When usairways.com check-in messes-up seat assignments...

 
Old Jun 14, 2005, 2:48 pm
  #1  
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When usairways.com check-in messes-up seat assignments...

I was checking in for a US flight (UA flight number, US metal), and due to the extremely poor seat selection capabilities of UA reservations, my companion and I, on the same PNR, had been assigned to sit across the aisle from each other in 10C & 10D (on an A321 w/ nice staggared rows, no less). Exit row seats 21D and 21E were available, so I selected these for my companion and myself, and hit 'continue' to check us in. I received the following error message "one of the seats you selected is not available. we have automatically reassigned you to another seat." And the browser redirected to a screen with one boarding pass in 10C and the other in 21E. So now instead of having a seat across the aisle from my companion, I have a center seat across the plane from my companion.

I called usairways.com tech support, and the my first call was disconnected while the technician put me on hold to pull-up the reservation. The second technician tried to convince me I made a mistake and clicked the wrong seat by mistake. I explained that was pretty difficult when you consider the distance between 10C and 21E. The technician then said there was nothing that could be done, that it was impossible to un-check me from the flight, and I would be at the mercy of the airport.

Has anyone else encountered this problem? Is there any solution? Is usairways really the only airline that can't un-check people from web check-in?
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Old Jun 14, 2005, 2:57 pm
  #2  
 
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Yup, stuff like that happens all the time.

They'll tell you that someone else took 21D while you were checking in, but that's unlikely... the computer just sucks.

The best you can do (short of a miracle web help desk agent) is get to the airport early and "re-checkin" at a kiosk.
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Old Jun 14, 2005, 3:41 pm
  #3  
 
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Thumbs down

If I'm travelling alone, I have no issues... BUT, when travelling with one or more people on the same record -- it's happened to me more than 50% of the time. Totally unacceptable.

Here's what happens: you see that it has dropped your assigned seats and then you can no longer retreive them (sometimes it even shows them as still assigned to you, but you can't force the seat "field" to accept it). Or, sometimes one person keeps the correct seat and the other(s) are assigned wildly random seats. Once they show up that way, there is NO changing it.

And, occasionally, a better seat option becomes available (e.g. exit row opens up) and you try to get those seats for you and your fellow companions. Well, you might get one of them correctly reassigned, but the others are stuck in their original seats and you cannot reassign them the OPEN seats despite how hard you try. At that point, I have found that you can no longer go back and change the first one you just reassigned... UGH!

And, let it be known wide and far that calling ANYONE at that point is futile. US website folks in FL cannot do anything nor can res. It is under "airport control" and you're toast.

This has happened to me perhaps 15 times in 2 years and is exceedingly maddening. Happened again last week on a US/UA code share on the US leg.
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Old Jun 14, 2005, 4:32 pm
  #4  
 
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My other favorite move is when you have two people one one PNR, and it won't let you check in online at all. I probably have this happen 80% of the time.

As far as the seat selection goes, I've found that it's still best to call in, especially if you are looking for exit rows with a companion who has little/no US status.
ClueByFour is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2005, 4:50 pm
  #5  
 
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Originally Posted by ClueByFour

As far as the seat selection goes, I've found that it's still best to call in, especially if you are looking for exit rows with a companion who has little/no US status.
This has not helped me at all historically, however, with on line checkin. Getting the seats pre-assigned for a companion is never a problem with advance planning on the phone. My issue is the complex mess that ensues when I try to use on line checkin thereafter. This is the case for me whether the companion is a US2, US3, or US4. In other words, it nearly always happens to me regardless!!!
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Old Apr 28, 2006, 11:57 am
  #6  
 
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Checked in online today. Switched my seat assignment to exit row ROC-PHL. Did the same for PHL-FLL. Printed bps- voil: on the PHL-FLL leg I still had my original seat assignment. Called US customer service: No, seats are under airport control now, you are already checked in, try your chance tomorrow. What really sucks is that everything looked as if it worked and then you were chained to your original seat without any warning . The CSA had some fishy excuse that row 9 is blocked anyway and always under airport control
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Old Apr 28, 2006, 12:31 pm
  #7  
 
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Originally Posted by fradoc
Checked in online today. Switched my seat assignment to exit row ROC-PHL. Did the same for PHL-FLL. Printed bps- voil: on the PHL-FLL leg I still had my original seat assignment. Called US customer service: No, seats are under airport control now, you are already checked in, try your chance tomorrow. What really sucks is that everything looked as if it worked and then you were chained to your original seat without any warning . The CSA had some fishy excuse that row 9 is blocked anyway and always under airport control
If your connecting flight departs more than 24 hours from when you do OLCI, this always happens. You can wait until 24 hours before your connecting departure (PHL-FLL in this case) and it won't usually happen. I can't find the old thread where we had discussed this before, but it's been observed.

The downside, of course, is if you wait until 24 hours before PHL-FLL, you might lose a chance at desirable seats on ROC-PHL.
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Old Apr 28, 2006, 12:54 pm
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Originally Posted by UAzip
If your connecting flight departs more than 24 hours from when you do OLCI, this always happens. You can wait until 24 hours before your connecting departure (PHL-FLL in this case) and it won't usually happen. I can't find the old thread where we had discussed this before, but it's been observed.

The downside, of course, is if you wait until 24 hours before PHL-FLL, you might lose a chance at desirable seats on ROC-PHL.

Thank you, UAzip, this is an important piece of information. Unfirtunately, PHL-FLL on the 321 the differences are greater. Good to know for the future.
fradoc
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Old Jun 11, 2006, 6:07 pm
  #9  
 
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Originally Posted by fradoc
Checked in online today. Switched my seat assignment to exit row ROC-PHL. Did the same for PHL-FLL. Printed bps- voil: on the PHL-FLL leg I still had my original seat assignment.
This seems to be a consistent problem with the last leg when I check in online, the first one is accurate, the second leg doesn't pick up the change..

Anyone have a work around for this?

T.
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