Hi Everyone,
I've been flying quite a bit this year on the LHR-DXB route and I guess I should have written a few trip reports! but just don't often find the time. The regularity of taking the same route does however highlight the differences in crew and standards of service and behaviour of fellow passengers! However I felt after yesterday's 401 home that I just had to share the reoccurring frustration with seat selection etc.
Every flight on this route I have flown UC outbound but always just choose to fly economy back. On the first 6 returns it has just been myself flying and a colleague yet this time it was for holidays and we were flying as two couples. It was actually all booked back in December! Before I did all my work trips.
As FC Au, I obviously get to choose my extra legroom seat in Economy at the booking stage, yet I have not chosen a seat each time for my colleague. Each of the 6 flights back, we have been kindly sat together FOC at the check-in. The team in Dubai are pretty good tbh. Spin forward to yesterday and we have myself booked into an extra legroom seat for free and T Minus 24 I am looking to get everyone hopefully arranged together.
When I log in for my guests, I'm unsure whether the ELR seats are just "greyed out" or if they are all booked as none are available. I'm actually happy to pay for them at this stage but there seems to be NO option to be able to do that? So, I just select them near the back. Then I have the dilemma of "is the seat next to me greyed out or is it actually taken" as I don't want to gamble to hopefully get my wife sat next to me on the flight. With this in mind I just check her in to a standard aisle next to a spare window for me. Then I check myself in only to find that there is a red error message saying I cannot now be moved as I'm apparently a "special needs" passenger. Really really frustrating. So after booking flights in December, I now find myself heading to the airport booked in different seats rows apart.
I explain the situation when I get to the check-in and they mention my seat will be reallocated at the gate. On arrival at the gate we are given two seats together in the middle of the four in the centre despite me already having an ELR window and requesting if possible ANY window and aisle. We are then made to sit as almost standby passengers until everyone us boarded and are told the plan is to relocate a passenger.
We are escorted to the aircraft and made to stand (with all the usual staring) as a passenger is offered to move to a bulkhead, she refuses, then the ask another guy and he refuses too. In the end we have to sit apart next to the two very people who refused to move for us. Just as I'm about to sit down an off duty crew member (I could just tell) had a boarding pass for my seat and appeared out of nowhere! It was a real shambles.
I wasn't at anytime thinking DYKWIA before that's the first response. I realise the issue was that the flight was the busiest it's been all year, but, once again BAD I.T. and the fact FC Au can't allocate a free seat for a companion is causing all this. Yes you could argue that I could just pay the £40 at the booking stage, but why, when I have had it for free 6 other times?
In the end the crew member moved to the bulkhead. But after everything, the very people they should be looking after are getting displaced and my wife is pregnant and a bit of a nervous flyer. All this would be solved if Au could just get a seat allocated for a companion.
Bit of a shambles tbh.
I've been flying quite a bit this year on the LHR-DXB route and I guess I should have written a few trip reports! but just don't often find the time. The regularity of taking the same route does however highlight the differences in crew and standards of service and behaviour of fellow passengers! However I felt after yesterday's 401 home that I just had to share the reoccurring frustration with seat selection etc.
Every flight on this route I have flown UC outbound but always just choose to fly economy back. On the first 6 returns it has just been myself flying and a colleague yet this time it was for holidays and we were flying as two couples. It was actually all booked back in December! Before I did all my work trips.
As FC Au, I obviously get to choose my extra legroom seat in Economy at the booking stage, yet I have not chosen a seat each time for my colleague. Each of the 6 flights back, we have been kindly sat together FOC at the check-in. The team in Dubai are pretty good tbh. Spin forward to yesterday and we have myself booked into an extra legroom seat for free and T Minus 24 I am looking to get everyone hopefully arranged together.
When I log in for my guests, I'm unsure whether the ELR seats are just "greyed out" or if they are all booked as none are available. I'm actually happy to pay for them at this stage but there seems to be NO option to be able to do that? So, I just select them near the back. Then I have the dilemma of "is the seat next to me greyed out or is it actually taken" as I don't want to gamble to hopefully get my wife sat next to me on the flight. With this in mind I just check her in to a standard aisle next to a spare window for me. Then I check myself in only to find that there is a red error message saying I cannot now be moved as I'm apparently a "special needs" passenger. Really really frustrating. So after booking flights in December, I now find myself heading to the airport booked in different seats rows apart.
I explain the situation when I get to the check-in and they mention my seat will be reallocated at the gate. On arrival at the gate we are given two seats together in the middle of the four in the centre despite me already having an ELR window and requesting if possible ANY window and aisle. We are then made to sit as almost standby passengers until everyone us boarded and are told the plan is to relocate a passenger.
We are escorted to the aircraft and made to stand (with all the usual staring) as a passenger is offered to move to a bulkhead, she refuses, then the ask another guy and he refuses too. In the end we have to sit apart next to the two very people who refused to move for us. Just as I'm about to sit down an off duty crew member (I could just tell) had a boarding pass for my seat and appeared out of nowhere! It was a real shambles.
I wasn't at anytime thinking DYKWIA before that's the first response. I realise the issue was that the flight was the busiest it's been all year, but, once again BAD I.T. and the fact FC Au can't allocate a free seat for a companion is causing all this. Yes you could argue that I could just pay the £40 at the booking stage, but why, when I have had it for free 6 other times?
In the end the crew member moved to the bulkhead. But after everything, the very people they should be looking after are getting displaced and my wife is pregnant and a bit of a nervous flyer. All this would be solved if Au could just get a seat allocated for a companion.
Bit of a shambles tbh.
