Alitalia- no seat assignment
 

We booked tickets through Orbitz to Italy. We had the ability to choose seat assignments on each segment of the flight except from Rome to Newark via Alitalia. I am concerned (after reading MarshaCarlin's trip report)that the flight may be overbooked. I don't have enough paid time off to be bumped and come home a day later.

Is it normal for Alitalia to not give seat assignments months in advance? Would you be concerned if you were me?

Maybe if it is very very early, they don't even know what kind of aircraft they will be using so , to avoid problems relocating the passengers, they don't assign you a seat. You can talk with Alitalia and see what policy they have, maybe you have to call them some weeks before the fly to have your seat assignment.

This may be a code share flight with Delta. I had a similar problem a few months ago; I booked direct with Alitalia and they told me they could not give me a seat assignment becaue the flight was actually operated by Delta. I did not like this at all; I called Delta directly and, after insisting and speaking to one or two people by phone, they did give me a seat. Apparently the Alitalia computer will not allow them (Alitalia) to block seats on some of these shared flights.

We are on FF tickets in July from Rome to Newark on Alitalia and last month we were able to get seats. Call them and try. We were unable to get seat assignments on their domestic flight though, Venice to Rome.

We have flown Alitalia in the past, but my husband flew on Alitalia recently to Milan and then on to Macedonia. It was not a code share flight. He had an assigned seat and had confirmed it just a few days before the trip. When he checked in for the flight, he was in a different seat which he did not like - a window seat. When he said he already had a seat assignment he was told that seats are not assigned and besides that they change the seats/planes all the time so you really get the seat upon check-in even though they tell you that you have an assigned seat.

We have (not?)four assigned seats on Alitalia for a trip to Italy in July. My husband called to confirm the other day and they wouldn't confirm the seats, just that "everything is okay" with the tickets.

This is apparently a very common practice with Alitalia. We booked tix from JFK-Rome months ago, and it was only last month through calling directly that I was able to secure seat assignments. We'll see what actually happens when we get to the gate.

As for the intra-European flights, I've found that most of them don't give seat assignments until check in.

Your advice has been very helpful, as always. Thanks, ya'll. :)

Diane

Thanks to all for the info on this thread. I e-purchased my tickets EWR-FCO for October and was trying to figure out the seat assisgnment situation (just posted the question on flyertalk)and here are the great fodors folks with the answers. I'm sure I'm way too early to get results with a phone call so I'll diary for later in the year to try for pre-assigned seats.

I was just able to get through to Alitalia about our seats to Milan in September. The gal I spoke with was very accommodating about our seat assignments. Let's hope it's "for real."

edhodge --

When we were leaving BCN last month, we were *praying* for an overbooked flight that would allow us to volunteer to fly out the next day... In fact we were arguing amongst each other about who should be able to go on the waitlist first, lest there weren't enough bumps to go around. Anything for another evening in Barcelona...

Well, as I said before, Alitalia goes through the motions of letting you think you have an assigned seat. When you call to confirm the 3 days prior to the flight, they tell you you have different seats. That is just what happened with us. Maria, the Alitalia flight rep, said there is really "no such thing as an assigned seat". All you are guaranteed is a seat on the plane. So, now we have 4 aisle seats with 2 being in the middle section. We no longer have our window/aisle seats.

Be advised that the Alitalia reps are fast talkers, not helpful, have a domineering attitude and block your every path for regaining your original seats. "There's no such thing as assigned seat, I already told you that. I see where your seats were originally, but now they have been given to someone else". I asked if that doesn't mean that the seats were assigned to us originally. Her reply was that yes, they were, but seats are changed all the time. They have an explanation for everything. Very frustrating.

I decided to end the conversation by telling her I thought she was trying to help me (really not) because I thought she would re-assign us to 4 totally separated seats at the very back of the plane.

We won't let this start our vacation off in a negative way, but it is difficult to accept being pushed around like this.

Spoke to Giovanna who could not help us, but I was surprised at how polite, kind and apologetic she was to me. So, no guaranteed seat assignments upon ticket purchase (she did say Alitalia never prints seat assignments on tickets) but there is at least one nice Alitalia rep.

Marianna,

Wow, what an aggravating situation with Alitalia! I'm wondering, however, if that rep was simply having a bad day, because we've had such an opposite experience w/Alitalia.

I requested seat assignments for my daughter's trip, JFK-Milan, about a month ago. Also reconfirmed the rest of the family's seat assignments for JFk-Rome next Sunday. So far so good. When my daughter showed up at the gate, she was given her seat assignment, no problem. We'll see what happens with our tickets!

Weadles, Giovanna said it rarely happens that seats are changed like this and that the reason is that the plane was changed. But, it just happened to my husband on his recent trip on Alitalia. Apparently, seats are all reassigned by computer. At least that's what I was told. Giovanna did say that perhaps window/aisle seats may open up when we check in.

Guess we are all in the same boat (well, plane). I called Alitalia about 2 weeks ago after reading about this problem. The rep gave me assigned seats without a problem. I thought I was all set. After reading this again I'm not so sure! Guess we'll find out in September.

Celiaanne, maybe you will be lucky and they won't change the seats on you. On our first of many trips to Italy 18 years ago, we flew Alitalia and insisted that we (5 of us)not be moved and not separated since we had our elderly mothers with us. It worked out just fine.

For this trip, atleast the 4 of us were kept together, so no complaints there, and we were actually moved up 8 rows. So, I am looking on the positive side of the situation.

Happy travels to you!

I'm a bit baffled by this & similar recent posts.

Is it normal in the US to get assigned seats when you book the tickets ? Until recently, in Europe generally, you didn't get seats assigned until you checked in at the airport. It's only fairly recently that a few airlines have allowed one to reserve seats when booking, or alternatively by checking in online the day before travelling.

Hi CE,

>Is it normal in the US to get assigned seats when you book the tickets ?

Yes.

One example is that Delta will let you go online and choose your seats (if any are available).

((I))

Yes, it is normal in the US to get an assigned seat. Usually, we have been notified by the airline if, for some reason, our seat has been changed.

Alitalia gives you what you think is an assigned seat, but then changes it when you confirm 3 days prior to departure or upon check-in.

As a former travel professional I can tell you:

If seats are available you can and should pre-reserve them. Even if the seat you'd prefer is not available, it's better to have a center seat than no seat. If you arrive at the airport early enough you can try to switch. This is helpful in case the airline has over-sold the flight.

In the USA you can't pre-book seat assignments on inter-European flights.
Example: If you're flying on Air France from New York to Nice with a connection thru Paris
* If seating is available you can request seat assignments from New York to Paris however, you would not be able to pre-reserve any type of seating on the flight from Paris to Nice.

Many carriers block the better seats (front of coach cabin) for their preferred FF members. Members that have reached a certain status can book these seats. If any are leftover those seats are released the day of or a few days before a flight.

Request Exit Row seating if you're traveling in coach. It doesn't hurt to ask and there's definitely more room and no reclined chairbacks in your lap!

I hope this helps.