V-Flyer

Hi
This is many a tired old topic however, I requested my seats online for my party of four travelling home LAX to Heathrow two rows of two. Checking today my family have been moved to the middle three and me in the adjacent aisle seat which means I'll be sitting beside a stranger instead of a member of my family. How do I get my original seat request? Virgin sympathise but say there's nothing they can do.

How annoying

When is your flight? The only thing I can suggest if your flight is not 'now' and you are already at the airport, would be to try to sort something out at OLCI or get to the airport early to sort it out and see if there is anything they can do.

It does pay (or it did for me on a recent flight - flying back with a nervous flyer and we were separated) to speak to the Check In people and just ask and explain. It is also worth seeing what the status quo is once on board as well.

Have you tried a load check to see if the flight is full?

Hello wrapt

Thanks. We are flying premium economy home July 6th. So annoyed. Don't like flying home for 10 hours beside complete stranger. Booked this back in September. Diary marked day for online booking and requested seats. Checked today they arbitrarily moved us. We have been flying virgin since 1988. Why do this???? Has spoiled flight home.

Sorry waapt

Opps waatp, it's the ipad.....

It's very frustrating but, as is always made clear, a seat request is only a request and never guaranteed.

Why do they do it? Who knows - could be a big group for whom they need to reserve a large block of seats perhaps.

As previously said, more seats do become available when OLCI opens at T-24 and sometimes 2 or 3 hours earlier so keep checking then.

And airport staff are normally sympathetic to requests to keep families together so if all else fails get there early and ask. At the end of the day, though, you are still together so they may not move you.

Pinotman wrote:Hi
This is many a tired old topic however, I requested my seats online for my party of four travelling home LAX to Heathrow two rows of two. Checking today my family have been moved to the middle three and me in the adjacent aisle seat which means I'll be sitting beside a stranger instead of a member of my family.

You have my total sympathy on this issue. I too am one of those people who hates sitting next to a stranger. I expect you are aware that seats can only be requested and can/do change for lots of different reasons but this far out, I wonder why your family seats have been changed already

Many years ago we travelled, just once, with US airways. I'd requested two rows of two only to find the same situation as you, being seated in four across the aisle. During the flight, I talked to the stranger sitting in the window seat next to me. She told me, she thought she would end up with a lousy seat because she checked in very very late for the flight -so that showed there was no reason to split my family and sit me next to a stranger.

The seat issue is important to some folk and the prospect of being separated from a travel partner can 'ruin' the flying experience. This is one of the reasons that I've moved to BA, they allow me to pay a fee to pre-book a seat - yes that is still not 100% guaranteed but a change of seat is not that likely.

Hope you can change your seats during the OLCI process

Pinotman

Sorry to hear this - very annoying.

Are you on a 747 or a 346? I have a reason for asking...

at240 .... If the OP has been allocated the block of 3 middle seats + another, it cannot be a 747 because that layout is 2 -4- 2 across in PE.

I was seated in a side row of two going out to LA recently on the 346 and it was ok but I was sitting next to my travel companion y)

Ah yes, you are right, I should have read the OP more carefully!

In that case it will be a 346 and sadly I think that little will be possible until check in at the airport. Had it been a 747 there would have been other options because quite a few seats are blocked until a few hours before check in.

at240

Airbus 340-600 according to the seating plan, will get to check in early but not hopeful.
Many thanks