Seat Allocation

I know that pre-allocated seat allocations are not set in stone and can be changed for operational reasons but....

I was a little frustrated on my flight to JFK earlier this week (in Y) to be told that my aisle seat in 64G had been unallocated and I was now sitting in a middle seat. They assigned me an emergency exit row free of charge but to be quite honest I would have preferred my original seats as the the emergency exist row seats are narrower than I would like and have no storage.

This would have been acceptable had there been a legitimate reason (an operational reason) but on boarding I checked with the sole traveller that was now allocated to the seat that I had only to find that he had simply asked for an aisle seat at check-in and it had been allocated to him.

Is my confusion justified? I was an Au traveller on a full Y ticket.

FM

[Neil]

Was there any changes in a/c config from when you made your initial request? This should be the only legitimate reason that I would be willing to accept for VS giving your requested seat to another pax, especially with you being Au. As you say, we all know they are only a request but why bother having the system if they are willing to just change them whenever anyone asks.

Neil

[Nottingham Nick]

There are (or at least used to be) numerous threads on the BA pages of FT about the phantom seat shifters who move(d) frequent fliers who have BA status out of their pre-requested seats, for no apparent reason.

Please don't say they have moved to VS now. [8D]

Nick

Originally posted by Neil
Was there any changes in a/c config from when you made your initial request?

No - 744 - 64G (three rows from the back on the aisle) - No changes to a/c or configuration. Was particlularly galling as behind in row 65G was a passenger with a spare seat beside him.

I meanwhile sat hemmed in by the side of the galley - Indeed I was the last passenger on the aircraft to be served a meal - they served me and then said 'Right that's the last one'.

FM