DoB840

I'm ticketed on an Iberia flight from JFK to MAD, ticketed through Finnair, and for the life of me I can't figure out how to select a seat.

If I start on the Iberia website, it redirects me to the Finnair website (which it refers to as Iberia!), which redirects me back to the Iberia website, and I can't go any further. If I start on the Finnair website, it redirects me to the Iberia website and I can't go any further.

I've tried going through several other OW airline websites to no avail - either they don't let me try or they redirect me to Finnair (sometimes after claiming they're redirecting me to Iberia).

I'm in Basic Economy, so I know there will be a fee, but I can't even tell what the fee will be, let alone select a seat and pay for it.

Any ideas? Thanks.

craigthemif

Book using an IB code next time?

It's fairly well known that booking codeshares means that you often give up functionality in exchange for what presumably was a lower fare.

LupineChemist

And what do they say when you call in?

DoB840

It took me multiple attempts to call (is it just me, or is the sound quality absolutely terrible on whatever phone system Iberia uses?), but eventually I selected my desired seat and paid the 33 USD fee by phone.

Or at least I think I did. I didn't get a confirmation email, and my booking (as shown on iberia.com and various other places) still doesn't show a seat assignment, but CheckMyTrip and ExpertFlyer now show the seat that I reserved as being occupied. How long should I wait before calling Iberia again? I do have a pending 37 USD charge on my credit card, so I'm a bit worried that I may have paid to give a stranger my desired seat!

(Also, if the prices shown at https://www.iberia.com/us/seat-reservation/ are up-to-date, I was overcharged - the maximum seat fee during low season is 33 USD. I'm flying later this month - definitely low season.)

DoB840

Just to follow up, I called Iberia again tonight, and the agent confirmed that I have my requested seat. She claims that, because I booked my flight through AA, her system can't send a confirmation email. (Note that I didn't actually book my flight through AA, although my return flight is indeed on AA.)

They really need to bring their IT beyond 1990.

nancypants