Platinum - when does a guaranteed economy seat not mean a guaranteed seat?
Nov 29, 2018, 11:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London
Programs: Skywards
Posts: 80
Platinum - when does a guaranteed economy seat not mean a guaranteed seat?
I want to book a flight for next week which is sold out in economy. No problem I thought, as a platinum guest I am meant to get a guaranteed seat, provided booked more than 12 hours in advance.
However, Etihad has said that they cannot offer me a seat.. because there is no availability - which is the only circumstance in which the guarantee would be useful.
Has as anybody else experienced this? I thought it was a mistake - but it’s been confirmed by the platinum guest team on twitter.
However, Etihad has said that they cannot offer me a seat.. because there is no availability - which is the only circumstance in which the guarantee would be useful.
Has as anybody else experienced this? I thought it was a mistake - but it’s been confirmed by the platinum guest team on twitter.
Nov 29, 2018, 11:26 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Etihad Guest Platinum
Posts: 289
That's a shock, one of the perks of being Platinum! I thought they would be simply bump someone according to the T&Cs - https://www.etihadguest.com/en/our-p...ers_and_Status
Did you meet the requirements in Notes 4 & 5? Maybe your intended ticket wasn't the full Y fare?
- Applicable to guests that are travelling on all Etihad Airways operated flights. Excluding discounted tickets.
- Bookable in the highest Economy and Business class fare (Corporate fares or Abu Dhabi Government Employees Travel Programme discounts are not allowed). Multi-flyer tickets are not eligible for this benefit.
I would check with EY Platinum Guest team - [email protected] - rather than Twitter team.
Did you meet the requirements in Notes 4 & 5? Maybe your intended ticket wasn't the full Y fare?
- Applicable to guests that are travelling on all Etihad Airways operated flights. Excluding discounted tickets.
- Bookable in the highest Economy and Business class fare (Corporate fares or Abu Dhabi Government Employees Travel Programme discounts are not allowed). Multi-flyer tickets are not eligible for this benefit.
I would check with EY Platinum Guest team - [email protected] - rather than Twitter team.
Nov 29, 2018, 11:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London
Programs: Skywards
Posts: 80
Thanks, yes I meet all of the conditions that is why it is particularly puzzling. It’s a good job that I wasn’t hoping to book a flight with 13 hours notice - as I’d have now missed it given how long it is taking to resolve.
Thanks for the tip tip on emailing the team - I did last night, no response yet. Fingers crossed.
If the key benefit isnt offered it does suggest yet another degredation in the benefits Platinum status offers.
Thanks for the tip tip on emailing the team - I did last night, no response yet. Fingers crossed.
If the key benefit isnt offered it does suggest yet another degredation in the benefits Platinum status offers.
Nov 30, 2018, 1:53 am
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Yorkshire & Bangsaen
Programs: HH Diamond, EY Gold, AY Silver, MR Plat
Posts: 526
Thanks, yes I meet all of the conditions that is why it is particularly puzzling. It’s a good job that I wasn’t hoping to book a flight with 13 hours notice - as I’d have now missed it given how long it is taking to resolve.
Thanks for the tip tip on emailing the team - I did last night, no response yet. Fingers crossed.
If the key benefit isnt offered it does suggest yet another degredation in the benefits Platinum status offers.
Thanks for the tip tip on emailing the team - I did last night, no response yet. Fingers crossed.
If the key benefit isnt offered it does suggest yet another degredation in the benefits Platinum status offers.
Dec 1, 2018, 1:10 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London
Programs: Skywards
Posts: 80
After a few more calls Etihad have now offered me a Y seat based on their guarantee. Unnecessarily long winded and undermines the value of the guarantee if you have to argue for the seat ... and seemingly staff don’t even know about it.
Dec 1, 2018, 3:46 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: UK
Programs: Etihad Gold, Qatar Gold, flying Blue, Falcon, Lufthansa, Eva
Posts: 1,428
I have to say it is a pretty stupid offer - yes they want to appeal to loyalty but if it means that another passenger is going to be thrown off the flight then that is going to be costly for the airline and not good for it's reputation -
it is the sort of thing that sounds great for the airline but of course they are hoping that no one is trying to claim on it for a fully booked flight
it is the sort of thing that sounds great for the airline but of course they are hoping that no one is trying to claim on it for a fully booked flight
Dec 7, 2018, 11:45 am
#7
Join Date: May 2009
Location: World citizen
Programs: Etihad Platinum, Alitalia FRECCIA ALATA
Posts: 266
Overbooking for airlines is nothing new... They have a very complex software system which determines how many to overbook and it predicts how many will be "no show" so offering a ticket on a sold out Y class is not big deal because they can always bump people up to J to make room and if let's suppose Y class fare is $2500 compared to cheapest being under $1000 . It would makes sense to show red flag to bottom ticket bucket holder.
For this very reason airlines often sell full fare tickets at the airport counter.
For this very reason airlines often sell full fare tickets at the airport counter.
Dec 8, 2018, 1:24 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: UK
Programs: Etihad Gold, Qatar Gold, flying Blue, Falcon, Lufthansa, Eva
Posts: 1,428
Yes but this is offering a so called guarantee of a seat on a fully booked flight on the face of it does not make sense. Sure they can always gamble on a no show or bump someone into business if there is a seat.