Sometime EK really does not get it
 

Flight on the day of Christmas eve. Very light load. I book a seat in the middle section of a B777 and ask the check in agent to block the three seats next to me. "Yes, of course, sir."

Upon boarding I learn that somebody sits in "my" row with a pre-assigned seat. Big surprise. Most other middle rows only have one passenger in them, but into my row - I am Platinum - they put another passenger.

"Oh, nothing I can do about it.", says the purser. How stupid can Emirates be, seriously? Time to shift some business to Etihad again.

Coughing and Sneezing while having a conversation with my new seatmate about my recent trip to West Africa seems to do the trick.:D.

Did you pay for 4 seats or pay for 1?

If all the other rows had a passenger and another passenger checks in then any soft blocking will be overridden ( or if the passenger explicitly asks for a specific seat it may well happen )

Airlines do offer the option to purchase extra seats and , on airlines which have chosen to suck on the teat of surcharges, can be quite cheap ( typically no surcharges and no taxes )

I don't know any airline that will guarantee to keep seats empty unless they have been paid for ; nice if the blocking works

Understand your frustration, but here is a question:

If I traveled on the same flight and wandered in and decided to sit in the same row, will you ask the purser to have me reseated? I'm just asking because even if Emirates did block the seats for you, what if someone decided to just move and sit next to you? May have to think that way and avoid getting frustrated. At least your seat is yours. Travel happy and avoid stress.

Well they did that too with me in business.
The first agent set a high expectation with that affirmation. It's not like CalFlyer was trying to bend the rules or looking for exceptions. Looks like removing a seat block is treated as a simple technicality with no warning/note coming up on the screen of the subsequent agent.

I think there's a disconnect between what the agent thinks/does/says and what another agent resorts to do. It might just be that the business rule that govern this procedure is not as comprehensive.

Either way, I understand CalFlyer's frustration. It's not so much about having a full row, it's about the failure to keep a promise to the tune of being misled.

If a block was put in place, then the agent did what was asked and the passenger was not misled

Expecting a block of kind of a faulty seat ( ie not allowed to be allocated ) is unreasonable imo unless having explicitly paid for an extra seat

someone just specifically asking for one of the other seats in that row is likely to override the block or even the number of passengers checked in can do it . This isn't evem just 1 blocked seat that was expected by the passenger, it iis 3

+1

With all due respect to the OP, just because you're a "platinum" member does NOT mean the plane entirely belongs to you. Unless you paid for the other 2 - 3 seats then you have no right to ask the agent to block the seats just for your convenience.

I am a blue skywards member and will continue to fly Emirates. I'm extremely satisfied with my experiences and their customer service (something perhaps Cathay Pacific can learn from?) ^

I think EK needs the Plat flyer more than the Blue flyer.

If not they will be out of business very shortly. But you can't trust Emirates to be honest or true to their word. You might win some, and lose some.

BTW, when I mentioned to my wife I was considering not cancelling my Y class booking SIN-FCO, she laughed and said I was mad (yes I am). But I did take her advice and will use my UA award booking in C (I) class to fly to FCO instead. If I thought I had a good chance of a miles upgrade on EK, I'd stick with them, but they'll probably give the last C seat to a blue FF.

I think this is the key point. If the first agent had entered a request for the row to be blocked but informed CF that things may well change before takeoff, that would be more honest. If the purser had provided some explanation as to why the other middle rows only had one passenger but the latecomer (I assume) was in CF's row, that would be something.

Long ago (before OLCI and website seat selection) on an airline far far away (*cough* QF *cough), I was regularly told at check-in that "yes, that's an aisle seat" or "the seat next to you is empty" or "it's an exit row" only to find myself in a middle non-exit seat between two passengers. If they had said "you're only a silver - suck it up" or "the flight is packed and this is all we can offer you" at least it would be honest.

I don't think you've mentioned this before. :rolleyes:

This is also incorrect.

EK needs the blues more than the plats. You are but a number in an Oracle Database - they don't really care nor do they need to. Its a pain but they have to have it....

I/O's they care more about.

Yes, I've had similar probs with QF. The most recent, which worked out in my favour, was on a flight from SYD to BKK on a 333. I had a window seat and at the last minute they plonked a big, fat person next to me (QF Y class seats aren't all that nice anyway).

Just before I left the Qantas Club, I asked the agent if anyone had taken the (aisle) seat next to me. I was informed that they had and I then asked if there were any seats left with an empty seat next to it. To my surprise I was offered a middle aisle seat close to my original seat with 2 empty seats next to it. Made for a very nice flight. So it always pays to check seat assignments at the last minute. IMHO QF is better at this than EK (who can be quite incompetent).

I was always under the impression that at checkin they can and will block a row for you, however once the checkin in closed and the flight gets passed to the control of the gate, the blocks are removed and it's a free for all - passengers can (and do) go to the desk at the gate and request seat changes.

Calflyer, I can empathize with you. I've experienced this before and have felt as frustrated as you. Once I understood that check-in agents are contract staff whose priority is to run through the whole queue of pax in the Y queue at check-in as fast as they can and with several of them operating in tandem without any idea of where premium FF are seated, I didn't feel as frustrated. I quickly figured out a way to get over this.

The best place to get seats blocked or get your seat changed is the Lounge. The folks in the EK lounge (at least at JFK) are permanent staff who recognize Premium FFs, and will accede your request to the best possible extent that they can.

Sometime EK really does not get it
 

I am a great believer I the *you get what you pay for* school of thought. Yes status helps but in the final analysis you travel economy and you take your chances. Having a whole row booked out pretty much turns it into J class. When I travel economy I behave like a back packrt (despite being an io). That is to say I try with status and charm! To try and get as much of an advantage as I can and then I try to grab as much space as I can without invoking a DYKWIA approach once on board. If someone grabs a seat in "my row" or I am asked if someone can move there because of faulty seat or whatever I think ok I am in economy I am a cheapskate live with it!