TAP automatic seat assignment
 

***** I have noticed I post this question in the wrong place. How can I change it?? ****

Good day, all.

I booked a return flight through a booking partner with TAP airlines.
When the time of the online check-in came, I had a seat automatically assigned and, if I wanted to change it, I had to pay about 30 or 60 EUR (like with Ryanair but... we are not talking about a low-cost airline!).
Luckily I was assigned to an aisle one, so I was "happy" to have that seat.

My question is: in case on my return flight I'll be assigned to a seat I don't like (middle or window), can I change it at the check-in point FREE of charge or I do still have to pay?

Normally, nowadays, if you want to reserve a specific seat before check-in time you have to pay, but it will be free during that time. However with TAP I faced a totally different scenario.



Thanks for your help!

TAP's seats open up at T-3 hours, so feel free to change your seat then.
TP is becoming an LCC, with non-free bags and non-free extras.
Their "food" is still free.

Thanks for your swift reply Palal :-)

Seriously?? Also for Intercontinental flights?! :eek:

Yes.

The stupid thing about this is that regardless of which seat you select at OLCI they will try and charge you. Change from 22C to 22D and they’ll try and charge you. Once you have selected a seat and they try and charge you, you can no longer issue a BP for your flight until you pay, even if you reselect the seat they originally assigned you.

I've been able to back out of the seat selection and get a BP with my original seat, but maybe I just got lucky. I like your method better.

The part that seems particularly insane to me is that on my last two TAP flights, I was automatically assigned "premium" seats--once an exit row--despite being on the cheapest of cheap tickets. It was willing to give me a €20+ seat for free, but wanted €12 to give me a worse seat. I even got IRROP'd overnight and the airport counter staff were able to put me on an entirely different flight home than the one I'd been automatically given, but couldn't give me a different seat.

At least the food is edible if not all that great. Definitely beats SN who charge for water on short-haul flights.

Not to mention the very old aircraft used to fly from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro on the 31st of December. Was quite a mmh..'vintage' one, with the phones, swiping card, mini tv without the possibility to even stop the only movie shown. It reminded me the first long haul flight I took in the beginning of the 90s. Sweet flashback.
However my return flight was normal (and the food delicious in both).

So, I assume, see you soon TAP! :rolleyes: ;)

Do I understand correct by searching and reading here that there is no free seat selection beforehand on TAP flights intra-EU with my basic discount economy ticket? SK Diamond member here, that is.

Only by paying I can choose my seat?

And then at OLCI I am auto-allocated a seat which I may change but I am charged again but I can skip that by exiting without paying and doing OLCI again at T-3 for printing out BP?

If yes on all, I really regret that I bought that ticket :)

Seat selection is not a *A benefit unfortunately.

Correct. This means that most people don't choose seats until check-in, so there shouldn't be an issue.

You can start the check-in process at T-36 and then exit out of it when it asks for your credit card. Then, come back at T-3 and finish the process.

First time TAP here too and it's funny system they have .
They say I can do the online check-in 36H before departure time but it didn't let me but only 24H before.
and same situation with the seat assignment. It automatically assigned me and my flying companion middle seats but when I changed them to side two seats together (same row as auto assigned seats) it asked me to pay for $100. I will try again 3H before departure and see how it goes.

How did it go?

From the US, check-in opens at T-24.

I haven't checked any of this recently but it did seem like it would be only a matter of time before it got fixed...

It worked as of 1.5 weeks ago.

Just tried and the free selection at T-3 is still working :cool:

Played around a bit during olci but always got the seat it randomly picked for me and a request to pay 22€ for any other seat. Checked in anyway. No problem changing it to a nicer seat upfront in Y at the airport kiosk at T-2.5h. it's one of the 'red' seats with more leg space and the middle seat is free. :)

I'm about to try this. Flying LHR-LIS-MIA. Don't care about seats on LHR-LIS, but want better seats for LIS-MIA (they have assigned me and partner to 2 middle seats in the central block of 4....). I tried to pick us a pair of window seats for check in, but obviously was asked to pay. As others suggested here, I abandoned check in at that point. Not sure how we will go at the airport though, because our flight to Lisbon leaves before T-3 on the next flight. So I guess I'll see what the counter agent offers.

FWIW A3 are now using the same crazy system with Y seats and the same work around applies.

Must be an Amadeus thing.

Air Berlin was doing this with Amadeus DCS already in 2016. With no option to change. :o

nope, A3 doesnt release the seats at T-3 as TP does, you have to pay to change to a better seats, it applies even for their Gold customers... :/

Not my experience as an A3 *G.

Nor mine.

I am about to buy the TAP Portugal tickets. If I select their Basic class where one would need to pay to reserve seats, would they be auto-assigned after purchasing the tickets? When?

They will be assigned during check-in.

Is it safe to say that if you have 2 people on the itinerary they will be assigned next to each other?

T-3h
 

Hi, the T-3 hours seat option still works at Tap. Had a 10h layover and it worked on both legs of the trip, each time 3h ahead of departure. I'm just boarding the flight to Rio. Don't pay a cent for the seat! Just be patient.

I was afraid of the same situation you described. But there was no problem with stay selection at 3h.
On the flight to Rio the plane was almost full, but at 3h before departure at least 30% of seats were still not assigned and I easily managed to get a nice window seat. Thanks to that I ended up having a free seat next to me for the whole flight. On the way back at 3h there were about 20% of seats available to choose from.

I booked a United TATL award ticket for flights on TAP A330-900s this summer. When I pulled up the itinerary on the TAP website, I was able to select seats, but the wording is quite confusing. I have selected a seat on each flight that is labelled "Available (Chargeable)" but when the pricing total appears on the right-hand side of the page, it says that I have selected "2x Free Seats NEW: Fee May Apply." The window also says that the cost for "Your Services: $0.00." I am able to select and confirm the seats without being prompted to pay anything further.

I am very confused as to what the fee is for these seats and when I would potentially be charged for them if there were a fee associated. Any thoughts on what the fee is/when it's charged?

If TAP actually wanted you to pay, they'd show a price and ask for payment when you select the seats. Most likely, your UA award maps into a fare bucket that gives free access to those seats. Call it payback for all the paid TAP flights that earn zero PQM on UA :D

This seems pretty common on partner awards with UA; the last TATL award I had was UA to MAN and then SN home, and I got a 'premium' seat on SN with free food and beer despite having booked the cheapest of cheap saver awards.

The T-3 hours trick didn't work for my parents last Sunday on DUB-LIS. I selected red seats for them before T-3 hours and didn't complete the check in. At T-3 hours I tried to complete the check in but the system was still asking for €25 for each seat.

Is there a difference between TATL and intraeurope?

We are a group of four flying TP213 on award tickets and hoping it isn't a real old plane (there seem to be many configs to their 332s).

At check-in, are LMU ever offered?? or any other way to get J from award tix

I had the exact same situation the last week for a flight this week. My guess is that it is a bug: they always want to charge for the seat, but since your fare has seat assignment included, the price is 0. Then you just end the process without adding any payment method and voilá. I don't think you'll be charged for anything.

I had the same experience last week, could not finish check in and get my boarding passes without paying, even at T-3. At the airport, it took quite a while for the agent to get my boarding passes printed as she mentioned that the system was giving her trouble accessing the seats but in the end I still got the seats I initially selected for free.

Award tickets come with free seat assignments.