Qantas and V Australia seat selection

[azcruiser64]

Has anyone flown on V Australia or Qantas lately and know how their seat selection works? The way I'm reading their internet sites it appears you can't make a seat selection on V Australia until your at the airport. On Qantas it appears you can make a seat selection via the internet but only 24 hours prior to the flight. Its hard to believe that its not possible to pick your seat when making the reservation, is this correct?

Since their aircraft have only 3 and 4 across seating in economy I want to make sure I can get 2 aisle seats across from each other so my wife and I aren't stuck in a middle seat on a 14-15 hour Lax-Syd flight.

Any other comments on either airline would also be appriciated.

[PennyAgain]

Unless you have status or a partner airline, you can't do much seat selection on Qantas. Of course everyone wants the best seats they can get. Check partner airlines on which you might have status.

 

They are also absolute bears about how much and how heavy your carry on luggage is.

 

The up side is that their food and beverages on better than on US airlines.

 

Also remember not to have any food products with you at all when you get off the plane in Australia. They are really serious about this.

 

After you step off the plane, you will come to a really nice duty free shop as you make your way to customs and immigration. Shop there as booze prices are high in Australia.

[Ashland]

Will they not let you pay a fee to pre-select your seats ? For additional seat info..have you tried www.seatguru.com ..I wouldn't choose seats without looking at this site before I book any airlines...I am one of those picky seat picker's (LOL LOL) and equipment flyers...:eek:;):D

[6rugrats]

No, unless you have status, you can't make a seat selection when you book a ticket.

 

Thanks PennyAgain for the duty free tip.

[JAG123]

You can normally put your preferences in, that you prefer an Aisle seat, but otherwise, no you cannot select a seat until you do checkin. The only way to get around this is if you have special needs for extra leg room (exit row) or travelling with kids then you will get sent down the back. Port-a-cots also sometimes get the exit rows.

 

Not sure about V Australia - I know Virgin Blue (domestic within Australia) you can pay extra to have the exit row seats (more leg room) and when you book online you actually select your seat at time of booking, but international on V might be different???

 

Either way - the earlier you check in, the better your options. Domestic you can do online checkin 24 hours in advance and print your boarding pass, then do a baggage drop at the airport. I don't think you can do that with international flights. Good luck.

[PennyAgain]

I usually can sleep about half of that flight. Meals and walking to the toilet take up about 2.5 - 3 hours. If you don't have a Kindle or an iPad, this might be the time to have one.

 

Aids to sleep for me are to have my own high quality eye shades and to wear really comfortable clothing. The eye mask for me makes a huge difference. Some folks use ear plugs.

 

Remember on your return not to buy liquids in duty free departing Australia if you have to catch another flight out of LAX.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[kenish]

FYI, we flew Qantas first class using AAdvantage miles and could select seats on the international segments. The domestic legs (one award, one paid) were not selectable until 24h prior. Curiously, budget airline Jetstar does allow seat selection at time of booking. The tradeoff is that Jetstar strictly enforces luggage weight and check-in cutoff times are kept literally to the exact minute with no allowances.

 

Another FYI, Australia domestic flights do not have the 3-1-1 rule, you can carry liquids in any amount. However they are very concerned about aerosol cans (shaving cream, deodorant, etc). The cap must be present and intact or it will be confiscated. Also a pair of blunt-nosed scissors that were OK in the US were taken away (with huge apologies from the agent) at Melbourne.

 

Last comment, the security screeners in Oz are professional, efficient, and friendly. Our TSA needs to take notice.

[Globaliser]

Its hard to believe that its not possible to pick your seat when making the reservation, is this correct?

This is actually pretty standard around the world.

 

It's mostly North American airlines that issue seat allocations to everyone on a first-come first-served basis, and then give you the impression that it's "your" seat as if you'd bought a seat in a theatre or booked a cabin on a ship. That impression is, of course, misleading as all airlines that allocate seats reserve the right to change your seat at any time - even after you have boarded your aircraft.

 

Many airlines elsewhere only allocate a limited proportion of seats before check-in opens, and sometimes only to certain categories of passenger. AFAIK, Qantas allocates about 25% of the economy cabin to all comers, and then any further pre-allocation is for limited categories of passenger. I believe that you can pay extra to have exit row seats on Qantas - the information should be on the website.

[azcruiser64]

Thanks for all the info everone. I guess I'm use to the U.S. carriers although about 4 years ago I booked British Airways PHX-LHR-JNB round trip through the internet and selected our seats on all the segments.

[Globaliser]

... although about 4 years ago I booked British Airways PHX-LHR-JNB round trip through the internet and selected our seats on all the segments.

That was the BA policy then, but it didn't work very well so it's been replaced.

[laurenpie]

Last comment, the security screeners in Oz are professional, efficient, and friendly. Our TSA needs to take notice.

Yes, I second that one! :)

[jasl]

AZcruiser...........You can request seats from V-Australia via the phone. Don't know the number off hand, but it can be found on their website. We booked them to fly to Sydney, but alas had to cancel. However, after I made the booking I called and selected my seats. Their fare at the time was better than Qantas, also they have special "happy hour" fares so if you have a little time before you commit to a booking, check each day.

[azcruiser64]

Thanks for the info jasl. I'm leaning toward V Australia mainly because seat guru says their economy seats are 18.8" wide vs Qantas 17.5". Both have 31" pitch.

I haven't found any great reviews for either airline, but I have heard of good things about the other Virgin airlines in general.

[jasl]

AZCruiser...........I have read some comments by CC posters and they raved about the service on V Australia, that's why I chose to book with them. FYI just received an email from Qantas and they have a four day sale on, real good fares including low cost add-ons within Australia.

[Sandylee]

After you step off the plane, you will come to a really nice duty free shop as you make your way to customs and immigration. Shop there as booze prices are high in Australia.

 

If you know what you want, you can also buy the stuff online and they will have it in a bag ready for you to pick up as you pass through. Google "Duty Free Australia" and I think you'll find it.