Has anyone heard of this? I booked round trip flights on United from Austin to Seattle and they won't give me seat assignments for the Austin-SEA portion until I get to the airport! No problem with the SEA-AUS portion of the trip.

Have any of you experienced this?? Would it help if I went to the airport now to try and get seat assignments (trip is May 15)?

Thanks!

This is extremely common and nothing to worry about. Do not be late arriving at the airport on the day of your flight, but you will be wasting your time to go now.

I flew BOS-IAD on United on Thanksgiving Day and did not have a seat until half the plane was boarded. I got an exit row aisle. Guess where the people sat who "demanded" a boarding pass right away?

Thanks for the quick response! I guess I'll quit worrying. I do get to check in online 24 hours before so hopefully I can get seats then (and an exit row would be great too!).

"Airport control" usually means 4 hours before the flight. Going today would be useless.

What that means is that the flight is fairly full and the only seats left are seats that are always under airport control, regardless if the flight is full or not. These are usually bulkead seats, few aisle seats towards the front (for handicapped people, if necessary) and few pairs here and there. This allows the GAs to seat people together, get parents with small children in the bassinet equiped seats, etc.etc.

Nothing to worry about. If the flight is oversold, UA will offer "bribes" to people in exchange of giving up their seats. In about 99% of the cases this works, so people that need to fly on that particular flight, will fly.

Yep. Cound't get a seat assignment for 1 of 4 legs of the last trip while making the reservation.

I called the 800 phone number and asked for the airline's computer department. It worked, I got a seat of my choice.

But another Fodorite tried the same, and it didn't work.

Airlines typically hold back between 40 and 60% of seat assignments to be released on the day of travel.

This is to make sure that they have space available for people that need special attention.

If the seat map is under airport control, there is nothing you can do until you check in.

40-60%?

Are you talking about the major US based airlines?

If you are then the number you posted is way off.

About 5% are not available even for elites.

About 10% to the general public. The 5% difference can be reserved by elites.

i'm with an international airline, and seats go to airport control 24 hours before each flight.

When I find that seat assignments are not available, I check every day or two, by trying to change my seat assignments. Sometimes this works, I presume because some people have cancelled and the flight is now booked under the percentage where they stop seat assignments.

We have also flown often without seat assignments, and it has never been a problem. We've gotten seats together except once when my wife got upgraded and I didn't.

I also am nervous about this on the return leg of the flight from Rome to Newark Continental said that i cannot get a seat because it is under airport control so i have been checking but so far no seat and my flight is not till October!

flycatcher06 - I have no problem doing a mock booking on continental.com and get seat assignments for Newark-Rome and return. Those flights are wide-open at this time. There's no reason why they are under airport control.

Have you looked up your itinerary on continental.com and see if you can change it there?

And if you have problem with doing stuff online, try calling their website support desk at 800-300-1547. They can often do stuff that regular reservations cannot.

Again, there's no reason why you can't get a seat assignment at this time.

I will try that but i did call Continental.com just regular and they said that that leg was in the airport control. It makes me very nervous because i will be left all alone i am the only one without a seat assignment! I will try your advice. thanks!

Well you are a genius and i thank you! I called the internet help desk and in 1 second i had a great aisle seat and a relieved mind!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Flycatcher, I'm glad you were able to get your seat! I have called every number possible for United and haven't been able to get a seat assignment. They all tell me I have to wait until I get to the airport. I'm going to keep calling as the date gets closer but I'm also not going to worry about it since all my other plans for this trip have been perfect so far.

I'm surprised though that with all the flying my husband and I have done, this has never happened before.

This obsession about seat assignments completely baffles me.

I don't know why it's so baffling to want to be assured a seat next to your traveling companion. After all, getting there is half the fun, right? Also, I like the option of choosing where I sit, if at all possible. Having to wait until check-in just to see where you're sitting, not to mention where your travel companion is sitting, is just a part of the trip that shouldn't have to be left to chance. I'm guessing you either travel alone or you just don't care whether or not you sit next to the person(s) you're traveling with.

If there are 2+ people on the same PNR, then check-in will, 99% of the time, assume that these 2+ people like each other and allocate seats toegther.

A pre-assigned allocation means zilch. If a flight is oversold, you'll be moved around in a heartbeat if necessary. So many people/couples/groups act as if they are the only people on that plane. Anyway, is it so heartbreaking to spend a couple of hours separated from your Old Man/Lady?

I have said before (and it was unpopular) that on Cosmic Airlines, Joe Public will have zero seat allocation. Prove yourself loyal and get elite status, then you can choose your seat. If you're in a wheelchair or disabled, we'll let you choose a seat. Travelling with kids aged less than 12, you can have your allocation. Pay a full fare, you can choose your seat.

Everyone else can wait. You paid for a seat, I'll decide where on that plane you sit. You'll get what you pay for. It's lots of little reasons like this in offering superfluous services that the American legacy carriers have all come within a whisker of extinction.

Continental and AA recently announced losses of about $92m and CO lost approx $60m. THESE RESULTS WERE DESCRIBED AS PROMISING!!!!! Only in America.....

>If you're in a wheelchair or disabled, we'll let you choose a seat.

This is good, seeing as how it's legally required. Did you know that if a certain seat is required and someone else is already in that seat (prereserved or not) you must move that person, regardless of any status?