Coolcamden

I've just booked a set of tickets for myself, wife and child to go SFO-HNL for Thanksgiving.

I am a Premier Exec. Wife and kid are normal citizens. We can not sit in E+ section because only 1 out of the 3 of us (me) is 1P. I try to understand United's practice of protecting their premier members, but it's disappointing considering it's my son's first trip (9 years old).

I called customer relations but they won't do anything for me either.

House

They may well be able to do something at the airport, or if you call UA within 24 hours of departure (once you get to this stage E+ is available on an "all comers" basis - I have got E+ seats on very full flights many times prior to having status on UA, simply by asking for it at check-in).

NCRBILL

Another way to do it is to get you a window, your son an isle and back a few rows, another isle. If they don't move you, ask the person in the middle if they would like to have an isle for the middle seat.

I've done this before and it's worked for me. The other idea is the best but this is a back-up way just in case.

UNITED959

What aircraft are you on? If 757, reserve an A and a C in E+, and a C or D in E-. The chances of the E+ "B" getting taken is very small, and even so, a trade with an aisle isn't the end of the world. I would at least grab the 2 E+ seats to which you're entitled.

Jana

The E+ section and res. policy is as good as it gets- and is, at least, one UA policy I agree with.
PNR's that do not have a premier member designator or a full-fare basis ticket are system inhibited from pre-assigning E+ seating. If this wasn't the case, there would be many csr's that would "favor" a customer out of kindness to these seats that our priority customers have paid for. (Ex: a 7' tall man on a $158 RT discount fare ORD-LAX, no FF status, who NEEDS an exit row seat.)

Coolcamden- it is because of this policy that you will most likely find you and your family seated in E+. My best advice is for you to call the premier desk 24 hrs. prior to dept. In my experience, it's better that you NOT have any seat assignments. 24 hrs. prior to dept (especially during peak travel times) flights are edited to accommodate families, Premier members and full-fare customers from the originating station. A list is brought up of customers without seats and then prioritized by fare, status and then special requests.
The other option is to seperate your name from the PNR and reserve an E+ seat and then hold E- aisle's across seats, or aisle/window (middle empty) seats for wife and child. That gives you 3 desired seats that are easier for a gate agent to swap out at dept. time.

FYI- your flight is booked 6 mos. from now. Please re-confirm your flights at least 30 days in advance for schedule changes.

Try not to stress over the seating arrangements. We know it's important to our members. It's why we restict access in the first place.

bmr12

Been through this before:

http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/005194.html

danM

I was under the impression that this won't work either, since there's only one person with status, and a companion has to sit in an adjacent seat (so no window-aisle combinations unless both people are E+-qualified). Has this changed?

Dan

bmr12

While this policy may be more strictly enforced, I was able to get the aisle/window combination assigned. It's definitely one of those places where calling back pays off.

studentff

Definately. I'm traveling on a different PNRs with a non-status companion in a few weeks, and the second time I called to get seat assignments (I've had to do it 4 times due to equip. changes from 321-757-767), the 2P desk said she could assign *neither* of us E+ seats because she "had to fill the plane from the back" because of "policy." She tried to give me something like 30A-B on a 757!

I was so dumbfounded that I didn't even try to correct her, but of course had no problem doing the assignment an hour later with a different rep. I stick with UA partly because of overall good to excellent service, but every now and then someone really scrapes the bottom of the barrel.

WebTraveler

I would hope if you had a 7 footer on the plane you'd cut him a break. First of all there isn't a chance in h*ll he'd even fit into United's standard 30-31 inch rows. If many of us 6'3+ guys have a hard time with it, then this guy is literally screwed.

*HighFlyah*

Then how does this reported experience stack up against Jana's assertion about the computer having some sort of limiter preventing anyone without status to be pre-assigned in an E+ seat? If there is indeed a limiter, it can't ever be possible right?

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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

TechBoy

I don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon, but E+ is sometimes very hard to get for us last minute business travellers and it can be a little infuriating to see so many nonstatus, cheap ticket, early purchased travellers occupying all the E+ seats. I know that MP gives status purchasers the ability to add a nonstatus companion to E+ (and admit to doing it a couple of times myself) but this policy has frequently left this 1K sitting in 22A. I'm not advocating a change in the policy, but I do appreciate it when UA actually enforces its policies. Allowing a 2P to bring two or more family members into E+ would just about eliminate E+ for lots of last minute business folk.

Lurker

Calling back as of this morning has netted me a completely "new" response: No window and aisle bookings for passengers (of whatever status) on the same PNR"

Reason: "Security"

Apparently a new FAA reg?

Lurker

[This message has been edited by Lurker (edited 05-28-2003).]

JS

Your point cannot be overstated.

UA needs last-minute business passengers a lot more than they need entire families on cheap tickets hogging E+ on the coattails of one family member being elite.

When I take the family on vacation on UA (five people total), we always get E- seat assignments. No big deal. For heaven's sake, it's still coach. Why all the fuss?

E+ is available at the gate for anyone, and one time we actually got E+ for all five of us sitting together, going into LAS of all places.