Air Canada: seat assignments?
 

Hello,

I am looking into a trip to Spain next June and have come up with a very well priced flight (under $1,000 per ticket from SFO) on Air Canada. I have seen the flight on various sites including Travelocity and Cheapoair, but when I click through there is no option to select seat assignments. I don't fly a lot, but whenever I do I am used to being able to choose my seats. We are a family of 4, 2 adults and twins aged 11, and would like to sit together. Does anyone know how Air Canada does this? Although it would not be the end of the world to be separated, I would like to know the likelihood before booking. Also, I visited the Air Canada website and can't get the same flight to come up, nor can I get a similar one for such a good price.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

Daria

Air Canada has several economy offerings that do not map into generic booking engine cabin classes. I presume what you look at from a third party site are Air Canada's Economy Tango fare which does not come with free seat assignments. You would have to pay per seat/per segment if you want advance seat assignments with Tango fare. The third party booking sites do not necessarily implement all the intricacies in how different carriers process a la carte booking process.

Additionally, check Air Canada seats on www.seatguru.com. There are some unpopular seats on their transatlantic planes.

And finally a caveat. I think if you buy your tickets as Air Canada marketed flight, if you have to cancel your flight, the credit remains at Air Canada and can only be applied to the flights you can book via Air Canada.

You get seat selection if you book on AC direct.
On some flights , as noted, you have to pay $30 for seat selection...

You can select your seat during the booking process on the AC website. I recommend that you do so even if you have to pay a fee to do so. There have been horror stories about families not getting to sit together because they had chosen not to do so.

Air Canada is not the carrier it once was. Customer service is terrible. I try to avoid them whenever I can.

Be sure your flight is not on Air Canada Rouge. The absolute worst.

Do check seatguru to see where is the best place to sit and the size of the seats.

My wife and I flew AC to Paris via Toronto last March for a very wonderful fare. We then booked premium economy for a modest up-charge and were able to secure seat assignments. I thought the service was appropriate, certainly comparable to other trans atlantic flights from other carriers. All booking was accomplished via the AC website.

"There have been horror stories about families not getting to sit together because they had chosen not to do so.

Air Canada is not the carrier it once was. Customer service is terrible. I try to avoid them whenever I can."

" horror stories "... lol

" horror stories "... lol

Yeah, really. Not sitting with my family for a few hours is a perk.

I would certainly recheck pricing on the AC website and book with them. If things don't go well, the 3rd party companies do not have a good reputation for helping you get to where you need to be in a hurry.
I suggest you register on the AC website so that they can notify you of any flight changes. They are good about that. They will also send a reminder when it is time to 'check in' 24 hours beforehand. That is when you can get your seat assignments. They, as every other airline will overbook, so checking in on line early ensures you are all on that flight.
I don't know what the complaints are about for AC. I find them on par or better than other North American airlines I have flown, but then I have to ride in the cheap seats and have no expectation for anything from anyone. I bring my own meals and for in continent flights, and AC is fine for overseas. AC provides free entertainment, but Rouge, on the other hand, does require preplanning for entertainment unless you have an iPad or are willing to rent a preloaded one.

"They will also send a reminder when it is time to 'check in' 24 hours beforehand. That is when you can get your seat assignments"
You can pick your seat WHEN you book on most flights with no charge.
.Actually, even before you book you can see the
available seating.
We flew AC to Paris and London this year. No problems.
I am booking a flight to Madrid shortly , because it is Tango and I want to select a seat , I'll pay for it.
The OP is researching flights very early ; I would wait.
As for food, AC is as bad as most airlines.
I bring my own or have a meal just before the fligh.

Thanks everyone. As I mentioned, I can't get the same flight to come up on the Air Canada website, nor is there one at a comparable price that I like. Various legs of the flight are supposedly operated by United and Lufthansa, and although I can bring up the flight on their sites, it is a lot more expensive and there is still no option to choose seats. Not sure what I am going to do, but we are considering buying it because the price is so great. Still thinking about it.

I flew from Toronto to Athens in May on Air Canada Rouge. The flight had been booked by a tour company, and the fact that it was Rouge was not indicated on any of the paperwork supplied to the company or to me. The flight was by far the worst I have ever experienced and would opt to stay home if no other option were available. So, just be careful that you are not misled.

By the way, the bulkhead was the worst seat on the plane, oddly enough. The "wall" is right in your face, and you cannot even stretch your legs under a seat in front of you. Also, no free beer and wine and no seat back entertainment either.

YOu don't have any rights to seat assignment if you are buying from some third-party site rather than the airline itself. I don't know what you mean about how there is no option to pick seats if you book directly on United, as I have done that numerous times and can pick my seat. There are a couple airlines that won't allow you to, but they are rare -- I think British Airways is one of them, which is just one reason I won't fly them. But United certainly does allow it.

If you can't get the same flight to come up on Air Canada's own website that this company claims is an AC flight, something is obviously wrong. I have never seen Travelocity booking discounted flights myself, although I'm not familiar with Cheapoair.

I suspect if you try to book this flight, it may mysteriously disappear during the booking process if it doesn't exist on AC's own website.

When I want trustworthy air pricing and comparisons, I check AirMatrix (aka Google Flights). It often pulls up airlines that aren't on Travelocity. Also, as it doesn't sell flights, there is no bias or restriction of airline options. From there, I go to the airline website to book. You can also use it to find out the cheapest flights for a time period (if you are flexible).
Some folks who write travel forums use Flight Network or Sky Scanner.
I would never trust CheapoAir. It has a terrible reputation. Check the reviews.

As noted, you cannot choose the seat if the flight is operated by another airline.

I think you can pick a seat on B A but you have to pay for the " privilege".
More and more airlines are doing the same( some only for the seats in the front).

I flew Rouge overseas only once ....it was not a big problem
I think I paid a few dollars to get a tablet to watch
entertainment.
Rouge is sort of " discount " part of AC. Tour companies normally look for the cheaper
transportation.

Every airline has its fans and its detractors. Air Canada has won several industry awards for its service and in my view is competitive with any airline based in North America. And I've just travelled to London on AC with a 12-hour delay, not the airline's fault. Its website allows seat assignments although the new charges were introduced very quietly. Many airlines now charge. I have also had satisfactory results with Cheapoair, mostly for flights that combined two airlines that do not sell each other's tickets. Lufthansa is a partner with AC on some routes but not all. Once you have your tickets when different airlines are involved it is possible, sometimes, to reserve seats from those airlines when you get the reservation numbers from the originating airline. The process is cumbersome and may involve phoning for help.
Although Cheapo used to promise seat assignments, the time I tried was useless, although the agency did refund the fee.
Air Canada is also very clear about what you can and cannot expect from its Rouge service.

You are expecting champagne for the price of beer.

Book through AirCanada's website if you want to choose seats.

It is unlikely you will sit together. Aisle seats are usually the first so for safety reasons (oxygen masks) you will be split up, one parent with one child.

"Once you have your tickets when different airlines are involved it is possible, sometimes, to reserve seats from those airlines when you get the reservation numbers from the originating airline. The process is cumbersome and may involve phoning for help."

I have had this experience. After booking with a "travel agent", you get access to the airline's booking reference number and from there can snag a seat. Maybe.

"The process is cumbersome and may involve phoning for help."

One time I ended up phoning Lufthansa IN Germany
to get a seat I wanted (paid for it )

<<I think you can pick a seat on B A but you have to pay for the " privilege".
More and more airlines are doing the same( some only for the seats in the front).>>

It may have changed, but as I recall, the last time I contemplated booking a BA flight (which was quite a few years ago, I admit, it was impossible to book a seat reservation, it wasn't a matter of fees. You had to wait until you got to the airport to get a seat assignment. Maybe if you were in first class you could, DK, but for coach, I think you could not. Now I think you can if you pay them a fee.

The OP said you could not book a seat on United if you bought directly from them, and I know that is not true as I always do and I just flew them to Europe last summer and I didn't pay to do that. You can pick a seat in the booking process and you don't have to pay to do that. This summer, I took Air France RT and didn't pay anything to do that, either. On United, you pick your flight times with dates (each segment, going and returning) and then the plane map comes up and asks you to pick your seats for the flight going over, and once you do, the map comes up to pick them for the return flight. It would be impossible to miss that as it covers the whole screen.

I think it is still rare to have to pay to do that for intercontinental flights, although I know it is more common for local flights. AF charges for flights within Europe for a seat assignment, for example, but not for flights to the US. I think this is part of a package of things, though (within Europe), such as checked baggage, also. BA charges for intercontinental flights, also, it appears, but you have to actually book the flight first and then later you can book and book a seat. I would never fly such an airline myself. I think they try to charge you to book a seat even when the flight is an AA codeshare even though if you booked through AA, you wouldn't have to pay (at least for the cheapest seats).

In any case, I don't know what the issue is here as to why daria thinks you cannot book a seat on United if you buy a ticket directly from them, as it would be almost impossible to avoid being able to do that or miss the seat plan when it comes up on the screen and says "select your seat", but booking through another website may cause problems with this cheapo ticket.

I payed to select a seat on BA two years ago....also , for seats in the front economy rows on
AF and KLM. All overseas flights.

At one time KLM did not allow the selection until 2-3 months before the flight ( think that has changed).
Perhaps, it depends on a particular flight .Or airline.

I will not book a long flight unless I can get a seat on the aisle.