usvi-on-line
Continental Seat Snafu
Continental Seat Snafu
Bought EWR - STT tickets last September for 4 on Continental. Originaly the plane was a 737-whatever and I had pretty much my choice of seats- grabbed 16 ABCD. Today when I checked, the plane had been boosted to a 757 with many more seats, but they split my party 7BC and 21EF. I went online to see what I could do with the handy seat selector and I could not find 4 seats together at all. Pissed but polite I called Continental and they were of course sympathetic but wouldn't move someone else's seat assignment back a row to accomodate us. They moved me without my permission! 
What should I do next? The Continental dude said that certain rows open up 24 hrs before the flight. Does anyone know about this and how it works?
What should I do next? The Continental dude said that certain rows open up 24 hrs before the flight. Does anyone know about this and how it works?-
ClevelandDave
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:51 pm
- Location: Cleveland
Same thing happened to me on Delta. Not only did they split our party of 9 up BUT they moved us from row 16 to row 29 and back. WHAT??? I booked nearly a year in advance and you not only move my seats but you move me from a row slightly forward to the very last 3 or 4 rows on the airplane. Lucky for us I was able to get us back up toward the front but had I not been checking my reservation this would have gone unnoticed and I would have been really upset at the airport. Now I keep checking my flights every few days to be sure it doesn't happen again.
I would definitely call back and talk to a supervisor. Politely explain your situation and hopefully they will help you out.
I would definitely call back and talk to a supervisor. Politely explain your situation and hopefully they will help you out.
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ClevelandDave
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:51 pm
- Location: Cleveland
I had it wrong. Row 16 is locked-out till 24hrs because they're held for Cont'l pilots to fly/rest in.
Well, according to Seat Guru, seats 7BC are two of the best on the plane. Once aboard I'd offer to swap with the folks in the seats you want.
Alternatively, if you book two seats close to the ones you want, a swap may be easier.
In the meantime, I'd lean on Cont'l to comp you something for the inconvenience.
Dave
Well, according to Seat Guru, seats 7BC are two of the best on the plane. Once aboard I'd offer to swap with the folks in the seats you want.
Alternatively, if you book two seats close to the ones you want, a swap may be easier.
In the meantime, I'd lean on Cont'l to comp you something for the inconvenience.
Dave
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California Girl
Sometimes the answer you get from a rep on the phone depends on what mood they're in today. I'd call back and talk to someone else and see if you can get help. You might go at it from the angle that the seating assignment thingie online isn't working and "can you help me out with this?" Being "helpless" sometimes works. 
Same here. We're flying BWI-EWR-STT in March which I booked last August. Seats down are the same. Different on the return but still together. They replaced the 737-700 with a 757-200.
Interestingly, they called my home phone and, when I didn't answer, called my cell and left a voice mail. Then sent a confirming e-mail.
Interestingly, they called my home phone and, when I didn't answer, called my cell and left a voice mail. Then sent a confirming e-mail.
Glad I read this post. Continental has been screwing with our flights from Newark to STT repeatedly but I never checked the returning flight. Still non-stop back but they changed our seat assignments as well. Luckily there was still room on the flight to change the assignments so that we could sit together. I have never flown Continental before but so far the experience has been less than desireable.
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California Girl
I've always had really good experiences with Continental. Our flights have changed twice now, but it's always the Cape Air portion from STT to SJU.
We fly from California to EWR to transfer for a direct flight to STT. Now that you guys have said all this stuff about problems originating at EWR, I'm going to check my itinerary a little more closely! We come home through Houston, so I'm not as worried about the return (except the SJU part).
We fly from California to EWR to transfer for a direct flight to STT. Now that you guys have said all this stuff about problems originating at EWR, I'm going to check my itinerary a little more closely! We come home through Houston, so I'm not as worried about the return (except the SJU part).
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California Girl
Ohhhhh-kayyyy! I just checked our seats online and except for ONE leg, everything had changed. And we have NO seat assigments on our return flights.
I had picked either the first row or the exit row for each leg of our flight because my husband is tall & has long legs and being cramped into a "normal" seat from California to New York is torture for him. So we still had the first row from LAX to EWR, but from there on we were in the back of the plane and the seats I had originally chosen were "unavailable" (which I assumed meant someone else was sitting in them). Whaaaa??
So I got on the phone and the nice lady with the Indian accent told me that many of the seats that appear to be taken are actually "special rows" (I can't remember the exact word she used) and can't be assigned until 24 hrs. before the flight. This includes the first row and the exit row. If you choose them online, "the system" will move you to another seat in order to keep those particular rows empty. HUH?? Why even allow you to choose them in the first place?!
I didn't think to ask how many rows were "special", but it appears to me many of the front rows in coach are probably "special" too. Hey! I picked the seats I wanted a whole friggin' year ago, and now you tell me they're "special"?? Grr! She said if I call or go online 24 hrs. in advance of the flight, however, those seats will be released and I can choose them.
Then she went and moved us out of the front row seats we still had from LAX to EWR because, she said, that's one of those "special" rows and we would get moved anyway, so it was better if she moved us now so we would be assured of sitting together, because "the system" just moves you at random, it doesn't care if you were originally together or not!
Believe me when I say I'm going to going to be online or on the phone 23 hrs. and 59 minutes before our flight and grab those suckas!
I had picked either the first row or the exit row for each leg of our flight because my husband is tall & has long legs and being cramped into a "normal" seat from California to New York is torture for him. So we still had the first row from LAX to EWR, but from there on we were in the back of the plane and the seats I had originally chosen were "unavailable" (which I assumed meant someone else was sitting in them). Whaaaa??
So I got on the phone and the nice lady with the Indian accent told me that many of the seats that appear to be taken are actually "special rows" (I can't remember the exact word she used) and can't be assigned until 24 hrs. before the flight. This includes the first row and the exit row. If you choose them online, "the system" will move you to another seat in order to keep those particular rows empty. HUH?? Why even allow you to choose them in the first place?!
I didn't think to ask how many rows were "special", but it appears to me many of the front rows in coach are probably "special" too. Hey! I picked the seats I wanted a whole friggin' year ago, and now you tell me they're "special"?? Grr! She said if I call or go online 24 hrs. in advance of the flight, however, those seats will be released and I can choose them. Then she went and moved us out of the front row seats we still had from LAX to EWR because, she said, that's one of those "special" rows and we would get moved anyway, so it was better if she moved us now so we would be assured of sitting together, because "the system" just moves you at random, it doesn't care if you were originally together or not!
Believe me when I say I'm going to going to be online or on the phone 23 hrs. and 59 minutes before our flight and grab those suckas!
California Girl, I feel your pain.
CO is our primary airlines. Those "special seats" in the front of the economy class are for folks with Elite status (those seats are released within 24 hours of departure also, I believe). Regarding their exit seats, even if you are an Elite, you have to be a Gold or Platinum Elite member to be able to reserve them in advance. Since we fly to Japan almost yearly, we normally get enough Elite Qualifying Miles to get us an Elite status, but only Silver, the lowest of three levels of Elites. We can't reserve those exit seats either - until within 24 hours of departure. The thing is that usually by then, you can't change your seat assignments online anymore. A "Since it's within 24 hours of your departure, you can only look and can not change the seats online
CO is our primary airlines. Those "special seats" in the front of the economy class are for folks with Elite status (those seats are released within 24 hours of departure also, I believe). Regarding their exit seats, even if you are an Elite, you have to be a Gold or Platinum Elite member to be able to reserve them in advance. Since we fly to Japan almost yearly, we normally get enough Elite Qualifying Miles to get us an Elite status, but only Silver, the lowest of three levels of Elites. We can't reserve those exit seats either - until within 24 hours of departure. The thing is that usually by then, you can't change your seat assignments online anymore. A "Since it's within 24 hours of your departure, you can only look and can not change the seats online
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California Girl
Yes! Elite is the word. We're new to Continental's program so I'm still learning about the different levels. As to having picked the exit row, I may have been mistaken with that... but I do try to get that row when we're at the airport for our departure. I know for sure though, that I had the front row on most of the legs of our flight. 
I think you're right about not trying to change at the last minute on the computer! Whether or not the website lets you do it, I know of a number of people who have "pressed a button" online and found out they got something different or not at all! I think I'll phone this one in.
I think you're right about not trying to change at the last minute on the computer! Whether or not the website lets you do it, I know of a number of people who have "pressed a button" online and found out they got something different or not at all! I think I'll phone this one in.
We have flown numerous times with my elderly parents.
I have had the experience where people have been moved out of the bulkhead seats to accommodate handicapped people, such as my parents. Apparently no seat is a guarantee until you arrive at the airport. Last year we were moved around for both segments of our STJ trip and with fully booked flights, we were happy to have a seat!
I have had the experience where people have been moved out of the bulkhead seats to accommodate handicapped people, such as my parents. Apparently no seat is a guarantee until you arrive at the airport. Last year we were moved around for both segments of our STJ trip and with fully booked flights, we were happy to have a seat!
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California Girl
I absolutely understand leaving these seats free until the last minute as they don't know how many wheelchairs and other special needs they will have to accommodate. But when I was booking our tickets, I was only thinking about my husband's long legs, the seats were available, and I chose them. If I hadn't been reading this thread, I would never have checked to see if we'd been moved, or called to find out how to correct it.
My peeve is that they allow you to choose those seats in the first place. They should just show them as "occupied" or "elite" and not let you click on them. I keep checking to see if my flights have changed, but I never thought to look at the seats again, because the main portions of our trip weren't the parts that changed, it was only the Cape Air part that changed.
My peeve is that they allow you to choose those seats in the first place. They should just show them as "occupied" or "elite" and not let you click on them. I keep checking to see if my flights have changed, but I never thought to look at the seats again, because the main portions of our trip weren't the parts that changed, it was only the Cape Air part that changed.