Seating together JL

[PaulyB]

Hello. I have online checking in to JL (FRA-NRT in J today only to discover that my wife and I are apart with no seats available. (Travelling on a OWA)

Is there any experience of the likelihood of being able to fix this at the airport?
Thanks

 

[Lynda2475]

No direct experience with JAL but cant hurt to ask at the airport check-in (or in the lounge).

When I flew to NZ earlier in the year I was paged in the QF lounge and asked if I would be willing to swap seats so a couple could sit together. As It mean moving from 2D to 2C I was happy to oblige, so a solo passenger may do the same for you, provided the seat being offered to them is not worse.

But if not, its not the end of the world to be seated separately.

Out of interest did you not pre-select seats together at the time of booking? on OWA as soon as tickets are issued I go into my booking on eater partner airlines website and pick seats, so no disappointment at check-in time.

 

[PaulyB]

Thanks for the quick reply and we will get to the airport early. I also have a. Alert on Expert Flyer. And you are right about it being ok if we are separated.

Out of interest did you not pre-select seats together at the time of booking? on OWA as soon as tickets are issued I go into my booking on eater partner airlines website and pick seats, so no disappointment at check-in time.

This is interesting. I am only a lowly Bronze but I have never had that opportunity. Only 24 hrs before. Unless I have missed something blindingly obvious.

It is really weird tho that two on the same ticket would be separated . Thanks!

 

[Lynda2475]

I've only done OWAs as Gold (and more recently Platinum) so seat selection has always been free.

For any QF legs you would have definitely had free seat selection and possibly on some others, so is always worth checking. You would need to do this on the partners site.

Sometimes if you don't have status like on BA there will be a small additional charge, but can be worth it if you are really wanting to guarantee seating together.

Also seat selection can often open up for free at at 80hr or 48hrs before, even if check in is only 24 hours before, so again worth checking.

With most J now being 1 2 1 there is limited couples seating and if higher status pax get in and select seats early there may not be any left come check-in.

 

[PaulyB]

I've only done OWAs as Gold (and more recently Platinum) so seat selection has always been free.

For any QF legs you would have definitely had free seat selection and possibly on some others, so is always worth checking. You would need to do this on the partners site.

Sometimes if you don't have status like on BA there will be a small additional charge, but can be worth it if you are really wanting to guarantee seating together.

Also seat selection can often open up for free at at 80hr or 48hrs before, even if check in is only 24 hours before, so again worth checking.

With most J now being 1 2 1 there is limited couples seating and if higher status pax get in and select seats early there may not be any left come check-in.

Yes QF legs are fine but eryone else has been 24 hrs. odly this plane is 2 2 2 according the the map. I will let you know how it resolves.

 

[Lynda2475]

I guess if you cant get it sorted prior to boarding, no harm you or your wife asking the person next to one of you if they are willing to swap?

 

[PaulyB]

I guess if you cant get it sorted prior to boarding, no harm you or your wife asking the person next to one of you if they are willing to swap?

Yep. Definitely a last-resort option. But yes. Thanks, Lynda!

 

[drron]

We had an incident a few years ago flying JAL a few years ago when our extended family of 7 were spread over the J cabin flying LAX - NRT.
Got to the airport before check in opened and a JAL staffer was there so we told him the problem. Took him 25 - 30 minutes but ended getting us a row for ourselves. Seating was 2-3-2 then.
JAL will try hard to rectify your problem.

 

[PaulyB]

JAL will try hard to rectify your problem.

Thankyou for the comfort. Fingers crossed!

 

[elanshin]

This is interesting. I am only a lowly Bronze but I have never had that opportunity. Only 24 hrs before. Unless I have missed something blindingly obvious.

It is really weird tho that two on the same ticket would be separated . Thanks!

Just curious but were you trying to do seat selection on the QF app/site or the JAL side? the seat selection has to be done on JAL's MMB

 

[PaulyB]

on the JL check in page. Several posters have mentioned ringing and getting the seats in advance. TBH I hadn’t thought of that as a possibility because the notifications I had were that I would have to pay or wait til 24 hours before (which I did on this occasion).

As it happens I rang this morning and a helpful operator set up the seats for the 2 next JL flights but couldn’t do anything with this.

Having said all this I have done 3 OWA world trips with my wife and never had us separated so I had never thought it would be an issue.

 

[PaulyB]

So this wrapped up really well. Made sure we checked in super early at the airport and the collective JL staff could not have been more helpful. I had also rung the call centre (based in London) and a note on their system possibly helped the process along the way. An hour after checking in, our check-in girl from the counter came up to the lounge with the new boarding passes.

We are seated together, and still in J.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[drron]

Yes the Japanese sense of family really helps in this type of situation. We have flown JL on first awards from QFF but too scared to do this ATM. And by the time AA opens up to awards very few f awards left and usually singles.

 

[craven morehead]

Hello. I have online checking in to JL (FRA-NRT in J today only to discover that my wife and I are apart with no seats available. (Travelling on a OWA)

Is there any experience of the likelihood of being able to fix this at the airport?
Thanks

Same thing happened to me recently travelling with the wife on the same PNR and on a OWA. No luck at check in which was a complete balls up anyway. Once onboard I asked the hostie who was very obliging if we could, if at all possible, sit together and she checked with the other pax, and all sorted in minutes. I thanked them profusely in my best Japanese.