Assigned Seats?
 

I've been on four NW flights in the past two weeks and in three of the cases my seat assignments were changed. Same type of seat (isle) just a different place. One of the times I was moved from next to my wife, but the tickets were not linked. No change in equipment that I knew of.

Is this getting common? If so, why?

I don't think so. Did you pick any seats assigned for physically chanllenged persons or otherwise marked for elites?
On a side note, I have had approx. 80 trips on NW in the last couple of years, involving atleast 320 segments, and my seats have been changed just once (change in equipment on a DC9 with no 1C & 1D)

How early are you buying your ticket, and when are your seats changing? NW often does schedule changes around 2-3 months out (annoyingly, often within the 3-month window for seat assignments). So, if you don't check your itineraries from time to time, you could get moved in an equipment change, and first learn about it at the airport.

With the availability of the View/Change Reservations feature on nwa.com, it's easy to both check and change back your seat assignments.

Always check your itineraries closer to departure, thereby allowing you to know of any seat assignment changes, or more importantly, flight time changes.

aloha

yes WHY? It had happened repeatedly to me as a NW Plat. the last month. Especially annoying on the Transpacific runs. I have all the documentation, daily print outs of the seat allocations (both ITN & NW), the confirming email res. and get to the check in (in person as it is usually international) and its gone. Of course no one can help there as it was done by someone else and a new person has my seat. I have called 24 hrs before and this still happens.

Is NW like CX were higher level elites can "bump" another one if they have a seat they want? Even if so I am a Plat so who is bumping me?

I am too old to try to understand this

thanks

I purchased tickets for my brothers family using last years 1-2-3 and miles about 3 weeks before travel. At time of ticketing I got all three sitting together.
On the outbound leg, all the seats changes and the three of them were not sitting together. They had to ask people to changes seats (1 small child with them). On the return, it happened again. At least I caught it on the return and was able to change their seats on-line and get them back together.

There was nothing unusual about my seat choice that I know of, just next to my wife who was on a paid ticket while mine was using miles. I found out about the change when I was printing the boading passes. Printed Mrs. Chinstrap's pass and then found I was moved. I couldn't move her, the seat next to her was taken, and my aisle seat was moved into the perferred seating and was one of a only a few of the best seats according to seatguru. Could someone possible have been trying to be nice to me and not known I was seated next to my wife? The frequent flier miles came from a partner airline, so could they possibly have been trying to impress me?