Miles better or worse?

[timmyneedham]

I flew Lufthansa LHR/FRA/DEL and return from BOM a few weeks ago via BMI miles plus cash. On the long sectors we were put in the worst possible seats (42 D/E on a 744 in one instance). I was also told that the upgrade coupons I'd been given couldn't be used despite not seeing that anywhere on them. This as a BMI silver card holder. Do air miles pax receive the worst seats available or were we unlucky? Certainly won't be using LH again, IFE and food were terrible - CC were fab though.

[Globaliser]

What's wrong with DE on a 744? Isn't that aisle and middle in the centre block? Classic place to put a couple.

And what sort of upgrade coupon were you using? The ones from the current *A status match promotion, for example, say in the small print that you can only upgrade to business class from economy bookings in Y, M, B or H class (with some adjustments for some airlines) - so most economy tickets wouldn't qualify for the upgrade/

[timmyneedham]

42 D/E is up against centre galley so no recline. also wasn't making point about upgrade certs as much as whether loyalty miles pax get worse seats.

[mini]

I signed up with BA several years back, I was regularily travelling a route, in business class that amassed points. I was later transferred elswhere and used a different carrier. BA "reorganised" their points system in the meantime.

The net result, through rule changes etc. was a down grading of the value of my points - now effectively worthless. The whole issue was so bloody complicated that I haven't bothered with any scheme since.

Not worth the hassle IMHO

[Globaliser]

timmyneedham: 42 D/E is up against centre galley so no recline. also wasn't making point about upgrade certs as much as whether loyalty miles pax get worse seats.Ah. Thanks for the warning - it's difficult to believe that an airline like LH would operate long haul 744s with zero recline seats.

[Sharjah Night Shift]

Same thing often happens to me when I fly BA using Air Miles as I am often given one of the worst seats on the plane. However if I know I have been allocated a bad seat from past experience a polite word with the check in agent often results in a replacement boarding card being issued.

[Flopster]

I spent miles with SAS, LH and AF - they will all stick you in the worst seat in the house. Tried to overcome that sad fact on my last bonus miles travel, when I took my daughter CPH-BRU-CPH. On the outbound leg we were seated in the very last row of a MD80 - where the window is covered by a roaring JT8D. Not much to look at for a little girl. So on the return leg I checked in on the internet and got us a couple of nice seats. However, when we got to the gate we were called by the agent and told that, for whatever reason, we had been moved to - you guessed it - the last row! I flatly refused to accept the new boarding passes, asked why we, with boarding numbers 3 and 4, should be moved? We were in the left hand side, on a 2 seater row, being moved further down the left side. No way Jose! By all means, move around the entire aircraft if you need to, but you will not stick us back there again Lady - were pretty much the words coming out of mouth, as politely as I could manage to be.

Eventually we did get a new set of boarding passes; seats 1A+C courtesy of the SAS Cabin Chief. FYI, SAS hosties assists with the check-in in out-stations, and it was a SAS hostie that sorted us out, as the lady from the handling agent wouldn't know her a. from her elbow.

So, yes, they will ALWAYS stick you in the worst seat possible. The trick to dealing with it is to check-in on the internet where you can select your own seat, and don't accept a worse seat when gate staff tries to screw you up.

[SLF]

Hmmm - not noticed this trend at all (on BA).

I'm sure that as FF, most of you turn up at checkin as late as possible, and surprise surprise, all the window/aisle seats are gone...

Also I suspect that most of the posters here think that the economy cabin consists of half a dozen good seats, with the rest of them being "worst on the plane". Actually, they're all pretty much alike. ;)

Cheers - SLF

[PAXboy]

Not noticed this with redemption on ANY carrier (inc. Y with BA) over the past 15 years. Always been able to choose a seat subject only to the usual constraints of availability and the cabin in which I am travelling.