irishguy28

Or add an infant to your booking @:-)

ozstamps

They are PAID Business Class long haul seats. A paying passenger has more reason to be given them than an Etihad upgrader from coach - if Etihad has any brains that is.

I am not talking coach seats in row 51.

Row 7 is VACANT and for the firth time row 7 is NOT a bassinet row. I have taken 100s of long haul Business flights of a mass of carriers, and almost never see a bassinet so blocking off 5 seems silly enough, but not 2 rows.

Any airline with any sense, will allocate 2 PAID Biz seats together to a couple traveling together if requested well in advance, and if they are not allocated already as is this case. There are no other 2 by 2 centre seats showing.

Folks who can pay for long haul Biz will not stump up 5 figures to fly Etihad and not be given absurdly 'blocked' seats together - they will simply choose another carrier in future. There is a TON of choice.

Any Elites upgrading with miles or cash gets to choose from what seating is still remaining. Again THAT makes sense, not your scenario.

As a top level United 1K for a decade I can assure you Business/First seating was never arbitrarily blocked except fr Sky Marshall use, or crew rest. If you go book a SYD-LAX Biz today on UA with MONEY, you can choose whatever unallocated seats you wish. Again perfect sound policy to a carrier wanting to maximise revenue.

SFO777

What part of "seats are blocked until day of departure" do you not understand? Many airlines do this. I am EY Gold and I can't get them to release blocked seats. EK, QR and CX, among others, all block seats until day of departure. OK, United typically doesn't, but who would really want to fly them?

Enzokk

Yes, and I had PAID economy class seats and could not have seats already allocated to someone else or that were blocked.

It seems as the flight is mostly operated by the 3-class 777 and then rows 5 and 7 are bassinets rows. At least that is what irishguy28 is reporting.

I empathise with your situation. You paid for 2 seats and you would like to sit next to each other. However if these seats are already allocated or are blocked (whether you agree with the reason for blocking the seats or not, it is the airlines choice) then you are out of luck until you can try to have the seats allocated when they are released.

As can you, you can choose any unallocated seats on your flight.

ozstamps

No surprise there. They will not be serve you Moet either I suspect, or serve caviar, or send a limo?

For on any carrier on earth, the cost of very long haul Biz costs about FIVE times that of coach. Simply for getting you from place A to B at the same time. I see coach tickets for dirt cheap priced everywhere, but do not want to sit 26 hours each way in coach.

Premium cabins are where all airlines make their profit, not coach. And for that reason, savvy carriers offer far more benefits to Business Class than coach. Makes sense.

Passengers in Business and First get a ton of extra bennies over coach pax. Far better food and wine options, lounges, extra baggage - and IF the airline is smart, their reasonable seating requests considered too.

If no-one can suggest an Etihad contact address to email for them to at least look at it, (they run their airline, not those on this Forum after all!) it seems they are not the airline for us. Odd, but strange things occur at times.

I've just booked Thai First Class for out following trip to Europe. Emailed my contact, and the seating together we asked for was confirmed by email and menu choices for us to select from also were emailed. Painless - took a few minutes to set up.

I just get bored with sitting 30 minutes on the phone to attend to such simple things, and the carriers who are savvy enough to consider my needs, get my bucks, simple as that.

We want to sit together for 26 hours each way and Thai upper deck A380s let us do that, confirm it in advance and do not have this stupid blocking off of half their 2 together seating options when you pay them a fortune and PRAY it shakes out on day of flight. No thanks - a very dumb policy. .

Enzokk

If I ask nicely I can get the champagne....but I do not expect it as I did not pay for it. You paid for your seats, you will get the seats, and the chauffeur, and the lounge access and the service. You also get to choose seats that are available. This is the same for you and for others as well, regardless of status or whether the seats were paid or upgraded. You seem to want more than you paid for, something that is not possible in this case.

Are you sure this is a 2-class flight?

Enjoy the flight, hope you get to sit together, but if not it is not the end of the world. Hey, could be worse, you could be at the back with the rest of us....

irishguy28

It's not a 2-class flight. All EY461 flights from MEL to AUH are operated on 3-class 777s. On 3-class 777s, rows 5 and 7 are blocked. The OP reports that rows 5 and 7 are blocked. Hence, the OP is travelling on a 3-class 777.

janbrubel

It is a 3 class flight so you can still try and upgrade to first.

It seems https://twitter.com/EtihadHelp is the fastest way to get stuff done. Used that once and they fixed the issue within 2 days (pre sales). Not 'empowered' but worth a try.

irishguy28

Indeed, the OP may prefer to travel in First Class. But (s)he may also prefer to just add an infant to their booking, thereby opening up the prized bulkhead seats.

dogsrock

On each of my four flights in Y with Etihad I have been offered champagne as well as various food treats, no asking required. It will not surprise those who know me that I have accepted on each occasion although, on one leg, I did refuse the fifth glass of fizz.

Enzokk

I haven't been offered food treats...am I missing out?

dogsrock

Crisps, nuts and ice creams. And regular "is there anything else I can get you?"

Five weeks today, at the time of writing, I will be on another LHR-AUH-SIN-BNE journey in Y so I will test the consistency of the EY Gold FF Appreciation program! FWIW, so far, based on my limited experience, it has left EK at the starting blocks.

irishguy28

Next time, ask for a seat in row 5.

dogsrock

Ha Ha Ha.

SaraJH

What date are you travelling on OP?

Last month I booked MEL>AUH in J (flying early March 2015) and the whole cabin except rows 5 and 7 was available. I booked us into 9EF. I am non status.