Shuttle

Hello all,

Sorry for the blatantly self-focused thread, but I wondered if any TG regulars had any workarounds that might help me secure a seat on an upcoming flight.

I have soon a trip from Europe to Auckland flying on Turkish Airlines to Bangkok and then with Thai to AKL. Although I made the request for the 'native' flight numbers, our corporate TA booked the whole trip under a TK designator using the available TK codeshares for the BKK-AKL-BKK sectors operated by Thai. I had asked for them to be booked as TG flights as I knew that codeshares can make things difficult from a trip management perspective and so it turned out to be.

I am looking forward to flying Thai again after many years since I did so and was delighted to see that the flight is a 787 with the single business seats for the window rows. For the BKK-AKL flight I have been allocated one of these, but for the return AKL-BKK is seems there is no way to get a seat allocation.

Our TA can't make a seat reservation. Turkish airlines, as I would expect, say there is nothing they can do, as they are not operating the flight and when I asked TG, providing the relevant Thai PNR (at the LHR ticket desk and via email to the Bangkok service centre), Thai say that the reservation is 'read-only' in their systems and they can't help.

What I don't understand is why Thai, as the operating carrier don't the ability to modify a reservation that they are operating, but even more so, as I have been given a seat reservation (by someone) for the BKK-AKL outbound sector that is also a TK-coded, TG-operated flight. If it possible one way, why not the other?

I really don't want, if at all possible, to have to wait until airport check-in at AKL (for which I can't even arrive super-early for, as I have a NZ domestic flight in the morning to AKL on a different PNR), and end up with one of the less-preferred seats at the back next to the toilets.

Does anyone know if there is any way to get my seat request processed before airport check-in? Is there someone more senior at the reservations centre that can access the 'read-only' reservation? The Thai website seat request function does not work due to the codeshare issue.

Much thanks for any advice.

Shuttle

TPJ

There is a way to use SSR (special service request) called NSST (non smoking seat) with a specific seat number added. Your T/A can book a dummy TG segments BKK-AKL-BKK, retrieve the seat map, check which seats are available and then request a specific one using the NSST SSR.

My Corpo T/A uses the trick all the time and it always works.

This is a SABRE entry example:

3NSST1/10A-1.1

Other GDS'es entries are different, but rule is the same - use NSST SSR plus seat number.

Shuttle

TPJ - thank you so much for this. I would have never come up with something so cunning. Let's see if our TA will play along (to be honest, they don't tend to go out of their way for complex request, but they might for once).

Thanks again!

Shuttle

Thai-Kiwi

Or email the THAI office in Auckland. they are pretty responsive and helpful in my experience.

The flight may be quite full, impacting seating allocation. They will hold back around 4 seats which show as occupied but are actually just blocked to allow airport to control allocation for wheelchair pax etc. If you post the flight date I am happy to use ExpertFlyer to view the current actual seat map (or PM me).

Shuttle

Thai-Kiwi

If needed, Email: [email protected].

Of course, usually airlines are reluctant to handle tickets issued by travel agents....

Shuttle

Thanks for the correct email address (agree that the TA-issued ticket makes is a bit of a problem)

RTWFF

I agree with the direct contact; I've never found seating requests to be a problem irrespective of whoever issues the ticket