Flights using Silverseas Air: Seat Assignments? Upgrades?

[UKCruiseJeff]

In a previous post I mentioned the seat assignment that I selected at time of booking changed after SS paid. I then just called the airlines to rebook the seats that I wanted. It was a simple enough solution. The flights were booked on Air Canada and United. I’m not sure this would work for every airline.

 

Your reminder to others to regularly check that the seats they reserved are still reserved is wise advice. :)

[Nitemare]

We ended up calling the airlines and paid for the upgrades to Economy Plus. On one of the legs, United had switched us from decent Economy seats to ones that Seatguru had in red (no recline). We asked about that before talking about upgrading that leg and they upgraded us for free to E+.

 

United was much less expensive to upgrade on than Delta was.

[Rwag]

Thanks Jeff. So true. Sometimes they change aircrafts without telling you and hence the seats assignment changes. I always look at the aircraft and then seat guru. The other thing to check is connecting times and airports. We are flying business class from Toronto to Bueos Aires and then Rio to Toronto. SS booked us through JFK in the winter with an hour to change planes for our connecting flight. I would never go through JFK in the winter with that short of a window. De-icing takes 45 minutes and there are always delays in the winter. We are now going through Houston with a 3 hour layover at my request. Just something else to be aware of.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Jeff. So true. Sometimes they change aircrafts without telling you and hence the seats assignment changes. I always look at the aircraft and then seat guru. The other thing to check is connecting times and airports. We are flying business class from Toronto to Bueos Aires and then Rio to Toronto. SS booked us through JFK in the winter with an hour to change planes for our connecting flight. I would never go through JFK in the winter with that short of a window. De-icing takes 45 minutes and there are always delays in the winter. We are now going through Houston with a 3 hour layover at my request. Just something else to be aware of.

 

Until a few weeks ago there was a wonderful app called My Flights HD where you would put your pnr and name into for all flights and it would monitor all your forward flights in real time and alert you immediately to any changes including seat reservations and equipment changes. This app has saved me so many times. You as a savvy traveller knows that if there is a change then the earlier you know the better your chances of optimal recovery before everyone else on the flight finds out.

 

It stopped on 1st Jan so now I have to manually check all future flighhts regularly just to make sure nothing has changed. It is a tragedy. :(

 

http://www.myflightsapp.com/for-travellers/

[Rwag]

That’s too bad. It sounded like a great app. I check my flights all the time and know the changes before the airlines alert me. Clearly I have too much time on my hands! Lol. It is great to find travel apps through other peoples recommendations. I would have used that app for sure!

[UKCruiseJeff]

We ended up calling the airlines and paid for the upgrades to Economy Plus. On one of the legs, United had switched us from decent Economy seats to ones that Seatguru had in red (no recline). We asked about that before talking about upgrading that leg and they upgraded us for free to E+.

 

United was much less expensive to upgrade on than Delta was.

 

Being aware of non-reclining seats particularly on longer flights as you wisely warn is important to establish. As a very general rule non-reclining seats are in the rows in front of emergency exit rows to ensure speedy unobstructed exit and often in emergency exit rows themselves, as well as sometimes in last row seats which are often against walls.

 

There's no substitute for finding out as much as you can as you did.

[UKCruiseJeff]

That’s too bad. It sounded like a great app. I check my flights all the time and know the changes before the airlines alert me. Clearly I have too much time on my hands! Lol. It is great to find travel apps through other peoples recommendations. I would have used that app for sure!

 

I disagree. :D You are using your time wisely. :D As an aside, "having too much time" is often used as a term of abuse, by self important people who think that being busy is simpatico with being important, but it isn't true. I think the reverse is often as much true. Nothing is more important than doing all those discretionary things one does simply because one has "too much time" and wishes to enrich our own and others lives.

 

In pursuit of apps the best app I currently use is for alerting for BA redemption flights as soon as some are released and available. It costs £3 per month and a lovely helpful chap - Tim - makes no cash for it but wishes to help others. I have an unhealthy stash of BA miles and around 80% of our air travel is using them. They are only economically worthwhile for Club for shorthaul and First for longhaul where we use Amex 241's to double their value. So the app is great for us and anyone using BA even on codeshares. It gave a me a couple of seats on a rare flight a few days ago and hopefully will warn me in a week or two of some return flights. Then I'll have to try and get either the US or Hongkong BA offices to book them for me just after midnight UK time when UK offices are shut. No one said that optimising miles was simple. :)

 

https://www.baredemptionfinder.com/

[beaujolais]

Jeff

Thanks for reply

I have been away from PC since my enquiry but I will try your suggestions either tomorrow or over the weekend and let you know results

[beaujolais]

Good morning, I am not Jeff but I am also on The Whisper in July:).....what date are you sailing? I am going on 7/10

and there is a roll started.....if you are on the same cruise please come say hello:).....I used SS for my flights too

and I don't think you can book your seats this far out.....I used them for my last cruise as well........I think the seats were

assigned long before "check in".........but not 7 months out either.

 

Sorry Lois but we are on the voyages after you

PS Glad the op went okay

[Lois R]

Good morning, I am not Jeff but I am also on The Whisper in July:).....what date are you sailing? I am going on 7/10

and there is a roll started.....if you are on the same cruise please come say hello:).....I used SS for my flights too

and I don't think you can book your seats this far out.....I used them for my last cruise as well........I think the seats were

assigned long before "check in".........but not 7 months out either.

 

Sorry Lois but we are on the voyages after you

PS Glad the op went okay

 

Ohhh...ok, will pass going in and out;) and thanks for the kind words. I am really doing well:)

[Nitemare]

Back!

 

Delta was great. Exit row (BOS/ATL) had ridiculous legroom and baggage claim and transfer in ATL was easy. ATL/SCL was a "regular" plus seat and the legroom was nice.

 

SCL to IAH on United wasn't bad. The layover in IAH was very short and United screwed up our PreCheck so we were lucky our flight was early and our bags got off quickly in Houston. The 737 from IAH to BOS was tight -- hard to see that we had any extra legroom, and no seatback entertainment. Overhead bins were the biggest we've ever seen.

 

The flights to and from Ushuaia were VERY tight seating and a bit hectic, but so worth it for the rest of the trip!

[Mudhen]

I'm guessing it's just dumb luck, but we booked our cruise (Sept. TA) on Jan 18th, and had our flights and seats, all arranged as of about a week ago. I just checked our online account with VA and, yup....our seats are still there. I'll continue to watch to make sure they stay there!