Aircraft change (twice), system split my wife and I travelling on same PNR
 

Happily booked on the UA928 tomorrow from Heathrow to Chicago, booked 2 seats together for my wife and I, on the old style seats (2-1-2 - business).

Then yesterday got a notification of seat change, to discover plane had been changed to new Polaris seats (1-1-1), fantastic. My wife and I were sat one window and one centre, fine. I moved myself behind my wife, on the seat beside the aisle and my wife in the proper window seat.

Now just discovered the flight has changed again to another plane, with old style seats - but this time the computer has put my wife and I in window seats with strangers beside us (as its back to 2-1-2). Tried calling but as flight is almost full, all seats are assigned and they can't do anything.

So I guess I'm just going to have to wait until checkin to find out if they can move someone out of a seat. Seems a bit daft to me, as only 2 of us on the PNR that the computer (or person?) wouldn't put us together.

Be happy they didn't put one of you on a different flight...

The system has no apparent regard for same PNR sitting together. With typical luck, you'll be on separate PNRs soon enough anyway.

Such is the tyranny of constant swaps.. everyone else will be in a similar situation so I don't think it would be hard to swap onboard to end up next to your wife if you ask politely.

You have a lot of company:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...solidated.html

It will generally work out. There's a good chance that you'll be able to make a trade that will work out to everyone's benefit.

We're in a similar situation, I'm flying on UA929 from LHR to ORD in a couple of weeks with my wife. Originally we had a window pair in the old configuration, but with the planned introduction of the High J frames on UA929 from later this week, we've gone for 1L for my wife (who likes a true window seat) and 2L for me behind. I'm hoping there isn't a change back to the old configuration, but if there is I can imagine the exactly the same situation with us no longer seated together in the 2-1-2 layout.

Good news however, and gives me some piece of mind, that you're sorted for today. Have a safe trip.

Very likely this will be a not infrequent occurrence on LHR routes for some weeks or months to come. Is there a way to protect against it. Eg if one has a seat common to all aircraft eg 3A then will one keep 3A when aircraft changes to and fro? Are they limiting sales of Polaris to 30 for these flights to avoid having to downgrade pax if change from high to low J configuration?

I've had this happen a few times. Most common is when one of us gets displaced by an air marshal.

No.

Yes.