Why would SQ put a stranger between us with multiple other seats available?
Nov 29, 2019, 3:10 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
There is no pair of adjoining seats to select from. And if I don't generally need the airline, it's a perfectly solid reason for writing it off.
Nov 29, 2019, 3:14 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
As stated in my original post, it is not particular or special in any way: not exit, not front, not bulkhead, not extra room. That's exactly why I would've thought if any seat would remain untaken on the flight, it would be that one.
Nov 29, 2019, 3:18 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
Because they were not made available to me. How exactly am I selfish for not wanting a stranger placed into the X - O - X configuration if there are plenty of other seats this stranger could've been placed into?
Nov 29, 2019, 3:22 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
Perhaps the traveler chose the seat (no idea why they would) but not sure why you think it was some sinister act by SQ. And, since you (rightly so) didn't expect to be guaranteed the middle seat anyway, hardly seems like a good reason to write off airline completely...
Nov 29, 2019, 3:39 pm
#20
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: ROP Gold
Posts: 1,292
Guess it is a lucky row of seats. Is it row 8? 18? 28? 48? 58? 68? 88? 98? 108? (oh I got carried away).
Nov 29, 2019, 3:55 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
Comedic timing and knowing your audience -- nailing those keeps every jester from getting carried away.
Nov 29, 2019, 4:12 pm
#24
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 49
......
but I do have Star Alliance Gold status and it seems very odd that Singapore Air would place someone between us when many better seats are available.
It will certainly keep me from booking SQ again for quite a long time, if ever.
Your thoughts on why they would intentionally punish the other traveler and simultaneously irritate a frequent flyer?
but I do have Star Alliance Gold status and it seems very odd that Singapore Air would place someone between us when many better seats are available.
It will certainly keep me from booking SQ again for quite a long time, if ever.
Your thoughts on why they would intentionally punish the other traveler and simultaneously irritate a frequent flyer?
Nov 29, 2019, 4:15 pm
#25
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Lifetime *G (MP), Lifetime PE (Bonvoy)
Posts: 1,465
It's rather reminiscent of a 15yo girl stamping her foot and exclaiming "You have totally ruined my life". It happens in my household all the time. It also happened recently at the United Nations if I'm not mistaken
Nov 29, 2019, 5:45 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SYD
Programs: OZ Platinum LifeTime; DL PM; QF Gold; VA Gold; HH Diamond; IHG Diamond
Posts: 1,128
OP, I think you're being overly dramatic about a situation you clearly don't have much understanding about.
Most Asian airlines don't allocate seats automatically on booking. And this is the case for SQ...you can online book, and unless you select your seat, you won't have one allocated.
All this to say, the reason you have someone sitting between you and your travelling partner is because a fellow traveller explicitly chose that seat. You chose to risk this outcome by selecting a window and aisle, so suck it up and move on.
Most Asian airlines don't allocate seats automatically on booking. And this is the case for SQ...you can online book, and unless you select your seat, you won't have one allocated.
All this to say, the reason you have someone sitting between you and your travelling partner is because a fellow traveller explicitly chose that seat. You chose to risk this outcome by selecting a window and aisle, so suck it up and move on.
Nov 29, 2019, 6:01 pm
#28
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: YVR, KUL
Programs: AC, MH, BA, AF-KL
Posts: 2,903
There are a number of airlines which intentionally scatter persons in a single PNR throughout the aircraft. Lauda Motion is renowned for taking 5 or 6 passengers in a single PNR and giving them all middle seats in different rows. It's not out of the realm of possibility that SQ does likewise, hence my post to flush out answers.
Nov 29, 2019, 7:34 pm
#29
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA,
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond, Hertz President Circle, Copaair Presidential, and Southwest A-List
Posts: 587
Well, you seem to be convinced that it is a legitimate reason to write a company off, despite what some others may have suggested otherwise, so I would say go ahead and just write them off and move on.
Nov 29, 2019, 7:41 pm
#30
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,917
Flying SQ economy soon. Looked at a seatmap and saw a less-than-full cabin.
Reserved the aisle and window seats in very normal seats (no extra legroom, not up front, nothing special), leaving the middle seat empty.
Checked yesterday and I now see the middle seat filled by a stranger, even though there are a number of other aisle, middle, and window seats available (but no two side by side that we could move to).
The call center refused to consider either contacting the other traveler or manually changing their seat assignment.
I understand I don't have a right to an empty seat between us, but I do have Star Alliance Gold status and it seems very odd that Singapore Air would place someone between us when many better seats are available.
It will certainly keep me from booking SQ again for quite a long time, if ever.
Your thoughts on why they would intentionally punish the other traveler and simultaneously irritate a frequent flyer?
Reserved the aisle and window seats in very normal seats (no extra legroom, not up front, nothing special), leaving the middle seat empty.
Checked yesterday and I now see the middle seat filled by a stranger, even though there are a number of other aisle, middle, and window seats available (but no two side by side that we could move to).
The call center refused to consider either contacting the other traveler or manually changing their seat assignment.
I understand I don't have a right to an empty seat between us, but I do have Star Alliance Gold status and it seems very odd that Singapore Air would place someone between us when many better seats are available.
It will certainly keep me from booking SQ again for quite a long time, if ever.
Your thoughts on why they would intentionally punish the other traveler and simultaneously irritate a frequent flyer?
I'm going to assume you were gaming the system with your seat selections... hoping to win the cattle class lottery like many couples/pairs do. In this case, you didn't win.
Now, let me break this down into two parts...
1) You expected SQ to call the passenger and tell them to move or to move them without their consent? Really?
2) Here's a listing of benefits for *Ag
- Priority check-in
- Priority baggage
- Airport lounge access
- Priority boarding
- Extra baggage allowance
- Gold track
- Priority reservation waitlisting
- Priority airport standby
I don't see blocking of seats as a benefit listed there... and again, before you get huffy, LH doesn't appear to list blocking of seats either as a benefit... The closest I could find was blocking the middle seat for intra-euro flights (although that's what they classify as business class, not economy). For international flights, I could not find anything, but I could be wrong.
So I'm not sure why you have this expectation of them doing something they don't do for their own elites. I'm also going to assume that you're never going to book LH "for a long time, if ever" as well for international flights since they won't guarantee you a blocked middle seat. In fact, I don't know of any airline who does this (for economy seats)
As for not booking SQ in the future, I seriously doubt that's going to make them change their minds (or to call the other passenger demanding they move because you're a *Ag)..Making threats against SQ (or any airline) like that is akin to a child holding their breath until you clear the broccoli off their plate. Doesn't hurt them and doesn't do any good for you either.
As others have suggested, you could try waiting until everyone is on board and asking them to move to another free seat (I would recommend avoiding putting stuff in their seat and then demanding they move).
Good luck (really) with your request.