Seat Selection
 

I purchased flights through Delta with WestJet as the airline servicing the second leg. FLL-LAX then LAX-YVR. I cannot make a seat selection for the second leg on either Delta or WestJet's site. WJ tries to charge me. I did not book basic economy. Anyone know the workaround for this?

Not 100% sure how it works with codesharing, but WestJet (and majority of other Canadian airlines) does not offer free seat selection until T-24, unless your fare basis on WS includes it (or have status with WS/DL).

What this likely means is that you'll have to pay to select in advance, or select at check-in, as your WS leg will be governed by their rules. FYI, not many people pay for seat selection in advance on WS, so as long as you check-in early, you should get a decent seat. You should also be way ahead of many other passengers, as T-24 is calculated from your FLL departure.

Thank you! This is very helpful. I don't have status with Delta. I figured my early morning check in time with FLL will at least let me choose two seats together. I didn't want some random stranger to be punished with sitting next to me during my panic moments, haha.

If your only concern is sitting together with a companion, you will not have an issue with 99.9% certainty. WestJet will auto-assign you seats at check-in, and these are almost always together as long you're on the same itinerary. Over many bookings, I've only ever been split from my travel companion once (even with several bookings on a Basic fare), but that was during some serious IROPs during the first weekend of the worldwide COVID panic/shutdown.

If you are able to check in at T-24 from your FLL leg, you will pretty much have free reign to choose from over 50-70%+ of the seats on the flight, and probably even have a pretty decent shot at the emergency exit row, or the forward seats in the cabin, both with extra legroom.

I wouldn't worry at all. Happy travels!

Hello folks, first time flying WestJet (FlyingBlue Award Ticket) so just trying to clarify...
- at T-24 when you check in, does WestJet auto assign seats or you have the ability to pick a seat at T-24? (on reward tickets)
- is the auto assign only on "Basic" tickets?
Thanks a bunch.

A seat is assigned at check in for all fares. With Basic, there's a fee to select a different seat. With other fares, there's no fee.

Should be able to pick any open seat without charge on a FB award ticket.

This is sort of post for my reference too as I still had to look it up since I forgot how to get the WS PNR on DL Award tickets/WS metal to pre-select seats
- I use to call DL reservations to get the WS PNR, but I tried chatting with an agent that turned out to be useless.
- so it looks like you can get the PNR directly from DL and also link to the WS website straight from the DL website.
- just "try" to select seats and it will say that it can't on a partner flight...but the link actually embeds the WS PNR into it as it accesses the PNR on the WS website
- no more calling DL!!! Amazinggggg.
- not sure of there is a similar thing with FlyingBlue

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...43f955af10.jpg

It has been like this for Delta award tickets on Westjet for over a year now, maybe two. However, once seats have been selected they cannot be changed unless there are major schedule changes: you get only one shot at free seat selection.

It's been awhile as you can see since I've flown WS, wasted 15 min of my life with DL chat agent yest. She couldn't even give me the PNR if you can believe it, says it didn't load. When I called the DL reservation line the guy had no issues. Wonder why there is such a difference between the two services.

Thanks for the tip on the one shot. That's a surprise to me too. When did Westjet take that feature away? Seems so petty.

So let's say I don't pre select/buy seats in advance, what happens on a non basic econ ticket at T - 24?
- WS assigns as a seat at checkin as usual.
- I'm allowed to change it for free once since it's a DL award ticket, and then no more changes after that without a fee?
- and what about if I prebuy a seat T+24 in advance does the same restriction apply with one shot only too?
​- for multi segment connecting flights are you still able to select seats for all legs of the PNR at T-24 of the first flight even though the onward connections are more than, say, 30hrs away at time of check in?

They didn't change all that while I was away I hope.

And lastly is the boarding order still the same as historically on the WS 737s?
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I only have experience with Delta award tickets on Westjet as a Delta DM/PM, so YMMV. In the olden days (several years ago, pre-COVID), I had to wait until the day of departure (or T-24) for a free seat assignment, but I did not get an exit row or anything without extra charge; this may be how it still is for non-medallions or Silvers. In 2021 DL and WS started a reciprocal arrangement, and now I can get one free seat selection (includes exit row or their extra-legroom seats in row 4-5 or 4-7) when booking or anytime thereafter, and I can select seats myself on the web, but just once. Last year when I called Westjet to change a seat from one in row 4 to one in an open row (row 5) a few days prior to departure, they wanted an obscene amount of money, so that was a firm "no, thank you". I do not know about changes in the boarding order other than that I still board in Zone 1.