Question about Flights/choosing seats/being bumped

[crisi]

Gate agents don't always hold seats, and its possible that all the seats will be assigned.

Happened last time we were traveling on Northwest. I'd booked through Travelocity or Orbitz and couldn't pick seats at the time of booking. There were six of us, and when I checked in 24 hours before, I discovered NW doesn't allow you to seat six at once if checking in on their site (the trick is, check in four, then go back and check two). We ended up with six seats, two of them together, four of them scattered throughout the plane. This would have been ok if we were all adults, but my son had just turned five and my daughter had just turned four - they were not going to be pleasant traveling companions for a stranger. I called Northwest and they couldn't do anything for me except say "get to the gate early" We got to the gate first thing, and she couldn't do anything for us either - every seat had been assigned. She did let me board early and claim the third seat in the aisle with the two together - and a wonderful gentleman who had the seat allowed me to keep it (either because he was wonderful, or because I told him he could sit with both my sticky children and I'd move )

 

[clkelley]

You can't be sure that the online seat chart is accurate.

Once last year, the online seat chart showed one of my flights as FULL. Not a single seat left. When I arrived at the plane, it was half empty.

Then on another flight, it showed many seats available, and once I arrived, the flight was full and they were taking volunteers for bumping. I didn't take advantage because I was on business and had to be somewhere.

I have never had the opportunity to be bumped when it was convenient for me!!!!


Carol