Dec 10, 2019, 1:01 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
16 premium cabin 752 -- for certain routes ( including Hawaii) seats 4AB will be blocked from seat assignment until check-in. So it is possible to hold a reservation or purchase tickets and not be able to get seat assignments until check-in. This is not an oversold situation but rather an artifact that plane is sometimes used for TATL routes and 4AB will be blocked for crew rest on those flights.
No assignable seats in F but have reservation (or can still purchase a seat)? 752/772
Dec 17, 2018, 12:43 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
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Today, I bought a round trip, on the nonstop from Denver to OGG and back. It is a route I fly at least monthly. My corporate overlords allow purchase of 1st class, but none was available on the outbound. So I am in a E+ seat going to Maui, and in 1st on the redeye coming home. Expensive ticket by the way.
The hitch is there are no seats, first class or otherwise showing open on the night flight coming home. I don't have a seat assignment, and I asked the agent (I am 1K) about a seat assignment and she said "Just do it at the airport, because I cannot assign a seat". Travel is in about a week. First Class shows full, and so does the rest of the airplane.
So my question is this: Will I have a return seat? Will it be in first? Should I arrive about 5 hours prior to boarding on my way back? What are the thoughts of the road warriors that know.
I look forward to your insights,
Denver19
The hitch is there are no seats, first class or otherwise showing open on the night flight coming home. I don't have a seat assignment, and I asked the agent (I am 1K) about a seat assignment and she said "Just do it at the airport, because I cannot assign a seat". Travel is in about a week. First Class shows full, and so does the rest of the airplane.
So my question is this: Will I have a return seat? Will it be in first? Should I arrive about 5 hours prior to boarding on my way back? What are the thoughts of the road warriors that know.
I look forward to your insights,
Denver19
Dec 17, 2018, 5:03 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Excellent. And yes, that is the aircraft. I was concerned because all seats show up as occupied rather than blocked in ExpertFlyer, but sounds like that’s just the way UA provides the data. Will report back after T-48!
Dec 17, 2018, 8:27 am
#18
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I believe EF actually shows a blank for those seats. On united.com they incorrectly show as occupied.
Dec 17, 2018, 9:34 am
#19
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Dec 17, 2018, 10:11 am
#20
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No, they show as blank on EF. There are no 1A/B on the current seatmap for UA1509 on 12/26. The A/B seats start at row 2.
Dec 18, 2018, 12:01 am
#21
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: RBKC
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How strange! Yes, on my ExpertFlyer screen there is no seat 1A or seat 1B. The seats don't actually show at all -- not as if they are blocked, or without any status -- but as if the seats do not even exist (which is what I naturally concluded). Ok -- so I understand now that there are indeed seats 1A and 1B, but they have been erased from the seat map to which ExpertFlyer has access, and UA will add them back to the seat map at T-48. Thank you for the info -- would never have thought that.
And yes, I do see both seats on the UA website. How curious!
Dec 18, 2018, 12:12 am
#22
Join Date: Sep 2011
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How strange! Yes, on my ExpertFlyer screen there is no seat 1A or seat 1B. The seats don't actually show at all -- not as if they are blocked, or without any status -- but as if the seats do not even exist (which is what I naturally concluded). Ok -- so I understand now that there are indeed seats 1A and 1B, but they have been erased from the seat map to which ExpertFlyer has access, and UA will add them back to the seat map at T-48. Thank you for the info -- would never have thought that.
And yes, I do see both seats on the UA website. How curious!
Dec 18, 2018, 10:28 am
#23
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How strange! Yes, on my ExpertFlyer screen there is no seat 1A or seat 1B. The seats don't actually show at all -- not as if they are blocked, or without any status -- but as if the seats do not even exist (which is what I naturally concluded). Ok -- so I understand now that there are indeed seats 1A and 1B, but they have been erased from the seat map to which ExpertFlyer has access, and UA will add them back to the seat map at T-48. Thank you for the info -- would never have thought that.
And yes, I do see both seats on the UA website. How curious!
1AB will be unblocked at approximately midnight Central time on the third night before departure (T~60h). This is a sufficiently little known fact that being able to grab your favorite seat from the blocked pair shouldn't be too difficult.
Dec 18, 2018, 11:33 am
#24
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Another data point that is should clear itself up. I was in a similar situation a year or so ago. Confirmed F but no seats. The phone agent said "don't worry, we never oversell F, you'll have a seat". While I chuckled to myself about the "never", I just waiting it out a a couple days before departure we had seat assignments.
I've also experienced this same thing. 1AB were just missing from the seat map. After consulting the FT gurus (all of you) I had it confirmed that a) there is no configuration that lacks those seats, and b) they'll show up as the departure date nears. I watched it and sure enough they appeared and I was able to grab them.
For whatever reason, seats that are blocked by UA due to crew rest or (lack of) frame assignment -- essentially those seats which can never have pax in them -- are pushed to the GDS as blank instead of blocked. They appear as occupied on the website (unless an entire row is missing in which case it is also deleted), but also blank on the app seatmap.
1AB will be unblocked at approximately midnight Central time on the third night before departure (T~60h). This is a sufficiently little known fact that being able to grab your favorite seat from the blocked pair shouldn't be too difficult.
1AB will be unblocked at approximately midnight Central time on the third night before departure (T~60h). This is a sufficiently little known fact that being able to grab your favorite seat from the blocked pair shouldn't be too difficult.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 18, 2018 at 8:16 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Dec 18, 2018, 11:42 am
#25
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Dec 18, 2018, 10:39 pm
#26
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Dec 24, 2018, 4:04 am
#27
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Guten Morgen from Stuttgart! As you all predicted, I received an ExpertFlyer alert that seats 1A and 1B had been added to the available seat map, approximately 50 hours before departure. This would have been at about 2 am Central Time. So, considering whatever time period there is between ExpertFlyer sweeps, it certainly could have opened up around midnight Central Time, as someone indicated above.
Thank you for the advice and help! I have taken 1B so I don't have to climb over someone to get out… Though I understand it's more likely to get bumped by people passing by…
Best wishes for the holidays!
Thank you for the advice and help! I have taken 1B so I don't have to climb over someone to get out… Though I understand it's more likely to get bumped by people passing by…
Best wishes for the holidays!
Feb 28, 2019, 11:40 am
#28
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: New York
Programs: DL Plat, AA EXP, UA 1K, AMEX Cent
Posts: 684
Paid F but no seat assignment
Just booked 2 paid F seats EWR-EGE. Concerned as after I booked no seats were available to select. Likely overbooking scenario? What will be the outcome (other than setting up expertflyer alerts).
Feb 28, 2019, 11:52 am
#29
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4AB are blocked and will unblock approximately 60 hours before departure. UA does not oversell the premium cabin under most circumstances.
Also, wow, UA is flying lie-flat 752s in EGE
Also, wow, UA is flying lie-flat 752s in EGE
Feb 28, 2019, 11:53 am
#30
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UA generally doesn't overbook the premium cabin, although there are rare exceptions.
