Ritequette

Quick question. I have a round trip booked with United, and I've checked my seat assignments several times before now (I'm leaving tomorrow night). A few minutes ago, I checked over everything again and discovered my first flight has mysteriously bumped me up to a seat in Economy+, though my return trip seat has remained the same (in Economy).

There's no error or anything, right? I've never flown before, so I'm just kinda confused at why they would suddenly change my seat like that. (I didn't change the seat myself at any point in time. I left it at the default.)

I want to make sure I won't get the airport tomorrow and find that there's been some mistake, and I lose my seat or something like that. Flying is confusing enough without added hardships.

Thoughts?

rkkwan

Do online checkin and print your boarding pass so you have your seat locked down. UA's E+ is just more legroom. No other benefits or features.

clevelandbrown

It is possible they changed planes and since not all planes are configured identically, they sometimes have to reassign seats.

Rastaguytoday

It's a last minute upgrade, that's done by a lot of airlines.

Usually, upgrades are first given to elite members, and then the public.

As they say, don't look a gift horse....

rkkwan

I would be interested to know flight number (or just aircraft type), and the seats you were in, and the seat you end up being. No need to be exact, just which row, aisle or window or middle.

Rastaguytoday

rkkwan - as you well know, they upgrade someone from biz class to first to fill that cabin.

From there it's Economy+ to biz, and tourist to Economy+. Anything to make sure they don't leave a seat open, so the standbys can pay $$$$ to fly.

It's usually the elite folks. Maybe Ritequette has a FF #. sy least. Long gone are the days of random upgrades to fill the plane.

My favorite one was AA upgrading me to first from CDG to ORD.

I think they needed 2 biz class seats because I was a single. At the time I was Platinum.

rkkwan

Yes, I surely know that. But it is still unusual to move someone already with an assigned seat to E+, and I am pretty sure the OP has so elite status. The norm is to just assign someone with no assignments to start with.

The more likely scenario is an equipment change.

Rastaguytoday

rkkwan - along with seemingly everything else, I don't think there is a 'norm' anymore in the airline industry.

On AA, Citibank is selling semi-elite status as part of a credit card offer. I believe Chase is also.

DebitNM

OP says they never flew before, so I am guessing no elite status.

Iowa_Redhead

I was bumped up to business because I was a solo flier and that way they could book two people together in economy. Move the singles up, possibly open up seats for couples/groups on that flight.