MSObelle

This has happened to my husband. He had a seat in row 6 that was booked a few weeks ago. The flight is tomorrow. He logged in to check-in and found he'd been given some random seat in row 11 (while other better seats than row 6 were available).

He called to find out what happened, and he's being told that three days before the flight a 75K can choose the priority seat--even if that seat has already been assigned to a Gold. They are telling him (on the phone) that he has to "reselect the seat" at 3 days out.

Details are still coming in, and this is secondhand...but this is bizarre. I don't recall this happening before. Did something happen on Nov 1st with row 6? I know that AS was changing it up earlier this year, but I haven't seen this actual type of event happen.

edit to add: I searched for a post on this, and I didn't find anything. Apologies if it is out there.

PDXPremier

Read my last few posts in the Consolidated 73H Reconfigured Premium Economy thread here on the first page...I received a response the other day from the AS Twitter team specifically about row 6 (and exit rows).

MSObelle

So more details: Alaska doesn't know what happened to take him from 6C to 11B. AS told the hubby that this new change isn't in effect until November 9th. AS also isn't able to see the 11B history (hubs changed himself away from 11B into a better non-row 6 seat).

Why can you select the seat in advance only to have it stolen? If that's true, then I'll pick row 7 every time. I don't want to end up in row 22.

dave1013

Makes me wonder what other seats on the plane fall into this category. Do other airlines allow this practice?

MSObelle

I am one of those flyers that will totally pay for the seat if given the option. What irritates me about this is that the pay option was removed. And to take someone from a row 6 aisle to a row 11 middle seat? I mean that is just bizarre.

MSObelle

Because I don't want to have this happen to me, I have moved my seats out of row 6 for my upcoming mileage runs. I did notice that row 6 states "Preferred Plus More legroom Available with elite status or for a fee at check-in." Which apparently isn't true any longer.

UAPremierExec

Or it could have been a handicap passenger?

dave1013

I certainly hope it works out for you.

I was pretty much gobsmacked by the prospect of a 75K being able to exercise eminent domain over lower elites' seats.

missydarlin

This iis possibly the scenario, or likely a glitch when a plane with premium class configuration was assigned to the flight (which would explain the "3 days" part.

Because we absolutely aren't allowing 75K's to displace already seated passengers.

MSObelle

Thanks Missy. But this is what the phone rep stated. They told my husband he had to "reselect" the seat 2 days ago. As for HC, I thought that was pulled out of row 6? I haven't seen that designation since the new redesign. I always avoided selecting those seats because of that risk, but with the relabeling, it appeared to remove those as an HC option. Are you saying that it is still HC? And wouldn't that be noted somewhere in the audit trail?

missydarlin

I don't have any of the details, so I can't really help you with your specific flight.

What I can tell you is that the phone rep was incorrect. We don't require passengers to re-select at 3 days prior, and we don't give our 75K's the option to boot someone who's already seated.

MSObelle

Thank you Missy. You are a true asset to Alaska Air.

pcoll

Phew! I can stop panicking and changing current reservations.
With the E+ rollout, we may have some new surprises to deal with.

MSObelle

I still changed mine. I don't want to be victim to a "glitch" and end up in a middle seat on a flight.

Surftel

Happens all the time on United