Clipper801

Happened to me twice. Both times in business, one time on an Aeroplan reward ticket and the other time on a paid P fare ticket. Both times Canada to Europe and was at the gate during boarding. No explanation other than we need to change your seat and in fact quite arbitrary. By that time, you either fly or not fly. If one flies AC, it is critical to hold meaningful Altitude status or they will "abuse" you when it is necessary to appease a SE. Also mindful that AC policy is careful to state that advance seat reservation is not guaranteed.
Wrote to customer relation after the trip and both times received a discount code.

sanggyu88

Hey everyone just wanted to give an update as I had my flight yesterday.

Check in agent didn't say a single thing to me, even though the call center agent said they put a note that would be visible upon checking in.

I do believe this was some sort of random IT glitch as the people who sat in the seats did not look like SE or MM but that is just based on appearance... They were both young (one was perhaps 18? Wearing a university sweatshirt.)

Anyways, I receiced a 10% off base fare code via email as a gesture of goodwill.

Surprised this has happened to so many of you as this was the first time for me. I will definitely be diligent in checking my return flight and any other future flights as well.

Safe flying, everyone!

jc94

TemboOne

It seems that regardless of when the seat switch is pulled, the overall consensus seems to be that you have to just grin and bear it; too bad - so sad!

I just can't believe that of the many members (and lurkers) on here, no one has been confronted by an attemped seat switch and just refused to travel!!!

Of course the more luggage you've checked the better position you're in, particularly if it's a switch at the gate - or maybe you're already onboard and you discover the "mistake" on your boarding pass.

AC is going to move heaven and earth to try everything to avoid having to locate all your checked luggage and offload it if you don't fly!

A flight delayed for this reason makes absolutely no senses, but if it's the result of AC trying to appease VIPs or SEs and "too bad" to regular fare paying passengers, then "so sad" for all.

A passenger refusing to accept a replacement seat just so another can be appeased resulting in a delayed departure and late arrival at destination carries consequences for many!

And forget about CBC; Pat Forin at CTV will be quite happy to take this topic for a ride on the airwaves.

skybluesea

What mistake are you referring to?

Seat Assignments are NOT carved in stone, as I posted previously, and YOU have NO right in contract to a seat previously assigned.

move heaven and earth...really, have been on board when bags removed in about 10 minutes - OAG measures departure 15 mins of sched as on time...

And how do you know that the seat has been re-assigned to appease someone else...lots of suppositions throughout your post.

life is short and if you have time to waste offloading yourself in a fit of pique, all power to you...

ps...fine line between passive aggressive behavior and a purposeful disruption that might cause the in-charge SD or even the PIC to have someone removed from a flight before the doors are closed

check out 4.3.7 that has risen to the point where IATA is asking ICAO to engage at a global level to stop disruptive behaviour on the ground so to avoid dealing with menaces in the air.

Advisory Circular (AC) No. 700-010 - Transport Canada

ridefar

Just wanted to add a +1.

I don't think TemboOne's position is supported by either the facts, and the proposed response strikes me as out of proportion and bad judgement (certainly for what I would do).

What have I done? Just sent in a "complaint" on the feedback form on the web. I received compensation. I didn't ask for it. My point in submitting the feedback is the small hope that somebody actually forwards them to somebody else that can actually fix the issue. If my seat deflates and I can move to one that doesn't, grand. I will still give them feedback so they know my original seat deflated. Same thing with having my seat changed. It isn't the end of the world, but I will give them feedback so they know it is happening. If they would rather just hand out 10% off coupons than fixing it, thats their call. Either way, I'm good.

jc94

canadiancow

I don't know what happened to 1C. Or 1F.

It's really nothing like that post though. They refused to move per crew member instructions. A computer could put them in bad seats, but it's their choice to attempt to remain there.

TemboOne

In not having examined the boarding passes after checking-in and only discovering an unknown seat change AFTER boarding. I neither claimed nor implied that a pre-selected seat was a God-given "right" - but since the availability to pre-select seats is now almost universally commonplace on other than some shuttles, there is a reasonable expectationamong the travelling public that such selection would be honoured.
Not sure what flight you're referring to; your example is not specific as to aircraft type and passenger load. The last time we went to Asia (from YYZ) the flight was delayed 35 minutes as four previously checked passengers were "no shows" at the gate and their baggage had to be located, positively identified and removed. (How I have access to this correct info is nobody's business). As to OAG, why should anyone here care about opinions expressed by a private business? If ramp push-back is not on schedule then the flight is late departing. Yes, you are quite correct - lots of suppositions about this because I conveniently neglected to say that after 60 plus years of travelling about three million km all over the world and a few rtws as well, on many airlines, I have never even once had my assigned or pre-selected seat changed or reassigned! BUT, we all know that it happens, and fortunately for us all it occurs much more infrequently on AC than most other carriers.

Yes, life is short, and at 77 it is something that I'm very much aware of - but my time is free, uncommitted and my own. Certainly there is no possibility of a "fit of pique" - as you so amusingly put it. BUT, for example, if we have booked YYZ-HKG months in advance in PE and pre-selected a window seat pair and find that we've been moved to the centre block we simply will not travel. If we discover this at check-in it can be handled easily, but if it occurs on board - perhaps as a result of a gate reassignment, we will simply inform the SD that we are NOT travelling under such circumstances. If we are already onboard and discovered a problem which could not be rectified amicably then we would simply disembark. You seem to imply that there would be aggressive behaviour and/or confrontation either at check-in, at the gate or on-board. That however is just your assumption and in no way relative to what I posted. Confrontation achieves nothing, but polite respectful discussion sometimes can solve the most tricky problems.

Passengers must be treated equally by airlines and with the same degree of respect that the same airlines expect to be shown to their crews and staff.

jc94

TemboOne

That's why for health reasons (and some semblance of sanity) we won't travel back in Y, nor in the middle of PE or J.
We've cut our long haul leisure trips by 75% in order to be able to make less frequent TPAC or TATL trips in comfort and safety (health wise) of J or PY but never in the centre section.

skybluesea

AC is a COMMON CARRIER, NOT a private jet service where such demands you state are paid for in quite a different manner.

And quite evident by your response you could NOT care less about the other passengers on board who may miss connections, weddings, funerals, and their lives disrupted because you failed to check your seat assignment at check-in and decide to de-board and force your bag to be removed...

btw...the reason for the offloading bag requirement is highly personal for me...I was working as junior manager for YVR mgmt the day the bombs were loaded on CP flights that eventually took down Air India and 2 baggage handlers at Narita...

ps...and you may soon NOT have any reason to have a window seat...which will be good for the environment as the windows create enormous drag impacts.
Emirates windowless planes concept unveiled and new premium economy class

and I too have flown well in excess of 3 mm on all manner of carriers across every continent at my tender age of 57 - so if you wish respect, maybe show some...like understanding that forcing a flight delay involves AC launching security protocols to avoid an another Air India or Pan Am tragedy which is on mind every time I hear that bags are being offloaded.

good luck with all that

Sopwith

Once again, the aviation world would be a better place if AC would simply tell the truth. You are not paying for advance seat selection. You are not selecting a seat in advance. What you are doing is purchasing a lottery ticket, the prize for which is a seat of your choice, with a relatively high chance of winning, but clearly something less than 100%.

If AC would tell people about this simple reality, these sorts of problems would go away.

yyznomad

This happened to me about 50 times last year. IRROPS most of the time. Sometimes got my original seat back, sometimes not.

skybluesea

and you just nailed it...more communications the better and NOT just the marketing kind.

yet to be fair to AC, travelers have unrealistic expectations such as unwilling to pay for services AC offers like paid seat assignments in Y then whine about poor treatment when folks can't sit together...

and in the case of one post yesterday on this thread a willingness to lever the death of hundreds of fellow travellers as a method to force a seat assignment through long established aviation security protocols to keep bombs off airplanes...