Can you get seat assignments on airlines any more (economy)?

[Alessandra]

Ds will be flying Delta nonstop to/from Atlanta, economy, in main cabin. He is having a problem finding how to get an assigned seat. Do airlines still offer seat assignments? It has been so long since I have flown, and googling is not helping.

 

Any input from travelers here would be appreciated!

[Jane in NC]

I just booked an economy flight on Delta and chose seats as part of the booking process.  Are you sure he did not miss this?

 

Now it could be that the plane is about at capacity in which case some frequent travelers will be bumped to first class.  Did your son receive the message that a seat would be assigned later?

[mmasc]

I would think he could still choose a seat, even if he missed it on the original purchase. If he doesn't choose, a seat will most likely be assigned. Try going online to delta's website, under My Trips.

[MEmama]

Yes, we always do. It's just part of the process? He can call if he has already completed the purchase. Although, the price is somewhat dependent on the seat (s) he chooses.

[Amira]

Ds just flew round trip on Delta and he couldn't choose his seat until check-in.  This was Basic Economy which is different from Main Cabin.  

 

If his ticket allows a seat to be chosen in advance he can do it from the Delta website as others have mentioned.  You can also call Delta to ask about it.  If you got the tickets online, there were probably several windows that popped up to make sure you knew you were getting Basic Economy because it's more limited. If you have Basic Economy, he won't be able to choose his seat until check-in.  

Edited January 12, 2016 by Amira

[Alessandra]

He hasn't bought the seat yet. The only thing we looked at so far was Main Cabin, I will have to check out basic economy too. What is the difference, and is that just Delta terminology or does it apply to all airlines?

 

He also liked at United, much cheaper, but they seemed to have restrictions for 15 year olds, while Delta was ok.

 

Any and all advice welcome!!!

[Ellie]

Yes. I do it all the time.

[Amira]

He hasn't bought the seat yet. The only thing we looked at so far was Main Cabin, I will have to check out basic economy too. What is the difference, and is that just Delta terminology or does it apply to all airlines?

 

He also liked at United, much cheaper, but they seemed to have restrictions for 15 year olds, while Delta was ok.

 

Any and all advice welcome!!!

 

Yes, if he doesn't want to fly unaccompanied and pay the fee, then he'd need to choose Delta over United (or other airlines that allow 15-year-olds to fly unaccompanied).  

 

Basic economy is a Delta thing on limited flights right now.  Other airlines might have similar things with different names where the ticket is a little cheaper but you can't choose your seat- it would be a limited option with any airline.  You can generally expect to reserve your seat as part of the process of buying your ticket online, or to pay a little extra for a better seat. 

[Alessandra]

Yes, if he doesn't want to fly unaccompanied and pay the fee, then he'd need to choose Delta over United (or other airlines that allow 15-year-olds to fly unaccompanied).

 

Basic economy is a Delta thing on limited flights right now. Other airlines might have similar things with different names where the ticket is a little cheaper but you can't choose your seat- it would be a limited option with any airline. You can generally expect to reserve your seat as part of the process of buying your ticket online, or to pay a little extra for a better seat.

Oh, thank you for the info about 15 year olds, very helpful to know. He does have a non driver state ID.

 

Since Ds has to get to Atlanta for something, I think I would avoid basic economy. I presume they would be the first bumped in case of overbooking. I will tell him to look at the site more carefully and find the seat selection place. Nice to know it is available.

[Annie G]

I choose mine when I check in 24 hours in advance.  I've never been bumped.  

[Ottakee]

I flew Delta last spring and the girls and I flew Delta this fall and we got to pick our seats for all flights when we booked the flight.

[purplejackmama]

I flew American last week and I had to pay extra for a seat assignment.

 

Off topic: but man they really nickel and dime you like crazy these days. Well that's after you spend a small fortune on the ticket. But I had to pay extra for the seat assignment, the bag and to board first. Blah!

[SparklyUnicorn]

Usually at least part of the trip yes, but there have been instances where we had to wait until going there.  For example, for a return flight or a connecting flight.  It was only a problem once.  That was with Iberia.  I hate Iberia and tell everyone I know I hate them.  Seriously they were so incredibly stupid they put our infant son in a seat separate from us.  Obviously that was not going to work.  It was like WWIII trying to sort that out when we got on the plane.

 

 

[Alessandra]

I just booked an economy flight on Delta and chose seats as part of the booking process. Are you sure he did not miss this?

 

Now it could be that the plane is about at capacity in which case some frequent travelers will be bumped to first class. Did your son receive the message that a seat would be assigned later?

The plane had lots of seats. Did you choose seats when you selected each flight leg, or when you checked out? Sorry to be so obtuse.... Ds will try again this evening. I will peer at screen too.

[Alessandra]

I flew American last week and I had to pay extra for a seat assignment.

 

Off topic: but man they really nickel and dime you like crazy these days. Well that's after you spend a small fortune on the ticket. But I had to pay extra for the seat assignment, the bag and to board first. Blah!

It has been so long since I have flown. I have read so much about nickel and diming that i wanted to check about the seat assignments.

 

And oil prices are so low now, but I do not think those savings are being passed on, lol.

[LifeLovePassion]

We are looking into flYing delta for an upcoming trip, the cheapest option did not allow seat selection. The next level up (main cabin) does, you have to get further in the process to see the seat map.

[Lanny]

He should log onto their web site and see if he has a seat assignment already, or, if he can make one now.  It may depend upon the "fare basis" one is using, how far in advance one can make a seat assignment. I think it was when my wife and DD went on a domestic trip in Colombia, on LAN, in November, that I expected to get their seat assignments, 48 hours before departure.  To my surprise, when logged into the LAN web site, the LAN reservations computer system had already assigned seats to them.  Probably  better seats than I would have gotten for them, 48 hours before departure.  This will vary, from airline to airline, probably with fare basis, and possibly from one route to another, depending upon the competition. Also, if it is a flight where there is Meal Service, this is the time to request a Special Meal, Kosher, Vegetarian, Seafood, etc. Don't forget to give them his Frequent Flyer number!

[Lanny]

If we were sending my DD alone (she is 15) I would try to make it as simple as is possible for her. If there is a connection, staying on the same airline, for the entire trip. I would have her prepared for what might go wrong (misconnection, lost baggage, diverted to another city, etc.) so that she would not panic or be in danger. I would have her scheduled to arrive at the destination airport as early in the day as is possible.    In the event a flight is "oversold" (more passengers show up with valid tickets than the aircraft has seats for), the airline employees will ask for Volunteers, who will be compensated in some way, if they leave the aircraft and take a later flight. The later in the day one is scheduled to fly, the risk of problems increases. Things snowball, if one aircraft in the pattern is taken out of service. That impacts later flights scheduled to use the same aircraft.  Fly early in the day! Fly nonstop if possible!  Avoid Spirit, unless you are like one of my wife's friends and have become an expert on how to avoid their extra fees.  Usually, everything goes as planned and there are no issues to contend with. :hurray:

Edited January 13, 2016 by Lanny

[diplomum]

Online check in has really changed the way this works. More often than not, these days you can't get a seat assignment when booking, or you have to pay for a seat assignment. A seat assignment requested at booking is also not guaranteed, and, quite frankly, likely to be changed unless you pay the extra fee. The trick is to do online check-in right when the 24 hour pre-flight window opens. Check in online, choose your seat, and print your boarding pass at home. This way your seat is truly assigned. Some budget airlines do not issue seat assignments at all, except for a fee (Easyjet, Ryanair etc.). 

[Jane in NC]

The plane had lots of seats. Did you choose seats when you selected each flight leg, or when you checked out? Sorry to be so obtuse.... Ds will try again this evening. I will peer at screen too.

Sorry that I missed this yesterday. Did you try again?

 

In my case, as I was doing the online booking, I selected the flight options first. Then there was an opportunity to click on seating. A separate window opens showing which seats are taken, which have extra charges, which are open for each leg of the flight.

 

Before running my credit card, my seat assignments with Delta were in place. I do wonder though if this might be different for common shuttle flights like the hourly ones going between places like New York and Boston. I have never paid extra for a seat assignment on Delta.

[Lanny]

Online check in has really changed the way this works. More often than not, these days you can't get a seat assignment when booking, or you have to pay for a seat assignment. A seat assignment requested at booking is also not guaranteed, and, quite frankly, likely to be changed unless you pay the extra fee. The trick is to do online check-in right when the 24 hour pre-flight window opens. Check in online, choose your seat, and print your boarding pass at home. This way your seat is truly assigned. Some budget airlines do not issue seat assignments at all, except for a fee (Easyjet, Ryanair etc.). 

 

 

This.  We usually fly LAN Colombia for Domestic flights within Colombia.  Usually, they allow you to do the Online Check In a maximum of 48 hours before the scheduled departure of each flight. If we are at home, we do that as soon as the 48 hour windows begins, for the origin trip. For the return, we do that ASAP, depending on where we are when the 48 hours begins.  I remember on one trip,  after touring the Salt Mine Cathedral, we went into town and we went to a place where we rented a PC for 30 minutes and printed out two (2) copies of each Boarding Pass.  I suggest always printing two (2) copies of the Boarding Pass. One to turn in to the airline employee at the Gate, and the other to have with you, in case there is an issue inside the cabin of the aircraft. Two people who both think they are assigned a particular seat, etc.  First come, first served. The earlier you check in, the more seats you can choose from...

[Alessandra]

Thank you, everybody for explaining so patiently. The seat assignment was perfectly clear, once I started the checkout process, but before I gave credit card number. I remember when kids were tiny and we had to sit together, I was always nervous that I would and then find no seats. Paranoia from those days probably affected me, lol.

 

All the details were here in a pop up as I booked. I paid $15 extra for priority boarding. I like being able to pay if you don't have any miles. Ds is skinny, so I did not opt for the $39 better seat, but I would if it were for myself!

 

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/onboard-experience/main-cabin/compare-seat-options.html

 

I booked seats, but chart says Main Cabin seat assignments are available 45 days before departure. Ds is not traveling for 2 ½ months….Hmmm???? The seat assignments are on the printed confirmation though.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by Alessandra