Help With Air Deviation Seat Assigment mess!

[kattom]

Hi,

 

I am a new cruiser (I am scheduled for my 2nd cruise in October). Because I wanted something really, really special for our 30th Anniversary we booked the Tahitian Princess over a year ago 6/06 for our 10/07 cruise. I have been reading posts and making plans ever since.

 

One of the suggestions was to pay the air deviation and go a day early. It was my understanding that by paying the deviation fee that I could select the days I wanted to fly, the times I wanted to fly within those scheduled, and make my seat assignments. In January of this year I checked flights and decided to go one day early and stay two days after. I called my TA and told her what I wanted to do. She called Princess and when it was all done I was given a statment from Princess called a "Princess Cruises Air Services" which listed my flights and the assigned seats. It said that my flights were confirmed and gave me a confirmation number. Not wanting to risk it--I called Air Tahiti Nui to verify that the seats were in my name. They were. I even called again in April to double check and everything was fine. Getting aisle/window seats were a very important part of my plans.

 

So imagine my surprise when I went on the Princess personalizer yesterday, saw that one of my flights had been changed to an earlier time!!! When I called Air Tahiti Nui, they told me that yes, I was now on the 10:00 flight--which might not be so bad--only that my new seat assigments were in the center aisle. There are no seats left on the window/aisle like my original reservation!!!! So I said, what about moving me back to the later flight--no good window/aisle seats left there either.

 

To make matters even worse I asked about my flights going to the island. Yes, I was still listed, but now we had no seat assigments at all!!!!!!

 

Of course this is several weeks after I have paid in full so now I don't have the option of getting my own flights.

 

What happened? Air Tahiti Nui told me that it was a Princess change. I called my TA who was out of the office yesterday and spoke to her assistant who said she would look into it.

 

My question is--if the change was made--should my TA have known? Did Air Tahiti Nui make the change? Princess?? I am quite upset but don't really know who caused this problem. Was I wrong in assuming that because I had a confirmation from Princess that I had my flights and seat assignments that it was really a confirmation??? What's the point of planning it if they can make a change like that and not tell you?

 

If anyone can help tell me who I should be talking to about this--my TA, Princess, Air Tahiti Nui, God...please let me know.

 

Thanks!

 

--Kathy

[lvtotrvl1]

When an airline changes a flight all seats are lost. It sound like Air Tahiti Nui changed your flights, not Princess. If it was changed on your personalizer, Princess should have been notified of your change, and since you had paid for the air deviation, I would think you should have been notified of the seat change.

[serene56]

Flights change all the time. Its not that the fault of the cruiselines.

Its good that you keep checking.

My flights have changed 3 times since I booked a few months ago. And I was never notified either.

 

 

Is your original flight still flying?

[Toto2Kansas]

Your actually lucky getting seat assignments for the return flight, even when paying the deviation fee. We did the same, paid the fee and all, and were able to obtain seat assignments to Tahiti. But on the return flight, no way, now how, not until we checked in for the flight home were we able to get them. And with the airport being the zoo it always is down there, no way to get there first to get the best seats. We too were destined to have the middle isle on the return, and it was no where as comfortable as going down with the two seats across by the window. Our solution? We both took a sleeping pill and tried to sleep until we landed at LAX.

[kattom]

Hmmm...so it is normal then to lose the seat assignments even though everything else stays the same?

 

While I'm certainly familiar with flights being cancelled and then everything changing--I was pretty certain that as long as the flights stayed the same that your seat assignments would be honored. Especially with a confirmation from Princess.

 

I'm still just curious about who made the decision to change us--Air Tahiti Nui or Princess. And is it possible to find out???

 

:confused:

 

--Kathy

 

And how did that sleeping pill work toto2Kansas?

[PescadoAmarillo]

Hmmm...so it is normal then to lose the seat assignments even though everything else stays the same?

 

It happens to me ALL the time. Most of the time, it's not a big issue, but I was very specific with flights to/from Australia, booked way in advance (air deviation through Princess), checked out seatguru.com, got the seats I wanted (I thought). Even when I left home I thought we were all set. At the airport checking in for the 14 1/2 hour flights, it was as if I'd done NOTHING. The first time I ended up with a middle seat rows away from my husband. The second time we were in the two middle seats of the center four seats. Don't know if we were just unlucky, but I think it happens quite a bit.

[Toto2Kansas]

Hmmm...so it is normal then to lose the seat assignments even though everything else stays the same?

 

While I'm certainly familiar with flights being cancelled and then everything changing--I was pretty certain that as long as the flights stayed the same that your seat assignments would be honored. Especially with a confirmation from Princess.

 

I'm still just curious about who made the decision to change us--Air Tahiti Nui or Princess. And is it possible to find out???

 

:confused:

 

--Kathy

 

 

 

And how did that sleeping pill work toto2Kansas?

 

Kathy, honestly, there was no way we could obtain those return seat assignements until we checked in at the airport for the return, and we really did try everything. I am wondering if maybe they haven't changed the rule or they just screwed up from the get go?? That I don't know for sure as our situtation was in 2005 with ATN.

 

We each popped an Ambien (have since switched to Lunesta for the longer flights as it has less side effect and works quicker). Had dinner, went to sleep, and woke up right before breakfast was served not too long before landing. Remember, these are late night flights so getting home is a bit different then flying there, you are definitely ready for some sleep once you board and eat. We just always prefer to be seated on the window side where there are just the two of us to contend with. It wasn't half as bad as we thought it would be since we were asleep half the time. So, it really isn't that much to worry about.

[kattom]

Thank you PescadoAmarillo and toto2Kansas for sharing your experiences and your reassurances. It is just so frustrating when you think you have it all handled right?

 

Next time I will definitely make my own flight arrangements. I am sure that I never read anywhere on these boards that it happens so frequently. I was pretty certain that the only problems were when you didn't do air deviation--now I know better! While you might get the day you want to fly--don't count on getting the seats you want!

 

--Kathy

[Stevesan]

As others have said, it was probably the airline, not Princess, who initiated the change.

However, you shouldn't have to learn it on Cruise Personalizer. Any change would have been noted to your TA who should have let you know.

 

One consolation: there's usually a little more legroom in the center aisle seats. I intentionally booked a center section seat for just that reason. A couple inches isn't much, but when there's very little to start with I'll take all I can get.:o

[Toto2Kansas]

As others have said, it was probably the airline, not Princess, who initiated the change.

However, you shouldn't have to learn it on Cruise Personalizer. Any change would have been noted to your TA who should have let you know.

 

One consolation: there's usually a little more legroom in the center aisle seats. I intentionally booked a center section seat for just that reason. A couple inches isn't much, but when there's very little to start with I'll take all I can get.:o

 

More leg room in the middle section? Now, that is a new one on me. We found it exactly the same as the other seats.

[lvtotrvl1]

Thank you PescadoAmarillo and toto2Kansas for sharing your experiences and your reassurances. It is just so frustrating when you think you have it all handled right?

 

Next time I will definitely make my own flight arrangements. I am sure that I never read anywhere on these boards that it happens so frequently. I was pretty certain that the only problems were when you didn't do air deviation--now I know better! While you might get the day you want to fly--don't count on getting the seats you want!

 

--Kathy

Unfortunatly, it can happen even when you make your own flight arrangements.

[Spender Nui]

I'm not clear on one thing.

 

Was your original flight cancelled or does it still exist? If it still exists you have a major complaint with someone.

 

If the original was cancelled and you were switched to another flight that's unpleasant but goes on all the time.

 

All part of the pleasantries of flying today. I'm glad I don't have to it often anymore.

[Solara]

Just so you know even when you book your own air it can happen. The airline never even notifies you. After I got burned once I usually always check my flights every couple of weeks. I know you shouldn't to do that but it's better than not having my seats.....

[Toto2Kansas]

Totally different flight and airline but, last April I had booked my flights months in advance. It got to be a couple of weeks before leaving and when I checked the website, they had moved our seats to the back of the plane right across from the galley and I was again stuck in the middle seat. Something I booked early to avoid so we could get the two seats across section. The flight was packed, no other seats available. When I called Midwest, it was one of those 'sorry about that' we needed your seats for a group onboard. Needless to say, I was furious. No contact, and if I wouldn't have checked, we would not have found out until we had checked in for our flight. Yep, it happens on many airlines. And after numerous calls to Midwest, there was not a thing I could do about it. So, I agree, doesn't matter if you book privately or through the cruise line, they can change your seats without notice or explanation. :(

[Coral]

Welcome to airline hell!

 

I had AA FF miles to Europe this summer. The flights changed a lot, I lost my seats what felt like all the time and 2 airlines (connecting with AA flights) would not even let me pre-reserve seats until I got to the airport.

 

Hopefully your TA will provide some insight as to what happened. It is too difficult to figure out if it was Princess or the airlines fault.

 

Good luck.

[kattom]

Thanks again to everyone for your comments. I guess it helps to know you aren't alone:)

 

As of 4:30 my agent called and said that it was Air Tahiti Nui's fault (not Princess or her's!) She said that she would call every single day until the cruise to see if she could get me aisle/window seats. So we'll see.

 

Of course, if I do get them there is still a chance they could take them away again. Major bummer huh? So sorry to hear about your troubles toto2Kansas! Hopefully I'm be MUCH luckier.

 

And yes Spender Nui, my original flight is still there at the same time and all. They just moved me from one flight to another and then took away the seats.

 

Obivously this can happen whether you book your own flights or not. But at least if I book my own I watch them like a hawk and don't rely on a TA to do it. Ah, live and learn!

 

--Kathy

[sonomaphil]

Totally different flight and airline but, last April I had booked my flights months in advance. It got to be a couple of weeks before leaving and when I checked the website, they had moved our seats to the back of the plane right across from the galley and I was again stuck in the middle seat. Something I booked early to avoid so we could get the two seats across section. The flight was packed, no other seats available. When I called Midwest, it was one of those 'sorry about that' we needed your seats for a group onboard. Needless to say, I was furious. No contact, and if I wouldn't have checked, we would not have found out until we had checked in for our flight. Yep, it happens on many airlines. And after numerous calls to Midwest, there was not a thing I could do about it. So, I agree, doesn't matter if you book privately or through the cruise line, they can change your seats without notice or explanation. :(

 

Fly Air Greyhound! :D

 

(Southwest for those of you not in the loop!)

[Coral]

Fly Air Greyhound! :D

 

(Southwest for those of you not in the loop!)

 

Unfortunately - they do not have their routing to Tahiti open yet :). Or, in my case for this summer, Russia.

[dog]

I understand what you are going through. I did that trip last Sept....booked with air deviation....but then found a seat sale and cancelled Princess flights....they keep the deviation fee anyway...but I saved so much with the seat sale for the flights.

 

 

And yes, I was able to pay an extra $700 US each at the check in counter in LAX to upgrade to business class....was good, not great.

 

On the return, I was first in line, no business class available but was able to change to economy aisle and window...there was some choice and then many seats at the back of the plane were empty....I got to have the two seats myself and my DH got 2 other seats for himself....so did many others.

At the check in counter in Tahiti we were told the plane was sold out, not just the business section.

 

So, don't sweat it, may turn out for you after all.

 

This is an amazing trip.

[silvercruiser]

How do you find your flight info in Cruise Personalizer? All I can find is the city I'm flying from and it says Tampa, not Sarasota. There's nothing I can click open for details.

[Happy5804]

I agree with the statement, "Welcome to airline hell."

We're not cruising in September, but are going on Hawaiian Air on a land-based trip

and we at least received an e-mail and they changed our 12:15 flight

to 8 a.m. from Honolulu. Only problem was they had us leaving Maui

first at 10:30 a.m. to catch an 8 a.m. flight.

They basically took the whole flight out of service for either a charter

or mechanical purpose, thereby making us either spend an extra night

in Honolulu OR get us out on United, but by this time, as stated earlier,

all the two-top seats by the windows were long gone, putting us in

the middle! Uggh. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

[TexasMom2]

We returned from Tahiti a few weeks ago and can shed a little light (not too much) on the situation. We also booked TP 14 months in advance and held Princess air for 1209/pp, thinking that prices would come down. We could have booked on our own for 1350/pp in December but didn't act on it. May comes around and prices had gone up so we ended up paying about $200/pp more, plus deviation, for flights a day early and two days after. We received seat assignments for both flights by calling ATN. We were told by ATN that both flights were full and we actually got the last 2 seats (middle) on the LAX/PPT portion, row 42.

 

Once we boarded LAX/PPT and before takeoff, we noticed a couple moving from aisle/window to the bulkhead row, as those seats were empty. We got up and moved to their seats ASAP. There were some other empty seats on the plane.

 

On the return, our 10:00pm flight (the other one is 11:30pm) was delayed to 1:00 a.m. We heard this as we were in line to check in. When we got to the counter, the agent told us we could get on the 11:30 and got the last two seats (sound familiar?) Unfortunately, they were in the last row where the seats don't recline. We quickly made a decision to take this option so we could still make our connecting flight at LAX. Some friends we had made on the cruise were about 20 people behind us in line - we let them know about the options but that we had gotten the last two seats on the plane. Lo and behold, when it came time to board, they were seated towards the middle! Needless to say, we got virtually no sleep without being able to recline and right next to galley/restroom.

 

I would call ATN back and be very firm - tell them you want your flight and your seats back. I wonder if we had been a little smarter at the counter and questioned the seat locations, if we would have gotten a better location.

 

What's funny is we didn't hear about the cabin attendant scandal (drugs) until we got home. I'm not sure I would book cruise line air again.

[HendersonHonezz]

After reading all of these posts about the problems I decided to check with United (on-line) to make sure we had the seats we had booked several months ago for an October flight from Bangkok to SFO. When I pulled up the seat selection for our flights....there were OUR business class seats showing as available. So, I called United and found we had been moved to row 13 upstairs, even though our PNR showed my husband is in a wheelchair. I am so glad I checked tonight because I don't know what they would have done with us. I was very lucky because this flight makes a stop in Tokyo and I really lucked out that the same seats were still available for the 2nd leg of the trip. Thanks everyone for reminding me to check. Connie

[dog]

And I am flying BA in a few weeks...world traveller plus...booked 330 days in advance....at the time of booking I was allowed to choose my seats....no notification from airline....they just moved us from aisle/window to middle seats....won't talk to us...can't change until 24 hours before flight.

 

So any airline, can do it.

[JPRLHR]

Kattom.. If the original flight you booked is still operating then you can rest assured that it was Princess (or at least the travel operator) and not the airline who has bumped you. Tour operators are regularly offered incentives by airlines to move passengers across flights to ensure maximum capacity on one flight and free up space on another.

 

With regard to advance seat allocation, although it is something that all airlines have had to reluctantly offer in order to compete, it is the bane of their lives as everyone chooses their two (or however many) seats together in what looks like nice cosy little corners. However, the result of this is that they finish up with odd single seats being left dotted around the aircraft whereas on the old system, each check-in agent could see a plan of the aircraft on their screens and fill spaces accordingly. Look at it this way, if you were the airline and you have ten seats left to sell in different areas of the aircraft and you have a chance of a sale to a party of six eight or ten, what realistically are you going to do..?? It's obvious, you move others to ensure you get the sale..!!

 

The other thing to bear in mind is that whilst you can get a reservation on a flight you may not be able to pre book your seats as the vast majority of airlines hold back 40% of all seats until twenty four hours before departure. This allows them to combat the aforementioned problems with seat selection.