What's the point of having an airplane seat assignment?
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:21 AM
#1
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What's the point of having an airplane seat assignment?
Okay, all of you savy travelers, please help us with this situation. We booked our next May's trip to Italy through United, but will be traveling on a Luftansa plane. They are partner airline companies and we will receive our air mile credit from United. All the ticketing and interaction is through United. I went ahead and got seating assignments. I was particularly concerned about the trip over from Los Angeles to Munich as the plane configuration is 3-5-3. I'm a bit claustrophobic so being in that 5-section is totally out. We requested and were assigned seats across the aisle from each other. We would much rather get up any time someone wants to get out rather than crawl over someone else. Anyway, since this has happened to us once before, I inquired that if the type of plane were to change, would we be notified? What happened to us on another trip was that we had seats reserved, they changed planes somewhere along the line, the configuration was not the same and when we arrived at the airport we were assigned new seats in a horrible location. I asked if I should call Luftansa directly regarding the seats, and was told that all conotact was through United. I then asked if I call closer to the time of the flight could I confirm the seats. This very unpleasant agent then told me that they are not always notified about which planes are being used and that their only contract with us is to get us from point A to point B and that a seat would be available somewhere.
Has anyone ever had this experience and is there anything that you could suggest? If it were a short hop that would be different, but since we can only afford to fly coach, we want to be as comfortable as possible for a 12 hour flight and since we are reserving so far in advance, you would think that we would have first preference.
Help, PLEASE!!!!
Has anyone ever had this experience and is there anything that you could suggest? If it were a short hop that would be different, but since we can only afford to fly coach, we want to be as comfortable as possible for a 12 hour flight and since we are reserving so far in advance, you would think that we would have first preference.
Help, PLEASE!!!!
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:32 AM
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I have had assigned seats and have usually been pretty lucky..but, I don't think there is any guarantee. I always check in early and hope for the best. I supposedly have an isle seat on my British Air flight to Heathrow in Dec. but they wouldn't assign a seat on the London-Copenhagen leg so I'll have to take my chances there. We return from Stockholm so hopefully I can call a couple of days before our flight and get a seat assignment. Just have to see how it plays out. Frankly, I don't think there is much you can do to guarantee the seat you want. Good luck.
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:38 AM
#3
A seating assignment isn't guaranteed on any airline. They will try to give you the seats you have now - but calling them won't ensure that is where you end up.
Your best bet is to check in early and if the seats have changed - fall on the mercy of the desk agent to move you.
Your best bet is to check in early and if the seats have changed - fall on the mercy of the desk agent to move you.
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:43 AM
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I've called Lufthansa before to request and/or verify seat assignments on tickets issued by United and LH was able to accommodate me.
If your itinerary shows up on united.com under 'my itineraries,' (it probably will if it is a United marketed codeshare with UA flight numbers) you can keep an eye on your seat assignments and flight details there. I make a point of checking mine regularly. Otherwise, call periodically to check that there have been no changes. In my experience, United will not provide notification for a change in type of plane, but if there is a corresponding change in flight schedule you will get a call (just got one of these this morning re: to a LH-operated flight for next June).
If your itinerary shows up on united.com under 'my itineraries,' (it probably will if it is a United marketed codeshare with UA flight numbers) you can keep an eye on your seat assignments and flight details there. I make a point of checking mine regularly. Otherwise, call periodically to check that there have been no changes. In my experience, United will not provide notification for a change in type of plane, but if there is a corresponding change in flight schedule you will get a call (just got one of these this morning re: to a LH-operated flight for next June).
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:46 AM
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I can only re-iterate Degas suggestion of checking in exceptionally early so you have lots of time to persuade etc. the powers that be to put you exactly where you want to be.
I know for instance that if you wish to be seated in the very first row (4 seats together in centre) on Singapore Airlines you first REQUEST these seats on booking your ticket and at the stroke of midnight on the day of departure(Their seating allocation goes on until 2am) you ring up and CONFIRM your request and Bingo!!
I know for instance that if you wish to be seated in the very first row (4 seats together in centre) on Singapore Airlines you first REQUEST these seats on booking your ticket and at the stroke of midnight on the day of departure(Their seating allocation goes on until 2am) you ring up and CONFIRM your request and Bingo!!
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:47 AM
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I agree with Janis..your ONLY option now is to check in early. The gate will always be alloted a certain number of seats to assign and, hopefully, something you can live with, will be amongst those unless you end up being satisfied with what you already have and it doesn't change.
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:52 AM
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Pam..if you're from NC, then the flight to Frankfurt (or Munich) is only 9 hours..I know, we just returned from Frankfurt to LA on Sunday, with a two hour layover in Charlotte (USAirays)
Stu (I agree, we always sit aisle to aisle..assignments usually work for us...
Stu (I agree, we always sit aisle to aisle..assignments usually work for us...
Nov 8th, 2005, 07:58 AM
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I'm often not diplomatic, but who cares.
It sounds to me like your placing demands on them so far in advance of the flight might have made them place you in the high-maintenance category, and the agent would have felt that you would be calling and complaining very often, so he was not as cooperative as one would hope. I would ignore what he said, but at the same time, I would not be calling them every day to see if a change had been made.
I would call two or three weeks before the date of the flight, to confirm that the flight has not been changed, and at that time confirm whether your seats remain as you had requested. I think the chances are that nothing will have changed.
However, flights are sometimes changed, or even cancelled, and it is only good business for them to match the aircraft to the amount of business, rather than continuing to use a half-full larger plane, or to continue to use a smaller plane when demand has increased. I think it is just good sense for every traveller who books far in advance to confirm a week or two before the flight, and to confirm again the day before the flight. And if it comes down to the last minute, arrive a little early and, as diplomatically as possible, when it is not crowded, ask both the agent where you first check in, and the gate agent (that is the person at the actual gate, not the person where you check your luggage) if they can accomodate your situation. The gate agent is the final authority on most airlines, and they have a lot of power to put things in order.
It sounds to me like your placing demands on them so far in advance of the flight might have made them place you in the high-maintenance category, and the agent would have felt that you would be calling and complaining very often, so he was not as cooperative as one would hope. I would ignore what he said, but at the same time, I would not be calling them every day to see if a change had been made.
I would call two or three weeks before the date of the flight, to confirm that the flight has not been changed, and at that time confirm whether your seats remain as you had requested. I think the chances are that nothing will have changed.
However, flights are sometimes changed, or even cancelled, and it is only good business for them to match the aircraft to the amount of business, rather than continuing to use a half-full larger plane, or to continue to use a smaller plane when demand has increased. I think it is just good sense for every traveller who books far in advance to confirm a week or two before the flight, and to confirm again the day before the flight. And if it comes down to the last minute, arrive a little early and, as diplomatically as possible, when it is not crowded, ask both the agent where you first check in, and the gate agent (that is the person at the actual gate, not the person where you check your luggage) if they can accomodate your situation. The gate agent is the final authority on most airlines, and they have a lot of power to put things in order.
Nov 8th, 2005, 08:57 AM
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Thank you everyone for the advice. I just booked these tickets this weekend and United called this a.m. with a major departure time change on our return flight. Guess that this will be only the beginning since we don't depart until May. Also, I guess that we have been blessed in the past to have had that situation come up only once where we were assigned new seats
Tower - I live in Northridge, California, not North Carolina; thus, the 12 hour flight.
Lastly, I know better than to not be diplomatic and I don't want to have problems with anyone at any time, particularly since the airlines hold the key to my happiness or not. It is just that in general everyone seems to have such an attitude as if they are doing me a favor. I particularly feel that the people handling airport security hurdle you through like cattle and treat you as same. I know that there are exceptions. Trust me, I don't mind any of the searches or clearances that are nece4ssary to make things safer, but they could be handled with a little less aggressiveness.
That being said, I will wait until April to check back in and will watch "my itinerary" on the United website.
Thanks again!
Tower - I live in Northridge, California, not North Carolina; thus, the 12 hour flight.
Lastly, I know better than to not be diplomatic and I don't want to have problems with anyone at any time, particularly since the airlines hold the key to my happiness or not. It is just that in general everyone seems to have such an attitude as if they are doing me a favor. I particularly feel that the people handling airport security hurdle you through like cattle and treat you as same. I know that there are exceptions. Trust me, I don't mind any of the searches or clearances that are nece4ssary to make things safer, but they could be handled with a little less aggressiveness.
That being said, I will wait until April to check back in and will watch "my itinerary" on the United website.
Thanks again!
Nov 8th, 2005, 09:03 AM
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Pam - I think Lufthansa must have just loaded a bunch of schedule changes, because I got a call from United this morning as well. Ours was significant enough that they had to rebook us on an earlier flight from Nice to Frankfurt; otherwise we would have missed our connection.
Nov 8th, 2005, 09:37 AM
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If you are flying on Lufthansa the seating arrangement on most jets is not 2-5-2 it's 3-4-3. The exception is the Airbus 340-600 and 330-300 which is 2-4-2, but I think they don't use the 340-600 to Los Angeles.
First of all find out exactly which jet they are using. Then go to...
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...nodeid=1356911
and check seat maps. You can also check seat maps at seatguru.com for more detailed info.
If they switch aircraft you are more then likely to get the same seats since most of the transatlantic aircraft are similar. A good way to keep updated is to try your itinerary at Lufthansa.com every now and then to see what aircraft come up on your route. You can also call Lufthansa or United and play dumb, "Hello, I just wanted to see if I had seat assignments on the ??? flight, Oh I do? What seat?"
That's easy.
First of all find out exactly which jet they are using. Then go to...
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...nodeid=1356911
and check seat maps. You can also check seat maps at seatguru.com for more detailed info.
If they switch aircraft you are more then likely to get the same seats since most of the transatlantic aircraft are similar. A good way to keep updated is to try your itinerary at Lufthansa.com every now and then to see what aircraft come up on your route. You can also call Lufthansa or United and play dumb, "Hello, I just wanted to see if I had seat assignments on the ??? flight, Oh I do? What seat?"
That's easy.
Nov 8th, 2005, 09:41 AM
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1. LH is scheduling the A340-300 for the LAX-MUC next May. Seating is 2-4-2. No airline has 3-5-3 on any aircraft.
2. You should be able to get seat confirmation from Lufthansa directly. Just call their US office and see what they say. [Like others have said, it's not a guarantee, but just an assignment that can be changed.]
3. Your UA ticket has a 6- alphanumeric digit reservation code. But LH will have another 6-digit number for you. When you're talking to them, ask about the LH code so that in the future it's easier to find your reservation. You may also be able to check your reservation online without calling.
4. Check with UA or LH about your flight online every few months. Schedule may have changed, and aircraft type may also be changed. The airline will not contact you. You have to be a little proactive if you want to make sure you have your assigned seats, or just to make sure your flight is flying at that time next May. Schedule may easily be changed to an hour later, or an hour earlier.
2. You should be able to get seat confirmation from Lufthansa directly. Just call their US office and see what they say. [Like others have said, it's not a guarantee, but just an assignment that can be changed.]
3. Your UA ticket has a 6- alphanumeric digit reservation code. But LH will have another 6-digit number for you. When you're talking to them, ask about the LH code so that in the future it's easier to find your reservation. You may also be able to check your reservation online without calling.
4. Check with UA or LH about your flight online every few months. Schedule may have changed, and aircraft type may also be changed. The airline will not contact you. You have to be a little proactive if you want to make sure you have your assigned seats, or just to make sure your flight is flying at that time next May. Schedule may easily be changed to an hour later, or an hour earlier.
Nov 8th, 2005, 09:55 AM
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Hi everyone. I'm just curious. Given that Pam said that she's "a bit claustrophobic", would the airline give her more consideration for seating? I could understand if she just "prefers" certain seats, but if she has a condition that might cause physical anxiety if she were assigned certain seats (middle of the 5 across row, for instance), wouldn't that make a difference?
Nov 8th, 2005, 10:10 AM
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I would call Lufthansa directly to request seating. Last May I was flying Air Canada to Munich but on Lufthansa planes (same situation as yours). I called Lufthansa directly and they were very helpful and accommodating. When we arrived to board the plane, everything was exactly how we wanted it.
Nov 8th, 2005, 10:14 AM
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If you're lucky, they'll substitute for an A340-600, as that's the only plane in LH's fleet that has individual screens for coach. Not 330, not 340-300, not 747.
And on LH's 340-600, you get to climb stairs inside the plane without having to pay for first or business class. [Lavatories are on lower level.]
And on LH's 340-600, you get to climb stairs inside the plane without having to pay for first or business class. [Lavatories are on lower level.]
Nov 8th, 2005, 10:16 AM
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I just remembered - another good resource for tracking a reservation with Lufthansa is www.checkmytrip.com. You will need to get your LH record locator number; it is different than UA's record locator number for your reservation. Either United or Lufthansa can give that to you. With that number and the last name on your ticket, you can look up your reservation, including the seats.
Nov 9th, 2005, 05:39 AM
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Hi Pam,
You've gotton tons of good info from everyone! As a travel agent I can tell you that the airlines are not obligated to stick to the seat assignments. (they pretty much take no responsibility for anything, which is all spelled out in that teeny tiny print in Legalese on your ticket.
What I really love is when a client checks in and they've switched their seats; client complains and is told "oh, your travel agent didn't note them in the record". ARGGH! Not true, just them passing the buck...but I digress..
The best advice is to check in early, because the rez agent has all the power. I'm not above bribery and have been known to take some muffins for an early morning flight!
Jlaughs....re: noting that passenger is claustropobic -- yes, it is possible to put that in the "Remarks" section of the PNR; however, this only works if the rez agent actually scrolls down to read it!! Pam could certainly call and check on the assignments and say "could you please make a note in the Remarks of my PNR that I'm claustropobic?" Then, when you're standing at the gate if you don't like the seats, you can direct the agent to check so they can see you've made an effort.
A good example is a client of mine who always wants bulk head seating -- he's 6'5" tall and approx 265 lbs. He's always gotton his seat, but I'm not sure if it's because I requested it or the fact that the agent doesn't want to tick off a really big guy!
They might take it seriously thinking that you could be the type of passenger who will "freak out" at 30,000 ft!
The only other possibility is to have a doctors note.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Melodie
You've gotton tons of good info from everyone! As a travel agent I can tell you that the airlines are not obligated to stick to the seat assignments. (they pretty much take no responsibility for anything, which is all spelled out in that teeny tiny print in Legalese on your ticket.
What I really love is when a client checks in and they've switched their seats; client complains and is told "oh, your travel agent didn't note them in the record". ARGGH! Not true, just them passing the buck...but I digress..
The best advice is to check in early, because the rez agent has all the power. I'm not above bribery and have been known to take some muffins for an early morning flight!
Jlaughs....re: noting that passenger is claustropobic -- yes, it is possible to put that in the "Remarks" section of the PNR; however, this only works if the rez agent actually scrolls down to read it!!
Pam could certainly call and check on the assignments and say "could you please make a note in the Remarks of my PNR that I'm claustropobic?" Then, when you're standing at the gate if you don't like the seats, you can direct the agent to check so they can see you've made an effort.A good example is a client of mine who always wants bulk head seating -- he's 6'5" tall and approx 265 lbs. He's always gotton his seat, but I'm not sure if it's because I requested it or the fact that the agent doesn't want to tick off a really big guy!
They might take it seriously thinking that you could be the type of passenger who will "freak out" at 30,000 ft!
The only other possibility is to have a doctors note.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Melodie
