Xandrios

She couldn't change to another up front seat while still in 5E?
The flights that I booked (and pre-assigned up front seat for free) before they started charging people allow me to move around the cabin - selecting any seat for free. Even though this was essentially a 'free upgrade' (Which was just a normal seat assignment back then under the old rules).

I did notice that quite a lot of people do use the new service. Only on my next flight (for which I actually paid for the up front seat) I managed to get row 4 with middle seat empty - with all the other flights later this year I'm in 4C/D but couples have taken AB/EF On the A320 the extra legroom only goes until row 4 right?

GBobon

On the aircraft (a couple old ones and other were newer) I flew with the 4th row was the last one with extra legroom

Arrivals

Can't confirm that. I was not assigned a seat up front on my recent flight. Had to choose row 15. Back part of the plane was crowded (almost no free seat) while very few seats were taken up front. Idiotic to charge Gold members. I usually OLCI +48hrs.

Argyris

I confirm that you can't change to other preferred seat for free. I automatically assigned 5F in both of my recent flights, but couldn't change it to other (preferred) for free.

East_and_West

This is my experience as well. Since the great new A3*G benefit of 50% discount on upfront seats was introduced, I have flown around 10-12 segments on A3 without seat reservation. About 2/3 of them I have been assigned an upfront seat (usually a middle one), and the rest thrown in the high 20+'s, although the past few weeks it has been more the latter than the former. I can also confirm that if you are automatically assigned a premium seat, you still need to pay to change it, even within the same seat category/type.

By chatting with fellow pax, usually after being asked to exchange seats so that they seat with their relatives/friends/colleagues, or when some new person comes and seats next to me after having exchanged seats with my previous neighbor, it seems that the majority of pax seated in the up-front and extra legroom seats neither have paid for them nor have they any status. Although many of them did actually check-in late, some were simply assigned that seat by default. So I do not know how big a role status (or checking-in late) plays in premium seat allocation, although I guess that as a *G one does get higher chances of getting one.

Xandrios

I flew yesterday in Economy to AMS. Because I wanted to be sure I'd have one of the front seats I had paid 8 euros for and isle front seat.

Initially I was able to move around the cabin and change seats for free. Then when check in opened the app showed something like "Seat XX has been selected for you. If not happy with this please change your seat at the airport". On the laptop I was able to change to any other seats - but it again asked me to pay the 8 euro fee! I got the impression that I had been given the same restrictions as somebody who would be upgraded to one of these seats for free (judging from the descriptions in this thread). So I stayed put at the seat I originally selected.

Up till the day of departure the middle seat was kept empty and the window seat occupied. Then, arriving at the airport I was told that both seats next to me were now empty. Bad sign, because two seats together are popular and probably meant a couple would sit there. Turned out no: Two people, not related to each other, were seated here. One of them forcefully upgraded (His friend was sitting at the back).

The crazy thing is that there were plenty of normal (and even some up front) seats still available. Why is the middle seat not kept free for people who paid for the upgrade, while other people (Who don't even want to sit there!) are forcefully upgraded?

I was not very happy with this arrangement. Other rows around me had middle seats empty while these seats were not pre-booked (meaning those pax were probably upgraded), but in my case all three seats were taken...while I was one of the few people that actually did pay to sit up front!

yurtripper

Thanks for this. On the basis of this and other posts in the thread, I think I won't be bothering to pay for seat selection once my *G status is achieved. It seems better just to take a pot luck approach.

blackball

Ridiculous. This demonstrates how badly thought out the implementation has been. At the very least, they should have copied what LH does, where all seats become free at OLCI. By the way, being upgraded by force to a middle front seat is not my idea of an upgrade. I'd rather be in an aisle seat in the back, than a middle seat at the front. If this happens to me, I will call customer support immediately, not wait to be jerked around at the airport ("sorry, there's nothing we can do").

KLouis

You didn't read carefully: Xandrios complains for having had a third passenger occupy the middle seat next to his aisle seat. I obviously do sympathize with him, but the empty middle seat was never ever a written benefit for A3G...

blackball

Right, I wasn't referring to that. From the general discussion, I've understood that we are sometimes being forcefully upgraded to up front seats, with the possibility of only changing at the airport. Unless I am mistaken, this means that we can also be placed in a middle seat, since an up front middle seat is still considered better than anything in the back.

Is my understanding wrong? Haven't traveled in Y since the new rules were in force, so likely I may be confused.

In any case, I still don't get why this whole process has to be so complicated, when all would be fine if they just released the seats at OLCI...

GBobon

because many people will pay to get a window seat or maybe even an isle one. the system puts you in the middle seat.

winkny

I think is completely random, i have been given front middle seat in the past when the seat selection was free and almost all seats were empty.

Xandrios

This is of course true. But it is strange that people who get upgraded for free have an empty middle seat, while the one(s) who pay do not. Of course, I have received what I paid for...but it is still not nice. You would expect an airline to treat the people who pay for a service, and/or are elite, a little better than the ones who do not. Especially in cases like this where it is very obvious and measurable.

KLouis

Got assigned 5D at OLCI today (for free!). The amazing thing is that for as long as one didn't have to pay and I almost never called them for a seat I was always given 4E and I had to change it to an aisle seat. Mysteries of A3 IT

Dan72

I recently flew BEY-ATH-EVN. Both occasions chose seats in the free area at the back. But on transferring at Athens was offered (unprompted) a move to an emergency exit. Perhaps they are trying to manage the level of A3 gold irritation.