Air France Frequence Plus - Online check-in - another suggestion for improvement

Just discovered a new level of absurdity with the OLCI system. Flying with my two kids and the nanny in Eco. I am on one reservation, they are on another one. I have status, they don't.

So my thinking goes that Platinums get the "better" seats further in front of the cabin and that if I check us in all together we actually get to seat together. So I pull up my reservation, then "add" the other passengers by inserting their ticket numbers. What do I end up with? Nanny and two kids up front, me alone 10 rows further behind. Idiotic.

Surely there are explanations for this such as that they were automatically checked-in before and I wasn't and I don't know what not, but I don't care about the reasons why as long as the outcome is simply absurd.

Thus, please AF:


Make sure status customers really get the seats further up front
When people check in together, even across two different PNRs, propose them seats together
Actually, do what other airlines are doing as well, allow for pre-assignment of seat numbers for status pax at time of booking.

When people check in together, even across two different PNRs, propose them seats together
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If you travel on different PNRs, always ask a service center to connect/pair the 2. (you keep the 2 PNR no, but the computer will automatically know that you travel together) You can do this anytime between booking and the actual flight. This should prevent pax seated away from each other, but also in case of cancellation or delays and re-booking. Otherwise you could end up on a different flight then the rest ;)

I couldn't even add my companion when OLCI'ing as the system said there was a difference in travel class due to the status and non-status! :eek:
(With KLM)

If you travel on different PNRs, always ask a service center to connect/pair the 2. (you keep the 2 PNR no, but the computer will automatically know that you travel together) You can do this anytime between booking and the actual flight. This should prevent pax seated away from each other, but also in case of cancellation or delays and re-booking. Otherwise you could end up on a different flight then the rest ;)

I don't think the computer sees it. I think it creates a note for airport agents but I believe it only works as an indication for manual handling if I am not mistaken. In my experience, when I have done this, it has also never resulted in being pre-sat together and is typically brushed aside at the airport as well. Maybe some outstations pay more attention to it than others?

I agree that linking the PNRs through phone call makes little difference as the checkin system is different and does not seem to recognize the"note in the system".
Since the advent of automatic OLCI, many strange things happen. Before auromatic, it was fairly easy to enter additional pax during OLCI and get everyone seated together. But quite difficult now. One example: Our son flew NCE-ORY recently with two children. They had their separate PNR because he was coming alone to fetch them. The PNRs were linked by phone to avoid the UM issue (worked fine). But he was automatically assigned 4D as elite+, and them 21EF. The front part of the aircraft seemed reasonably empty, but the back section that they could access by OLCI were full, so no way to get seats together. The problem got solved at the airport, but that was unnecessary hassle/stress as they had only hand luggage and would have been happy not to queue 15 minutes for seat reallocation.
On the other hand we had flown ORY-NCE with them on the same PNR and the four of us got automatically assigned seats in the first row.

I agree that linking the PNRs through phone call makes little difference as the checkin system is different and does not seem to recognize the"note in the system".
Since the advent of automatic OLCI, many strange things happen. Before auromatic, it was fairly easy to enter additional pax during OLCI and get everyone seated together. But quite difficult now. One example: Our son flew NCE-ORY recently with two children. They had their separate PNR because he was coming alone to fetch them. The PNRs were linked by phone to avoid the UM issue (worked fine). But he was automatically assigned 4D as elite+, and them 21EF. The front part of the aircraft seemed reasonably empty, but the back section that they could access by OLCI were full, so no way to get seats together. The problem got solved at the airport, but that was unnecessary hassle/stress as they had only hand luggage and would have been happy not to queue 15 minutes for seat reallocation.
On the other hand we had flown ORY-NCE with them on the same PNR and the four of us got automatically assigned seats in the first row.

More or less identical situation to mine. And brought to the attention of Air France numerous times, as well as the request to have seat pre-assignment at time of reservation. I don't know why they don't fix it.

More or less identical situation to mine. And brought to the attention of Air France numerous times, as well as the request to have seat pre-assignment at time of reservation. I don't know why they don't fix it.

To be honest, in the case of separate PNRs, few airlines that I know of do well. On BA, even if you ask for PNR 'linking' it won't let you choose seats for the passengers on the other PNRs you have to ask for it manually over the phone (and if you are a continental European resident are likely to be answered no a few times before someone does it - apparently people who can use the UK Gold line don't have the same problem). You then cannot change the seat of the other person only yours if something better opens up. Similarly on one of my recent LX flights, again separate PNRs, LX would automatically pre-assign me around row 10 as *A G and my friend apparently something far back. Calling, I got blunt refusals about taking us next to each other ('these are not the same sections I can't move you or her). Going to the airport, it was done but only by putting us both on wonderful row 32. Changing it at OLCI was no problem, but only because LX lets anyone seat as far front as they want without reserving front rows to elites. This being said, moving together when you enter 'additional passengers' works some times and not others. I have absolutely no idea why. I have been able to enter my father's ticket number and bring him to row 1 with me last month (different PNRs and fare classes) but not my friend the month before (until we reached the airport when all was sorted out). As for pre-assignments, I have been asking many a times but so far it was always politely declined. I suspect AF do not want to invest in whatever software allows BA and LH to successfully allow pre-selections by elite members (notwithstanding the fact that on BA, when flying European Y, my pre-assigned seats get changed at least 25% of the times, and not always to comparable seats).

I never had problem preassigning seats on BA or LX . With seat assignment at time of booking, and all remaining seats available at OLCI, the issue raised by San Gottardo with automatic seat assignment is much less problematic. I think that pre-assignment is the way to go for AF to be compared to other legacy airline rather than LCCs.
Regarding BA (and to some extent LX), the problem you mention is well-known. At time of booking (and it could be months ahead of flight), BA seatmap forecasts the size of the Business class cabin. But the curtain between Y and C can be pushed back if more C pax. This does happen frequently as BA seems fairly pessimistic regarding C loads. A seasoned traveler would avoid assigning seats in the couple of rows behind the forecasted curtain. As a rule, I always assign three or more rows behind the forecasted curtain's position and have never been seat-changed. At OLCI, I can always try to move forward.

A seasoned traveler would avoid assigning seats in the couple of rows behind the forecasted curtain. As a rule, I always assign three or more rows behind the forecasted curtain's position and have never been seat-changed. At OLCI, I can always try to move forward.

Except that some of the said seasoned travellers (myself at least) believe that on BA, the only row which really makes a difference is the first row of economy on the left side where you get two seats and a free middle half seat instead of the normal 3 seat configuration. ;) Admittedly though, if all I cared about was seating together, or having a pre-assigned seat, I agree that a middle cabin row would pretty much guarantee no movement.

In fact, my main annoyance with BA is my seat is often changed AFTER OLCI, much more so than with any other airline which I find harder to accept.

This being said, again, I full agree with both yourself and San Gottardo on seat pre-assignments. It should be even more obvious on domestic flight which have a single cabin and where we know that Plats are entitled to seat upfront in the abonne section anyway! As mentioned, that's a request I have repeatedly forwarded to AF but without success so far. We'll keep trying and one day someone will think that it is a great idea and implement - I hope....