Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Beware SAA changes assigned seats at will

I have been booked on flights 207/208 in November and December since last February when I chose seats in business class. Yesterday I called on a different matter and decided to reconfirm my seats. Without notifying me they had changed them to the least desirable seats in business class in both directions, claiming that when seats are assigned they are not guaranteed. What is the point then of assigning seats in the first place? Fortunately, (I hope) I was able to change them back to a better location but now I am worried that when I show up at the airport they will have been changed again. Not a very good way to do business, imo, especially in business class. It will make me think twice about choosing SAA in the future.

I wasn't aware of any airline which doesn't reserve the rights to change seats...

I wasn't aware of any airline which doesn't reserve the rights to change seats...

Indeed. And to be fair, having flown hundreds of flights on SA (domestic as well as international, in Y as well as in C), they have only once changed the seat I requested . So to avoid flying SA on that account seems a bit over the top.

It seems arbitrary to change the best seats in business to the worst for no stated reason. They wouldn't even tell me why they did it. Yes, all airlines reserve the right to do that but in very extensive travel around the world it has never happened to me. And it's very annoying.

Out of interest, what - in your opinion - are the best and what the worst seats in the C cabin (which A/C 346, 343, 342 or 332?)

It's a 343 and they moved me from 3 H/K to 15 H/K. I have been changed back to 3D/G and 3 H/K. These are jmo in terms of seat quality, however. Others may feel differently. But I made these seat assignments last February and it's not like they are bassinet seats which need to go to mothers with children. They obviously allocated them to someone who booked much later than I.

Agree that row 15 (and row 1) are probably the least desirable rows on the 343. Have you checked on the actual seatmap for your travel dates if you are on one of the 2 ex-Iberia 343's, which do not have a row 5 but also do not have horizontal flat beds but 'slopey seats'. That would be much more disappointing than ending up in row 1 or 15!

Like others said, the seat selection really isn't final until the final check-in. Until then, what one selects can be subject to change, and this isn't unique to SAA.

It seems arbitrary to change the best seats in business to the worst for no stated reason. They wouldn't even tell me why they did it. Yes, all airlines reserve the right to do that but in very extensive travel around the world it has never happened to me. And it's very annoying.

You have probably answered the question yourself. You dont indicate what Voyager status you hold, but SAA would want to give these "best" seats to their Platinum / Gold members ahead of others.

Having said that I have never had my seat assignment changed, except on one flight where we had a last minute equipment change.

Seat changes typically happen only rarely, with any airline. As a LH HON, I have tried to have seats changed in my favor so my wife and I could sit together, but reservations agents always outright refused to do anything about it (which I found absolutely ok). The few cases where it happened to me (against my will) could typically be identified as computer glitches.

Interestingly it happened to me last on an Etihad flight in paid first class. My travel agent had put me on a middle seat (in a 1-2-1 configuration). At check in, I found myself in a window seat (I assume they needed the middle to accomodate a couple travelling together). It was done without EY asking me, which i found very astonishing in first class.

If they are going to allocate certain seats to their Platinum/Gold members ahead of others they should just hold those seats back from being assigned in the first place, not assign them to someone nine months in advance and then change later without notifying. As it turns out,, as I have said, the seats I now have are perfectly acceptable but only because I found out about the change by accident. By the time I arrived at the airport they may not have been available. That's what irks me the most.

Any airline could be substituted into the thread title and I'd be running out of airlines to fly on if I had to think twice about flying with xyz airline because my seat changed on one booking. Having said that, on long hauls on my regular routes /airlines I do like certain seats and the OP did exactly the right thing by checking the booking and identifying early that the seat-shifters had been at work. Good result in the end and hope you enjoy the SAA business class product and service. I still think it's one of the better ones.

gcuk,

I agree and I still look forward to the flights. Thanks to all for your responses.

So to avoid flying SA on that account seems a bit over the top.True.

One should avoid SA because of their unreliable and usually tepid service.

Like others said, the seat selection really isn't final until the final check-in. Until then, what one selects can be subject to change, and this isn't unique to SAA.

Completely agree. TAM Brazilian Airlines, for instance, is a champion at doing this!