Location: WLG, MSP, or the forward most A seat in Y I can get
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 220
Seat assignment advice
Hello QF forum, *A regular seeking advice for my in-laws once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Antipodes on QF.
They are booked on QF 4 and then QF487 on Feb 1 (HNL - SYD - MEL). They don't have seat assignment -- my wife thought she had made a request when they booked the flights, but it is now "assigned at check-in." We'd really like them to enjoy their trip and minimize airline hassles.
On the way home they are on QF 25 AKL - LAX on 25 February.
We have two questions. First, how to get reasonable seats together? My
father-in-law is 6' 4" and would be most comfortable in an aisle seats.
Unfortunately, they are not elite flyers on QF or AA (and we couldn't
afford to buy them business class seats). HNL - SYD seems to be a 767 and 2-3-2 in economy, so no problems there. AKL - LAX seems to be a changable aircraft type.
Second, any recommendations on transferring at SYD? They have 130
minutes -- is this likely to be sufficient?
For QF4, just pick up the phone and call Qantas. They will be able to allocate seats for you. the layout is 2-3-2. At the moment 23 A-B is available which would be a good pair to have
For QF25, looks like seating is closed so you will have to wait till check in
130 minutes should be fine for connecting at Sydney at that time of day. Anyway, if they are on a through ticket , if they misconnect , then QF will put them on the next flight anyway
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 9,804
Quote:
Originally Posted by evanroberts
...Second, any recommendations on transferring at SYD? They have 130
minutes -- is this likely to be sufficient?...
Just be sure that they follow the QF transfer signs and take the QF bus to the domestic terminal. Very easy to do but it is vital that they do that instead of trying to switch terminals on their own.
2 hours is more than enough; presumably at that time of day customs is particularly fast. No worries.
For QF4, just pick up the phone and call Qantas. They will be able to allocate seats for you. the layout is 2-3-2. At the moment 23 A-B is available which would be a good pair to have
There are no seats 23 A/B on a 763..they show up on some seat maps but are "phantoms".
Note that seats 35A/B/J/K are exit row seats with reasonable leg room - they are showing as available, but will would need to get to the airport early to snaffle them (if they are still available); say around 3½ hours before the flight.
9JAN last year: QF20 MNL-SYD, colleague and I go to check-in to find that we were split around the cabin of a full flight. She being Gold (I wasn't at the time) requested we be sat together, after much typing we were presented with BP's for "excellent seats" - I in 25A, she in 25B. These are usually blocked and I can see why!!
These seats are immediately behind the crew rest area, with a semi-permanent bulk-head in front. The only way to see the large screen at the front of the cabin is if your seat is reclined; Cabin Crew stand immediately adjacent the bulkhead for the preflight safety demo. Even if it was possible to see through the CC member, you couldn't see the safety demo without fully reclining your seat.
Not impressed with having been placed in these "excellent seats", I spoke with the CSM. He was unfamiliar with the layout (claimed he usually worked Domestic 767s which obviously don't have the rest area) but on viewing, fully empathised and promised (both at the time and as we disembarked) to submit a report for what he considered to be a totally inadequate seat. I also wrote to Qantas highlighting what I perceived to be a safety issue; received a very dismissive response.
IME is very rare indeed that 25A/B are ever allocated on these aircraft. You situation would be one of those.
Some years ago the crew rest in front was "expandable"; extended for international operations and retracted for domestic to enable these additional two seats.
When extended there was no leg room at all for 25A.
Programs: QF WP (LT Gold), LH SEN, OZ Diamond, CO Nothing, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Avis PC
Posts: 6,847
Quote:
Originally Posted by evanroberts
They are booked on QF 4 and then QF487 on Feb 1 (HNL - SYD - MEL). They don't have seat assignment -- my wife thought she had made a request when they booked the flights, but it is now "assigned at check-in." We'd really like them to enjoy their trip and minimize airline hassles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Noble
For QF4, just pick up the phone and call Qantas. They will be able to allocate seats for you.
If the plane is too full already, you will not be able to allocate seats and it really will be assigned at check-in. Even the hotline will not be able to help.
If the plane is too full already, you will not be able to allocate seats and it really will be assigned at check-in. Even the hotline will not be able to help.
I checked whether seating was still open before posting
9JAN last year: QF20 MNL-SYD, colleague and I go to check-in to find that we were split around the cabin of a full flight. She being Gold (I wasn't at the time) requested we be sat together, after much typing we were presented with BP's for "excellent seats" - I in 25A, she in 25B. These are usually blocked and I can see why!!
These seats are immediately behind the crew rest area, with a semi-permanent bulk-head in front. The only way to see the large screen at the front of the cabin is if your seat is reclined; Cabin Crew stand immediately adjacent the bulkhead for the preflight safety demo. Even if it was possible to see through the CC member, you couldn't see the safety demo without fully reclining your seat.
Not impressed with having been placed in these "excellent seats", I spoke with the CSM. He was unfamiliar with the layout (claimed he usually worked Domestic 767s which obviously don't have the rest area) but on viewing, fully empathised and promised (both at the time and as we disembarked) to submit a report for what he considered to be a totally inadequate seat. I also wrote to Qantas highlighting what I perceived to be a safety issue; received a very dismissive response.
Beware 25AB!!
BD
Wow, I've always considered 25AB to be the best Y seats on a international (1-2-2 J) config 763. No-one reclining into you, a lot more legroom than the other bulkhead seats and in the front of the aircraft. Fwiw, they are used on domestic routes, I'm on one tomorrow morning (25A unavailable, 25B open)
. QF4 arrives at 17:50 , so the OP is connecting to the 8pm flight ... the only other flight is at 22:20
