Need quick answer regarding seats!
 

Hi there- first post, so apologies if this isn't the right forum. But I could use some advise from some seasoned travelers.

I just booked a flight on Delta. The only seats remaining are the Delta Comfort seats, where they will charge me an extra $59 for the seat.

So I have not selected a seat assignment. However, these are the last two seats that are shown.

So if I don't select a seat, will one of those seats automatically be given to me? Without having to pay? OR...if I don't select the seat before hand, am I at risk for being bumped from the flight in the event it is oversold?

Any help is appreciated. Flight is on Sunday, today is late Friday night so any quick answers are appreciated! Thank you!!!

Welcome to FT. If you go to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php you'll see all our fora. Click on "Airlines & Mileage Programs" & you'll see a list of all the major airlines. I've alerted the moderators of this forum to move your post to our Delta forum where you'll get awesome advice. Good luck and thanks for joining FT. :)

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A seat will be assigned to you at no charge when you check in on Sunday. If the flight is oversold and no seats are available to be assigned, the airline will typically ask for volunteers willing to take a later flight for compensation of the airline's choosing. If the airline does not get enough volunteers, it will bump one or more passengers, and have to pay Involuntarily Denied Boarding compensation as required by federal regulations.

Just make sure that you satisfy all of Delta's time requirements for checking in, presenting yourself at the departure gate, etc. If you fail to comply with Delta's time requirements and do not get on the flight, Delta may not owe you anything.

Thanks guv1976!

Upon closer inspection, I just saw there are 12 first class seats. Only one is sold, so that means there are 11 first class seats open for that flight. So now I'm less worried about it...somehow I doubt 11 seats in first class will get sold in the next 36 hours, so maybe passengers will get moved to there in event of an overbooked situation. So with any luck, I might be one of them!

There is no way you can know whether 11 F seat are sold or not. All you can see is that 11 seats have not been selected. I suspect many more have been sold. There will be people who are upgraded to F and others who use vouchers/miles to move up there. You'll have an opportunity to select a seat at check-in.

Need quick answer regarding seats!
 

This is pretty common with Delta. Often there will be seats availables that will not show up on the seat map because they are being held for gate control. If there are open seats in first then coach passengers with status will likely be upgraded and that will open up additional coach seats.

Delta will assign you a seat at check-in. You may be able to negotiate a better seat at the gate. Depending on the length of the flight the C+ seats are a nice improvement over standard coach.

Odds are this is exactly what will happen. OP will get E- seats at check-in that have been vacated by upgraders. Less likely: OP bumped into E+ at no charge. But there is almost certainly more E- inventory available than the seatmap shows.

Make sure you check in online exactly 24 hours prior to departure, at this time the preferred seats (not C+) will be available to everyone. If still nothing opens up, keep checking during the day. Silver members have complimentary access to C+ seats at T-24, so they will move from a regular seat to C+, opening up those regular seats.

Also beware that you may be assigned a middle seat anywhere in the coach section.
Play the game carefully and do the check-in as noted previous post -24- hours
in advance for perhaps a better selection of seats.
If assigned a middle seat ask for a change at the gate.
Upgrades to FC may create a more desirable seat even if it is further
toward the rear of the flight maybe even an emergency exit row.

You will get a seat. When you check in, one will probably be assigned; it might be anywhere on the plane (F is extremely unlikely). If not, you'll get one at the gate.

You can always check for available seats and attempt to change if one looks better than what you have.

You can ask the Gate Agent for a better seat that opens up when someone is upgraded.

You've very unlikely to be Denied Boarding involuntarily. If the flight is oversold, Delta will ask for volunteers to take a later flight for up to around $1200, so is almost certain to get enough of them.

That will not happen. Delta medallions will be upgraded into those F seats, opening up economy seats to which you can be assigned.

US law requires that DL bump people in a pre-specified order should the flight actually oversell (highly unlikely) and should there not be any volunteers (even more unlikely). Whether you have a seat assignment will not play a role in whether you get bumped.