Seat blocking myth
 

One of the benefits in achieving the higher Premier status levels is the benefit of blocking a middle seat next to you. I have had several flights where I have been the highest-ranking UAL flyer only to find the middle seat next to mine is filled. The person was not traveling with the person in the window seat (as I generally get an aisle). Looking around the immediate vicinity, I often see a few middle seats not filled. Upon indiscriminately looking at the manifest, I find that the luck flyers with empty middle seat next to them are lower in Premier level than I am. So what gives here?

I thought that anyone with Premier or higher status would have the seat next to them blocked (when possible) and never realized that the elite "pecking order" was supposed to be considered when middle seats needed to be filled.

Another question: is fare paid ever taken into consideration for seat blocking?


Kathy

That way my understanding as well. Sure, an agent could look at see which status and probably do it manually, but I was also under the assumption that once you hit Premier-dom, it was pretty much a free-for all (sans exit rows).

The seat is "blocked" on the computer, in that no one can pick it when buying a seat by phone or on-line. But remember the gate agents have enormous discretion when filling the plane. The bulkhead middle seat, or row 9 on the 757 for example, is a popular choice over a middle in the back, and when someone at the gate pleads for a seat with more leg room because of a "medical condition", or some other excuse, the gate agent can and will give it away. At the gate the only "blocked" seats are ones that have been purchased.

The question remains, is the elite pecking order taken into consideration when seats need to be unblocked?

Either by the website, or by gate agents or other CSRs?


Kathy

You have to look at it differently. At the gate, seats are not blocked. So the gate agent just picks an open seat. Generally, blocking only happens before the flight goes under airport control.

BillJ

At the gate, we see something similar to:
9-*C-*-

This means that people are in 9A, 9D, and 9F. 9C is open, and 9B and 9E are blocked. There's no distinction made between a blocked seat next to a 1K or a blocked seat next to a *S. I suppose that, in a perfect world, we could pull up individual PNRs while assigning seats at the gate and prioritize that way, but that would consume an enormous amount of time. And surely you have all seen how insanely busy we GA's can get during the last few minutes of a full flight. When we need seats but only *s (blocked seats) remain on the seat map, automation assigns the *s in E- from front to back, and then the *s in E+ from front to back.

...a UA GA

Thanks for the info http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

So, the "pecking order" really has nothing to do with anything when unblocking occurs.

And it's useful to know that the blocked seats are unblocked from front to back. That is an incentive to avoid the front rows of Economy Plus, if you want to increase the probability of getting an empty seat next to you.


Kathy

Yes, but will Ted block my seat for me?

Be a good boy, will you?

Thanks sfokilla. That's important info to consider when choosing a seat in advance.

Just remember, with the ever increasing dominance of Easy Check-In kiosks, this all becomes a different game as people select their own seats. Does anyone know if all seats "unblock" on day of departure for the kiosks? Or does it leave them blocked until there are no others left in E-?

I used easy-checkin a few times pre-status and did not have access to E+ seats through the machine. Still had to get it at the gate from a live person. I imagine it's still the same.

Most agents will unblock a seat to any premier that wants to sit in an exit row or E+ seat - the more desirable row you are in, the greater the chances of the middle seat being filled, in my experience.

Thanks sfokilla! Great info!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

------------------
"I just wanna wish you good luck, we're all counting on you"
-Dr. Rumack