Award booking seat allocation

Sparkles-The-Clown · #1 (**permalink**) 24th July 2007, 08:37 AM

Hello all, hope someone can help me out & offer advice.
Just made my first award booking (international) for 2 and when updating 'seat preference' noticed they had automatically allocated seats:
29K and 29A (getting there) and,
50A and 70K (getting away).

Funnily enough under all these seats is an entertainment box limiting leg room (according to SeatGuru)! What a surprise!

Question: Actually wouldnt mind sitting *next to* the person I am travelling with...both ways! How can I change this (tried updating preference/s...nothing happened!).
Is it simple matter of waiting til check in and asking for us to be seated together?
Or should I contact Q now? Any advice?????
Thanks in advance.
Sparkles :-)

tscharke · #2 (**permalink**) 24th July 2007, 02:20 PM

ring 131313 now and request what seats you want - you are not guaranteed however the sooner you do the better the chances!

good luck

simongr · #3 (**permalink**) 24th July 2007, 10:01 PM

Do you have any status with the airline? How far away is the flight?

tscharke is right - call now and see if it can be sorted.

justinbrett · #4 (**permalink**) 24th July 2007, 11:57 PM

It is surprising that both BA and AA offer online seat selection - and QF does not.

Even JQ offer it now.

Surely QF has the technical capacity for this (don't they use most of the same systems as BA?)

It would be great to be able to select seats on QF domestic - especially if they go by the BA rules (Gold and above only until 3 days before). I think it's a good system.

Having said that, I can't believe JQ doesn't have online check in - this is one thing that would actually save them money which they are not doing (or hae even talked about it, as far as I know).

I was a little surprised overseas that in many cases, BA and AA just about force you to use the self service check in.

simongr · #5 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinbrett

I was a little surprised overseas that in many cases, BA and AA just about force you to use the self service check in.

Flying business class out of LHR at the weekend - I couldn't even see a regular check in counter - but quick check was very very efficient - not sure what I would do if travelling with bags though... there was a long long line for bag drop...

justinbrett · #6 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simongr

Flying business class out of LHR at the weekend - I couldn't even see a regular check in counter - but quick check was very very efficient - not sure what I would do if travelling with bags though... there was a long long line for bag drop...

Yeah, I had a few flights last month with BA (BOM-LHR, EDI-LGW and LHR-FCO).

At EDI there was only bag drop - you had to use quick check. I'm pretty sure it was the same at LHR (though it was a lot bigger, perhaps there was a way around it).

As for the long line - was that at the business class bag drop or where you at the main check in area? (It's funny at T1 you have to walk a long way to the business class check in area, shared with T2 I think)

BOM on the other hand was old-school first class treatment (and only saphire flying WT). In such a run down, third-world terminal the business class check in was very elegent and very friendly staff. Perhaps they don't get many elite travellers there. Got upgraded to WT+ also, so vey nice experience. Don't think they even had quick check machines there.

simongr · #7 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 12:58 AM

I didnt even look for the J check in - I think I was behind the economy area. I was travelling with hand lugagge only (it was a mileage run) so went straight to security through Fasttrack.

I was at T4 as well. T5 looks great from the outside...

serfty · #8 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 08:52 AM

T4 premium check-in (for J, F & Elite PAX) is in a separate area down past the east end of the normal check-in areas.

For T1, one actually has to go outside and to the left to find the BA premium check-in areas.

NM · #9 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 09:24 AM

The LHR T1 premium Checkin area is known as check-in area R. You need to follow the signs to area R. When entering that area there is generally an agent verifying that you are flying J or F or have the required OneWorld status to use that section. There are lots of real agents there, and a dedicated sectioned-off F check-in desk as well.

And the best part is that there is also a dedicated premium security check-point there that sends you through air-side not too far from the BA lounge.

justinbrett · #10 (**permalink**) 25th July 2007, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NM

The LHR T1 premium Checkin area is known as check-in area R. You need to follow the signs to area R. When entering that area there is generally an agent verifying that you are flying J or F or have the required OneWorld status to use that section. There are lots of real agents there, and a dedicated sectioned-off F check-in desk as well.

And the best part is that there is also a dedicated premium security check-point there that sends you through air-side not too far from the BA lounge.

Any chance Qantas will offer its own security checkpoints for elite members? I rather liked that feature in the US with AA and at LHR with BA.