Premier economy mix up...

[JulieHaydon]

My partner and I work very hard and we decided to treat ourselves to a holiday with seats in premier economy as we were flying long distance and my partner is tall.

Fine going out and we had a wonderful holiday.

Then coming back we were all sat down on the plane waiting to take off when parents got on with their young child. Again fine, if they've got the money to do that then good luck to them. A flight is public transport after all.

The problem was they boarded late and there was only two seats left. What the mix up was I don't know but as the child was four the flight crew would not allow him to be on one of his parents laps.

So they had the awful task of trying to get one or two people to swop down into economy to let them travel together in Premier - and no one would. We refused outright as did the other passengers. If it had been up to first class we and others would have gone like a shot but this was never on offer. Perhaps it was full.

It was the parents' attitude that amazed us. You'd think with a child they would have booked in early but they didn't they came late, and expected others to move to accommodate them. The woman was very large and said she needed a wide seat which was obviously true.

But as another passenger said "Why can't two people from economy be upgraded so that they can all sit together in cattle class? They were late after all so why should someone move when we've all paid so much more?" However they went on to refer to the mother as a "Fat lump with no manners, if you need a wide seat with your family then be on time boarding" which I don't respect - there's no need to be rude.

We were delayed for an hour because of them. I think they had to go down to economy to sit together as they wanted because two new people suddenly appeared and took their seats.

And I don't think this was unreasonable do you?

[BecauseIsaidS0]

magoria's story reminded me of that time where, right before taxi-ing for takeoff, the flight attendant welcomed us all to 'this lowCostCarrier flight to Madrid'.

The lady next to me (in the front row) screamed "Madrid?!? I need to go to Barcelona!".

It was all rather comical. They got her out and stuck her in one of those mini cars they have to take her to the correct aircraft.

[BecauseIsaidS0]

(Yes, her boarding pass was for Barcelona, and yes, she still managed to get onboard and past the passenger count)

[PasswordProtected]

We had this on a long-haul holiday some years ago. 3 people travelling, only 2 seats available in business. No problem, my husband went to economy, whilst step-son and I went business. It would never have occurred to us to force people to downgrade so that we could sit together. Our problem that we couldn't get all seats upgraded together.

[HazleNutt]

Even though the system has been computerized forever, mistakes still happen. Just recently on a BA flight there was a woman A claiming woman B was in her seat. Woman B showed her boarding pass that had that seat number. But it also had woman A's name. So 2 women had boarded with the same boarding pass.
And the other week the airline wanted to send my luggage to Vienna, although I was travelling to Zurich - the boarding pass was correct, lucky I noticed the wrong airport code on the luggage stub.

[windchime]

I wouldn't call Premium Economy 'luxury'

[rhubarbcrumbleplease]

I agree wind but for price it should be

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

I fly often enough with Virgin to know that this didn't happen. Well done for entertaining us though

I'm sorry you feel that way because I've seen much the same thing happen - except this was a couple flying with a very elderly mum "who wouldn't cope on her own"

Obviously one could have sat in economy, leaving mum in comfort with the other one in Premium, but no, they expected someone else to downgrade instead - and when asked for their boarding passes, they became very vague about what they'd done with them

TBH I was surprised the crew even bothered humouring them, but at least nobody moved for them that time either

[DowntonTrout]

This happened to us. In business class with Qatar airlines.

We had booked, and paid for, five business class seats. One of which was for a child under two, who had to sit on our lap during take off/landing but could then be in their own seat for the rest of the flight.

It was fine going out but coming back, with a stop in Qatar, they had resold one of our seats. They had seen the under two had been allocated a seat, thought it must be a mistake and reallocated the seat to someone else. We were aware this had happened on check in but were told the cabin crew would sort it out, once on the plane. Of course they didn't. They couldn't magic another seat in business class.

After the stop in Qatar the extra seat became available and we were able to use it but I did get a bit tense about the first leg of the flight. We had paid for the seat after all.

Another time, on a flight to the Carribean in club class we had booked 3 seats and also had a baby so requested the bassinet seats at the front. They allocated us 3 across the middle 4 with no bassinet. The cabin crew requested the two couples either side, with the bassinet seats, if either of them would move. They wouldn't and sat there po faced while I walked up and down in the galley for half the flight with a crying 4 month old baby.

These instances were all before online check in, in the days when your seats were allocated to you at the desk. But the point is we have been that family, with kids, making a "fuss" on boarding the plane, in the expensive seats, both times with legitimate reason.

[CSIJanner]

YANBU

Airlines overbook seats all the time. It's to ensure they have full flights. Check in staff have told DH and other members of his group this numerous times and a friend who works for BA confirmed it. If everyone who booked turns up, they tend to offer FC on the next flight with incentives. I can see how this happened using this scenario. Either someone got bumped up, they've overbooked, or the family were chancing it.

[Rainbunny]

I can see how this might have happened, as the family was very late to arrive there may have been people waiting on standby who were given seats by the boarding desk since it may have appeared the family was a no-show. I've seen that happen before, heck I even had a guy suddenly appear at my seat on a Toronto-London flight telling me I was in HIS seat, a quick comparison of boarding tickets revealed that we had both been given identical seat numbers. Mine was the original and he for some strange reason had changed his seat at the boarding desk and they erroneously given him my seat. Mix-ups happen.

[DowntonTrout]

And I've just remembered a funny story.

We were at check in with Virgin. 5 of us, one in a wheelchair, and were flying Upper Class. I was given seat A1 right at the front of the plane (this is before the proper lie flat beds came in.) separate from the rest of my party.

A man at the desk at the side of me started kicking off because he wanted seat A1 for privacy. It was Piers Morgan and he had just been sacked by The newspaper. I think he even only had an economy ticket but the airline were upgrading him.

Anyway, I offered to swap my seat and Virgin then managed to seat us all together. PM then only sat in his seat for take off and spent the rest of the time at the bar getting extremely drunk. So much for his privacy.

[Cakecrumbsinmybra]

What are these lap children you speak of??

When flying with the DC and have allocated seats, we make absolutely sure that we are one of the last to get on - that makes perfect sense to me, not getting on first or arriving early. The clue is in the allocated part.

[Kewcumber]

I have flown a lot in my time. Long haul short haul, business, first and economy with and without children.

I've had mix ups with seats though these are generally caused by passengers sitting in the wrong seats rather than the airline giving wrong boarding cards except when I once flew from (I think) Nairobi to Harare when two of us had the same seat allocated but to be fair the boarding cards where hand written in that case

But I am fascinated by to two mystery people who it seem swooped in and snatched the fat/childed couples seats from under their noses whilst they were arguing about it

Did they in fact have no premium economy seats at all and were just trying it one.

Sounds quite an entertaining flight to me all round.

[Kewcumber]

I was once on Concorde with Monica Lewinsky

I am proper nearly famous me

[DowntonTrout]

I would love to have flown on Concorde Kew it is a regret of mine than we never did. Barbados in the time it takes to get to Tenerife. Brilliant.

[Kewcumber]

I was upgraded from business class regular flight!

The nice thing was that my Dad was an engineer on the design team of Concorde and he never got to fly on it. I rubbed that in quite a lot.

[DowntonTrout]

Lucky you! Bet it was an experience!

[kali110]

Yanbu at all. I wouldn't have moved either.

[Kewcumber]

It was surprisingly small - you had your coat taken before you got on the flight as there really wasn't enough room for them onboard!

Food was delicious though.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

I used to love seeing Concorde flying over.

[whois]

While we're talking about airline cock ups...

DP had a package holiday to Greece. Checked in, boarded plane, got to Greece. Were pretty near the front getting off, luggage came reasonably quickly and they headed over to the TO transfer coach.

They found a coach load of angry passengers waiting for them and a rep asking then where on earth they had been. Yes, there were two planes going to Greece with a take off time about 20 mins apart. DP and friends had been allowed onto the WRONG (later) plane!

[Brummiegirl15]

Virgin are now changing their policy regarding pre-allocation in that from 25th June, you must pay £25 per seat to assign them - which means it will become a free for all at the airport so fully expecting this to get worse

I'm shocked though that they were expecting people to downgrade - that must mean Upper Class was full. My Dad works in New York and travels back and forth on Virgin to JFK like I get on the M42.

Virgin's policy is that Gold Card holders always get bumped up first, usually straight into Upper Class. They don't like to downgrade people because that costs the airline money - either £250 or £400 travel voucher is standard. OP you were defo right to stand your ground

[YellowTulips]

Sounds to me like the following happened.

Family of 3 probably booked 3 seats but could only get 2 in Prem Econ and 1 in Econ.

At check in they probably asked to sit together but I assume PE was full.

As a family the cabin crew asked if any PM customers would move to Econ as Upper Class was full.

Understandably the PE customers said no.

The obvious answer was a) if sitting together was the priority the family should all go in Econ and upgrade two passengers from there to accommodate them. Sad the family paid for 2 PE seats but that's the risk they took b) the family have the child and adult in PE and one adult in Econ swapping mid flight if needed.

Upshot is wasn't unreasonable for the crew to ask if people would move but neither is was it unreasonable for any if the passengers to refuse.

It was unreasonable to delay a flight over this however IMHO.

[KenAdams]

This is totally my real name actually.