United -- Seats Together???

[esk]

So I bought tickets for myself and DS9 and DD6 for a flight next week, 2 legs each way. I couldn't get any seats for 2 of the legs....I got tickets, but it said seats had to be assigned at the gate.

This is on United. I called and the agent said she couldn't give me seats either, although I could upgrade to Economy Plus for $140 to get seats together.

I told her no, I didn't want to do that, and she said "I wouldn't. When you get to the airport to check in, you are guaranteed seats together, I've put a note in your file".

So......we're guaranteed seats together, even though there are no seats showing as available on the on line seating choices?

I mean, if it comes down to it, I'll pay the $140 for the 1 hour flight, to make sure my kids are seated next to me, but I just wondered if anyone has come across this before? When you didn't have assigned seats, did they get you and your kids together, and does that mean they move other people who have already selected their seats? (Yikes, that could be ugly)

 

[jlewisinsyr]

It's not uncommon that you cannot book seats online, when flights get close to being full (or oversold) this happens.

Also, not to make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy, there is no guarantee even if the agent noted your record file you will be seated together when you check in. But in most cases people are willing to move around for you.

 

[drew64]

The agnet was dead wrong. If you do not already have seat assignments together, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be seated together. The agent may have marked it as a request in the ereservation but it is not a guarantee at all and no one at the airline will even read it.

The airlime will nto force passengers with seat assignemnts to move or change.

There are times when no seats can be assigned until airport checkin

This is usually when flight is fully sold or oversold.

Those without pre-assigned seats will be bumped first if no volunterrs come forward if flight is oversold.

Check in and get to airport early to try to obtain seat assignemnts.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

On United, Economy Plus seats, which have several extra inches of legroom, make up approximately the front third of the economy cabin.

United passengers without elite frequent flyer status who buy discounted economy tickets have no visibility to Economy Plus seats. The seat map for the front third of the economy cabin will show that all seats are unavailable -- even if most of them are, in reality, unassigned. This is especially true on leisure routes where tourists, not "road warrior" business flyers, buy most of the tickets.

Just because the seat map shows that there are no unassigned seats together is NOT proof that the flight is fully sold or oversold.

Get to the airport early, and you should be fine.

 

[Tara]

There are times when no seats can be assigned until airport checkin

This is usually when flight is fully sold or oversold.

There are always times when seats can't be assigned - that is because every flight has seats that are held back for assignment on the day of flight. That really has nothing to do with a flight being full or oversold.

Be sure to check in 24 hours prior to your flight - you may be cable to select seats at that time. If not, get to the airport early and you'll probably find seats available at that time.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

One more thing...

On departure day at the airport, United routinely assigns Economy Plus seats to passengers who are not elite frequent flyers and who have not paid for an Economy Plus upgrade. First, they try to assign passengers to regular economy, but after that they use Economy Plus seats.

As I noted a couple of posts above, there are usually plenty of unassigned Economy Plus seats on leisure routes. But because you're competing for those seats with all other passengers who were unable to get advance seats assignments, it's good to get to the airport early.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

The same thing happened to us on a flight to/from Indianapolis a couple years ago ... even at check in we weren't able to get seats together. Once we were on-board, we graciously asked if the passengers were willing to switch seats with us so we could sit together, and thankfully we were lucky that they were.