Reserving seats - why so difficult?

[Lower the Nose!]

I travel frequently with my wife and three small children, and always try to reserve seats in advance to ensure we sit together. The usual pattern, regardless of airline, is to be told over the phone that it is not possible to book in advance, but that it will be sorted at check-in. At check-in we are told it is too difficult, and they will make it happen at the departure gate. At the gate we are told the stewardesses will sort it out. Once on the plane, we invariably resort to asking other passengers whether they would mind moving so that our kids aren't seated in the four corners of the cabin.

This has happened to me on several US airlines for internal flights, but BA and Virgin transatlantic are guilty also. Can anybody explain why is it so difficult for them to get right something apparently so simple?

[Globaliser]

When flying BA, can't you do it online via Manage My Booking? Although I'm normally travelling in groups no bigger than 4, I've seldom had a problem finding acceptable seats using this tool.

Reportedly, from about July you will be able to online check-in for groups including children, although this is not possible at the moment.

[GlobalConnex]

At BA we manually edit all flights at a set time before departure to pre-allocate passengers travelling with children, passengers who are either Gold or Silver Card holders, passengers with special needs (unaccompanied children, wheelchair passengers, medical requests, but never an exit row!), and sometimes (!) also larger groups of adults. If you book less than 24 hours before departure, this editing service does not apply. BTW, this is not a service officially sold - it is done as a courtesy in the backroom at the airport terminal, so hush.

[PAXboy]

GC that is very helpful but what you appear to be saying is that:- when the computer system that makes the booking hands the data to a system that does the seat allocation that system does not automatically note the people who booked together and place them together? If staff have to manually edit every passenger manifest, then it indicates that allocation of seats is random.

Since I have never had children I have not met this problem. When travelling as a couple, the times that we have been split up as only ever been on short haul and I cannot think of more than two or three times in 30 years (not all with the same partner ). On long haul, I have never had this problem.

Since all booking systems (from conventional travel agent style to Web) note whether children are travelling and knows the names of the parties within a single booking - I wonder if I have missed something in how the systems interact?

[GlobalConnex]

[quote=PAXboy]GC that is very helpful but what you appear to be saying is that:- when the computer system that makes the booking hands the data to a system that does the seat allocation that system does not automatically note the people who booked together and place them together? If staff have to manually edit every passenger manifest, then it indicates that allocation of seats is random.

Hi PAXboy! Which system do you mean? I don't know of a system that does automatic seat allocation. If you can elaborate maybe I can try for a better answer. Cheers!

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by GlobalConnex

Hi PAXboy! Which system do you mean? I don't know of a system that does automatic seat allocation. If you can elaborate maybe I can try for a better answer.

I'm not PAXboy, but I can tell you this. If I make a booking on BA and don't put in a frequent flyer number, then I get no pre-allocated seating.

But if I then enter a FF number (whether BA or QF), the instant it hits the booking I am pre-allocated a seat that matches my preference, if one is available.

Also, if I enter the FF number when booking, the seat is pre-allocated by the time I receive a PNR locator and am able to look it up in MMB or in the Amadeus web tool.

That seems pretty automatic to me. So I would be surprised if BA can't at least track families booking together on the same PNR and automatically allocate seats together or mark them as needing seats together.

[foxile]

Never had a problem with TAP, booking through their site. It appears we are normally automatically seated together when booked as a group although not advised of this at the time. Having a 4 year old with us I do call them soon after to confirm and then often I am given the option of moving us all forward or aft if preferred.

Foxile

[PAXboy]

Thanks GC, what I had imagined was: Departure Minus N hours, the booking computer would hand the passenger list to a system that would have been told exactly which AC would operate the sector and it's seating config. The pax list would have these electronic tags applied:

• These two people booked together, even though their names are different.
• This is a family.
• These are infants in arms.
• These are infants with own seat allocation.
• These are Exec Club/equivalent and their requests for seating are ...

These can then be allocated to the machine, with meal and wheelchair requests handled in the same way. This might, in fact, all be handled directly by the booking system, but with a particular software module to apply the seating policy.

However, you seem to be saying that the allocation of seats is done manually? For every sector? In 2006?? Surely not??


Globaliser

I'm not PAXboy

I'm not sure who's more relieved??

[GlobalConnex]

[quote=PAXboy] For every sector? In 2006?? Surely not??

Yes indeed. Frightening, isn't it?!!! [Anyway, now you know what we do on night shifts! ]

[PAXboy]

GC you have my deepest sympathies.

The software programme to take a list of people and allocate them to a set seating plan, based upon their individual requests and needs - has to be one of the simplest bits of programming that anyone could imagine!!!! If it is all done manually, no wonder there are so many mistakes! When WW is next looking for savings ...

Of course, on a personal note, I now understand how my "Yes, you are confirmed in a window seat, Mr Paxboy" became an aisle seat for my solitary trip on Concorde.

[Railgun]

Rumor has it that by October all flight editing at BA will be done at a booking/reservation stage.......God help problems with aircraft the cause aircraft changes.