Moderator's Note:
 

I have copied the seat availability map question and answers to a new thread.
Please continue the discussion of search tools for last minute seat selection there.

Thank you,

TWA884
Moderator

There is a free iOS and Android app that shows actual real time seat maps for flights. There is a daily limit to the number of free searches though; I'm not sure what it is.

BA closes its Seat Maps, once the check-in opens. At that point, BA Seat Maps are no longer accessible via any tool or service.

You can use the [My Trips] function in the KVS Tool to access the OLCI Seat Maps.

Seat Maps continue to be available for most other carriers (incl. CX) up to the time of flight departure.

<deleted by moderator>

Actually CX seat map remains available on Expertflyer right up to departure,which is nice and I asked the agents in the lounge to change my seat just before boarding started.

If I try to do the same for a BA flight after OLCI opens this is what I get:

Same for RJ.Is there any other way to see the seat map after OLCI opens?

But what's the point? By the time check-in starts, the gate has control of seating, so why not just ask them to put you somewhere where the middle seat is free. How does EF really help you here?

It does, but there is a learning curve. Looking for an AA award (AA, LA, and JL flights are possibilities), but individual oneworld airline websites are just too painful for me to use. I didn't renew my KVS member when Delta mostly fixed its award search function, but now I have AA and UA miles to burn and I'm fed up with wasting my time on individual airline searches. Probably will renew.

It is much easier (for both the pax and the agent) when you ask :

then,

Agents are often busy during/just before boarding,so making your requests as easy as possible for them really helps.In the worst case scenario,if the GA refuses your request you can move to an empty seat once on the aircraft,again armed with information from EF.

When flying on RJ not ex AMM and being in airside transit I aproach the gate agents 5-10 minutes before boarding starts and ask to check the seat map for me.

On S7,MH,IB and CX,I approach the agents in the lounge/gate after I check EF and they just move me to whereever I ask them.

I don't know why BA,RJ and some other airlines block the EF seat map when OLCI opens.

Probably to stop this kind of self-shifting attempt immediately before and during boarding.

I can see your point but I think it falls into the 'solution looking for a problem' category particularly as, to take your case, who's to say that 21E won't get taken just after you've collected your new boarding pass (by a stand-by, a late connection, or someone being moved for 'I need to sit next to my child in 21F' reasons?)

Well,ofcourse there are no guarantees that the seat next to you will be free,but this strategy has worked very well for me in the last few years.

As for

Normally (at least on RJ),the flight has closed for check in at this time (5-10 min till boarding) and all stand by is cleared...and in LHR T5...would not the conformance requirement make this impossible? I am not sure,but I presume so.Possibly on some airlines it may be diffirent ofcourse.

It would not solve the "I need to sit next to my child in 21F'",although on CX the crew's manifest shows the blocked seats and they do ask people not to sit there.

Cause of "Engine Overloaded" Error Message?
 

Nothing available on the KVS Tool site. Anybody know what is the cause of the "Engine Overloaded" error message I've been receiving all afternoon?

I think I have answered my own question. I use my BAEC login for the KVS Tool, and BA.com login is having issues this afternoon..

KVS just stopped working this morning - if I enter a search it starts searching and never completes. i am running the current version AFAIK using Crossover on Mac. I have made no changes to either of these or to my OSX software.

Also a couple of weeks ago the AC method stopped working as well - error 12169 - SSL certificate is invalid.

Oops - seems to have started working again - it was perhaps only the EY method giving the issue.

Howdy,

Has anyone else noticed KVS Mobile Companion reporting inventory levels for Delta that are out of whack? (As always, please direct me if there's been previous discussion).

For instance, ATL to SFO tomorrow, KVS reports all classes but available where Delta.com shows K,S...

Please see:
http://Help.KVSTool.com/#Q1

Does this mean that we can't SDC onto routings, even though seats are available in the fare class -- it has to be a valid fare?

Is there any way to do what most of us would want-- search for available seats by bucket?

(Note on other searches, inventory seems to pop up from 0 ...)

UPDATE:
As a small update here, the searches I performed regarded an afternoon when 6,000 Salesforce employees were leaving Atlanta, mostly for the Bay Area (my destination that day); and KVS direct support was quick, responsive to level of incredible.

I renewed my membership a few days ago after not using the program for a few years. Today I'm getting a message saying:

For security purposes access to your account has been blocked after repeated unsuccessful attempts to log in.

Anyone know about an error like this as I simply opened the tool today like always and searched a few dates, then this message started popping up.

Appreciate anyone's valuable comments.