Qantas Frequent Flyer - Mainline dom flights not "eligible" for seat selection...

Folks,

last week I booked domestic J flights MEL-BNE and r/t for this weekend coming up. At time of booking I could not select seats as I have done previously many a time. It just comes up saying "Your flight is not eligible for seat selection" and offers a window/aisle preference. This is QF6xx flights in 73H's. I thought maybe it was due to a lack of ticketing so waited a few days. I have not actually got an e-ticket receipt from QF, but my CC has well and truly been charged, the flights show as confirmed in D, so I wonder if QF is just being slow or something...

Does anyone know or think if it's due to a lack of ticketing(and should maybe I call QF to confirm on that?) or has anyone else noticed mainline flights not available for seat selection?

any thoughts welcome :)

I have never had this issue before, and can select seats prior to ticketing. I would call Qantas.

I've seen that message on Dash-8 flights, so I wonder if the system is somehow associating the wrong aircraft type with your flight?

Yes, I've had it on Dash 8 a/c on CBR-SYD, etc so I expect that, but never had that on mainline flights, certainly not on "triangle" routes like MEL-BNE. Yeah, I'll give QF a call in the morning as I'll be hitting the 80 hour mark later this morning so would like to find out what's going on :)

I had this occur once. It happened just before a different type of plane was substituted. A few hours later I was able to make the seat selection.

I don't think ticketing is the issue. As I have been able to select seats before the ticket was issued. The one thing that I can't do is do an online check in (or a real check in) if the booking hasn't been ticketed yet. Although that is really only an issue for last minute bookings.

OK well I think the situation is clearer now. I called QF:

- my booking was ticketed - they're resending me the e-ticket confirmation
- re the unable to allocate issue - was told that the first flight was available to select seats (and guess what, it's inside the 80 hour window..... so I went in and yep, grabbed 2F). For the return flight (currently outside the 80 hour window) the agent told me "The front rows are blocked for Plats and CL's and all the other seats have been taken. Try back again closer to the flight and something might open up" - so, ok I'm guessing tomorrow I'll get a shot as the 80 hour mark is passed.

It's interesting as they're still selling seats on that flight - and I only thought they blocked row 1 prior. Anyway it makes sense given the small J cabins, but I've flown MEL-BNE v.v heaps of times and never had this happen before. It's interesting.

I wonder if this is a side result of allowing upgrades from lower fare classes etc, so more points are being burned filling up J seats like that?

The main thing is QF is happy my flights are ticketed so I won't get a bit disappointment when I get to the airport :)

One the 73H row 1 is for CL, row 2 for Platinum, row 3 is the only row left available for everyone else.

Well as expected 80 hour mark came and I could select in row 2 and 3.

This is still the first time I've not even had an option to select a seat prior to the 80 hour mark on these sorts of flights.

All good anyway :)

I had exactly the same thing happen to me. I booked flights in J from ADL to SYD, and return. Went straight online to select seats, MR Enigma01au is WP and I am SG, and couldn't select any seats.
The front 2 rows were blocked and the last row was "occupied".
I checked Expert Flyer and it showed 2 fares available for J.
I rang Qantas and asked why I couldn't select seats. The agent said something along the lines of "it's because of all the free tickets from the Industrial Action...try again at T24Hrs"...not sure how that should affect advanced seat selection, but anyway, I kept trying over the weeks, and finally, at T80 seats opened up and we grabbed 1A & C.

That's because QF's domestic seating is broken when 2 PAX are flying together. It takes the lowest status not the highest. It has been fixed and then broken so many times I have lost count.

I can't see you guys have any issue with seating... I am bouncing around Peru on a LA airpass and even though the LA web site let me allocate seats for all sectors, these disappear each and every time I check-in. Yesterday, my nice pair of window seats in row 4 and 5 on their A 319 turned into 20 BC. Of course I wanted the windows for the Andean views - :rolleyes: