United Airlines Seating/can't confirm
 

I've purchased flights to Italy with United. Our flights are "Confirmed", yet on the leg from the US to Italy United's online system states there are no available seats and seats will be assigned upon check-in. I'm wondering if this means we should expect to be bumped??? Any suggestions? I keep checking to see if any seats have opened up, but so far no luck. Thanks, Melissa

It happened to us on another US-based airline. We got the seating at check in without any problems.

Several airlines do not give out seat assignments until check in - especially if one is on a discounted ticket.

Hi missmissy, I was going to say..and than saw that janisj said what I was going to post. I have never flown United for an international flight but I am sure that is the reason you cannot reserve your seat(s) in advance.

It means that the seats available for pre-allocation have already been taken. The flight is probably quite full so all that is left are those kept back for check-in. Doesn't always mean being bumped but checking in early would be good idea. Some might be released for online assignment.

Confirmed seat does not mean confirming a particular seat number.

United does assign seats when you book routinely but so many seats per flight are alloted to the check in desk so you should not "expect" to get bumped.

Do you WANT to be? (some people do for a variety of reasons) and if that IS the case...volunteer to give up yopur seats at check in but only upon being told what, if any compensation there will be.

If you DON'T want to be bumped...CHECK IN EARLY and get seats.

United does the same to us all the time, and I hate it. I don't like it because they have a mean habit of splitting our seats. Sometimes I succeed in switching seat with someone when both my wife and I have aisle seats;there are always takers, but I am stuck if I am sitting in the middle of 3 seats.

I had this happen with United a few years ago returning from Dulles to LHR. Our bags were checked in so I guessed we were going to get on. Nevertheless, there was an element of worry and we waited by the gate for a very long time instead of relaxing. In the end we got upgraded from Cattle to Cattle Plus so that was a result. The flight was full. Miserable cabin staff though, I wouldn't rush to fly with UA again.

Good advice to check in early.

2 questions:

How far off is this flight...what date?

And, if it's within the next 3 months or so, have you called UA about seats?

Thanks to everyone for your replies! I have called United and they said we're confirmed a seat and as many of you said they hold some seats back until it gets closer. I was told to keep checking and some may come open online as it gets closer and to check in early. I've only flown United once overseas and when I did their online check-in 24 hours before our flight I was able to purchase their Premium Economy seats. I wonder if I'll still have this option since we don't have previously assigned seats?

I agree with some of you who said this is just a big unnerving. It feels more like mayyyyyyyyyyyyybe we're flying on July 1st. haha I'd just feel better if we had an assigned seat.

We have to transfer in Frankfort on our way to Venice and that flight is with Lufthansa. They don't give seats assignments on those flights at all prior to check-in. It's not assigned seating. Apparantly, we check-in and sit "wherever."

I feel better knowing that United's system doesn't mean I'm more likely to get bumped. As far as checking in early, am I correct in thinking that means at our FIRST flight (which does have assigned seat) and they'll be able to assign our seats for the main flight from Washington Dulles? Or will they make us wait until we're in Dulles?

Thanks so much! :) Melissa

You should be able to get seat assignments at your FIRST check in (if not earlier by phone or web).

Take care with one thing. When we flew to Italy, we didn't realize my sister had not been issued a boarding pass for our intra-Europe flight (on an affiliated carrier). In Rome, we wasted a lot of time in a security line only to be told we had to <i>run</i> to the main terminal to get her boarding pass.

If UA doesn't give you a boarding pass for Frankfurt-Venice, at least you'll know to head straight to the Lufthansa ticket counter in Frankfurt.

I don't believe Lufthansa is affiliated with United. You might call them directly to find out what the options are.

The likelihood of being bumped is very small. United (like other airlines) will ask for volunteers before bumping people.

I looked at the seat maps for IAD-FRA on July 1 and they appear to be mostly full in regular economy, although the 747 does have some scattered economy seats open (middles, so not good ones). The 747 is also pretty full in E+; the 767 has about a third of the E+ seats currently open, and the 777 is wide open in E+ (although being a few months away, this can of course change). There are also usually a few rows at the back of the plane that are blocked for assignment at the airport.

If they need to move some unassigned people into E+, that will likely happen at the gate at Dulles, not when you check in. Space in E+ permitting, you may get an offer to buy up when you check in.

Lufthansa does not have open seating. I generally get my Lufthansa seat assignment/boarding pass when I check in with United. If not, look for a LH transfer desk when you get to Frankfurt.

United and Lufthansa are definitely partners (both are members of the Star Alliance) and even codeshare flights.

This must be a new seat policy by United. I booked a ticket 7 months ago and got an assigned seat. I flew Lufthansa out and United back. Lufthansa was exquisite. United, I will never fly them again.

Btw, make sure you have at least a 2 hour layover in Frankfurt. Coming from Venice and going to the United terminal aka the Cell will take a good bit of time.

Don't worry about your VEN-FRA trip. The flight is too short to worry about an assigned seat.

We had this exact same problem when we flew LAX-IAD-FCO in March. Our travel agent was able to score us seats a couple of months before departure, but they weren't together. I was horrifed at the thought of spending 8 hours next to a stranger.
I called the TA and United every week, but there was nothing.
24 hours before departure I went online to check in and was offered the opportunity to upgrade to Premium economy for the transatlantic portion. I snapped it up, both for the guarantee of two seats together and the extra legroom.
I don't think you should worry about being bumped-this is standard operating procedure for United. They like to save the best seats for their premium fliers.

What typically happens is end up in E+ for free.

I don't think they're being &quot;mean&quot; by splitting seats. If thre are no seats available for reservations at this point it means that all those available for pre-allocation are gone - to people who bought tickets earlier than you did.

The later you buy the tickets, the less choice of seats you have - and if you buy very late you get whatever seats are left. (Why should people who bought tickets earlier be moved to accommodate those who bought later?)

I would get to the airport very early if it's important to you to sit together.

NY Traveler- I don't know if it necessarily has anything to do with how far in advance you buy your tickets. I bought my tickets 9 months in advance and they would not allow us to choose seats on the transatlantic leg at that time. It wasn't until a couple of months before when the TA was able to get actual seats, albeit rows apart.

I don't think they are being &quot;mean&quot; either, but I certainly don't think they are being &quot;passenger friendly&quot;. There were plenty of seats, they were just <b>blocked from being selected</b> (this was told to me both by travel agent and United agent).

I wanted to add, I think that if I can pay for a seat, then I should be allowed to select one from whatever is left in my class of seats, first come, first served. That's what I mean about being &quot;passenger friendly&quot;. I was able to get seats assigned on the US portion of my ticket, so why not the international portion?

MrNuke is right ... you may easily end up in the premium seats for no extra charge.

That's what happened to us on a flight from SFO to Rome --- we flew on a United plane (codeshare with Lufthansa) through Frankfurt, no seats assigned before we checked in on the first leg, and we ended up together in great economy-plus seats.

I think they hold those seats in the hopes that passengers will pre-pay the extra fee, but if no one does, they assign them at the last minute.