Downgrade from Premium Class
Oct 17, 2018, 3:49 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SFO/SEA
Programs: Amex Biz Cent, Marriott LTP, Avis PC, Hilton Owners Diamond, AS MVP
Posts: 3,380
I'm both surprised and appalled at the same time. That is a BIG AS letdown. 
In the interest of making this better, could you share an example of an upcoming flight (or do a dummy booking for that flight)? From over in the flame free thread someone just posted about having seat assignments in row 4, but a dummy booking for the same flight revealed row 6 as the first in Y. If so, this is a BIG IT snafu (at least within the lens of FT
)...
In the interest of making this better, could you share an example of an upcoming flight (or do a dummy booking for that flight)? From over in the flame free thread someone just posted about having seat assignments in row 4, but a dummy booking for the same flight revealed row 6 as the first in Y. If so, this is a BIG IT snafu (at least within the lens of FT
)...
! Most interestingly, even though row 4 doesn't exist on our flight (AS1936 SFO-LAX 10/18) anymore, both the website and my app still showed our row 4 seat assignments despite no row 4 appearing on the seat map. However, when I called the AS agent said we had been moved to middle seats in row 20-something. So even though people continue to see their original seat assignments, in reality there are new seat assignments that aren't visible on the front-end to travelers. Makes me wonder if there's going to be a lot of drama with other passengers who haven't been advised of (or haven't noticed) changes when we show up at the airport tomorrow.Also, if this issue impacts you I'd recommend reaching out to AS for help in making it right. The agent helping me wasn't able to get us back into the same seats (thankfully no harm no foul since we hadn't paid for premium seats and they were only the complimentary elite seats) but did provide future flight discount codes for the inconvenience.
Oct 17, 2018, 3:55 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, WN A-list, AS MVP 75K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 380
I'm that person from the flame-free thread ! Most interestingly, even though row 4 doesn't exist on our flight (AS1936 SFO-LAX 10/18) anymore, both the website and my app still showed our row 4 seat assignments despite no row 4 appearing on the seat map. However, when I called the AS agent said we had been moved to middle seats in row 20-something. So even though people continue to see their original seat assignments, in reality there are new seat assignments that aren't visible on the front-end to travelers. Makes me wonder if there's going to be a lot of drama with other passengers who haven't been advised of (or haven't noticed) changes when we show up at the airport tomorrow.
Also, if this issue impacts you I'd recommend reaching out to AS for help in making it right. The agent helping me wasn't able to get us back into the same seats (thankfully no harm no foul since we hadn't paid for premium seats and they were only the complimentary elite seats) but did provide future flight discount codes for the inconvenience.
! Most interestingly, even though row 4 doesn't exist on our flight (AS1936 SFO-LAX 10/18) anymore, both the website and my app still showed our row 4 seat assignments despite no row 4 appearing on the seat map. However, when I called the AS agent said we had been moved to middle seats in row 20-something. So even though people continue to see their original seat assignments, in reality there are new seat assignments that aren't visible on the front-end to travelers. Makes me wonder if there's going to be a lot of drama with other passengers who haven't been advised of (or haven't noticed) changes when we show up at the airport tomorrow.Also, if this issue impacts you I'd recommend reaching out to AS for help in making it right. The agent helping me wasn't able to get us back into the same seats (thankfully no harm no foul since we hadn't paid for premium seats and they were only the complimentary elite seats) but did provide future flight discount codes for the inconvenience.
Oct 17, 2018, 4:03 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, WN A-list, AS MVP 75K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 380
I'm both surprised and appalled at the same time. That is a BIG AS letdown.
In the interest of making this better, could you share an example of an upcoming flight (or do a dummy booking for that flight)? From over in the flame free thread someone just posted about having seat assignments in row 4, but a dummy booking for the same flight revealed row 6 as the first in Y. If so, this is a BIG IT snafu (at least within the lens of FT)...
In the interest of making this better, could you share an example of an upcoming flight (or do a dummy booking for that flight)? From over in the flame free thread someone just posted about having seat assignments in row 4, but a dummy booking for the same flight revealed row 6 as the first in Y. If so, this is a BIG IT snafu (at least within the lens of FT
)...
Oct 17, 2018, 4:20 pm
#49
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Between SFO and STS
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, United Serf, Delta Gold
Posts: 731
I'm that person from the flame-free thread ! Most interestingly, even though row 4 doesn't exist on our flight (AS1936 SFO-LAX 10/18) anymore, both the website and my app still showed our row 4 seat assignments despite no row 4 appearing on the seat map. However, when I called the AS agent said we had been moved to middle seats in row 20-something. So even though people continue to see their original seat assignments, in reality there are new seat assignments that aren't visible on the front-end to travelers. Makes me wonder if there's going to be a lot of drama with other passengers who haven't been advised of (or haven't noticed) changes when we show up at the airport tomorrow.
Also, if this issue impacts you I'd recommend reaching out to AS for help in making it right. The agent helping me wasn't able to get us back into the same seats (thankfully no harm no foul since we hadn't paid for premium seats and they were only the complimentary elite seats) but did provide future flight discount codes for the inconvenience.
! Most interestingly, even though row 4 doesn't exist on our flight (AS1936 SFO-LAX 10/18) anymore, both the website and my app still showed our row 4 seat assignments despite no row 4 appearing on the seat map. However, when I called the AS agent said we had been moved to middle seats in row 20-something. So even though people continue to see their original seat assignments, in reality there are new seat assignments that aren't visible on the front-end to travelers. Makes me wonder if there's going to be a lot of drama with other passengers who haven't been advised of (or haven't noticed) changes when we show up at the airport tomorrow.Also, if this issue impacts you I'd recommend reaching out to AS for help in making it right. The agent helping me wasn't able to get us back into the same seats (thankfully no harm no foul since we hadn't paid for premium seats and they were only the complimentary elite seats) but did provide future flight discount codes for the inconvenience.
. Thanks to you 2 for alerting us to this (and @beckoa for the PSA).Any lurkers from the AS crew wanna comment on these shenanigans?? I feel like a strong "we know that's an issue and we're working around the clock" might go a long way. Otherwise, another 2 weeks plus of this stuff isn't gonna fly with elites (pun intended).
Oct 17, 2018, 4:22 pm
#50
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AS, UA, WN, IHG Diamond Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Gold, CET 7*
Posts: 3,300
Alrighty then, putting your verbosity aside for the moment, let me try and cut to the chase. See below.
Is it really that simple? Have you considered lap infants? The handicapped? Unaccompanied Minors?
I can think of probably 9 more exceptions, because there's always at least one to a rule, right? FWIW, handicapped and UMs won't normally be in row 6 to begin with.
It appears you are most concerned about your bulkhead seat and the rest doesn't matter! You could be proactive and check the seat map prior to OLCI with a periodic dummy booking or try changing your seat assignment to see what is offered. If nothing has changed and you board a differently configured aircraft then it was a last minute swap. At least you won't be surmising.
Why are you putting the onus on the passenger? If AS is going to change the seat map, they can also be responsible for fixing your seat assignment. That's customer service 101.
If your bulkhead seat is broken and can't be used, what then? Move someone else back to accommodate you?
That's not what we're even discussing here, but I understand you wanting to change the conversation as you've done with multiple other replies here. "The artist is sick, the venue has burned down!" is a pretty classic example of you doing this previously.
If the swap was done prior to OLCI after you selected your Row 3 seat, wouldn't Row 6 be available to choose for subsequent reservations? Had you selected Row 6 in this scenario and was later bumped back from someone who chose Row 3 before the swap, you would be okay with that?
You're making no sense again. As has been previously explained, I would never choose row 6 over row 3, unless there was no row 3, which is what this thread is about. And no, row 6 wouldn't necessarily be available, I'm not sure where you're making that assumption from?
We are talking about, as you said, 6 passengers. I don't think tying up resourses to program an IT seat resassignment algorithm, given the aforementioned permutations, is efficient for an issue that is admittedly temporary.
Well, you might have a point here. The person in charge of such IT was probably fired this week in the management cuts.
"who also happen to either be elites or those who have paid extra for Row 3."
Can you please explain the relevance here? I don't see any.
If you don't see the relevance of being a top tier elite with AS, then nothing I can say will change that. It seems to be a very odd statement coming from a 75K, but to each their own. For many, many years, and up until just recently, AS was known for their stellar CS and especially their incredible treatment of their elites. With some random exceptions, that no longer seems to be the case, and this thread is just one of several glaring examples of that.
I can think of probably 9 more exceptions, because there's always at least one to a rule, right? FWIW, handicapped and UMs won't normally be in row 6 to begin with.
It appears you are most concerned about your bulkhead seat and the rest doesn't matter! You could be proactive and check the seat map prior to OLCI with a periodic dummy booking or try changing your seat assignment to see what is offered. If nothing has changed and you board a differently configured aircraft then it was a last minute swap. At least you won't be surmising.
Why are you putting the onus on the passenger? If AS is going to change the seat map, they can also be responsible for fixing your seat assignment. That's customer service 101.
If your bulkhead seat is broken and can't be used, what then? Move someone else back to accommodate you?
That's not what we're even discussing here, but I understand you wanting to change the conversation as you've done with multiple other replies here. "The artist is sick, the venue has burned down!" is a pretty classic example of you doing this previously.
If the swap was done prior to OLCI after you selected your Row 3 seat, wouldn't Row 6 be available to choose for subsequent reservations? Had you selected Row 6 in this scenario and was later bumped back from someone who chose Row 3 before the swap, you would be okay with that?
You're making no sense again. As has been previously explained, I would never choose row 6 over row 3, unless there was no row 3, which is what this thread is about. And no, row 6 wouldn't necessarily be available, I'm not sure where you're making that assumption from?
We are talking about, as you said, 6 passengers. I don't think tying up resourses to program an IT seat resassignment algorithm, given the aforementioned permutations, is efficient for an issue that is admittedly temporary.
Well, you might have a point here. The person in charge of such IT was probably fired this week in the management cuts.
"who also happen to either be elites or those who have paid extra for Row 3."
Can you please explain the relevance here? I don't see any.
If you don't see the relevance of being a top tier elite with AS, then nothing I can say will change that. It seems to be a very odd statement coming from a 75K, but to each their own. For many, many years, and up until just recently, AS was known for their stellar CS and especially their incredible treatment of their elites. With some random exceptions, that no longer seems to be the case, and this thread is just one of several glaring examples of that.
Oct 17, 2018, 5:29 pm
#51
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SFO/SEA
Programs: Amex Biz Cent, Marriott LTP, Avis PC, Hilton Owners Diamond, AS MVP
Posts: 3,380
So what's interesting, at least in my case, is that it wasn't clearly visible at all and would have been completely easy for somebody to not notice if they weren't paying close attention. The only reason I noticed was that I went to see if other/better seats were available in my existing reservation. I saw that my assignments at the top of the app said 4D and 4F but the seat map started at row 6. First I thought it was a glitch on the app or perhaps not being able to scroll entirely, but then I went to try changing seats on the website only to see the same thing. At that point I tried a dummy booking to confirm and that's when I realized there truly was an issue and called customer service. Had I not been closely paying attention to the seat map I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed till OLCI or at the airport
Oct 22, 2018, 11:32 am
#52
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, WN A-list, AS MVP 75K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 380
This is a game I just can't win. I spoke to customer service last week about my flights for this week, since the last two weeks the revised/downgraded seating chart wasn't visible until check-in. We agreed I should call back the morning of check-in, by then they should have an indication of what plane they'll be using and whether or not I'll be swapped out of premium seating. At that point nothing had changed.
Of course, this time they did all the changes at 60 hours out, and I'm stuck in 24C. This @^%&*$ sucks. 3 weeks in a row.
No replies to emails. Phone service is useless. Just booked about $3K of travel, none on AS.
Of course, this time they did all the changes at 60 hours out, and I'm stuck in 24C. This @^%&*$ sucks. 3 weeks in a row.
No replies to emails. Phone service is useless. Just booked about $3K of travel, none on AS.
Last edited by bbison; Oct 23, 2018 at 10:55 am