Two travellers who booked Qantas flights have described being moved from seats they selected months in advance, while another found his Qantas status was not recognised on a codeshare partner.
In letters to Traveller, Peter Beveridge of Drummoyne said they booked QF82 from Singapore to Sydney and selected their seats nine months ahead. The day before the flight, Qantas confirmed the seat numbers by email, but when they received their boarding passes they had been reassigned less comfortable seats near the rear of the plane. No explanation or alternative was offered, and an apologetic email from Qantas did not clarify why it happened.
Andrew Vivian of Sawtell described return Qantas flights to Santiago, with the return leg on LATAM under a codeshare. Both travellers were Qantas Gold and, despite repeated requests to both airlines, could not select seats or get an upgrade. The day before flying, they found they were seated at the back of the plane. LATAM staff at check-in moved them forward, but at the LATAM lounge they were told the airline no longer honoured Qantas status, even though the boarding pass carried a QF number.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Seat selection is a key convenience for passengers, especially on long-haul flights, and losing it undermines trust in the airline.
- The complaints raise broader questions about whether advance seat selection guarantees are meaningful, and how codeshare partnerships treat frequent-flyer benefits.
- The issue could prompt Qantas to review its seat-allocation and codeshare practices.
Background
Qantas is Australia's largest airline and operates a frequent-flyer program with status tiers that include seating benefits. Codeshare agreements allow airlines to sell seats on each other's flights, but benefits may not transfer seamlessly.
What to Watch
- Whether Qantas responds to these complaints publicly or changes its seat-allocation policy.
- Whether other passengers report similar issues, potentially leading to a broader consumer backlash.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedA Qantas traveller reported being reassigned after selecting a seat in advance.WA Today - Latest News: “Traveller readers were moved from the seats they selected nine months in advance.”
- SupportedTraveller readers describe lost seat selections and codeshare issues.WA Today - Latest News: “Traveller readers were moved from the seats they selected nine months in advance. … We booked return Qantas flights in March to Santiago, with the return flight on LATAM codeshare in October.”
- SupportedTwo travellers who booked a Qantas flight said they were moved from seats they had selected months earlier.WA Today - Latest News: “We recently flew on QF82 from Singapore to Sydney and had booked and selected our seats nine months earlier. … we found we had been reassigned less comfortable seats near the rear of the plane.”
- SupportedAnother traveller found that his Qantas status was not recognised by a codeshare partner.WA Today - Latest News: “We are both Qantas Gold … at the LATAM lounge, only to be told they no longer honour Qantas status even though the LATAM boarding pass had a QF number.”
- SupportedPeter Beveridge of Drummoyne said they booked QF82 from Singapore to Sydney and selected seats nine months ahead.WA Today - Latest News: “We recently flew on QF82 from Singapore to Sydney and had booked and selected our seats nine months earlier. … Peter Beveridge, Drummoyne, NSW”
- SupportedQantas confirmed their seat numbers by email the day before the flight, but their boarding passes showed less comfortable seats near the rear.WA Today - Latest News: “The day before the flight, we received an email from Qantas confirming our seat numbers, but when we got our boarding passes we found we had been reassigned less comfortable seats near the rear of the plane.”
- SupportedNo explanation or alternative was offered, and an apologetic email from Qantas did not explain why the seats were changed.WA Today - Latest News: “No explanation and no alternatives were offered. After complaining to Qantas later, we received an apologetic email, but we are still none the wiser why our seats were given to someone else at the last minute.”
- SupportedAndrew Vivian of Sawtell described return Qantas flights to Santiago, with the return flight on a LATAM codeshare.WA Today - Latest News: “We booked return Qantas flights in March to Santiago, with the return flight on LATAM codeshare in October. … Andrew Vivian, Sawtell, NSW”
- SupportedBoth travellers were Qantas Gold and, despite repeated requests to Qantas and LATAM, could not select seats or get an upgrade.WA Today - Latest News: “We are both Qantas Gold and, despite numerous requests to Qantas and LATAM, we could not make seat selections or upgrade”
- SupportedThey discovered the day before flying that they were seated at the back, and LATAM staff moved them forward at check-in.WA Today - Latest News: “we had to wait until the day before flying to find we were jammed in down the back of the plane for the 15-hour flight. However, at check in, the LATAM staff helpfully moved us forward.”
- SupportedAt the LATAM lounge, they were told the airline no longer honoured Qantas status, although the boarding pass had a QF number.WA Today - Latest News: “at the LATAM lounge, only to be told they no longer honour Qantas status even though the LATAM boarding pass had a QF number.”