Do seats re-appear if someone cancels?

[Ms Understood]

I booked 2 biz class tickets to FCO from LAX. I booked via Delta but the flights are on Air France. I check all my flights every day to avoid just this situation: my seats disappeared. It seems that Delta's computer failed to advise Air France's computer that I was holding these tickets and AF assigned my seats away. The Delta website showed I had my requested seats but when I checked AF (I was looking for unrelated reasons as I have never even thought to confirm that the partner airline had the same seats assigned as Delta) I was "unassigned" ln all 4 of my flights.

 

There are no longer 2 seats together in the Biz cabin. Delta is no help I "booked a ticket not a particular seat...". OK, I get that, it sucks but I get it. My question: the flight is not for another 30 days, is it possible that in the event someone cancels would their seat show up as available on the website? Should I bother to keep checking to see if better seats open up or just accept my fate, lesson learned and move on?

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Helen

[cruising cockroach]

DL has had problems for years confirming assigned seats on AF and KL. If you want assgined seats, call AF directly with your AF PNR (ask DL to give it to you, you'll need it). May be able to get the seat assignments at the AF website too.

[6rugrats]

My question: the flight is not for another 30 days, is it possible that in the event someone cancels would their seat show up as available on the website? Should I bother to keep checking to see if better seats open up or just accept my fate, lesson learned and move on?

-------------------------

Helen

 

Yes, I'd be checking on a daily basis. When you book codeshares, you usually have to get the PNR for the airline on which you will actually be flying (AF in your case), and then either call that airline, or go to their webpage to select seats. Never rely on the booking airline to do it or to even be able to do it.

 

Seats may even open up when you do online check-in. Have your AF confirmation number so you can change them on AF webpage if something shows up.

Edited May 23, 2014 by 6rugrats

[Ashland]

May not be the exact info you're looking for as the other's above are experts...but I have changed seats many times online when I see avalibility change..and the minute I make the change I see the ones I have moved from showing now available for someone else to book.

[Ms Understood]

Thanks for the help. I have the PNR so will check AF regularly rather that DL as I had been doing.

--------------

Helen

[slidergirl]

Yeah, AF is notorious for this. You do have to check the AF site, not the DL site. BUT, this may not help, either. I've flown AF Business (aka Affaires) if I can't get my DL flight over the years. I've had my seat changed out from me between confirming the seat on the AF site THE NIGHT BEFORE and when I get to the airport. I had it happen once after confirming the seat at the AF counter at CDG for a flight back home the next day. Other times, the seat I initially chose stuck the whole time. I've grown accustomed to it ;)

[FlyerTalker]

Rule of thumb: Always have your seat reservation through the operating carrier if at all possible. Too many ways for it to go sideways if done through the ticketing carrier. Just ask for the PNR locator for any segments that are codeshares, or just call the operating carrier to get it (if the marketing one doesn't have it, which is often the case with DL agents).

[Globaliser]

There are no longer 2 seats together in the Biz cabin. Delta is no help I "booked a ticket not a particular seat...". OK, I get that, it sucks but I get it. My question: the flight is not for another 30 days, is it possible that in the event someone cancels would their seat show up as available on the website? Should I bother to keep checking to see if better seats open up or just accept my fate, lesson learned and move on?

Seat allocations usually show up in real time as they are made or cancelled, so it's definitely worth checking.

 

For the exercise that you're doing, have a look at http://www.expertflyer.com. This site offers a seat alert service that will send you an email when it detects that a particular seat (or one of a set of seats), or a particular type of seat/seat arrangement is now available on your flight. You can, for example, specify an alert when it detects any available pair of seats (ie two seats together). You may want to set one up using the flight number on which you're booked, and one on the prime (operating) flight number as well. You'll need to repeat this for each sector, of course.

[nolatravelgirl]

As others have stated be sure to keep checking, but a worst case scenario involves picking your seats strategically from what is left. If you want two seats together your best bet is to assign you and you travel companion in a window and an aisle so that you can trade for something equal. I always book an aisle on a transatlantic as I despise having to ask a stranger to move for me to use the lavatory, so please don't ask me to trade my aisle for a window seat. I will however usually trade an aisle for aisle. Also if you have one seat in a preferred row then be sure to trade down. In other words don't ask someone to move to a less desirable row, instead ask someone if they would like to move up to the desirable row.

[Ms Understood]

I am pleased to report that I followed the advice on this board and checked daily on air France site for 2 seats together in biz class and finally today 2 seats re-appeared for my flight in 12 days. A phone call to AF secured me the seats which now show up assigned to me on both AF and delta websites. Yay! Thanks!

-------------------

Helen

[ducklite]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but my recent AF flights were a debacle. I had selected seats a year in advance when I booked the tickets. I checked repeatedly over that year, and even the day of the flight, and everything was still good. They had a computer problem, and it took 70 minutes standing at the counter (not in line--but actually at the counter) to get our boarding passes. When I first went to the counter, they assured me we still had the seats we had selected. Someplace during that 70 minutes, things change. When the boarding passes were printed, they had changed my seats. It took half an hour of fighting to get them back. The same thing happened on the return, and they flat out lied to me about it.

 

The flight was terrible. Rude FA's, bad food, terrible service--I had to beg for a glass of water--unbelieveable!, uncomfortable seats, a broken lav that still wasn't fixed over a week later when we flew home on the same equipment, the list goes on.

 

I hope your experience was better than mine was, because short of flying RyanAir or something along those lines, it couldn't have been much worse.

 

By the way, their amenity kit has to be one of the worst we've ever received.

[Ms Understood]

Yikes! I have flown air France from lax to a number of cities in Europe mostly because that is where I can get FF seats with my delta miles and have never had such a terrible experience! We are committed now so will just hope for the best.

----------------

Helen

[waterbug123]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but my recent AF flights were a debacle.... they had changed my seats....

The flight was terrible. Rude FA's, bad food, terrible service--I had to beg for a glass of water--unbelieveable!, uncomfortable seats, a broken lav that still wasn't fixed over a week later when we flew home on the same equipment, the list goes on.

 

 

Wow! We flew home on AF from Italy a couple of years ago and it was wonderful, even in economy. (Well, as wonderful as economy can be.) The FA's were delightful, food was good, wine and water were free flowing, and we actually got a small amenity kit (ear plugs, headphones, eye shades)...not like what you get in Biz, but Delta for instance doesn't give any amenity kit in economy so I thought it was a nice touch to get one in economy on AF.

[ducklite]

Wow! We flew home on AF from Italy a couple of years ago and it was wonderful, even in economy. (Well, as wonderful as economy can be.) The FA's were delightful, food was good, wine and water were free flowing, and we actually got a small amenity kit (ear plugs, headphones, eye shades)...not like what you get in Biz, but Delta for instance doesn't give any amenity kit in economy so I thought it was a nice touch to get one in economy on AF.

 

 

We got one small bottle of wine each with dinner, and one small bottle of water (a Pint, no more) that was at the seat when we boarded. You'd think I was asking for their first born trying to get a glass of water halfway through the flight. They didn't give an amenity kit to economy, only premium economy and business.

Edited June 18, 2014 by ducklite