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LH Advance Seat selection fees for flights booked on UA tickets {Archive}

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Old Jan 25, 2024, 1:22 pm
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LH Advance Seat selection fees for flights booked on UA tickets (none on X awards)

Seat assignment fees for LH flights booked via UA has a moving target, consult LH Seat selection and advance seat reservation for present rules

As of July 2021
Codeshares are now included
UA economy award tickets -- no fee
Paid economy tickets
(without higher LH status) -- fee varies on flight distance, intraEurope may be fee for higher economy fares
Paid Premium Economy (without higher LH status) -- fee varies on flight distance
Business / First -- no fee, even for codeshares

For those seats with advance selection fees, there will be no fee at check-in for available seats


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LH Advance Seat selection fees for flights booked on UA tickets {Archive}

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Old Jun 18, 2017, 11:10 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Good to know.

Probably best to assume this is only LH, unless/until there are reports on other LH Group carriers.

And I'm still hoping this turns out to just be a temporary glitch.
Hi Kacee.
Curious - did you get a random seat assigned by the system, or is it just blank?

Any indication if you get access to choose at check in or anything?
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 11:10 am
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by RandomBaritone

Why do I, as a *A award traveler, rate an advance seat assignment when a paid customer with a UA flight number doesn't? Surely this is just a temporary technical glitch?
Silly isn't it? Just booked SFO-MUC-BUD 70k miles and selected my seats. Had I paid $3,000 I'd be SOL.
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 11:11 am
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by timfountain
Not a glitch. I can confirm on both native LH and 016 stock, no seat selection in J. I had to call and pay another $35 or $17, depended on distance. And it was per segment. Not good, really poor show by LH and IMHO an unwarranted money grab....
Well there's my answer. No seat selection at all didn't make sense. Charging for seat selection,
now I see LH's motives. Horrible horrible policy.

And it's not just codeshares, also applies when native LH flight number but 016 stock? So that means no free seat selection for award bookings...

EDIT: sounds like JVPhoto had no problem on an award booking (i.e. Native LH flight number, 016 stock). So maybe it's just codeshares for now?
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 11:13 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by jmanirish
So that means no free seat selection for award bookings...
I just booked an award and seats in the last 15 min.
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 11:20 am
  #35  
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Originally Posted by TPJ
Not correct. All oneWorld Emerald and Sapphires plus full fare (J inventory) get seat assignment for free (including Premium seats).
Are you sure BA makes an exception for FULL J fares? I thought everyone without oneworld status was forced to pay for advanced seat selection in business class on BA operated flights, typically in the range of about $100 for a TATL segment, with the best seats still not being permitted.

OTOH BA does give free seat selection in FC.

BTW, has anyone checked whether the reverse is true, i.e., if someone is flying on a UA operated flight booked as a LH codeshare flight number, can a LH or *A elite pick seats for free? Or has there been some change on this too?
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 12:16 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I was told codeshares. Who knows.



Yes, I'm aware of that. The inventory is often different for native vs. codeshare. In this case, the native flight numbers cost $2K+ more to ticket on UA. I ran into this issue consistently with LH flights when searching this itinerary. . . the P fares were only available as codeshares.



Not if there's no native P fare inventory.
Even if there is plenty of inventory, most UA TATL P fares that I've seen explicitly require in the fare rules that the TATL segment be ticketed with a UA flight number.
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 12:29 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Are you sure BA makes an exception for FULL J fares? I thought everyone without oneworld status was forced to pay for advanced seat selection in business class on BA operated flights, typically in the range of about $100 for a TATL segment, with the best seats still not being permitted.
We did a TATL award flight on AA last year with a return on BA in J, and we were able to reserve seats without paying.
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 2:30 pm
  #38  
 
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The seat selection rules, posted here on the Lufthansa website, still say:

The seat reservation is free of charge for passengers in Premium Economy Class as well as in Business and First Class.
Only three conditions are listed:

  • The flight is operated by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional (Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa CityLine) or by Lufthansa Express Rail (DB).
  • The flight reservation is confirmed (no waiting list bookings).
  • The seat is reserved no later than 48 hours before departure.
Even the regular economy fees section indicates free seat selection for full-fare economy tickets.

Assuming you meet these conditions, I would call back a few times, and perhaps refer the agent to the website if they insist on charging you…
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 4:13 pm
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I have just been informed by a Lufthansa phone agent that a "new policy" was implemented last week which disallows advance seat assignments on codeshares operated by LH Group carriers, even in paid business class.

He stated that the seat maps have been "taken away" from the agents and that there is nothing they can do about this.

Of course the only reason I book the codeshare is to meet UA PQD requirements.

Called Lufthansa today and was able to choose business class seats on a flight I booked on ua.com. (Fra-Jnb )..
So maybe call again?
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 4:32 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by getagb
The seat selection rules, posted here on the Lufthansa website, still say:



Only three conditions are listed:



Even the regular economy fees section indicates free seat selection for full-fare economy tickets.

Assuming you meet these conditions, I would call back a few times, and perhaps refer the agent to the website if they insist on charging you…
Good advice.^
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Old Jun 18, 2017, 9:34 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by goodeats21
Hi Kacee.
Curious - did you get a random seat assigned by the system, or is it just blank?

Any indication if you get access to choose at check in or anything?
Just blanks. The agent told me I could select seats beginning at check-in.

Originally Posted by jmanirish
Charging for seat selection, now I see LH's motives. Horrible horrible policy.
I was not offered a pay option; the agent said there was no way to select seats prior to check-in if the flight did not have an LH flight number.

Which is insane, because I selected seats online for two different UA ticketed LH codeshare itineraries back in February (six LH flights total).

Originally Posted by econ
Even if there is plenty of inventory, most UA TATL P fares that I've seen explicitly require in the fare rules that the TATL segment be ticketed with a UA flight number.
Fare is PNC5NS. The outbound fare rules (LH operated) do require a UA flight number. The return fare rules (LX operated) allow either an LX or UA flight number.

Originally Posted by Jalen500
Called Lufthansa today and was able to choose business class seats on a flight I booked on ua.com. (Fra-Jnb ).
Codeshare or native LH flight number?
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Old Jun 19, 2017, 4:38 am
  #42  
 
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Codeshare or native LH flight number?[/QUOTE]

Codeshare.
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Old Jun 19, 2017, 12:33 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by Jalen500
So maybe call again?
1kvoice was able to obtain seat assignments for me from LH. They were not able to answer my question whether this was indeed a new LH policy (and I understand that's really beyond their charter).

So I'm done with this for now, but will be interested to see how it plays out.
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Old Jun 19, 2017, 1:35 pm
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Are you sure BA makes an exception for FULL J fares? I thought everyone without oneworld status was forced to pay for advanced seat selection in business class on BA operated flights, typically in the range of about $100 for a TATL segment, with the best seats still not being permitted.
If you are booked in J or C in business, W in premium economy or Y in economy on BA, you get free seat selection from time of booking regardless of status.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 4:14 am
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by Ldnn1
If you are booked in J or C in business, W in premium economy or Y in economy on BA, you get free seat selection from time of booking regardless of status.
I can confirm this - just did a BA DEN-LHR last week full J and I could pre-select any seat; no oneworld status at all.
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