Load check query... With a difference.

Hi there, I'm not after a specific load check as I've signed up to the trial on expert flyer, but I do have a question for those in the know. I'm due to fly out on the VS9 (LHF-JFK) on Saturday, and when I put my details into expert flyer, it showed that basically Upper and Premium were wide open (9+ each), but there were only 5 seats left in Economy. Something like Y5, diminishing all the way down to M0 and beyond. Now I understand how the fare buckets work, and I was secretly hoping for an Op Up from Economy, but when I looked at the same load check today, it's back up to 9's across the board.

Is this a case of revenue management shifting around the numbers of "how many seats they're prepared to sell at any given price" or do you think something had suddenly changed in Economy. Interesting also to see that Premium had (and still shows) all the 9's, and yet when you look at the seat map, there were only 4 seats as yet unallocated.

I'm sure I'm reading far too much into it, and I'm more than happy with my ELR room seat down the back of the bus, but has anyone else seen the load check availability INCREASE nearer the flight?

Mr G.

I was just looking at my flight for Wednesday, just out of interest rather than anything else. Last week it was showing UC 5 remaining and now it's up to 9. The seat map corresponds and there are physically 9 seats left in the cabin.

In the case above, if it's showing 9 PE seats available, does that just mean they will sell (or oversell) 9 or more PE seats and has nothing to do with the actual load?

Hi Mike, I believe it just relates to the number of seats they're prepared to (gamble) selling on the assumption that not everyone always turns up. I'm just surprised as in my case it was looking like with so few seats left in Ec, and although they were willing to sell 9 (or 9+) seats in Premium, and with only approx 4 seats allegedly unallocated in Premium, that I might have got the magic ping when boarding.

However, if you looked at the stats now, the number of seats shown as unoccupied on the seating map (through expert flyer) is still roughly the same, but they're prepared to sell lots of them and so the dream of the ping gets fainter... I know seat allocations aren't a guarantee of someone actually turning up, and particularly in Ec when people are unlikely to want to pay in advance there's not much chance of it being accurate. As I said, just odd to see the number of seats-willing-to-be-sold figure go up. Almost makes a mockery of us all trying to do load checks in advance.

Its not something as simple as an equipment change IE. something with more economy seats is now flying that route ??

David