Qantas seat booking charges

[Guest]

Reported today on news.com.au

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/qantas-passengers-hit-with-seat-booking-fee/story-e6frfq80-1226038530742

 

Qantas passengers hit with seat booking fee

THE next time you want to book a seat next to your partner or children on an international Qantas flight be prepared to pay up for the privilege. The airline has begun charging economy passengers $20 per person per leg of the journey to select a seat via its website.

 

Those who want to avoid the fee will have to request a seat upon arriving at the airport, taking the risk that there may not be enough free seats left to be able sit beside loved ones.

 

The airline's Advance Seat Selection option can be used for exit row seats but will attract a fee of up to $160 for long haul international flights. Those travelling on domestic flight or in first, business and premium economy cabins will avoid the seat selection fee. Frequent flyers and members of their loyalty scheme will not be charged.

 

A Qantas spokesperson said that the new initiative will benefit passengers. “Advance Seat Selection complements Qantas’ pre-boarding services designed to make the pre-boarding experience quick and onboard experience comfortable,” the spokesperson said. “It is another initiative enabling Qantas customers to have greater choice with their travel experience. “Should customers not select their seat directly after they have booked their flight, they can continue to select their seat during online check-in free of charge.”

 

The Advance Seat Selection was previously available to frequent flyers with Platinum, Gold or Silver status.

 

Qantas is not the first airline to introduce such a charge. British Airways launched a fee for advance seat selection in 2009, charging passengers around $25 for the privilege. Qantas has carried out a series of domestic and international fuel surcharge hikes this year, with further increases flagged. Last month the airline announced that domestic fares will rise up to $10 a flight from the end of the month, on top of the five per cent hike in February.

 

The airline also announced a range of cost-cutting moves last month in a bid to combat rising fuel costs and the economic impact of recent natural disasters. This included cutting jobs and flights on routes such as Japan, Melbourne and New Zealand, as well as downsizing some aircraft.

[Guest siamsusie]

Snifter, I paid 30 GDP per leg x 4 for my sons preferred seat with Singapore this December.

 

Susie x

[newjez 10,752]

I always fly Emirates. They don't charge.

 

This seems to be discrimination against people with kids. I don't mind if I don't sit near my wife, I usually don't as there are five of us, but I can't have my 5 year old sitting down the other end of the plane.

 

Or maybe I could ?

[thewebweazel 1,194]

It looks like they going to have to pay me to sit next to my 4 year old twins otherwise one of their Air hostess is going to land up being a baby sitter!:biglaugh:

[Peach 3,285]

Snifter, I paid 30 GDP per leg x 4 for my sons preferred seat with Singapore this December.

 

Susie x

 

That was for the 'preferred' seats. Qantas intend to charge for any seat booking made before you arrive at the airport to check-in. :wubclub:

[Guest]

I know when we flew to Adelaide last year, we were able to book our seats online as soon as we'd booked our flights. BA gave the option to do this for free if you were travelling with young children. We booked a bulkhead and the infant seat option.

[RockDr 1,177]

All that's changing is that people have the option to pay to reserve seats before check-in. Before this, everyone chose seats at check-in. From experience with BA, very few people bother/are willing to pay to pick seats, so you're effectively in the same situation as you were before, just make sure you check-in online as early as you are allowed to.

 

Many airlines don't let you pick until check-in, this is so that any special requirement passengers (babies, disabled, etc) can be allocated seats before the masses pick theirs.

 

It is in fact a scam, since even if you've paid to select a seat, the airline can still move you if it wants to...

Also even if you don't choose a seat at the time, you get allocated seats by the airline, so you would be sitting with your travel companions. It's only the people who booked last minute who might get caught out, and by then, regardless of whether they're willing to pay or not, there's no seats to choose from.

[nik_kershaw 148]

I just flew with BA and we didn't pay for the selection and we got 3 seats next to each other. If you are travelling with a child at least one of the adults will be sat with the child

[fleabo 2,537]

I once got on an Easyjet flight where they had one more passenger on board than there were seats. A 60 min standoff resulted between passengers and cabin crew...