Delta zone seating?

[Mainebound]

Hi all,

I notice on the Delta website that they have gone to "zone seating". Can anyone explain this? Thank you!

 

[miche61]

This is just the way they call you to board the plane. Instead of calling rows, they call Zones. That is the only difference I noticed.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Delta, among others, groups rows of seats together as a zone. For example, the back of the plane is zone 1 (or A perhaps, I don't recall), the middle is zone 2, then up front is zone 3. They do this so that folks in the back of the plane board before those in the front, so you have fewertraffic jams in the plane. It really is just the same as boarding passengers in rows X thru Y, then Y thru Z...

Are you flying out of PWM or BGR, or do you have to drive to Logan or MHT? and were you able to find a decent fare?

 

[seashoreCM]

Your seat selections are still reserved for you.

Airlines are still experimienting with what group of seats constitutes a zone. For example zone 1 could be the rear window seats, zone 2 is the front window seats, zone 3 is the rear middle seats.

One aim is to have just a few people from all parts of the plane entering at a given time so they are stuffing things into the overhead bins all up and down the aisle at the same time instead of just in one area that starts at the back and works slowly to the front while everyone waits in the aisle.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[alexturner74]

For Delta it generally works like this, although there are exceptions:

Zone 1: First class and anyone needing special attention
Zone 2: Medallions - front half of coach
Zone 3: Medallions - back half of coach
Zone 4: Back of coach (and bulkhead seats I think)
Zone 5-8: Continues forward through coach
Zone 9: Front of coach (except bulkhead seats I think)

Your zone number will be printed on your boarding pass.

 

[Goof]

I understand the reasoning for boarding by zones but what if my child is setting next to me and he has a window seat and i have an isle seat, does he get on the plane before me or is he allowed to board with me or vise-versa. I can't imagine an 8 yr. old child who is already skeptical about flying, being seperated from their parent.

 

[goofy4tink]

I would imagine that Delta would utilize the same zones that Song has. We've flown Song several times now and they haven't separated the seats in each row. It was basically numbers of rows....Zone 1 may have been rows 9-15, zone 2 rows 1-8 etc. You were never apart from person sitting next to you. And I would think that on those airlines that do board this way, if you are in a different zone than your child, who is in reality sitting next to you, you could wait and board at the same time.

 

[Mainebound]

thanks for the helpful replies. We are a family of five, so we do not all fit in one row. but I'm sure they won't split us up!

 

[alexturner74]

Delta and Song do not use the same Zones.

Delta's zones are as I've mentioned above, and are based strictly on row numbers.

Song's zones are based primarily on window, middle, or aisle seating (unless your in the front of the plane). It may seem like Song's zones are by rows, but that's usually because most people don't travel alone. Except for the section up front, it goes window seats, middle seats, then aisle seats. If your reservation includes both a window and an aisle seat, then you will both board together in the same zone as everyone else with a window seat.

 

[goofy4tink]

Aahhhhhh....I fly in the forward section hence my thinking it was by rows!!! Thanks for the clarification Alex.

 

[n2mm]

I have flown SONG 6 times and have always been Zone 2. I always have a window seat and have always been in row 6. My husband has always had the middle seat. We always get the same zone number (2). It doesn't seem to matter when we check in, so it is by areas of the plane.