Globaliser

I don't know the answer to your specific question, but in my (relatively limited) experience of short-haul, people generally seem very happy to allocate themselves the middle seat in an exit row at an early stage, even if the window and aisle seats are already occupied, thus making the TS question academic!

MPH1980

A few pieces of anecdotal evidence from me.

1 ... I have tended to notice that when getting full TS seems to work front to back. It isn't a perfect thing but it always strikes me the empty seats seem further back in the end. But I could be seeing patterns where they don't exist.

2 ... I am pretty sure check in desks don't give a flying whatever about TS. I know when it was brought in they were supposed to see the blocks and respect them but I have seen a significant number of times someone get put into a blocked seat without question or second thought. (including once right in front of me in a check in line).

So i think if a seat is blocked and 'desirable' don't necessarily expect it to remain blocked.

corporate-wage-slave

There are several factors at play here. For exit rows non Golds/Emeralds will often have to pay either a fee and/or a higher fee to sit in the exit row. So that factor greatly clears down exit row selection. The most extreme example I saw was HBO fare £29 to somewhere like PMI, exit row seating £21! . So if you play "spot the Gold" - seeking out other single travellers with a TS block showing in ExpertFlyer after T-72 hours - then another single Gold cardholder can generally work the process to keep the middle seat empty. If you are a couple it gets more complicated, obviously, unless you are both Golds. Another factor is that if CE is relatively small, a lot of travellers are tempted to sit nearer the front if they can, forsaking exit row seats. As has been noted, some passengers dislike exit row seats due to the need to keep the floor area clear. Note that on A321 there is a second exit row which isn't great in terms of limited window aspect, but which has a lot of legroom and is unpopular with those seeking to be nearer the front.

On the other hand, there are some travellers who just won't - or in a small number of cases - can't sit in with the normal shorthaul seating density, and they are happy to pay whatever it takes. Secondly as already noted, many agents will simply agree to move people to the exit rows after sufficient pleading. Finally, if someone has been seat shifted, or can only check in at the airport, and finds only middle seats available, then middle seat exit row is one way to reduce any ire from the passenger concerned. Note this is a particular issue at LGW since swapping between G-GATs and BMI aircraft can lead to people unaware they have lost their exit row seats if they didn't stay on top of any equipment changes (and that can happen anywhere).

thereandhere

Out of curiosity does this work on partner airlines as well? Earlier this month I was at the back of a Malaysian Airlines flight to and from Kuala Lumpur. Both ways the middle seat was empty, admittedly on the outbound the plane was probably about 80 percent full but on the way back to London the only empty seat was next to me (and the "lucky" person the other side).

corporate-wage-slave

TS is an Amadeus system, offered to all their airlines, so many airlines use TS. Each airline is able to set the rule book according to their own specification. Lufthansa's version is far more complex than BA, with different flavours on different route archetypes. A rule book was put out in the public domain a few years back, but LH then went an changed it shortly thereafter. I'm a LH Senator and though I can see the basic principles involved (i.e. I normally get an empty seat next to me) I have so far failed to decode the detailed aspects of its operations which are far more subtle than BA's version.

flashware

Unfortunately not always the case - on a recent flight to GIB my wife and I had an aisle and window in the exit row (we are both GCH) with someone sat next to us in the middle. The exit row in front of us had an empty middle and then the exit row on the other side had one passenger in the aisle seat with the window and middle free. Perplexing!

flashware

IIRC Qantas have been using it for quite some time, certainly when I used to fly QF regularly I remember it being talked about quite a bit and I do also recall when I was a scummy OWS they wouldn't "unblock" a seat for me in "Emerald city" on the A380 J upper deck cabin saying that it was blocked etc. That would have been about 6-7 years ago if memory serves me right!

corporate-wage-slave

As commented upthread, that is the wrong approach here. You best sit together rather than split tactically, BA seems to allow middle seat sales when people do this on the same PNR. Statistically you best book window and middle if both are Gold. On the other hand you could do window + aisle if on separate PNRs.

flashware

We're rarely in ET these days anyway, but next time we are we'll give that a try ^

CKBA

It might seem a little vindictive to actively target couples rather than non-couples over this though. I very much doubt that the 6 empty middle seats had adjacent golds with higher CIV scores in economy - who also boarded late - but you never know. Anyway, in the past, sat together doesn't free-up the seat next to me either, and I've known flights where a couple have been assigned the two seats (out of 3) next to me on an otherwise empty flight!

flashware

Perhaps we've done something to annoy the BA gods

corporate-wage-slave

More likely TS is just a booking algorithm, perhaps more of a guideline, which can be over-ridden very easily with human intervention. Status passengers like to get good seats. Non status passengers like to get good seats. If you are sat next to the person you love, what else matters?

thejohn

at the weekend I was exit row on a A319 I was 10F a man sat in 10E and 10D was empty, his wife was in 10C he did not move to 10D for the flight duration (JER) so no problem. so I'm wondering where TS was to increase both our comfort..
P.S. I'm a GCH.
John

CKBA

It would in interesting to know whether the checkin staff see just an empty seat, or if they have to 'override' any blocking. I suppose that spending 8 hours stuck next to the one you love is a good test of any marriage (maybe next time it's separate bookings!).

Misco60

I don't think it's vindictive at all. If the aircraft is almost full and a choice has to be made which previously-blocked middle seat should now be assigned to a late check-in then it makes sense to put him/her between two passengers on the same PNR, who will probably not mind sitting next to each other, over two single passengers on different PNRs.And if one of you is then op-uped, that's an even better test of a marriage.