CommittedLurker

This has happened to me twice, so I don't think this is a glitch anymore.

Today, 7/30, checking in at LAX for my flight to PHX UX 6520, I am given a DM card by GS check-in, even though I had reserved seat 8C when I purchased my ticket on united.com on 7/28.

The agent did not think I had a confirmed seat when I purchased my ticket. I did not have a chance to print out my e-tkt, but I did have a screen snapshot, which I showed her, clearly confirming my seat assignment.

I had a great check in agent, and she ultimately got me my seat back (someone else had taken it) after about 30 mins of phone calls etc.

I called the GS Res. number, and they said they would have to check with web support...they also did not show my seat as being pre-assigned earlier.

I am wondering why this is happening...I have a gut feeling this is because of OLCI, and for some reason they are giving my seat away.

This very same thing happened to me back on 6/1, going from SFO-RNO. That time, things weren't so nice. The check in agent and then her supervisor in SFO argued with me for half an hour, saying the reason I got a DM card was because:

1. I did not reserve a seat when I booked.
2. I did not purchase online (what does that have anything to do with it?)
3. I should have checked in 24 hours before online.

She also told me another GS Member also got a DM card on this flight. What does this have anything to do with my UA giving my confirmed seat away ? (probably a lie anyway).

I again showed her my itinerary, this time printed out, showing my purchase on united.com with the seat assignment. The supervisor then tells me my seat assignment only gives me "a spot" on the plane - not that particular seat. I asked does that mean I should sit in the aisle. (The conversation was degrading quickly).

I went over to the SFO 8888 room, and they were unable to do anything, though they agreed it was ridiculous. I went to the gate and got a different seat only 20 mins before departure time - probably the last seat.

For the record, on both flights, I checked in 1 1/2 - 2 hours prior to departure time.

What is going on here ? Is UA giving away my confirmed seats to others who do OLCI ?

And what about all of the pathetic excuses ? At least the LAX check in agent got it fixed, instead of like the supervisor and check in agent at SFO who just kept lying.

Is this another thing we have to contend with? To be loyal to UA, I pay upto $100 more each way on west coast short hops over WN and endure CRJ's just to be denied a BP upon check in ? Ridiculous !

TonySCV

I've had my seat assignment changed on me a couple times a few days prior to departure over the last couple of months. Very annoying. Not sure why it's happening, but yes - it's certainly a glitch somewhere.

channa

Are you using the HOLD feature to hold before you buy?

If so, it's a known issue that seats get lost.

I have never once been able to buy a United ticket without some sort of human intervention. CO, AS, NW, US, etc. no problem, but not UA because of these sorts of bugs. Imagine if they had their ops side of the house in order, they'd be able to save a lot of effort which translates into money.

LGA_UAL

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Also, if you hold online, but then call to reserve, your MP number is not put in automatically, even though you are logged in.

goalie

could you have "fam'd"? (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=584079). did you happen to notice who was in your "assigned seat" when you boarded?

Paubri

I had this happen to me on Tuesday going from DEN-ONT. I did reserve an aisle seat when I booked, bought online, and checked in something close to 24 hours before online. OLCI told me my aisle had become a middle and gave me an error message when I tried to change my seat back. When I called CS the CSR in India told me...

1. The seats were under airport control, since it was 24 hours prior to flight.
2. Seat changes using OLCI are not available less than 24 hours before a flight, that I should have changed my seat online more than 24 hours prior.
3. Because I was waitlisted for an upgrade there was no possible way to change my seat.

I explained the OLCI process to the CSR, who then started telling me the same thing more LOUDLY and SLOWLY so that I would perhaps understand what she was telling me.

Hung up and called back, the next CSR (also in India) got everything cleared up in about 2 minutes. Appears that the seat giveaways are also happening to someone other than the lowly among us.

deepdishus

Sometimes UA agents will admittedly say that they've reassigned my seat, sorry. Reasons vary from me checking in after the person who wanted my seat (???) to the flight being full. There have also been times when, after confirming with them that I have a particular seat number, they would say no, type something in while not saying anything afterwards and will reassign my seat back to (as if doing me a favor).

CommittedLurker

I only reserved a seat when I bought the tkt.

I don't think this is just a mistake. For some reason, OLCI (which I don't use since I have no access to a printer while travelling and have checked in bags in any case) is showing my reserved seat as available to others checking in online.

kykate

This has happened to me twice, lately, on the same reservation, for late October. Granted, it was 15 A&B, SFO to SGN, but no one at UA 1K can explain why it happened. Yes, I know all about FAMs getting those seats, but....
The first time it happened I called and a great agent in the Honolulu service center ended up moving us to a flight a day earlier, when 15 A&B were available. This, after almost an hour of trying to figure out why we'd lost the seats in the first place. 4 days later I checked the itinerary and found that we once again did not have seats assigned. I did have a red note about a schedule change, at ual.com. This time I pretty much went directly to a supervisor in HNL. She could not find ANY change in our itinerary, except for 15 A&B being taken away - not a different class of plane, not even a 1 minute change in the flight/time schedule. Despite her best efforts she could not find out who was assigned to the seats - she went through every passenger who had a Business Class ticket, and none were assigned 15 A&B, but she could not move us back into the seats. Very frustrating!! After discussing it all with her, I asked to have our dates changed back to our original start of trip date, and we'll be in 13 G&H. I made these reservations, and upgraded them, in March.
Some good did come of this, as she was able to tell me the dates that the next 3 schedule chages would be loaded - August 3, September 6 and October 4.

Kate

droopyUA

You can still use OLCI and then just print your BP from the Chicken at the Airport. I do this all the time.

ErthCrclr

This has happened to me all summer long, including with award seats on UA and *A.
The only explanation I can come up with is that if there is even a hint of a schedule change, seats can be deleted.
UA entirely deleted my SFO-SIN segment on SQ because an earlier segment of the same trip is now departing ten minutes later. (The remaining segments were untouched, go figure.) For my kids on those flights, on a different PNR, coveted seat assignments were completely discarded though all segments remained. (SQ squarely blamed UA for this, though SQ seating had been arranged through SQ.)
I have spent waaaay too many phone hours with Delhi lately, and I ain't happy about it.
Words of wisdom to others: If you get that recorded phone message/email from UA about a schedule change, do not assume all is well. Get on the phone to be certain your remaining segments and seat assignments are intact.

deeseeel

This happened to me twice last week. I had checked in online for SFO to IAD and got switched from an aisle to a different aisle. Strange, but that didn't make much of a difference. On the way back, I got rerouted thru PHX and there even with an aisle BP in my hand, I get nabbed at the gate and stuck in the back on a window seat. I just love it when the GA plays dumb and say "Oh there must be something wrong with your check-in." Seems like to the web check in application doesn't mean anything... sometimes.

Sneezy

Use it anyway.

Just make sure you tell the check-in agent you've already checked in online, but didn't have a printer.

You can even use OLCI to change your seat after you've checked when you're sitting in the RCC. You might get some strange looks from the RCC matrons when you go up and ask them to reporint your BP because you've changed your seat using OLCI, though.

rar indeed

You can use chickens to reprint BPs after OLCI @:-)

Sneezy

Yeah, but only if you can find them. There's some right outside the C19 RCC at IAD, for example. And I think there are some inside one of the ORD RCCs.

But once you're airside, Mr. Chicken can be hard to find.