Flight Seat Reservation and Online Checkin

[Splice the mainbrace]

My wife and I fly out to Japan on Saturday to join the 27 day QE cruise of Japan and Alaska, we are flying out on Etihad flights provided by Cunard.

A few weeks ago we tried to reserve seats online for the flights but as Cunard had booked the flights we were not able to do so, we phoned Cunard and they 'released' the authority and gave us the flight booking code so that we could go online to reserve the seats but the Etihad site still won't let us. My concern is that it will also not let us checkin online when the time comes in a few days time or indeed for the return flight from Vancouver at the end of the cruise.

Have others had this sort of issue and did you get the problem fixed? When we phoned last time Cunard wouldn't reserve the seats for us.

[megr1125]

I have not traveled but I got my booking confirm at the time I booked the air (flexible, through Cunard) and I was able to select my seat.  I am in the USA and flying on American Airlines.  Perhaps ring Etihad and see if they can do it over the phone?  

 

You still may not be able to check in on line, which is, evidently, not all that unusual.  Rules and processes may well be different in the UK but you should still be able to select seats somehow.  

[Wordzz]

This happened to us last year, not with Etihad but with Virgin Atlantic. We had a booking code but couldn't reserve seats on the Virgin website. So I just rang Virgin and they sorted it straight away. Perhaps Etihad will be able to do the same.

 

[Splice the mainbrace]

44 minutes ago, megr1125 said:

I have not traveled but I got my booking confirm at the time I booked the air (flexible, through Cunard) and I was able to select my seat.  I am in the USA and flying on American Airlines.  Perhaps ring Etihad and see if they can do it over the phone?  

 

You still may not be able to check in on line, which is, evidently, not all that unusual.  Rules and processes may well be different in the UK but you should still be able to select seats somehow.  

Thank you for your response. We confirmed the flight booking codes with Cunard and they are correct. So we are phoning Etihad to do it directly as I type this.

[Splice the mainbrace]

32 minutes ago, Wordzz said:

This happened to us last year, not with Etihad but with Virgin Atlantic. We had a booking code but couldn't reserve seats on the Virgin website. So I just rang Virgin and they sorted it straight away. Perhaps Etihad will be able to do the same.

 

Thanks for your response. We have just reserved the seats with Etihad for the outward and Air France for our return flight from Vancouver, so all now done.

It is strange though that seats can't be accessed online but it's OK to phone up to do so.

[Splice the mainbrace]

59 minutes ago, Wordzz said:

This happened to us last year, not with Etihad but with Virgin Atlantic. We had a booking code but couldn't reserve seats on the Virgin website. So I just rang Virgin and they sorted it straight away. Perhaps Etihad will be able to do the same.

 

 

Do you remember if you were able to check in online with Virgin even though you could not reserve the seats online?

[Wordzz]

Tbh I can't remember, but equally I don't remember not being able to, so I'm assuming we could and did.

 

I suspect your problem (and ours last year) may have been a glitch somewhere; we have Virgin flights booked again for later this year, again through Cunard, and have been able to reserve seats without a problem. In fact, I was able to change the seats, too, because Virgin changed the aircraft and our original seat reservations were moved. All went without a hitch.

Good luck and enjoy the trip!

[LadyL1]

We have travelled quite a few times lately, long haul, from the end of a cruise. Virgin we were able to book our seats months before we flew, but it cost for this privilege. I can't remember what happened with Delta. With BA, if you are travelling economy or  premium economy you cannot reserve your seats at all, until check in, 24 hours to departure; Club World is different and it will help if you belong to their frequent flyer scheme.  It seems to depend on the airline,  the class of seat booked and if you have any priority with a particular airline. In all cases we have checked in online.

[DreamingOfSunnyDays]

5 hours ago, Wordzz said:

Tbh I can't remember, but equally I don't remember not being able to, so I'm assuming we could and did.

 

I suspect your problem (and ours last year) may have been a glitch somewhere; we have Virgin flights booked again for later this year, again through Cunard, and have been able to reserve seats without a problem. In fact, I was able to change the seats, too, because Virgin changed the aircraft and our original seat reservations were moved. All went without a hitch.

Good luck and enjoy the trip!

 

Wordzz are you flying into Manchester?

 

This happened to us as the plane changed from an A330-200 to a B747-400. I guess as you are on the same cruise this will be the same for you?

[Wordzz]

Hi DreamingOfunnyDays, 

No, Heathrow from JFK, and not until December. We were originally on an A330 too, but it's been changed to a B787-9 (Dreamliner?). We're happy with the change!

[Splice the mainbrace]

11 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

We have travelled quite a few times lately, long haul, from the end of a cruise. Virgin we were able to book our seats months before we flew, but it cost for this privilege. I can't remember what happened with Delta. With BA, if you are travelling economy or  premium economy you cannot reserve your seats at all, until check in, 24 hours to departure; Club World is different and it will help if you belong to their frequent flyer scheme.  It seems to depend on the airline,  the class of seat booked and if you have any priority with a particular airline. In all cases we have checked in online.

 

For your experiences with seat reservation was that while booking directly with Cunard, with an agent or a combination.

There must be a way of giving flight option online control to the traveller even if the Cruise company / travel agent has booked it on our behalf, if it's OK by phone why not online.

When we phoned Etihad and Air France (free to reserve seats) our records showed Cunard's phone number.

Interestingly there were not many seats available to reserve on our Abu Dhabi to Tokyo flight, it's as if Cunard or another company had block booked whole sections of the seats.

[LadyL1]

We have booked with both Cunard and personal travel agent. Whatever cruise/itinerary you chose the air travel seating is at the behest of the chosen airline. Your booking will show Cunard (and on long haul probably not block booking) as the purchaser of the seats, but it will not affect you checking out in online.

Have a great trip, I am sure all will work out well.

[Stella1250]

I am having the same problem. We are flying Delta NY to Amsterdam, and then KLM to Hamburg. KLM would not allow us to choose seats, even though we booked the entire trip through Delta. They had us sitting in different rows when the flight was still empty. We did call, and after talking to a supervisor, the agent was able to get us seats together. All this trouble for a 45 minute flight!

[Splice the mainbrace]

14 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

We have booked with both Cunard and personal travel agent. Whatever cruise/itinerary you chose the air travel seating is at the behest of the chosen airline. Your booking will show Cunard (and on long haul probably not block booking) as the purchaser of the seats, but it will not affect you checking out in online.

Have a great trip, I am sure all will work out well.

 

We checked in online this morning before our flights to Japan on Saturday, so as you say the booking codes do work for that purpose, why not for reserving seats etc prior to check in doesn't seem to make sense.

[foodsvcmgr]

We booked Virgin premium economy Newark - Heathrow last October through Cunard.

The Cunard agent was able to reserve seats at the time of original booking,

She gave me the Virgin booking code and I was able to look up and verify the booking on the Virgin website as well as check in online in the normal manner.

I'm assuming much of this must be dependent on the individual airline, not Cunard policy.