Actually our bookings were linked, we were pre-allocated 6AB, then upon checkin I was in 4A and she was somewhere down the back.
As a WP (and considering an NB can select row 4 at the moment), yes, that's exactly what I expect them to do. Or put us back in 6AB where we were pre-allocated.
If QF think they can treat a WP with a linked booking and pre-allocation to row 27, they need to learn a little about customer loyalty.
It might be worth having the facts before passing judgement on others.
I was going on the facts, however there was no mention of 6AB anywhere in your post so the only thing I had to go on was the information you had in your post about going from 4A to 27B.
I don't believe whoever moved you from 6A to 4A realised you were linked otherwise they would've left you in 6AB. Given that the flight was full, if staff said 27AB were the only seats left together I'd have no reason to doubt that was correct.
Does Qantas even do automatic seat pre-allocation? Unless I go to MMB and specifically pick a seat my bookings always just show my preference (Aisle, etc). I don't think I've ever had a specific seat allocated to me automatically before check-in.
Not domestically, so the seat request will only allocate you a seat according to your preference at the actual time you checkin which means if somebody has an aisle request in their profile and the only seats remaining are 16B, 18E, 27B etc an aisle seat isn't going to materialise.
I would always suggest pre-allocating a seat once a booking has been made. I know a common gripe from people is their travel co-ordinator (at their company) or the TA doesn't not enter the ffn into the pnr however as long as you can get your QF booking reference (Amadeus pnr) just go the MMB on the QF site & update it with the ffn then once entered go back & pre-allocate a seat.
When the bookings were linked over the phone months prior, 6AB were allocated. When I checked in, I was put in 4A.
A linked booking *when done correctly* should cross reference the two PNRs in the system - this is a bit more than just a note.
It's possible that reservations cross referenced the bookings & pre-allocated seats together in 6AB but your bookings are still separate pnrs. If airport staff don't physically 'link' the names in Altea, whereby when you retrieve one passenger & will also display the other, it's possible airport staff though your wife was a solo traveller so moved her aft to get a couple together in 6BC.
But how does it actually work (the linking)? When you retrieve one PNR does it automatically bring up the other?
It sounds like they reviewed the flight, saw a platinum and moved them to the best seat available.
If pax booked in separate pnrs
are linked in Altea by airport staff, when you retrieve one name it will bring up both names as though they were in the same booking (this is in the checkin system not the pnr in Amadeus). From from others have said I understand that if you were to then OLCI then both pax names would appear as if they were booked together.
Even if pax are not linked ahead of time in Altea if two pax are in separate pnrs but checkin together (at a SSK or with a CSA) then you will automatically be linked so any other flights you're travelling on together in their respective pnrs will already show you as being linked next time you check in. Another possibility is people may have checked in separately eg mobile, OLCI, QCR (Q card reader/tower/podium thingy) but when bags are pooled against both pax that action will also link pax in Altea.
See serfty's explanation above. You see the other pax as a party to the other booking.
I suspect you are right, however it may have been load control prior to check in. The problem was, by check in the flight was completely full.
I still think they should have moved an NB IMHO as seat allocation is not a published benefit for non status pax.
Whilst it's possible load control could have moved someone (eg due light loads) I'd say it's more likely in this case it was ground staff at that port trying to get pax together. Generally speaking if it's close to departure load control would probably ring that port and get staff there to move the pax so they could be paged & given their new boarding passes.
There may not have been any NB's in row 4 at all to move back anyway.
