Exact OLCI opening time?

I know that the "normal" OLCI time is 24 hrs before departure, but I'm sure from memory that sometimes it opens early; am I, in the words of US politicians, mis-remembering this or does OLCI sometimes open early - if yes how early have you found it open? I'm sure in the past I've found it open several hours before the 24hr period is due ?| ?

I ask, as I'm trying to get a couple of upstairs PE seats to MCO, and we're currently allocated seats downstairs but would much prefer upstairs...

[Neil]

OLCI only opens at T-24. Sometimes, the seat map will open up a few hours before that, so you can change your seat, but you can't actually check in then.

Neil

Regarding the seat map, I think it is worth checking frequently as seats can reappear on the seat map at anytime. And, should your flight be one on which VH has an allocation of seats they release any spares back into the system from 72 hours before departure.

y)

Thanks guys, I think I've been incorrectly muddling seat selection with actual check-in. The -72 seat release-back etc makes sense, even though check-in isn't possible.

Cheers.

Given the "72 hours before departure" point referred to above is rapidly approaching this morning, can anyone confirm that if there are actually any VH seats to be returned to the pot for selection of seat preferences etc, that they WILL appear at the -72 hours point?

I ask, as I'd like to try and snag a couple of PE seats upstairs for our flight to LAS, but don't want to waste half the day continually re-checking to see if the seats have been released back, only to keep find "it hasn't happened yet" etc. i.e. is the -72 hours point fairly reliable???

Thanks.

[Neil]

It varies flight by flight, and unfortunately nobody on here is going to have any concrete information for your flight regarding the number of VH pax. It is the standard procedure that at 72 hours VH seats are put back on the system.

If you really want seats upstairs then I guess only you can decide how many time and effort you put in to getting them.

It varies flight by flight, and unfortunately nobody on here is going to have any concrete information for your flight regarding the number of VH pax. It is the standard procedure that at 72 hours VH seats are put back on the system.

If you really want seats upstairs then I guess only you can decide how many time and effort you put in to getting them.

Guess I should have been slighly clearer about the question - I realise that no one here can tell me how many VH seats have been sold/taken etc, I really wanted to just try and understand that if VH DO release seats back, does it USUALLY/NORMALLY happen at the -72 point (as I'm very tight on time around then).

[Neil]

Yes, that is the system that is in place, but if there aren't any seats to release then obviously they don't. The T-72 mark isn't an exact time, it is around that time.

Well somebody somewhere is operating to a different set of rules.

I rang the FC Au line, and explained I was trying to see if VH had released any upstairs PE seats (nothing has appeared so far)for the LAS flight, and the lady on the other end of the line said that they "don't have access to the VH seats" and "in any event they're not available for selection until OLCI opens at -24hrs" ... So, who's right here???

When do you fly? is it less than 72 hours from now?

Also where are you flying to, as you mention in your first post, you were looking at a MCO flight but in your last post, you mentioned to the FC Au line that it was the LAS flight? ?|

Yes, flying on Thurs (to LAS). Finger trouble earlier when I typed MCO rather than LAS! Def told Au line it was LAS - the lady said that across the board any released VH seats wouldn't become visible or available for pre-selection until OLCI opens, which seems contrary to what everyone on VF who's commented has said?

[honey lamb]

She may not have access to them but the experience of others says that they are released in or around the 72 hour mark, providing there are any to be released. Although she has said that seats are not released until OLCI I have seen them released for all flights in general (not just the VH selection) some hours before then.

I've seen seats released before t-24 OLCI.

You just have to keep on looking!

Do you think the lack of seats for pre-selection (and I'm thinking of the -72 hrs release of seats) is anything to do with the fact that I've got a U ticket, or (I assume) that should have nothing to do with it?

But still nothing showing - I'm hoping this all means PE is rammed full, and as I've got a surname beginning with "A" and an Au card....... ):

[honey lamb]

Do you think the lack of seats for pre-selection (and I'm thinking of the -72 hrs release of seats) is anything to do with the fact that I've got a U ticket, or (I assume) that should have nothing to do with it?

Nothing at all to do with it. Probably the fact that VH haven't released the seats yet shows that their allocation is already taken

Re VH practice on seat allocations this thread covers what I found out earlier this year.

The key bit for the OP is:

"She said that seat numbers are not issued by VH to specific bookings until from 72 to 24 hours prior to departure.........At that time any seats not taken from the VH allocation by VH customers would also be released to VS."

It is why I used the phrase from 72 hours in my earlier post in this thread. y)