Seat Choice on Booking

Now that most routes have assigned aircraft. Eg. 747/ Mco. 330/ caribbean. Why can we not REQUEST only seats, ie first come basis, for booking early. ?| I have been on air Canada and they pre book seats, and they did not change. I know that it would only be a request but most people would prefere it.

We can request seats.... at 90days out... Just be sure to check back at T-90 to nab your preferred seats.

With the amount of VS IT upheaval I would imagine that they are just limiting the amount of data that could be lost. Only 90 days worth of seats can ever be lost as opposed to an entire year's worth

Yes i understand the 90 day rule. But this creates a feeding frenzy for passengers at 90 day start. v( Booking early puts money on the table, and so you should be able to choose before someone who waited and slipped in at the last day. :w

[Neil]

Yes i understand the 90 day rule. But this creates a feeding frenzy for passengers at 90 day start. v( Booking early puts money on the table, and so you should be able to choose before someone who waited and slipped in at the last day. :w

My experiences with the 90 day rule have been anything but a feeding frenzy. It actually seems to be the opposite with a lack of seats requested even a number of days after the seat map had opened up. This is has been the same regardless of cabin, route or it being peak period (MAN-MCO at Easter in Y!)

The policy is what it is, it's been debated many times and I prefer it to the BA system of no requests unless you pay.

Ah, the old 90 day debate. Yes, one school of thought is that seat requests should be first come first served and available from the day the flight opens. However you could also argue that someone who books late in the day will normally have paid considerably more for their ticket so maybe they should get more choice over their seat than those who've taken advantage of the cheapest fares by booking early. Not everyone, after all, has the luxury of being able to plan their travel 11 months ahead.

I also agree with Neil - I don't for one moment believe the T-90 "feeding frenzy" exists to the extent some on here would have you believe. Yes of course some pax (and most V-Flyers!) want a specific seat so will be hovering with fingers poised over their keyboard at T-90. But they're a small minority - the vast majority don't and every time I've flown recently the seat maps have been wide open up until maybe a week or two to go.

FWIW I actually think the BA system is very fair. Loyal frequent flyers - the people most likely to care where they sit - are rewarded with free seat requests in advance: the higher your status, the longer in advance you can choose.

Others desperate for a specific seat can have it but have to pay for the privilege while everyone else is in exactly the same boat and can choose at T-24 whether they've booked 300 days in advance or 3.

Don't forget that the request at time of booking used to be the VS system until they changed it - initially restricting PE on the LGW routes during the refits and then because of the 'forthcoming' changes to the booking system (that we are still waiting for!) when they made it the current 90 days. Added to that the fact that someone in IT was playing with the live system and somehow managed to delete a whole load of requests they really have messed up the whole system.

TBH I'm not greatly exercised as some about being able to request a seat. I'm certainly not going to pay to do it like on BA - and I'm never going to get a high enough status to be able to do it for free at various T-X days in advance depending on status.

Of course we could just go back to the old days when seats were allocated when you checked-in at the airport and the only choice you got was 'window or aisle' or more likely if you were a family they just put you in the middle section of the cabin in a row of 4.

I agree
No feeding frenzy from my experience. Quite the opposite infact.
Having taken part in some previous v-flyer debates on the subject I now feel happy with VSs system and wouldnt want to pay as it still doesn't guarantee the seat. Even though you pay the "request" (not seat booking) is still a request.
I wouldn't want to go back to having seats only allocated at checkin at the airport

I agree. I recently forgot about 90 days and at 89 out and 86 back I was the only person to have booked any seats at all (uc to JFK).

I disagree. I'm flying PE to Las on Tue sep 12th and back on Fri the 27th
I went on at 10am at -89 days [couldn't request the seats at 4am]
All the seats in the bubble were gone along with all the A&C seats downstairs only outside seats left were 18H&K next to the toilet

Got better prepared for the return and the only seats left in the bubble were 23H&K at just after 8am [seats weren't requestabell till 8am]

Looking now there's 2 seats left outbound and 17 back

I understand there is some seats held until OLCI opens so might see if there's better options then

It just seems to vary, in my experience. Sometimes you go on at T-90 and everything is available. Sometimes not.

I seem to recall that we were told that there was going to be a new seating system, back in -- when (November rings a bell)? I wonder what is happening. I thought back then -- and still do -- that seating charges are inevitable.

It just seems to vary, in my experience. Sometimes you go on at T-90 and everything is available. Sometimes not.

I seem to recall that we were told that there was going to be a new seating system, back in -- when (November rings a bell)? I wonder what is happening. I thought back then -- and still do -- that seating charges are inevitable.

Hi at240
From my understanding the seating charge will still not guarantee the seat. It is still only a request.
If the system allowed a refund of the seating charge should there be an "operational" change then I would be up for paying, otherwise no.

I disagree. I'm flying PE to Las on Tue sep 12th and back on Fri the 27th
I went on at 10am at -89 days [couldn't request the seats at 4am]
All the seats in the bubble were gone along with all the A&C seats downstairs only outside seats left were 18H&K next to the toilet

Got better prepared for the return and the only seats left in the bubble were 23H&K at just after 8am [seats weren't requestabell till 8am]

Looking now there's 2 seats left outbound and 17 back

I understand there is some seats held until OLCI opens so might see if there's better options then

I believe Virgin Holidays are allocated a significant number of PE seats in the bubble so they won't be available to select until much nearer the time when any that haven't been used by VH are released.

And of course the LAS route is notorious for large groups - often conference delegates or stag dos - so all it takes is one of them to reserve at T-90 and a big chunk of seats disappears.

As a rule, though, I still maintain that only a small minority of pax reserve at T-90.

I am all for being able to select your seat at the time of booking, therefore rewarding those that commit early! We booked Delta business class 2 years ago to MBJ and had the pick of the cabin as we booked well in advance. My wife is a nervous flyer & it is very important to her where she sits.

I don't even know why VS changed it - my previous flights I've always been able to pick seats at booking, but they were prior to the T90 policy.

This time I picked seats at about T60 and there was almost nothing left - zero window seats and only availability in the blocks of 4 in the centre of the plane. I'm really hoping some better seats pop up at OLCI!

I don't even know why VS changed it - my previous flights I've always been able to pick seats at booking, but they were prior to the T90 policy.

This time I picked seats at about T60 and there was almost nothing left - zero window seats and only availability in the blocks of 4 in the centre of the plane. I'm really hoping some better seats pop up at OLCI!

Read my post above. VS were making changes to the system (still to appear) and reduced it to 90 days.

At Olci they upen up the remaining 40% or so of the remaining seats so more should be available when it opens