I have Elite Gold status, and recently booked a flight for January 17th, going from AMS to GRU.

In all respects, a long haul flight. 11 1/2 hours.

On the KLM site, they tell you the following (regarding
Elite Gold status):

"You can reserve one of a number of select seats at the time of booking on long-distance flights. Based on availability, we will make every effort to accommodate your seating preference".

The answer I got was: "Not available", to all my seating preferences.

I had 18 preferences (in economy). 10 of them 1st choice, 8 second choice. Nothing available.

Does this mean that 18 other gold or platinum members has booked and chosen these seats (the best seats in economy), or are they sold to simply anyone regardless of their status?

I also got this strange answer:

"Anyone can try to get their preferred seat at booking".

Why is that?

Doesnt my Elite status count at all here? Why can anyone specify their preferred seat at booking, and get it, given what KLM says at their web site regarding Elite Gold status?

I�m giving myself an answer here, as I talked to KLM booking and got a different answer than previously.

First they told me that all my preferred seats were occupied.

They now tell me that the best seats on the plane are blocked for the time being, and cannot be reserved sooner than at the time of check-in. (I�m not sure if all of the good seats, or at least some of them will be available at internet check-in 30 hours prior to departure).

Does that mean they will be available to everyone at the time of check-in, or just elites?

Does anybody know if it actually is possible to reserve good seats when you�re an elite member? Because KLM tells you that "based on availability, we will make every effort to accommodate your seating preference". But if you get told that all your preferred seats are booked when they infact are not, and then that you must wait until check-in to book these seats, there is no difference between an elite member and anyone else...

Any observations or comments?

Welcome to the wacky world of KLM and its totally crap concept of service, better you call them and tell them you are a distant relative of someone who cleans the toilets on KLM planes at AMS and you will allocated 2 seats in WBC without a doubt

^

There used to be a frequent flyer program called Flying Dutchman, who used to have a Elite help desk. It was simply a matter of giving them a call and requesting your preferred seat. As long as you called early enough, you would almost certainly get what you wanted.

Johan (in JNB, recovering from a wonderful KLAF South Africa service experience).

Those were indeed the days, Johan.

Unlike the old help desk the new one now refuses to deal with seat requests. If you make a KLM booking on line the general reservations lot also refuse to deal with seat requests. Dont forget with KLM unlike AF its only possible 90 days before departure.

It seems to, after reading a lot of posts on this forum, that the members of FB are making an extreme amount of effort to understand the FB system, and that FB makes little effort in return, to make everybody more happy.

Isn�t it about time that this changed?

When you fly, like me, 5-6 times a year from Europe to South America in economy class (I am self-employed), you really would like some extra service from the airline you have chosen to give your hard-earned 6-7.000++ Euros each and every year...and the most important thing for me on a 12 hour flight is to be able to choose a good seat.

Had they been more service oriented I would not be considering other airlines (which I am, now).

I just think it�s funny (or rather irritating) that KLM writes that they will "make every effort" to give gold members a nice seat, when the truth in fact is that they do N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

Sure...thanks for making me have to wait until check-in...

If anyone has experienced willingness on KLMs part to reserve a good seat at the time of booking, please let me know the secrets involved..

Here's a typical and very recent experience :

I arrived in JNB from HDS this afternoon at 3 p.m., continuing this evening on KL to AMS. I had no luggage to check, so I went to the AF/KL ticket office and asked them to print me a boarding card so that I could proceed through security and immigrations to the lounge. No way they could or would do this. I had to wait until regular check-in opened at 6.15, because all passengers had to go through "security" (this procedure consist of a handing your ticket and passport to a pimply youth who hopes to celebrate this 18th birthday sometime next year. Said youth will glance at your passport, and then spend several minutes trying to find your name on a passengers manifest before returning your your documents). This excuse was of course a bunch of bull. When I connect from certain tiny domestic SA airports such as MQP, I routinely go to the SAA ticket office, who will happily check me in for my KL flight and issue a boarding card. Upon arrival in JNB I then go directly through real security and immigrations, bypassing KL entirely. So much for "security reasons". Unfortunately this does not work at HDS, where all staff are employees of the private airport operator, not SAA. They are too lazy to check pax in to final destination, using the excuse that "HDS is not an international airport, whatever that has got to do with it!

I went to the arrivals lounge in the Intercontinental Hotel, and returned to KL check-in just before 6.15, only to be told by the KL supervisor that this was the time KL staff started work, not when they started checking in pax. Great!
After another 20 minute wait I showed my ticket and passport to the pimply youth and, having only carry-ons, tried to sneak past the luggage weighing and shrink-wrapping station. No joy! I was told I had to wait in the same line, as the luggage weighing lady was the one and only person who could put business class tags on my carry-ons. A very important task that requires extensive training, apparently.

When I finally got to check-in, I asked whether I could have the seat next to mine blocked. I knew that WBC was far from full, so I figured this was the least they could do for me after keeping me waiting for over 3 1/2 hours. "We don't do this", was the response. I asked the agent whether she would like me to get the supervisor, and without waiting for her answer I went and did so. Suddenly everything was possible, a phone call was made and the seat blocked (although I will only believe it when I see it). The helpful gate agent then told me I had been her first passenger today, and asked whether I would like to fill out a customer satisfaction form. It shall be a pleasure to oblige! Question fourteen reads :

"Where did you receive your boarding pass?"

The third option is : "airport ticket office"

Johan (who is finally in the KL lounge)

Call and try again. Seat selection is a complete pain nowadays - though persistance does pay off on occassion.

Although I totally agree with the decline in service since the start up of FB, and the considerable and often questionable service ethics of KLM in general I have never had a problem getting my seat assignment.

I too am Gold and fly at least five times a year to the US and back and have never not got my "select seat". Sometimes I do not get the row I want, but hey....I do not mind as long as I get what I want.

I book my tickets on line and then call the e-service desk and then request my seat.

texas gold: do you usually get your preferred seat at the time of booking?

If so...that�s interesting, because it basically means that it depends who you talk to on the phone. The ones I�ve talked to will not give seats to me, even though they are available.

I will try to call again...

But I do think that KLM should have fixed routines on this, and offer preferred seats to elite members at time of booking. Alternativeley they should remove their false advertising on their site.

Unless I get my preferred seat on my preferred row, I might as well check in with the others, because I normally fly the 777, and there are only 3 rows worth sitting on in economy. These are the places that I would like, and if I can�t get them at the time of booking as a special courtesy, there are no advantages to me being an elite member on the seating issue...

I flew AMS - GRU end of september this year, GIG - GRU - AMS in october. I made
the reservation online, a little hesitant as i, too, wanted to have certain seats and
at the time of booking didn't know if they were available or not.
First of all, i discovered that, by booking the open jaw, my flights were booked in
Q and therefore i got 100 pct miles. About 8 days later, i happened to be at Schiphol
airport and went to KLM ticketoffice for a print out of the booking. Also, i asked for
certain seats and got 11C both ways, no problem. I believe that, if you FB number
is properly in the booking, every reservation employe should have access to the
preferred seats of your flights. Of course, in theory it is possible that all your
preferred seats are already occupied, depending how fully booked the flights are
right now. But the story about seats being blocked until check in.... i don't buy
that, except for emergency exits and bulkheads maybe. Maybe they confuse
these seats with preferred seats for elite passengers... I would call again and
ask for a supervisor if the agent gives you an unsatisfactory answer. Best would
be to go in person to KLM ticketoffice (see my story above). Good luck. Yes,
it is extremely important on these flights to have a good seat.
Sidenote: does anybody know if the connecting flight GIG - GRU, booked under
KL flightnumber, is eligible for level miles (or segment)? They checked me in in GIG
under JJ flightnumber, FB number was correctly printed on it but so far.... no
miles or segment credited. Should i take action or does it always take a few months
before JJ flights appear on the FB statement?

Thanks for your input...I called KLM booking again, and this time I got yet another answer. However: I got my seat!^ ^

It did take me three attempts, though.

Talked to a really helpful KLM telephone-booking agent on the Norwegian side.

Learned quite a bit...

It seems that the seat map for the KLM booking agents on the telephone is different from the ones at the airport: At the airport (after what my friendly KLM-person told me) they can see every seat - if it�s actually booked or not, but the people who staff the phones cannot see if a seat is just blocked instead of booked.

The trick is to get them (the ones on the phone) to get you out of your assigned seat and try each and every seat preference you have to see if it goes through.

At least the person I talked to this time around understood that he had to actually change my reservation from my assigned seat, in order to see if the seat was free.

The other KLM people I talked simply stated that my preferred seat was 1) sold, 2) blocked...

Interesting, also, that when I tried to seat my travel companion next to me, the machine refused. It would not give a reason, but it�s probably because my friend is Ivory, not elite. Either that, or the seat is booked. The telephone people doesn`t know, you have to go to the airport to get the hard facts.

To sum up:

1. I`m getting into my car right now - to go to the airport...

2. When trying to get your preferred seat at time of booking - make absolutely sure they understand you`re elite.

3. Tell them to take you out of your assigned seat (if you already have one) and actually try and place you in your preferred seat.

4. It helps to know which seat you want (the KLM system is poor at knowing wich seats are actually good - which is worrying: they should give all elites that asks for it a good seat, not just the ones that knows the plane), so check seatguru.com or expertflyer.com (The person I talked to actually told me that the KLM seat map he got on his KLM-screen, was wrong (!) when he compared it to seatguru.com! He first tried to talk me out of a particular seat because he thought it was the middle seat, when it actually was aisle. Unbelievable that KLMs own seat map is misleading!!)

I know it's probably a stupid question... but why can't KLM operate a system like the system they have at NW? For those who are not familiar with the NW system... certain seats (front rows, emergency exist rows) are blocked off for use by Elites only; when you check in online with your Elite number the system will let you pick seats in the blocked contingent.