Tedgrrrr

This happens so frequently, that I should have posted years ago. My biggest pet peeve on AC is the fact that whenever I do a same day change, or if an upgrade goes through at the gate, that the gate agent (or check-in agent) are too lazy to ask me for my seat preference. The result is that they print a boarding pass with a seat I don't want, and then I ask them to change it and they have to print the boarding pass again. This happens almost every time I do a same day change or have an upgrade clear at the gate. And, with respect to the latter, I'm not talking about about a full J cabin with multiple people cleared at gate... I'm talking about getting a window seat in row 3, when all the bulkhead seats are open and J is half full. At a minimum, how hard it is to say, "Sir, do you prefer window or aisle?"

ffsim

[AC_GA]"You're lucky to be getting a seat at all."[/AC_GA]

DaveTO

What if the gate agent is a hottie? Then you actually have a reason to chat her up.

IluvSQ

Ted, with the First World problems that you are continually writing about, I am
beginning to understand why all the hotties that you are always running into
during your travels don't seem to want to stick around.

Tedgrrrr

I'm trying to save some trees!

Mavatar

What are the odds of this actually being the case?

KathrynInCanada

Since this happens *so frequently* I'm wondering why you are too lazy to ask them for a seat assignment when you ask for the same day change.

djjaguar64

Lazy is an understatement, some of them are just not meant for the job.

djjaguar64

What exactly is a hottie? A hot potato sized GA?

Badenoch

At a minimum how hard is it to state your preference before she prints the boarding pass? If you don't ask it is not unreasonable for the agent to conclude you don't care and will plop you wherever. Show a little initiative.

ffsim

IME the boarding pass is already printed when I'm called up to the counter. My initial comment was only 1/2 in jest; a majority of GAs I've encountered in this situation have had a "well, you're getting a seat, so what's the problem??" attitude.

flyquiet

[GA] If you don't like the seat you get, so help me, I will put you on a flight to YYZ instead. [/GA]

alc

not to help AC to defend, just sharing my experience....

I always tell the agent my seat pref in advance and they always still have to print out a boarding pass that they will rip it apart. So, I actually wonder if for these situation, it have to be first go thru the computer automatic assignment first before the agent can assign a seat manually.

Any AC personnel can comment?

djjaguar64

The agent can assign the seat and then issue the BP, but lazy ash agents just dont bother.

canadiancow

That made me laugh

Only once have I been asked a seat preference for an upgrade.

And in that case, the upgrades had already been processed, and my name was not on the list that was used (hint: there is more than one upgrade list). J was half full, so when she was about to do my upgrade, she asked "window or aisle?".

Then it turned out the two seats behind me were empty (the seat beside me was not), so I asked the SD if I could move there, and he said it was fine. And this brings up another point. 3A is occupied, 3C, 4A, 4C are free. Why did I get put into 3C?