The other day I changed my domestic seating preference to forward window to get a window seating coming into ZQN (as recommended by QF WP and others) but on checking in at AKL this morning I was given an aisle seat. Is NZ domestic considered international when it comes to seating preference, or does the system just not work? Are there any other tricks to getting one's seating preference that may not be obvious?

Of course it doesn't really matter since it's easy enough to get the seat changed, but it would be nice if it happened automatically.

Cheers,
Steve

AFAIK, NZ domestic is the same as Aus domestic when it comes to seating. From my experience, the seating allocation does work.

How far ahead did you change your preference?

I think you need to change your preferences before the booking is made @:-)

I thought for domestic flights your preference at midnight the day of travel was what was used (or whatever time the QF computers do the seat allocations)

Int. it was your preference as of the time of the booking...

Can anyone else confirm or deny this? Anyone done any testing?

From personal experience I would swear that the Qantas seat allocation system makes use of Chaos Theory . I've tried to understand the underlying principle of how it operates but am still working on it.

It does seem to revolve around status and seat preference as the initial starting conditions but this is not always the case.

Maybe someone else can shed some light. ^

I would agree the seat allocation system is weird. Being a regular weekly flyer in DOM, I've seen many occasions where non FFs are being allocated forward seats, while on the same flight, I've seen WPs, SGs being seated further back.

Some may argue seats are "blocked" for WPs or SGs and only released closer to flight time. If that's the case, how soon before the flights are the seats unblocked? I've checked in with SEQ# 4, 10, 14, 18, 76, 114, 128, 211, etc, but it seems to make no difference. Usually end up sitting next to someone with no FF# on their boarding pass.

I seem to always be automatically allocated at check in on domestic a forward aisle seat ( as per profile ) and on international flights I see a forward aisle seat allocated at time of booking; I then change them to an exit seat , so other than a Crash-8 where I take 1B, I end up further back down the aircraft

Dave

Your preferences are attached to a booking at the time that booking was made/ticketed. If you have a change of heart about your preferences you can change them in your profile but this does not normally affect existing bookings.

You need to contact QANTAS and request the new preferences be entered against each individual booking you currently have. (Strangely enough, this does not always work; I have done this at times, but still ended up with the original preferences etc.)

This goes for special dietary requests as well.

I think the system is beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals. One oddity I've noted on CBR-PER flights is that the very first row of economy often has no-one in it

If you check in through QuickCheck, often the magical front Y seats are available. This has happened to me at various times when checking in.

They normally seem to be reserved for WP, or persons with certain needs. Sometimes though they don't get issued, or they get issued to other people.

If I can, I prefer to move into them through QuickCheck ... esp when on a tight connection or wanting to be somewhere straight after the flight.

Like everything else, no real rhyme or reason that I know of.

Out of CBR, these seats (row 4 on a 73H) are generally pre-allocated only if the aircraft is full. A lot of High status Elites tend to fly out of our nation's capital at short notice (< 4 hours) and this gives more chance of their preferred front seat being available.

QANTAS would rather do this than toss an SG out for a CL.

Makes sense to do this.

I also have experience of row 4 being available via QC when I check in in MEL (if doing a MEL-CBR-MEL run). Almost usually I get around the row 7-10 mark on a 737 and usually get my window preference. It bites when on 2 sectors though I didn't think and just saw the "F' designator and ended up on 2 different a/c (734 and 73H) and was slotted BOTH TIMES into the dud non window window. Note to self: avoid row 7 on the 734 and row 10 on the 73H.. is it the other way around? LOL.

I have been amazed at the seats I have gotten over the past year. I joined Qantas Club in Feb 2004 and ever since then I've been getting great seats. I flew SYD-MNL 2 weeks ago and got 25A (763) and B all to myself. MNL-SYD 23D (763) next to a SG. BNE-SYD got row 25 to myself on a 744. SYD-BNE 4F with free middle seat on 738. CNS-BNE 5F with free middle seat on 734. CNS-SYD 5A with free middle seat on 738. On all of my domestic flights since joining QP I have always been assigned a seat in the first three rows of economy. And 80% of the time, first row of economy on International flights. Is this case with SG's and WP's???

As a lowly QCNB I would have never expected to get such good seats ALL the time! I'm not complaining but there is definitely a difference having QP membership!!!

I hope your experience holds for me too then.

I got 35 on the 744 I was on the other day - first flight since joining QP, but it was a special charter so I don't really count it. Besides, they put some 4 year old in 1A so where's the justice there?!

Now that's a different type of pre-allocation; probably the MD's grandchild ...