 twice and twice I've ended up in the back half of the aircraft. Most recently I checked into for a MEL-SYD flight at the fancy quick check machine and was given 15D! When I enquired at the lounge why I was so far back I was told 'Hmmm, I can't tell you. I can move you forward, however'. Well why the heck didn't it automatically give me further forward?

And increasingly, on the A333s, I'm finding myself encroaching on row 30 (Y begins at 23). On that aircraft there are four seats per row that I could be allocated. Assuming, for argument's sake, that half of those other seven-odd rows are already allocated to WPs or CLs, that still would put me further forward.

I don't like it, I tell you. I just don't like it!

 

[Moody]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

That seems strange to me. In the early days of Seat Selection and Online Check-in, I found it paid to check early and check often - even when in the lounge before the flight.

But now the seat I am auto-allocated seems to be as good as I'll get, so I have got into the habit of doing seat selection as soon as I book, then online check-in sometime after T-24, then just turn up at the lounge when it suits. So I rarely get a great seat but always have a good one (Forward/Aisle). Sure I'll check both times that there's not a better seat available, but either Qantas are getting it right the first time or if gaps do appear they are being snaffled quick smart.

Sort of like Classic Award availability then. Hmmmmm......

 

[serfty]

Do you re-check preallocation at T-80?

e.g. For a Midnight flight on a Friday, recheck preallocation at 4pm (or shortly after) on the Tuesday before the flight.

 

[Danger]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

No, I don't. By re-check allocation are you suggesting logging into my FF account and viewing what seat I've been allocated? If so, on the occassions I have looked at the booking within the 80 hour window, I've never been able to see an allocation. All I've been able to do (unless I'm looking in the wrong spot) is the option to chose my seat and when I select that option I get the seating map but nowhere does it show a seat I've been put in.

And for what it's worth, my allocation on the 737 MEL-SYD that I referred to above was 15D with the lounge agent moving me much further forward to 6D.

 

[medhead]

Does anyone use OLCI?

Well you should be doing seat selection. When you do the kiosk check in do you just accept the seat or do you use the change seat option?

Basically the new paradigm is that the customer picks their seats using either seat selection or when checking in. Seat selection does not show you your seat allocation it shows you the seats that are available to you.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

No, I don't. By re-check allocation are you suggesting logging into my FF account and viewing what seat I've been allocated? If so, on the occassions I have looked at the booking within the 80 hour window, I've never been able to see an allocation. All I've been able to do (unless I'm looking in the wrong spot) is the option to chose my seat and when I select that option I get the seating map but nowhere does it show a seat I've been put in.

Unless you have already chosen a seat you won't have an allocation (although once checkin has started you will have a theoretical seat). When you get to the seat map, you can select from one of the available seats by clicking on it, and then next.

 

[simongr]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

But now the seat I am auto-allocated seems to be as good as I'll get, so I have got into the habit of doing seat selection as soon as I book, then online check-in sometime after T-24, then just turn up at the lounge when it suits.

Well you should be doing seat selection. When you do the kiosk check in do you just accept the seat or do you use the change seat option?

+1

I always now do seat preallocation after booking and generally I am in 25B/J or 6C/D (depending on aircraft). I am not LTWP or CL just a standard WP PG.

I then have another punt at t-80ish but rarely get an improvement and then tend to do OLCI at around T-15 and then stroll up to the lounge and use the Q card for boarding.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

You can select your own seat at the time of booking; then check again at T-80 to see if better seats have opened up.

 

[serfty]

I never use (QF) online check-in and I don't like what I feel it's done to my seating allocation. ...

It all true - seats are not automatically selected when a domestic booking is made.

However, a WP can then go into qantas.com/yourbooking and select from available seating.

Sometime shortly after 80 hours before the flight's scheduled departure time a wider range of sets generally becomes available. A WP can recall the booking and see if the are better seating options available.

SG&PS can do this as well, however, the seating are more limited until T-80.

So, if you want 'better' seating, the current reality is you need to:

1. Select a seat after booking,
2. Reselect at T-80 hours
3. OLCI (This is optional, a WP will generally retain their seat as selected in 1 or 2).

 

[TonyHancock]

Re: Does anyone use OLCI?

I always now do seat preallocation after booking and generally I am in 25B/J or 6C/D (depending on aircraft).

Same for me.

 

[Aus ATC]

The early selection (after booking) for domestic will generally see the first 2 rows blocked - but worry not.

Reselection, or even an initial selection, at T-80 ish for a WP will generally get you a decent seat. I feel hard done by now if I don't get row 4 on a B738 - most trips are BNE-MEL.

But you have to do the leg work to get the leg room..

 

[russ]

... Or you could fly Jetstar, where you can pay $20 or so and select an upfront or exit row seat at time of booking!

 

[Ewing]

Expertflyer and seat alerts. Enough said

I am almost invariably in the front row of the cabin when in J or Y on domestic. The only recent time where this hasn't happened was a SYD-BNE flight where I preselected 23B - the kiosk showed me in 23B but ended up spitting out a BP for 24B for some reason..

Another thing to bear in mind at least on flights to and from CBR is that while a lot of seats open up at T-80, they often become blocked again closer to departure. This might be just a CBR thing when they calculate how many CLs are expected on the flight

 

[Aus ATC]

... Or you could fly Jetstar, where you can pay $20 or so and select an upfront or exit row seat at time of booking!

But that would involve flying Jetstar......

 

[Danger]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I'm just catching up with them as the posts were removed from another thread that I'd originally posted in. Thanks, serfty (I assume) for this.

Well you should be doing seat selection.

I respectfully disagree. Maybe I'm just behind the times but I was never a fan of the 'chose your own seat' system coming in (and if I remember correctly there were some others on AFF who felt the same way) for exactly this reason. Before the change (circ 2.5 years ago) as a WP I got what I consider decent seats 95% of the time.

When you do the kiosk check in do you just accept the seat or do you use the change seat option?

With the new fan-dangled quick check machines you don't get a seat map (unlike previously where you could 'reselect your seat' or whatever it was).

Basically the new paradigm is that the customer picks their seats using either seat selection or when checking in. Seat selection does not show you your seat allocation it shows you the seats that are available to you.

Yep, that's what I get when I check: the seatmap, not an allocation. However, I thought the new system was supposed to reserve or hold seats for CL and WP (maybe SG) in consideration of last minute bookings or changes. Although all my bookings so far have been made greater than 24 hours before departure, my experience in getting the second half of a 737 twice in the past two or so weeks seems to suggest WPs aren't getting the better choice of seats.

Unless you have already chosen a seat you won't have an allocation (although once checkin has started you will have a theoretical seat). When you get to the seat map, you can select from one of the available seats by clicking on it, and then next.

That part I understand, I think! I guess my argument is that the theoretical seat should be better than 15D or 16C on a 737 (nine times in 10, anyway). Since this new system came in my thinking, perhaps incorrectly, has been that the theoretical seat should be decent enough for me not to have to worry about going and chosing my own. Surely this is a benefit of the upper tiers. What's next? A WP retrieves their own bags from the aircraft to ensure they are "among the first delivered"?

I always now do seat preallocation after booking and generally I am in 25B/J or 6C/D (depending on aircraft). I am not LTWP or CL just a standard WP PG.

When you say "generaly I am in . . ." are you saying that you can see your theoretical seat as being 25B/J or that you can select such a seat? And, as a guide, when are you making the bookings? Several weeks out, several days or just a few hours?

I then have another punt at t-80ish but rarely get an improvement and then tend to do OLCI at around T-15 and then stroll up to the lounge and use the Q card for boarding.

The T-80 part I haven't fully understood until ready these replies. Nonetheless, my argument still stands. If I have to do the leg work to get a good seat as a WP, will the next 'enhancement' be NPPP cooking classes for WPs, to ensure they get the top notch NP food?

It all true - seats are not automatically selected when a domestic booking is made.

I was under the impression that oz_mark's interpretation of the theoretical seat meant something. Perhaps what's happening is if you don't actually confirm your seating, either at time of booking or T-80, your theoretical seat goes back into the mix. [/quote]

1. Select a seat after booking,
2. Reselect at T-80 hours
3. OLCI (This is optional, a WP will generally retain their seat as selected in 1 or 2).

Maybe this is just what I have to succumb to doing.

Or perhaps I'm just arogant and want WP to mean something! (And I'm not suggesting others don't, just that maybe my view is not the way it should be.)

One final point: in addition to two 737 flights, two others in the past 12 or so days have been on Dash 8s. On this aircraft you can't pre-select. My auto-allocation has been 2C and 3C. Now why I can't I get that sort of auto-allocation on the jets?

 

[oz_mark]

I was under the impression that oz_mark's interpretation of the theoretical seat meant something. Perhaps what's happening is if you don't actually confirm your seating, either at time of booking or T-80, your theoretical seat goes back into the mix.

I think this is the issue - until such a time as you reserve a seat, your theoretical seat is still available to others (based on their rankings). So your theoretical seat can change around. If other WP's are taking your seat(s) then there is a chance you will find yourself slipping back through the cabin.

 

[medhead]

I respectfully disagree. Maybe I'm just behind the times but I was never a fan of the 'chose your own seat' system coming in (and if I remember correctly there were some others on AFF who felt the same way) for exactly this reason. Before the change (circ 2.5 years ago) as a WP I got what I consider decent seats 95% of the time.

With the new fan-dangled quick check machines you don't get a seat map (unlike previously where you could 'reselect your seat' or whatever it was).

Yep, that's what I get when I check: the seatmap, not an allocation. However, I thought the new system was supposed to reserve or hold seats for CL and WP (maybe SG) in consideration of last minute bookings or changes. Although all my bookings so far have been made greater than 24 hours before departure, my experience in getting the second half of a 737 twice in the past two or so weeks seems to suggest WPs aren't getting the better choice of seats.

I was just stating the situation so I'm not sure there is much to disagree with. Like it or not the new system has been introduced. If you wish to get good seats then you need to work with the system. I can appreciate the problems with the system for a WP that you have outlined. But not using the system because it is not how it should be does not help you.

It is possible to select seats with the new kiosks. You need to pick the change seat option upfront.

So when you see the seat map you need to pick a seat if you want a good seat. As mentioned it never shows me an allocation, unless I have done seat selection beforehand. The system does reserve seats depending in status but only for seat selection and 80 hours before the flight those reserves disappear to an extent.

WPs do get better seats if they use the system. Of my 14 QF flights this year I've had row 4 ten times, row 5 and 6 twice each on 737s

 

[simongr]

When you say "generaly I am in . . ." are you saying that you can see your theoretical seat as being 25B/J or that you can select such a seat? And, as a guide, when are you making the bookings? Several weeks out, several days or just a few hours?

I would tend to be making my booking 4-8 weeks out - my diary is fairly fixed months in advance due to Board meetings (the Board tells me where I need to be ), overseas trips, interstate trips etc...

In terms of the theoretical seats I for example see a fairly decent seat allocated - say 26B and can then move forward (probably to your theoretical seat that you havent locked in at that point )

 

[Danger]

Okay. I've taken the advice. The corporate TA has just booked me on two flights tomorrow: CBR-SYD at 4.55pm, then SYD-PER at 7.20pm. Both are outside the 24 hour window but within the 80 hour window.

So I've jumped online and gone to chose my seat. Here's what I'm seeing for the 737 flight to SYD (_ represents vacant):

   ABC DEF
 5 xx_ xx_
 6 xx_ xx_
 7 xx_ XX_
 8 XX_ xx_
 9 XX_ _XX
10 ___ xx_
11 & 12 exits and so all blocked
13 __X __X

So, for my preference the furtherest forward I can get is 8C, which given the late time of booking and pretty happy with.

Then SYD-PER:

   AB DEFG JK
23 xx      xx
24 _x      __
25 __ x_xx __
26 xx xx_x __
27 __ xx__ x_
28 __ xx__ x_

Again, there's plenty for me to chose from, including as far forward as the second row of Y.

(Apologies for the formatting being a big mess.)

 

[serfty]

One more thing. Exit row seating may be available to you; you can't generally get this on-line.

Do you have an E/F subscription? You can use that to check.

If so you can call Qantas Premium and ask them to make a request to seating for you to be allocated in an exit row seat.