NoWindowSeat

For once I have to say that I actually like what AY has done here..this also adds more value for AY/OW status, which is always a good thing imo.

Few more bucks won't hurt them either so from me this is ^

Laajo

I'm wondering if ALL economy seats are sellable or do Finnair block some of e.g first row seats which would not be sellable for upper FF card holder?
Speculating the situation where all economy front seats would be sold and Y-ticket and/or Platinum card holder would like to have someting else than an back row seat. It might be that the economy saver ticket and bought seat is running over Y-ticket/Plantinum card holder??

NoWindowSeat

The general public will NOT pay for their seats (at least on short haul), trust me...us FT people are maybe 0,001% of total pax and believe me that we are quite far from the standard pax.

If forced to be seated in whY for me far more important than front/back row is that the middle seat would be blocked...much more interested in this than row 4 or row 30...

ffay005

As AA PLT I find this an improvement to the previous free semi-seat selection. AY hasn't been very good at giving perks to status members so in that respect it definitely adds more value to the status card.

Could anyone confirm whether the new practice allows status members to pick a long-haul exit row or front row seat with a deep discount ticket free of charge? This was not possible in the old system.

Laajo

I have been able to pick up the front seat with N ticket several times, or it has been picked up by my travel agency already during reservation or the system has proposed the seat automatically for me. (AY emerald)

ffay005

As AA PLT/OW Sapphire, I've been able to get row 22 ie the 2nd Y row, but not 21. We'll see if this has changed. I think as AY PLT your chances are significantly better...

NoWindowSeat

Took a walk back to whY during my flight yesterday and it seems that row 21 is the area for the main infant show on the plane..is it really a place where FFs want to be?

Never been seated on AY A330 coach but the seating looks awful to me..more cramped than sivilized short haul Y on many good carriers..it really looked more like a charter config in the 1990s..sad really how AY has turned out..

mkgrip

I was thinking of the same, and also that that might be the reason they are blocking at least some of them, to avoid having to move people around if a pax with infant books a ticket.

And as said, It seems quite a few here are widely overestimating the willingness for people to pay to book for those seats. Why would everybody now all of a sudden want to pay for a certain seat so that there's nothing left for a Plat booking later on, when they did not do that before when it was free? If anything, there should be more seats for the Plat to pick from.

mkgrip

AY will change into the same model as Lufthansa with check-in, meaning that non-status Y pax will have to do their check-in either online, SMS or kiosk and use baggage drop. Regular check-in desks will disappear.
https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsP...490462&lang=en

Very much anticipated, I was already about to comment a few days ago when somebody was talking about charging for airport check-in, that that won't happen, but likely there will be no airport Y check-in in the near future

riku2

BA have been charging for seat assignment (even in J) for a long time and looking at the seat maps before check in starts, not many people are prepared to pay. On a fully booked flight perhaps 5% of seats show as assigned on long haul in the Y cabin, and that includes those with full fare Y, corporate tickets, BA and OW status passengers.

On the other hand if you travel at the last minute (eg buy a ticket 4h before departure) then be prepared for all good seats (eg aisle and window) to be gone quickly once people get the idea that you should do online checkin promptly if you even want to sit together with your travel mates.

I gave up flying AY longhaul a long time ago though. I'd rather fly HEL-LHR-NRT with BA than take a direct HEL-NRT flight with AY, even if AY was cheaper. And I got to BA gold in four months something that would not be possible with AY.

riku2

The finnish version matches the above although i'm not sure that the phrase "you are voluntarily upgraded" is correct english for "you upgrade yourself".

From the finnish version:

you are moved to a higher class of service (involuntary upgrade due to overbooking as BA print on my boarding pass sometimes): you do not get a refund.

you move yourself to a higher class (ie upgrade yourself with points): you get a refund of your seat fee

I wonder if onboard the flight attendants will shoo away anyone who sits in an exit row seat without having paid for it first. They did that to me once on PAL even though the whole row was empty.

NoWindowSeat

How can you put your FF number to a new reservation...I cannot find any way for this on the new AY site..?

intuition

? In step 5 "adding passenger data" to the upper right side.

NoWindowSeat

Thanks, I just realized that I just got a booking confirmation from my travel agent and it hasn't been ticketed yet..maybe that's why it doesn't show the full options just yet..

intuition

OK, you are in the "manage my booking", I was talking about "plan and book".