United just randomly reassigned my seats

[Anonymous]

This isn't OPs fault. That sucks.
We are just starting to travel more after COVID and this thread will remind me to check out seat assignments in advance. I shouldn't have to since we pay for seats, but I guess it is what it is. Airlines are horrible.
OP, did you complain? How did the airline respond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not even get me started. United has done this to us THREE times within the past year. The latest was on a long haul flight to England with a 6 and 9 year old. We booked over 6 months in advance and paid for the extra legroom seats up at the very front. And then they swapped the aircraft a few days before and those seats became non existent. So they split us all up into various middle row seats throughout the plane. And no, we did not get an email or (lol) a refund. They didn’t even apologize for the inconvenience when we called! They just said there was nothing they could do so we ended up having to rebook our entire flight. We were still split up but at least we had a two and two together so I could sit with one kid and DH could sit with the other. So yeah. Not thrilled with United at the moment. It puts parents in a really crappy situation, and makes us look like the bad guys when, in reality, it’s 100% the airline’s fault. Honestly, I don’t know how they get away with it.

Because people keep flying them. They decide by price and route and not by customer service. Unless people vote with their feet, it will keep happening.

Pp here. Unfortunately it’s the only airline with a direct AM flight from Dulles to London. Plus, they used to be great pre-Covid. So we flew with them exclusively and accumulated all this status and a million air miles. Once those go, we’re out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

These are both dumb. Not saying United is right (they're absolutely not), but you need to double check things ahead of time.

You need more than a double-check- that implies checking twice. United especially is sneaky so you really need to check more often, honestly a week leading up to the flight you should check every day. Very easy on the app.

This. We got an alert that our aircraft had changed like two days before, but it still showed our original seat numbers on our reservation. However when we clicked on them and looked at the new seat map, that row didn’t even exist anymore. So we had to proactively call United to try and figure out what was going on and that’s when they told us we were split up across the plane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our worst was once when we were boarding. We had boarding passes with seats together. We missed preboarding due to a diaper blowout. We stood in line and I got on with the fussy baby. My husband had all the stuff and ended up a couple of people back at check in as some people pushed in front of him. When he gave them his boarding pass, he was told they had changed planes and there wasn't a seat for him on the flight---even though they had never paged him and he had a valid boarding pass. My phone was in the diaper bag he was carrying. I had no idea why he wasn't boarding. He couldn't contact me. They wouldn't give me a message. It wasn't pretty. I refused to sit down so they could shut the door. They threatened to call security. I didn't know where he was. I did eventually get off--they still hadn't told me where he was and why he hadn't boarded and someone else was in his seat.

United told me that I voluntarily de-boarded and made me buy a new plane ticket. He got zero compensation for having his boarding pass revoked because the plane change was due to a "mechanical issue.". It was all handled in literally the worst possible manner.

That sounds terrible but I feel like this isn't the entire story. If your DH was at the gate talking to the agent and there was a seating issue, the GA would come on board to give you the message. Or you could have asked the FA to call up to the desk to see what was going on. He must have still been standing there if you say he was just a few people behind you. And once you got off and went to the gate about the mix up they didn't try to reaccommodate you on a different flight? If the flight ended up being oversold due to a plane swap situation that is on the airline to figure it out. You don't just forfeit your ticket. Something about this isn't adding up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our worst was once when we were boarding. We had boarding passes with seats together. We missed preboarding due to a diaper blowout. We stood in line and I got on with the fussy baby. My husband had all the stuff and ended up a couple of people back at check in as some people pushed in front of him. When he gave them his boarding pass, he was told they had changed planes and there wasn't a seat for him on the flight---even though they had never paged him and he had a valid boarding pass. My phone was in the diaper bag he was carrying. I had no idea why he wasn't boarding. He couldn't contact me. They wouldn't give me a message. It wasn't pretty. I refused to sit down so they could shut the door. They threatened to call security. I didn't know where he was. I did eventually get off--they still hadn't told me where he was and why he hadn't boarded and someone else was in his seat.

United told me that I voluntarily de-boarded and made me buy a new plane ticket. He got zero compensation for having his boarding pass revoked because the plane change was due to a "mechanical issue.". It was all handled in literally the worst possible manner.

This is really bad and totally shocking.

Btw, all of you folks who say “check the day before” you need to keep checking.

I have status on United and my kids are tweens. We booked basic economy tickets because our status gives us free baggage and priority boarding, and we were fine to not choose our seats because the flight was short and our kids are old enough to sit alone. I checked our seats like a fiend because the airline was assigning them. They assigned one set two days before, which was the same at check in 24 hrs before. When we arrived at the airport before our flight and went through security, those were still our seats on the app. When I loaded it up to scan at boarding, they had changed! I did not get a notice. They were actually all together, which they hadn’t been before (they were close, not scattered). So I totally believe this. I had screen shotted the boarding passes from when we arrived at the airport so I could confirm I wasn’t crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our worst was once when we were boarding. We had boarding passes with seats together. We missed preboarding due to a diaper blowout. We stood in line and I got on with the fussy baby. My husband had all the stuff and ended up a couple of people back at check in as some people pushed in front of him. When he gave them his boarding pass, he was told they had changed planes and there wasn't a seat for him on the flight---even though they had never paged him and he had a valid boarding pass. My phone was in the diaper bag he was carrying. I had no idea why he wasn't boarding. He couldn't contact me. They wouldn't give me a message. It wasn't pretty. I refused to sit down so they could shut the door. They threatened to call security. I didn't know where he was. I did eventually get off--they still hadn't told me where he was and why he hadn't boarded and someone else was in his seat.

United told me that I voluntarily de-boarded and made me buy a new plane ticket. He got zero compensation for having his boarding pass revoked because the plane change was due to a "mechanical issue.". It was all handled in literally the worst possible manner.

That sounds terrible but I feel like this isn't the entire story. If your DH was at the gate talking to the agent and there was a seating issue, the GA would come on board to give you the message. Or you could have asked the FA to call up to the desk to see what was going on. He must have still been standing there if you say he was just a few people behind you. And once you got off and went to the gate about the mix up they didn't try to reaccommodate you on a different flight? If the flight ended up being oversold due to a plane swap situation that is on the airline to figure it out. You don't just forfeit your ticket. Something about this isn't adding up.

You're wrong. They wouldn't pass a message to me or from me to him. They refused. They wouldn't tell me why he hadn't boarded. And they didn't accommodate me after I got off the plane. They told me I voluntarily de-boarded and had to buy a new ticket. They were willing to rebook him for the next day, but not me.

I should have waited for him getting on the plane, but the baby was fussing and wanted to nurse. I was trying to settle her. People cut in front of him. So I just got on. I never imagined that he wouldn't be right behind me.

You don't believe it because they acted in an unbelievable fashion, not because I'm mis-relaying the story. That's what happened. It was insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

Troll?

The first post said OP always books early, this post says op booked 2 weeks ago

Not OP or PP but 2 weeks would be booking early for us.

OP here. We fly often. We flew November, December, January, February and this was a last minute trip so I guess I didn’t book this trip that far in advance. We are going away next month and I booked that trip almost 5 months in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our worst was once when we were boarding. We had boarding passes with seats together. We missed preboarding due to a diaper blowout. We stood in line and I got on with the fussy baby. My husband had all the stuff and ended up a couple of people back at check in as some people pushed in front of him. When he gave them his boarding pass, he was told they had changed planes and there wasn't a seat for him on the flight---even though they had never paged him and he had a valid boarding pass. My phone was in the diaper bag he was carrying. I had no idea why he wasn't boarding. He couldn't contact me. They wouldn't give me a message. It wasn't pretty. I refused to sit down so they could shut the door. They threatened to call security. I didn't know where he was. I did eventually get off--they still hadn't told me where he was and why he hadn't boarded and someone else was in his seat.

United told me that I voluntarily de-boarded and made me buy a new plane ticket. He got zero compensation for having his boarding pass revoked because the plane change was due to a "mechanical issue.". It was all handled in literally the worst possible manner.

Your tickets clearly weren’t on the same record locator. To avoid this, but all tickets at the same time with the same payment.

[Anonymous]

I was once separated from my then 4 year old on a flight. Same thing - we were seated together originally but seats were changed. The flight attendant asked and no one wanted to move. I handed a gallon sized ziploc and wipes to the person seated next to my kid and told them to expect my kid to become air sick and throw up on landing. They swapped with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

Troll?

The first post said OP always books early, this post says op booked 2 weeks ago

Not OP or PP but 2 weeks would be booking early for us.

OP here. We fly often. We flew November, December, January, February and this was a last minute trip so I guess I didn’t book this trip that far in advance. We are going away next month and I booked that trip almost 5 months in advance.

Now I know you are a troll. People who fly that often are much more airline savvy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

OK well you don’t sound very smart. Or at least you’re not a very savvy traveler. You shouldn’t be checking in on your way to the airport. Did you check in about a day before. And who doesn’t look at their seat assignments until they board?? Unless you don’t care at all where you were sitting, you shouldn’t be doing that. If you care where you are sitting, you should be checking in a day before, and looking at your seats and making sure they are OK.

I mean you check in on the way to the airport and they don’t even look at your seat assignments and then complain at the gate? That’s just dumb

It’s not dumb to pay for a service and expect it to be sorted. You’ve internalised the bad behavior of airlines, the fact that this happens so regurally is horrible customer service and doesn’t reflect a moral or intellectual failing of passengers.

Stop beating up OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

OK well you don’t sound very smart. Or at least you’re not a very savvy traveler. You shouldn’t be checking in on your way to the airport. Did you check in about a day before. And who doesn’t look at their seat assignments until they board?? Unless you don’t care at all where you were sitting, you shouldn’t be doing that. If you care where you are sitting, you should be checking in a day before, and looking at your seats and making sure they are OK.

I mean you check in on the way to the airport and they don’t even look at your seat assignments and then complain at the gate? That’s just dumb

Wow. This is totally the fault of the airline. I would not check if I had paid for seat assignments together. Blaming the OP and calling them dumb is not OK.

Well the OP is dumb if not a troll. Who doesn't check their seats until boarding? I call BS. It's not the airlines fault you're too stupid to look at your seats and realize they're not together. You could have fixed this if you had 2 functioning brain cells.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should, but why didn't you check your boarding passes earlier? Also get the app.

I have the app. I didn’t check in until I was on the way to the airport. We didn’t even book these flights until two weeks ago. I don’t ever check my seats until boarding. This has never happened to us before.

OK well you don’t sound very smart. Or at least you’re not a very savvy traveler. You shouldn’t be checking in on your way to the airport. Did you check in about a day before. And who doesn’t look at their seat assignments until they board?? Unless you don’t care at all where you were sitting, you shouldn’t be doing that. If you care where you are sitting, you should be checking in a day before, and looking at your seats and making sure they are OK.

I mean you check in on the way to the airport and they don’t even look at your seat assignments and then complain at the gate? That’s just dumb

It’s not dumb to pay for a service and expect it to be sorted. You’ve internalised the bad behavior of airlines, the fact that this happens so regurally is horrible customer service and doesn’t reflect a moral or intellectual failing of passengers.

Stop beating up OP.

OP is an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not even get me started. United has done this to us THREE times within the past year. The latest was on a long haul flight to England with a 6 and 9 year old. We booked over 6 months in advance and paid for the extra legroom seats up at the very front. And then they swapped the aircraft a few days before and those seats became non existent. So they split us all up into various middle row seats throughout the plane. And no, we did not get an email or (lol) a refund. They didn’t even apologize for the inconvenience when we called! They just said there was nothing they could do so we ended up having to rebook our entire flight. We were still split up but at least we had a two and two together so I could sit with one kid and DH could sit with the other. So yeah. Not thrilled with United at the moment. It puts parents in a really crappy situation, and makes us look like the bad guys when, in reality, it’s 100% the airline’s fault. Honestly, I don’t know how they get away with it.

Because people keep flying them. They decide by price and route and not by customer service. Unless people vote with their feet, it will keep happening.

United is generally down my list when flying with my family but sometimes there aren't great alternatives for a particular destination. And I just don't think there's a critical mass of disgruntled customers to move the needle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You paid (getting more pricey!) and then they changed it to specifically put you all apart, despite you being on the same booking. Yes, it’s outrageous.

Airline industry are such scammers in multiple ways