Sorry if this has been asked before, but let's say that airline XYZ offers a daily transcon SEA-ORD-MIA. Some passengers are booked and assigned seats only on the SEA-ORD leg. Others are booked and assigned seats only on the ORD-MIA leg. Still others are booked and assigned seats for the entire journey.

What happens if a last minute flyer wants to book a ticket and receive an assigned seat SEA-ORD-MIA, but there is no one seat that is still open on both legs. Each segment has available seats, but on the two-segment flight every seat is occupied for at least part of the trip. Ex: (9A is vacant on the first leg, but is occupied on the second leg.)

How would the airlines handle this? Would they issue the last minute flyer 2 separate boarding passes for each leg and make him change seats at the stopover in ORD? Would they change someone else's seat assignment who was only traveling on one segment so that the last minute flyer could be assigned the same seat on both legs? Would their reservation system show no more available seats on the 2 segemnt trip (even though both segments have vacant seats on each leg - just not the same ones)?

How do the airlines balance this out? I'm also wondering if this is another reason that Southwest doesn't have assigned seating, as a lot of their long-haul service involves the same plane, but with multiple stops.

Mike

<< Would they issue the last minute flyer 2 separate boarding passes for each leg and make him change seats at the stopover in ORD? >>

<< I'm also wondering if this is another reason that Southwest doesn't have assigned seating >>

You are correct on both counts.

I think a case where there were not seats all the way through would be rare, as they always have that mystery set of seats that are only available for assignment at the counter. People getting on the first half of the flight would probably be getting seats way before the people just taking the second leg. They would also give you the same seat if possible and just reassign somebody else when they check in.


When it does happen, you would get two boarding cards and be asked to move to the new seat.

[This message has been edited by cordelli (edited 03-29-2002).]

there might be a benefit to changing seats in that the trip might be recorded as 2 segments with possibly more mi's.

This happened to me on a through DL flight LAX-ATL-BOS, full on both sectors. I was given 2 boarding cards for the 2 different seats. I got the last seat available, at the gate in LAX, and it was presumably already assigned from ATL.

I can't remmber the last time I've seen a through flight that actually uses the same aircraft on both legs. Changing seat assignments isn't much of a problem if you have to change planes anyway.

I do this intentionally.....