Random seat changes to UA itineraries after they are booked & purchased [ARCHIVE]
 

I like my seat. The one I pick. One of the advantages of some airlines over others is to be able to pick your seat and have comfort in the fact that this will be your seat. There is no negotiations. No debate. You know you can board the plane and you are set.

Recently as a united premiere 1k my seat almost always gets changed. Most recently was 1171 AUS to EWR paid first. No explanation. Maybe an aircraft change the gate attendant suggested. Nope still a 737-800.

It's a small thing. But infuriating.

A like-for-like aircraft swap can still cause seat assignments to be re-assigned.

However, in first, the two most likely reasons for a seat swap are: a) Federal Air Marshal; or b) baby bassinet.

Were you seated in row 1 by any chance and got moved back?

-RM

Bassinets

A limited number of bassinets can be reserved for use, free of charge, on international aircraft (Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 757-200). These bassinets are large enough to hold an infant weighing 22 pounds (10 kg) or less. They may not be used for takeoff or landing, or when the seat belt sign is illuminated. Along with bassinet requests we will provide accompanying seat assignments for an adult traveling with an infant and up to one travel companion. To request a bassinet and an accompanying seat assignment, contact United Reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1


I don't think a 737 row ONE (F/C) has bulkhead snaps for a bassinet, which is what the OP was flying, but it could be mistaken? Or my cut & paste (above ) is old pmUA info!!!

A seat swap happened to us, with no reason, on a flight that was 50% full. We ended up with our original seats (12 A,B,C) but couldn't figure out, for the life of me, why we lost the seat between check in and connection.

Also a 1K

Holding confirmed at booking, upgraded reservation using Regional Premier Upgrade, bounced from seat and flight. Reseated in coach at door closing due to last minute deadheading crew no show.

Explanation: Computer glitch

I posted about disappearing seats a few days ago. As you said, I spend a lot of time picking my seats. And then UA just deleted them. I find this COMPLETELY unacceptable and infuriating as well. Hope they fix this soon.

LAX-JFK yesterday.

Had 9A for over a week. When I checked in at LAX yesterday, was given a BP for 6B. Luckily I noticed it as I was at the counter when I was showing the agent the BIG gate notation and the small seat assigment notation on the BP.

Luckily 9A was still free. Luckily for UA.

Flying LHR-SFO later this week. The seat map has just changed because of a swap to the new configuration. So, of course, my wife and I lose our seats and are now seated separately.

UA.com won't let me change my seat or hers. So I call an agent who, after ten minutes working at it, declares that she has moved me next to my wife. However, the online seat map still shows me in my original seat, but with the one next to my wife gone. Logged out and logged in again, tried a different browser - all the same result. So call again and I'm assured that we are sitting next to each other - no explanation as to why the online seat map shows the wrong information.

I guess that it will come down to whether online check in works, or whether the physical process at the airport yields a better result.

I do find this whole mess very trying, especially for itineraries booked after the change-over. If it worked for CO, why can it not simply be expanded with more flights?

We (two 1Ks on the same PNR) were recently moved from row 20 to row 21 on a recent flight from SNA to DEN - no explanation as to how/why this occurred at T-36.

Very frustrating!

deek

Every time I have changed seats post-merger on united.com, it has shown the OLD seats that day (but with the new seats no longer available), but then the next day it usually shows the correct, NEW seats. Not sure why this is so difficult, but..

If you want to see the change immediately, that's a TOD upcharge ;)

Shares Just Sucks!
 

I am so paranoid that I check all of my seating assignments every day now, after losing my C seats to NRT permanently!!

Here is what happened on my last 2 trips:

24 MAR: MCO-SFO: Seats randomly changed 3 times in last 3 weeks. Was able to get original seats back after calling, with about a 10 minute accomplish time. No equip changes.

24 MAR: SFO-NRT: Again seats were randomly changed several times since the conversion and we never got the seats back. One of us was downgraded to Y from C using SWU on W fare. Were given compensation for the downgrade. It took 35 minutes for the agent to handle my case and get me compensated. I let the wife stay up in C. Can't chalk this one up to an equipment swap either!

2 APR: NRT-SFO: This one had a swap for a new upgraded-Y 777. It is really nice back there by the way. Our "Shares" seat assignments separated my spouse and I by 8 rows on opposite sides of the cabin with the equipment change---is there any actual logic with this program?? I got on .bomb and changed the seats several times but the changes would never stick. The seats were eventually fixed by the consistently outstanding staff at NRT. C cabin went out with 6 empty.

2 APR: SFO-MCO: Everything fine, no changes. However, while I was sitting in RCC in SFO, I noticed that my seats for today's flight from MCO-LAX-CLD had randomly changed while checking my account on the new .bomb. I walked up to the service desk and asked the agent to check my seats. She had a little flip-book with shares commands in it and it took her 10 minutes to tell me that I still had my original seats, notwithstanding what the website was showing me.

3 APR: Showed-up for my MCO-LAX flight this morning, and it turns-out the agent at the SFO RCC was wrong, my seats had indeed been switched! It took 2 people 15 minutes to get my original seats back in MCO. This is just insane!!! How can a system be this user unfriendly and still be regarded as good for business?

I'll come back and post how my return flight goes.

At least your seats improved, unlike most posting in this thread!

I just completed my trip to France.
On both ways between SBA-SFO my seats changed.
For outbound I noticed I got different seat when I OLCIed.
I couldn't change it back at SBA anymore because my original seat was already taken :mad:
For inbound I got my BP at CDG, and it showed my original seat 9B.
I arrived at SFO and I checked iPhone UA app and noticed my seat was different. I asked the gate agent at SFO to change back my seat but she didn't know how to do, so she had to ask one of the CO helpers wearing blue jacket to change my seat :rolleyes:
There was no aircraft change in my case.

What you people fail to understand is that you'll sit down where you're told to sit, and like it!

The next thing you'll be hollering about is that some Tom, Dick, or Harry got your upgrade, or sumptin"!

Who do you people think you are, some sort of big shots, with rights, or what???