jim88

I booked US <-> Spain flight through booking.com for a Finnair flight which is operated by Iberia and AA via codeshare. I had no problem picking our seats on AA. Iberia has been a complete NIGHTMARE:

I can pick Iberia flight seats, and pay for them via my credit card, and my credit card transactions show the Iberia charge. But when I go back in again to view the flight it says payment due for those seats. So I enter credit card again and same thing happens! I wait two day and try again -- now it shows I have NO seats reserved any Iberia flight. So I pick seats and enter credit card again. Now I get "an error has occurred. Payment context not found"... I try this 3 times during a day and same error.

Over past few days I have had 3 long phone conversations with Iberia, and later long chat conversations( so I have a written record). I get a different story each time.... most recent answer in chat was :

[1/13, 12:08 PM] Iberia: In this case, for a shared code reservation, as is yours, the assignment of seats can only be done through the website. If it does not work on the website, it must be done at the airport, where our staff will help you. With the process.
[1/13, 12:09 PM] Iberia: The website generates errors when booking with shared code, we are very sorry for the situation and we are improving on it.
[1/13, 12:09 PM] Iberia: In this case, if any charge was generated, it will be returned automatically.
[1/13, 12:13 PM] Iberia: Even though they are Iberia flights, the ticket belongs to another airline, which does not allow us to assign the seats.

So the Iberia agent said cannot pick seats for me now via phone or chat. I have I have to wait until I show up at airport months later on the day of the flights to pick our seats!

Anyone else having this problem? Any idea what to do? Can I get my money back on this non-refundable flex flight booking... maybe via a credit card company chargeback?

Calls to Iberia, Finnair, and booking.com has resulted in no solution.

craigthemif

Welcome to FT. If you had come here earlier, we might have been able to advise you...

1. Don't book codeshares if you care about managing your booking in advance
2. Don't use an Online Travel Agency

Your only chance of getting a full refund on a non-refundable ticket is if there is a significant schedule change between now and departure. If you try to involve your bank now, your chargeback will be declined - you have a perfectly valid ticket to fly to Spain - and you will have no further recourse.

Hopefully you will receive your multiple seat selection fees refunded in due course. Don't try again - it won't work.

When online check-in opens 24 hours before departure, you may be able to select seats. But you may be simply assigned a seat and will be unable to change it.

Although frustrating, your situation is unlikely to be resolved. Learn the lesson to not use OTAs to book codeshares in the future.

jim88

I definitely learned my lesson... I'm a novice international traveler. But who knew codeshare flights had seat reservation issues... codeshare is not a new concept. Iberia's software is just plain broken. If Iberia software cannot handle codeshare seat reservations, then their software should *not* allow me to pick seats + accept and charge my credit card for those seats + immediately tell me there's a balance due for those seats even though the seats charge was instantly completed through my credit card company. Note I was able to pick my seats on AA's flight leg no issues, so AA's software does correctly handle codeshare flights.

Iberia must be well aware of this bug due to many other customers like me hitting it, but when I talk to Iberia, they act like it's the first time they heard of the issue.

Re "you have a perfectly valid ticket to fly to Spain".... legally you may be correct, but any family booking a long duration flight expects to be able to pick seats in advance. I didn't see any notice during my booking process saying I would not be able to do that.

I didn't not see any non-codeshare flight that didn't require an overnight stay somewhere... it's possible I missed some. Alternatively I could have booking each flight leg direct with each operating airline, but I assumed (maybe incorrectly) it would be more expensive, and increase chances of lost baggage and missed connections vs. booking via a single airline who codeshares to other operating airlines.

NDFan

I feel your pain! I have had a slightly different issue with Iberia seating assignments over the past few days which took multiple phone calls and eventually the use of Japan Airlines' and Royal Jordanian's websites to resolve!
Iberia's website, software and phone agents are horrible. On one call I got the same comment as you "[1/13, 12:13 PM] Iberia: Even though they are Iberia flights, the ticket belongs to another airline, which does not allow us to assign the seats." which is a blatant lie as it is the operating airline that almost always handles seat assignments.

In your case, I have no idea why the online seat selection and card payment would fail. My only suggestion would be to keep calling and try to get a competent agent who will do your seat allocation over the phone and process your credit card payment at the same time. You may need to call multiple times.
Were you calling the US number: 800-772-4642 or the Spanish number: +34 913 33 67 01? I have had better luck with the Spanish number, and there is an English language option.

jim88

I was calling the US number. How did you get another airline to reserve the seat on Iberia, when Iberia is the operating airline? I tried to get Finnair to reserve the seat on Iberia, and they said thy could not do it since Iberia is the operation airline .

In addition to phone call, I also used Whatsapp to message with Iberia agents.

NDFan

My situation was a bit different than yours in that Iberia would not let me select a seat for free, which I should be able to do due to my Oneworld status (Sapphire).
On the JAL site I could delete my Frequent Flyer number and then re-enter it.
Then I could select a seat for free using the RJ site.
And that was reflected on the IB site and so far, it has held.
It's all too weird!

TheMoops

Iberia’s website and mobile app are among the worst, at least when managing another airlines reservation that’s operated by Iberia.

I just finished a work trip booked with an American record locator but with a few legs operated Iberia. After figuring out which reservation # is the one that’ll allow you to choose seats (which might not be the same for all Iberia legs), it’s easy enough. Seat map might work better on a computer or tablet vs phone.

For my last two (of three) Iberia flights, I selected an “XL Extra Legroom” seat up front, and boarding pass confirmed the seat assignment. At the gate during boarding, they assigned me a new seat due to “aircraft changes”, even though it seemed to be the same A321 as always. I asked how they decided to move me and not the other guy with that seat, and I never got an answer. Very annoying to end up wedged into a standard seat in row 25 when I have a boarding pass with row 6, especially when there’s a connection involved. At least it was a short flight and the seat selection itself was free, due to being OW Emerald, but my point is that Iberia truly is a mess.

Unrelated, the app let me check in and get boarding passes 7 days in advance for two of my three legs, but I had to check in with them in person for the third. You get what you pay for, indeed.

chunkalunk

Is this true for Business Class too??

I booked a flight for April on Iberia (in J) via Alaska Airlines and there is no way for me to select my seat when I go to IB site with my PNR. (it says "not available" in the Seats section.

I've tried downloading the Iberia app and there isn't even a section for Seats when I retrieve my booking.

golfmad

I have a BA ticket returning with ABZ-LHR-MAD-JFK all with BA flight numbers. The IB segment is a BA codeshare MAD-JFK. I had no problem selecting a seat on the IB website for this flight.

Zebulon

Mostly the same issue as you.
I have a business class ticket with a mixed booking on Iberia/Latam. For both transatlantic legs, I can't reserve the seat. When using the website, they show me the economy cabin on the inbound flight, and for the outbound flight, I attempt to pay for seat reservation but encounter an error when trying to do so.
On the mobile app, no reservation is possible for the inbound flight ("not available"), and while seat selection is available for the outbound flight at 0.-, I receive an error message when attempting to confirm.
I'm not sure if it makes sense for me to try calling.
Additionally, do you know how I can add my Qatar Privilege Club membership to the reservation so I can earn Avios? I wasn't able to add it during the booking.

acker

Try Malaysia Air website "Manage Booking" Manage booking for selecting seats on IB. Odd but it worked for me. My MAD-BOS flight was booked using BA Avios. BA and IB wouldn't let me choose a seat. Malaysia Air let me. Go figure.

moral_low_ground

I agree with the above but the key - so I have found - is to insist the agent you are speaking to deletes the existing seat assignment and then new ones can be made (and this has to be done with an IB call agent - BA call centre cannot do it even if BA code share).

Asking them to "change" the seat assignment will result in the agent not succeeding - delete seat assignment and then assign new is how to do it.

BTW, the online chat facility can be used to do the above if you get the right agent who also is willing to take the above instructions

ccqueenanne

Thanks for this! I booked MAD-ORD using IB app, as I can't log-in via the website (argh!), but it errored when I tried to select seats. Your trick worked for me.

rthib

You are a true hero!
This is so crazy but it works.

beachfan

awesome, works well when the Iberia app and web page wouldn’t.

The tip of the year!