Ryanair seat allocation algorithm
Jun 1, 2017 | 4:05 am
#16
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 1
Seating changes
So here is what's happening from what I can see
you now don't get the best seats last
seats are allocated b c d e from middle of plane going backwards and forwards you are then left with mostly a and f seats from 6 to 29.
30 and 31 are left till last for weight and Balalce.
The rest are random from what I can see in the 50 or so tests I have made 16 and 17 are now not left till last and it seems the yellow seats also get allocate irregularly.
i believe it's now randomised or extremely complicated
i have not been able to get the seats I would have expected on any occasion so it's pot luck now I'm afraid.
i have been given 2 times 16 and 17 rows extral leg room when yellow and light blue seats were available.
if you want a seat where you want a seat pay for it no point in complaining ryan air have found out we never paid for a seat we wanted because there algorithm was so easy to predict.
as long as people post those things instead of keeping it a secret they will find out apologies for the bad and inevitable news. It was just a matter or time
you now don't get the best seats last
seats are allocated b c d e from middle of plane going backwards and forwards you are then left with mostly a and f seats from 6 to 29.
30 and 31 are left till last for weight and Balalce.
The rest are random from what I can see in the 50 or so tests I have made 16 and 17 are now not left till last and it seems the yellow seats also get allocate irregularly.
i believe it's now randomised or extremely complicated
i have not been able to get the seats I would have expected on any occasion so it's pot luck now I'm afraid.
i have been given 2 times 16 and 17 rows extral leg room when yellow and light blue seats were available.
if you want a seat where you want a seat pay for it no point in complaining ryan air have found out we never paid for a seat we wanted because there algorithm was so easy to predict.
as long as people post those things instead of keeping it a secret they will find out apologies for the bad and inevitable news. It was just a matter or time
Jun 1, 2017 | 5:02 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, BA Silver
Posts: 260
Thank you for taking the time to do those tests. For my part I don't mind paying up to 10 euro, but I enjoyed slightly gaming the system by checking in at the optimum time to get a nice seat for free.
An option now is to take your chances, but have coins/chocolate on hand to persuade people to swap seats on the plane if needed!
An option now is to take your chances, but have coins/chocolate on hand to persuade people to swap seats on the plane if needed!
Jun 8, 2017 | 10:35 am
#19
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 4,257
its made the Irish media now..... https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...10490?mode=amp
Seriously this is the sort of BS that will wind up with them being more regulated. Splitting up families and the like on purpose. Doesn't take much before some politician takes up a 'popular' drive to put manners on them and mandate seat reservation be included for free with all fares.
Seriously this is the sort of BS that will wind up with them being more regulated. Splitting up families and the like on purpose. Doesn't take much before some politician takes up a 'popular' drive to put manners on them and mandate seat reservation be included for free with all fares.
Jun 10, 2017 | 8:10 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA Plat, MM *G for life, AY Plat, BA Silver
Posts: 10,533
Yes but you risk there not being a free seat next to the one allocated to the first passenger
Jun 12, 2017 | 4:25 am
#21
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 390
Aer Lingus are cheaper ex dub since around mid 2016.
I used to fly Ryanair 20+ times a year, now I'm sat happy in a green plane, I sold my shares in FR at the same time. That Marketing idiot that run Tesco in to the ground is behind these changes.
I used to fly Ryanair 20+ times a year, now I'm sat happy in a green plane, I sold my shares in FR at the same time. That Marketing idiot that run Tesco in to the ground is behind these changes.
Jun 12, 2017 | 8:55 am
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold; LH Senator
Posts: 30,594
Not always!
Ryanair is about half the price of Aer Lingus tomorrow on each airline's cheapest one-way DUB-AMS ticket...€106 vs €193
6 months hence - 13 December 2017 - Ryanair is cheaper too, €30 vs €35.
Ryanair is about half the price of Aer Lingus tomorrow on each airline's cheapest one-way DUB-AMS ticket...€106 vs €193
6 months hence - 13 December 2017 - Ryanair is cheaper too, €30 vs €35.
Jun 23, 2017 | 5:29 am
#23
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Accor Plat
Posts: 680
its made the Irish media now..... https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...10490?mode=amp
Seriously this is the sort of BS that will wind up with them being more regulated. Splitting up families and the like on purpose. Doesn't take much before some politician takes up a 'popular' drive to put manners on them and mandate seat reservation be included for free with all fares.
Seriously this is the sort of BS that will wind up with them being more regulated. Splitting up families and the like on purpose. Doesn't take much before some politician takes up a 'popular' drive to put manners on them and mandate seat reservation be included for free with all fares.
I have a return flight to Dublin (average flight time is 35 minutes on this route, so I didn't bother pay for seats) and checked in online for both passengers (both people on the same ticket) and on both sectors we are 15-20 rows apart... I am not impressed!
Jul 4, 2017 | 2:43 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: LPL/MAN
Programs: *G (Aegean); AF/KL Silver; BA Bronze; Amex Platinum, Priority Pass.
Posts: 15
So here is what's happening from what I can see
you now don't get the best seats last
seats are allocated b c d e from middle of plane going backwards and forwards you are then left with mostly a and f seats from 6 to 29.
30 and 31 are left till last for weight and Balalce.
The rest are random from what I can see in the 50 or so tests I have made 16 and 17 are now not left till last and it seems the yellow seats also get allocate irregularly.
i believe it's now randomised or extremely complicated
i have not been able to get the seats I would have expected on any occasion so it's pot luck now I'm afraid.
i have been given 2 times 16 and 17 rows extral leg room when yellow and light blue seats were available.
if you want a seat where you want a seat pay for it no point in complaining ryan air have found out we never paid for a seat we wanted because there algorithm was so easy to predict.
as long as people post those things instead of keeping it a secret they will find out apologies for the bad and inevitable news. It was just a matter or time
you now don't get the best seats last
seats are allocated b c d e from middle of plane going backwards and forwards you are then left with mostly a and f seats from 6 to 29.
30 and 31 are left till last for weight and Balalce.
The rest are random from what I can see in the 50 or so tests I have made 16 and 17 are now not left till last and it seems the yellow seats also get allocate irregularly.
i believe it's now randomised or extremely complicated
i have not been able to get the seats I would have expected on any occasion so it's pot luck now I'm afraid.
i have been given 2 times 16 and 17 rows extral leg room when yellow and light blue seats were available.
if you want a seat where you want a seat pay for it no point in complaining ryan air have found out we never paid for a seat we wanted because there algorithm was so easy to predict.
as long as people post those things instead of keeping it a secret they will find out apologies for the bad and inevitable news. It was just a matter or time
On departure, cabin crew were happy to allow separated people to move around the cabin. Fortunately, we had a slot delay so take-off was not compromised, but I imagine it would be if we had a tight turnaround. One interesting thing to note was that the last five rows needed exactly five people in them for weight distribution. Because of this, a man who joined his wife from further up the aircraft was told he couldn't sit in row 30, but both were able to move further up the aircraft. When the woman had left, the cabin crew had to find a volunteer from further up the plane to move back to make up for the missing pax at the back.
As such, it seems that the algorithm is far more complicated than just assigning individual travellers B and E seats. I got a window seat despite there being plenty of middle seats left, and there seems to be a link with weight distribution calculations required by flight deck crew. It must be noted that there is also an option to pay for a seat after one has checked in. No-one else has mentioned this from what I can tell so maybe it is a new thing which they are gradually rolling out.
I am due to fly NUE-BGY tomorrow on FR metal. I will be sure to report back on my experience.
Jul 4, 2017 | 3:36 pm
#25
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Accor Plat
Posts: 680
My 2 flights last week were indeed chaotic for seat selection, many people were separated, including a mother and her child (he was maybe 10). It seems like they have indeed made it unpredictable compared to the old algorithm
Jul 4, 2017 | 4:45 pm
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, IHG Platinum, BA Silver
Posts: 260
Worth bearing in mind that they have a "load active yield passive" policy (or something) so the allocation will be on the expectation of a full plane, at least until the last couple of days.
Jul 5, 2017 | 1:27 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: LPL/MAN
Programs: *G (Aegean); AF/KL Silver; BA Bronze; Amex Platinum, Priority Pass.
Posts: 15
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just flown MAN-NUE on a relatively quiet FR flight. Plenty of empty seats, but the computer assigned me 33A, despite there being plenty of empty B and E seats elsewhere on the plane. After completing online check-in (via the Ryanair app), there was an option to purchase a seat. This disappears two hours before departure (i.e., as soon as online check-in closes).
On departure, cabin crew were happy to allow separated people to move around the cabin. Fortunately, we had a slot delay so take-off was not compromised, but I imagine it would be if we had a tight turnaround. One interesting thing to note was that the last five rows needed exactly five people in them for weight distribution. Because of this, a man who joined his wife from further up the aircraft was told he couldn't sit in row 30, but both were able to move further up the aircraft. When the woman had left, the cabin crew had to find a volunteer from further up the plane to move back to make up for the missing pax at the back.
As such, it seems that the algorithm is far more complicated than just assigning individual travellers B and E seats. I got a window seat despite there being plenty of middle seats left, and there seems to be a link with weight distribution calculations required by flight deck crew. It must be noted that there is also an option to pay for a seat after one has checked in. No-one else has mentioned this from what I can tell so maybe it is a new thing which they are gradually rolling out.
I am due to fly NUE-BGY tomorrow on FR metal. I will be sure to report back on my experience.
On departure, cabin crew were happy to allow separated people to move around the cabin. Fortunately, we had a slot delay so take-off was not compromised, but I imagine it would be if we had a tight turnaround. One interesting thing to note was that the last five rows needed exactly five people in them for weight distribution. Because of this, a man who joined his wife from further up the aircraft was told he couldn't sit in row 30, but both were able to move further up the aircraft. When the woman had left, the cabin crew had to find a volunteer from further up the plane to move back to make up for the missing pax at the back.
As such, it seems that the algorithm is far more complicated than just assigning individual travellers B and E seats. I got a window seat despite there being plenty of middle seats left, and there seems to be a link with weight distribution calculations required by flight deck crew. It must be noted that there is also an option to pay for a seat after one has checked in. No-one else has mentioned this from what I can tell so maybe it is a new thing which they are gradually rolling out.
I am due to fly NUE-BGY tomorrow on FR metal. I will be sure to report back on my experience.
Flying BGY-HAM tomorrow on FR. The flight looks full, and most seats are gone already. At the back, row 31 is empty (apart from 31B). 30E and 30F are free, as is 29A. Emergency exit rows are free apart from 16B and 17B. Apart from that, there is a splattering of window and aisle seats available in the premium rows (1 to 6) - the middle seats have been filled first. It will be interesting to see how they fill these final seats. Going to leave check-in until tomorrow to try and gauge it.
Sep 7, 2017 | 2:07 am
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold; LH Senator
Posts: 30,594
Ryanair admits that it tries to 'keep window and aisle seats free' when randomly allo
Originally Posted by Independent
He went on say that, while the airline did withhold window and aisle seats from random-seat customers, they were still able to allocate the remaining seats for them at random.
Some random seat passengers are confused by the appearance of empty seats beside them when they check-in up to four days prior to departure, he said. The reason they cant have these window or aisle seats is that these are more likely to be selected by reserved seat passengers many of whom only check-in 24 hours prior to departure.
Since our current load factor is 97 per cent, we have to keep these window and aisle seats free to facilitate those customers who are willing to pay (from 2) for them.
Still confused? Us too.This is entirely a matter of customer choice, Jacobs explained. We are very happy to facilitate any customer who wants a free of charge random seat but we are also going to do our best to facilitate customers who are willing to pay for a reserved seat (usually window or aisle) which start from 2.
In what has, in many ways, become a battle of semantics, Rogers puts it this way. I dont think they do allocate seats randomly, she told Telegraph Travel. Ryanair have said that they save the window and aisle seats. I think the rows will be randomly allocated, but you will be given a middle seat and then they fill up from there.
Some random seat passengers are confused by the appearance of empty seats beside them when they check-in up to four days prior to departure, he said. The reason they cant have these window or aisle seats is that these are more likely to be selected by reserved seat passengers many of whom only check-in 24 hours prior to departure.
Since our current load factor is 97 per cent, we have to keep these window and aisle seats free to facilitate those customers who are willing to pay (from 2) for them.
Still confused? Us too.This is entirely a matter of customer choice, Jacobs explained. We are very happy to facilitate any customer who wants a free of charge random seat but we are also going to do our best to facilitate customers who are willing to pay for a reserved seat (usually window or aisle) which start from 2.
In what has, in many ways, become a battle of semantics, Rogers puts it this way. I dont think they do allocate seats randomly, she told Telegraph Travel. Ryanair have said that they save the window and aisle seats. I think the rows will be randomly allocated, but you will be given a middle seat and then they fill up from there.
Sep 8, 2017 | 8:49 am
#29
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 4,257
So basically the random seats are all middle seats. Given the 3-3 layout of FR's fleet if you do not pay for seat assignment you will almost certainly be split up.
It would be better if they just came out and said this more clearly. Pay up or +90% chance you will be split up.
It would be better if they just came out and said this more clearly. Pay up or +90% chance you will be split up.
Sep 8, 2017 | 9:11 am
#30
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Everywhere, mostly AMS
Posts: 4,578
So basically the random seats are all middle seats. Given the 3-3 layout of FR's fleet if you do not pay for seat assignment you will almost certainly be split up.
It would be better if they just came out and said this more clearly. Pay up or +90% chance you will be split up.
It would be better if they just came out and said this more clearly. Pay up or +90% chance you will be split up.