Who changed my pre-allocated seat and why?

[SeatBackForward]

Did anyone come up with an answer as to how/why this keeps happening?

BNE-MEL return booked last week for travel next week. At the time had the choice of any seat in row one. Chose 1D for both legs. Logged on last night to check the times, and for the return leg had been moved to 1C with no other free seat left in J.

Not a huge issue, but thought I would give DJ a call to see what the story was. It has happened to me in the past, and judging by the conversation going on in front of me while I was checking in at the lounge last week it happens to others. After a few minutes on hold I decided to give up.

Checked online this morning, and low and behold the outbound leg has now been changed to 1C as well!

Called DJ (you get spoilt with the QF WP line, having to wait 3 mins seemed like forever!) to be told there is nothing they can do, someone else has been allocated 1D. While it is what I was expecting to hear, I had to question if that is the case, why was someone able to move me out of my allocated seat. Without giving me an answer, within a few minutes she had kicked whoever was in 1D back out and put me back in. Win for me, but now obviously the other pax is going to wonder what happened.

I am very interested to find out how/why DJ keep letting this happen? Sure, QF have changed my pre-allocated seat a few times in the last 10 years (maybe 5-10 times?), but 100% of the time it is because of an AC change. 738/767 - 734/767. In the last 9 months with DJ, this has now happened 3 times out of 12 flights! Is the DJ seat allocation system faulty so pax wrongly see seats as being free to choose or is it the DJ reservations staff who let it/cause it to happen?

If 1C was all that was left when I booked last week I would have happily selected it (or 2D even, anything is better than the whY I normally travel!), but it is more a principal thing that I am trying to get to the bottom of.

I am willing to bet it has something to do with DJ now chasing the "corporate elites"

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I am willing to bet it has something to do with DJ now chasing the "corporate elites"

Why can't they chase corporate elites & put them into vacant J seats? They shoukdn"t need to turf someone else (who could also be a corporate elite) out of their chosen seat.

 

[straitman]

Did anyone come up with an answer as to how/why this keeps happening?

BNE-MEL return booked last week for travel next week. At the time had the choice of any seat in row one. Chose 1D for both legs. Logged on last night to check the times, and for the return leg had been moved to 1C with no other free seat left in J.

Not a huge issue, but thought I would give DJ a call to see what the story was. It has happened to me in the past, and judging by the conversation going on in front of me while I was checking in at the lounge last week it happens to others. After a few minutes on hold I decided to give up.

Checked online this morning, and low and behold the outbound leg has now been changed to 1C as well!

Called DJ (you get spoilt with the QF WP line, having to wait 3 mins seemed like forever!) to be told there is nothing they can do, someone else has been allocated 1D. While it is what I was expecting to hear, I had to question if that is the case, why was someone able to move me out of my allocated seat. Without giving me an answer, within a few minutes she had kicked whoever was in 1D back out and put me back in. Win for me, but now obviously the other pax is going to wonder what happened.

I am very interested to find out how/why DJ keep letting this happen? Sure, QF have changed my pre-allocated seat a few times in the last 10 years (maybe 5-10 times?), but 100% of the time it is because of an AC change. 738/767 - 734/767. In the last 9 months with DJ, this has now happened 3 times out of 12 flights! Is the DJ seat allocation system faulty so pax wrongly see seats as being free to choose or is it the DJ reservations staff who let it/cause it to happen?

If 1C was all that was left when I booked last week I would have happily selected it (or 2D even, anything is better than the whY I normally travel!), but it is more a principal thing that I am trying to get to the bottom of.

I'll stick with my theory that I posted in post #19. Though it is a limited data set it is 100% successful for me thus far.

 

[TirEoghain]

This is something that has been annoying me a bit recently.

I am nearly always pre-allocated 8C, when flying saver on Silver. (BNE-SYD round trip weekly)

However my flight this evening had my allocation changed to 23D on a 737-700.
Last week I got changed to 7A (window seats are a nuisance after a stint in the lounge prior to boarding), and the week before the flight got delayed 3.5 hours. Not having much luck with my Friday afternoon flights ex-SYD.

I'd love to know what keeps happening the seat that I've been pre allocated. Wonder will it improve much when I get to Gold in a few weeks time.

 

[Pushka]

Not sure if this is the tread that I posted in, but we had pre allocated seats in Business class right up to four hours before the flight. Get to check in, and even though on the same PNR they had separated my 84 year old blind mother, from my seat. The nice lady at the Business Lounge saw the issue (silly me, I had presumed we were still together) and immediately changed it back again. Simply unnecessary Qantas! Better not do that on our trip to Europe in the PE seats we have.

 

[Sequel]

Wonder will it improve much when I get to Gold in a few weeks time.

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I am platinum with a J booking and they still swap the seats around!

 

[WPHT]

In what is truly maybe even more elite than a first world problem - I keep asking to be allocated NOT row 1 when flying PER-MEL as I am tall enough to reach the bulkhead, and always choose row 2.

Alas, just went to check in today for flight this afternoon/evening back to MEL and I have been allocated BACK TO SEAT 1A. OH THE HUMANITY!

 

[TirEoghain]

Got rid of 23D seat anyway.

The lounge angel offered me 4A/F or 6D. I took 6D, so that was better than my original pre allocated seat. Don't know which window seat was available on row 4 as i was only interested in the aisle seat.

 

[LiamR]

When I went to do OLCI for MEL-BNE on Thursday morning, I had been changed from 3C to 3D, no big issue, but it wouldn't let me change back to 3C.

Strange, because 3C wasn't occupied at all, apart from me, rows 3 & 4 were completely empty.

Very Strange.

 

[MichaelD]

BNE-MEL return booked last week for travel next week. At the time had the choice of any seat in row one. Chose 1D for both legs. Logged on last night to check the times, and for the return leg had been moved to 1C with no other free seat left in J.

Called DJ (you get spoilt with the QF WP line, having to wait 3 mins seemed like forever!) to be told there is nothing they can do, someone else has been allocated 1D. While it is what I was expecting to hear, I had to question if that is the case, why was someone able to move me out of my allocated seat. Without giving me an answer, within a few minutes she had kicked whoever was in 1D back out and put me back in.

Have to concur that allocated J seats with Virgin aren't as sticky as with Qantas. I have had several conversations with Virgin which saw me seated in 1A and (I believe) someone else moved. The conversations went...

"Would you like to pick your seat"
"Sure - I like 1A"
tap...tap...tap
frown
tap...tap...tap...tap...tap...tap
"Done"

 

[Sequel]

Well I was the only one in row 1, and one of only 2 in J, so unless 6 pax changed flights, i am not sure why i couldnt pick any other seat.Something fishy going on....

Sent from my MB526 using AustFreqFly

 

[DSFlyer]

Okay so I am travelling Sydney to Perth next Tuesday. Had been allocated 1c since the time of the booking (my EA requested and it was showing in my bookings) and as of this morning has now changed to 2C. I am also unable to change the seats on any of my flights (all business) for the entire trip including an a330 from melbourne to perth next thursday which clearly still has many seats available to purchase. There is something going on!!!

 

[SeatBackForward]

Have to concur that allocated J seats with Virgin aren't as sticky as with Qantas. I have had several conversations with Virgin which saw me seated in 1A and (I believe) someone else moved. The conversations went...

"Would you like to pick your seat"
"Sure - I like 1A"
tap...tap...tap
frown
tap...tap...tap...tap...tap...tap
"Done"

I think this proves my earlier point.

 

[docjames]

Interestingly, I had 1F for a recent transcon on the 738 and was unable to select any other seat in the J cabin.

On boarding, I was the only pax in the J cabin. Why wouldnt the system let me choose any seat?


The sooner VA complete their system upgrades, the better to (hopefully) solve all these seating issues.


I also think in the short term that they should stop bumping other pax just to saatisfy the person in front of them at the time. It makes me wonder if that cant see whether the pax allocated a seat has chosen it themselves, or had it auto-allocated?

It might be nice for our authenticated VA rep to comment on these seating issues.....

 

[DSFlyer]

It might be nice for our authenticated VA rep to comment on these seating issues.....

Agree entirely - been a little lean lately with the VA rep feedback!

 

[serfty]

A question for you all. With DJ have you had your seat allocation and simply accepted it or have you then gone through and done you seat selection? I have found that the booking shows an allocation but it shows you have not done a selection.

How does the online booking show that you have an allocation but not done a selection in these cases?

 

[onezero]

I haven't had my seat changed but when I access my booking online it shows J as being completely full so I can't choose an alternative to my pre-allocated seat. However when I checked the flight, i'm the only person booked in J at the moment, weird.

 

[Sequel]

Well it just keeps going.

Have just gone to check in for my return flight and low and behold I have been shifted back to 1C! And this was after having the call centre tell me last week that they had put a note in the booking to stop anyone from changing it.

When I try to change the seat on line, it results in the common sight of no available seats.

Another phone call to DJ, and get moved back to 1D, this time with no issues as "...the only other occupied seat in J is 1A".

What is the issue DJ????? Why do you keep shifting pax? Why does the seat map display as full when there are only 2 pax booked on the flight?

Obviously not the end of the world, but surely not that hard to fix?

 

[EuroKick]

I've been told their is a 'fault' with their systems that it preventing J passengers from selecting seats. It's happend to me on numerous occasions. On another note, does anyone know when rows 3-5 become avaliable for passengers without status to pre-select? Or do they not get access at all?

 

[lovestotravel]

Ah Virgin you must be just trying to mock me for my 3rd last flight in paid J.. Yet you wonder why I want to move back to QF

I had seat 1A for a flight tomorrow, go to complete complete on-line check-in and I have been moved to 2D, of course the friendly note tells me my seat has been selected due to my preferences which are a Window seat... Seat 2A and 2F were available.......... :evil:

I am Platinum as well just to make it even better. I wonder who has taken 1A from me.............

So tempted to get a full refund and just fly on Qantas.