united airline changed my seat assignment

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Yes, Airlines Do Have the Right to Change Your Seat Without Warning

Here's what to do when it happens.

When right-wing pundit Ann Coulter resorted to complaining on Twitter about having her seat moved on a 2017 Delta flight, she gave the world a golden example of how not to behave.

Perhaps she wasn’t fully aware of her rights — or the airline’s — but the tweetstorm that unfolded reminds us why it’s always important to know your rights as a passenger.

When you purchase an airline seat, you are required to acknowledge that you agree to the contract of carriage, a legally binding agreement between you and the airline, usually by checking a box next to the phrase “I agree to the terms and conditions of the contract of carriage” or some variation thereof.

Delta’s contract of carriage states : “Delta may substitute alternate Carriers or aircraft, change its schedules, delay or cancel flights, change seat assignments, and alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket as required by its operations in Delta’s sole discretion.”

When you buy a plane ticket, the airline is only obligated to get you from point A to point B. Everything else that comes with it (reserved seating, overhead bin space, baggage allowance, and food and beverage service) is at the discretion of the airline. Because you’re not buying an actual seat — you’re purchasing transportation.

What to Do When an Airline Moves Your Seat

When you’re asked by a flight attendant or gate agent to change seats, it’s usually to help families sit together, allow caregivers to sit next to patients, or accommodate an air marshal or other airline employee. They also might ask you to move for safety reasons or to help redistribute the weight balance of the aircraft, especially on smaller planes.

If it happens to you, respond politely and graciously. Over the years, I’ve been asked countless times to move seats and have done so without complaining. Nearly every time, the flight attendant thanked me for my willingness to be flexible with free bottles of wine or a snack.

Your Boarding Pass Is Your Assigned Seat

If a gate agent comes onboard and hands you a new boarding pass, that is the seat you are required to sit in, regardless of how much you paid for your ticket or the class of service you purchased. The gate agent has supreme power of seating assignments for every flight and dictates who sits where. If they ask you to move, do it.

You May Be Entitled to a Refund

If you’re downgraded from a seat with extra legroom to a regular economy seat, the airline will reimburse you the difference. In Coulter’s case, Delta refunded her the $30 extra fee she paid for the Delta Comfort+ seat that was given to another passenger.

The contract of carriage for American Airlines , as another example, states that you can request a refund for a variety of reasons , including getting re-booked on a flight that causes you to miss a connection, or if you get moved from a preferred seat to a non-preferred seat or a preferred aisle/window seat to a preferred middle seat. Those “preferred” seats refer to the coveted seats near the front of the economy cabin or in emergency exit rows that typically cost extra.

If your seat gets moved and you feel you are owed a refund, contact the airline’s customer service department to request one.

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United changed my seat - can they do this? - SeatGuru Forum

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United changed my seat - can they do this?

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All of a sudden yesterday, United made a small change to the departure times (5 minutes) and by doing so, all my seat assignments were changed. I'm still in first-class but not the seats I originally chose. I called their customer service and reservation people and they say they cannot change it back (they had already assigned another person to our original seats). They claim that when you pick out your seat online, it is not guaranteed. So if that's true, SeatGuru might as well be useless. I'll never use United Airlines again. Does anybody out there know if there's any recourse for me to get my original seats back?

"Does anybody out there know if there's any recourse for me to get my original seats back?"

Of course not! And you really should stop whining. You still have first class, something many of us never get. It is really hard to believe that anyone would be so upset over not having specific seats in first class. Go to Hawaii, have a wonderful time, and try being a traveler, not a tourist. Chuck...

There may have been an equipment change for the ORD-HNL sector; that could have been enough to change the seating configuration.

I don't know of any airline that guarantees seat assignments; most include the standard caveat that will be a permutation of 'we are unable to guarantee any particular seat as we may have to move you for operational, security or safety reasons'.

<So if that's true, SeatGuru might as well be useless. >

Why do you say that? At least it showed you what you could have got. Us poor mortals use it to see the best of the rest for when OLCI opens.

To get your seat back you could try slipping something in the guys drink and when he passes out shoving him in the John!

Personally I think Post#2 is harsh.

If you're paying for a first class seat I would have thought it reasonable to be able to choose it (choices being available at the time of booking) and have that honored.

I guess they do have the right to do that to you, but if I was in that boat, I'd be a bit annoyed, too.

Caveat Emptor

Enjoy your trip.

In first class the difference from seat to seat is minute compared to economy. Try not to worry about it now, April is a long way off. Check the United site from time to time and see if your other seats open up again. Maybe call United back and ask for a note to be put on your booking that you requested seats X and Y.

If nothing works out for you then enjoy first class, regardless of your seat position. Once you don't get moved the other side of the curtain you don't really have too much to worry about.

Hi, the same sort of thing happened to me a few months ago. I came to this forum to ask your question too. What I found was that like a previous replier said...

1. Try online check-in (I was not able to use this

as I was travelling internationally);

2. Checking in very early! At one part we were

able to change our seats to a better seat,

although not the one we requested because we had

requested the front row and we never knew that

the first row is given to parents who have

babies that need to use the (forgot what it is

called) cot space that the front row has room

3. Try checking for seats online 24 hours prior to

departure....somewhere I read that after

midnight on the day before your departure the

actual seating charts show up.

I hope this gives you some kind of help.

wanderingladybug,

Why could you not use OLCI for international travel? I do it all the time.

Thanks for the tips, but I've already come and gone - never could get my original bulkhead seat back. A lot of people told me to quit crying and just be thankful I had a first-class seat at all and to just enjoy my trip, so that's what I did. It wasn't so bad, and our return trip had the original seat so I got to try both. No huge difference. But thanks for taking the time to help me.

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United Airlines Seat Selection: What You Need to Know

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Table of Contents

United Airlines seat selection

United seat selection fees, united credit cards with travel benefits, united airlines seats for elite members, united airlines seat map, how to select a seat on united airlines, final thoughts on selecting united airlines seats.

When you take to the skies one of the most important things when it comes to preparing for your flight is knowing where you'll be seated on the airplane. Like most other airlines, United gives its guests assigned seating on its flights. The majority of customers can select from a variety of seats for free, but there are also options for preferred seating and even upgrades for those who are willing to pay. Here's a look at United Airlines seat selection and United Airlines seat assignment policies.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Most United Airlines flights will have at least two cabin classes: economy and first class. Depending on where you’re going, you may also find business class and premium economy seating.

No matter your fare class, you will be able to choose a seat from the available selection, though how much you’ll pay and the associated fees will differ according to your ticket and various other factors.

How much is seat selection on United Airlines? Charges vary, but generally speaking, the longer and more in-demand your flight, the more expensive it will be for your seat selection.

Basic economy (most restrictive)

Basic economy tickets don't provide complimentary seat selection in any cabin. In exchange for cheaper tickets, you can either opt to pay for a seat assignment or wait until check-in and be randomly assigned a seat.

Families and groups who book basic economy tickets won't be seated together; though again, they can pay to ensure that they’re near each other.

Standard economy

You may be wondering: “How do I choose my seat on United Airlines?” Happily, those booking a regular economy class ticket will have the ability to book a seat for free, although the available options may not be desirable. In this case, customers can also choose to pay for better seats while maintaining their economy class ticket.

If you’re traveling with young children you may want to know: “Does United seat families together?” Yes, it does. If you’re booking an economy ticket or above, United’s system will automatically attempt to seat children under 15 on the same reservation together with their parents.

» Learn more: Is United Airlines good?

Preferred seating

Preferred seating features seats with better locations than standard United economy flights. The seats are the same, but they tend to be closer to the front of the cabin. Costs for preferred seating vary depending on the flight, but these are the cheapest paid seat upgrades you can find on United flights.

Economy Plus

Economy Plus seats are within the standard economy cabin, though they’re located just behind first class seating. They provide more legroom than regular economy seats and also offer free alcoholic beverages on premium transcontinental routes. These seats are more expensive than preferred seats.

Premium Plus

Premium Plus is United’s premium economy offering and is available on select flights. This is better than economy class but not as good as United’s international business class, Premium Plus seats are all free for those who book this cabin.

United first and business class

Like Premium Plus, those who book either first or business class can choose any seat within the cabin for free.

» Learn more: How you’ll earn United Premier Qualifying Points on flights

Regardless of where you sit, a United Airlines credit card can provide benefits that make your travel day a little less stressful, from priority boarding and free checked bags to airport lounge access. Among your options:

on Chase's website

$0 intro for the first year, then $95 .

• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 3 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, select streaming services and all other travel.

• 4 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and all other travel purchases.

• First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• 2 United Club one-time passes each year.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS .

• Priority boarding .

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• $125 United purchase credit per year (good on airfare).

• Two 5,000-mile award flight credits per anniversary year.

• Access to United Club airport lounges.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.

Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Loyal members of United’s MileagePlus program receive additional benefits when booking flights, including better seats.

Silver elite members and above have complimentary access to preferred seating at booking.

Gold elite members and above can pick an Economy Plus seat for free when booking their ticket. Silver members, meanwhile, can choose from available Economy Plus seats upon check-in.

United elite members are also entitled to complimentary upgrades on select flights starting as early as 96 hours before departure.

Wondering what the seats on your flight will look like? United provides a seat map that you can find when booking your flight. Before selecting a flight, you can view the seat map by selecting “Seats” on the search result page.

This will open a live preview of the seats on your aircraft that shows you the layout of the seats as well as which seats are available to select. You’ll also see the seat map during booking, when you’re prompted to select your seats.

After booking, it’s possible to change your seats by going to "My Trips" and selecting "Manage Trips." Once on your specific flight page, you’ll be able to view your seat and select a new one if you desire.

» Learn more: Delta vs. United vs. American

During booking

You’ll automatically be prompted to select a seat when booking your ticket online. Once you’ve selected your flight, you’ll fill out your passenger information and any frequent flyer programs.

Depending on your flight, United may also offer the ability to purchase discounted bundles during checkout. These may save you money over choosing extras individually, though you’ll want to take a look at the costs.

After deciding whether to add a bundle, you’ll be taken to the seat map to choose your seat. A legend on the right will show you which seats are included and the costs of any upgrades.

Once you’ve selected a seat, complete the check-out process and pay for your ticket.

After booking

If you’ve already booked a ticket and would like to select a seat or change your existing seat, you can do so from the “Manage My Trips” tab under the “My Trips” option.

Then, you’ll select “Manage Trip” from your available trips. Here you’ll find your trip information, including the option to change your seat.

» Learn more: The pros and cons of MileagePlus

United Airlines’ seating policies can be confusing, especially when you’re booking an economy class ticket. The short of it is this: If you book at least a standard economy ticket, you’ll be able to choose a seat for free during the booking process as long as you're traveling on a United-operated flight (versus a flight operated by a partner). You can also pay to have better seats, though some United elite members will receive access to these better seats for free. Basic economy customers, meanwhile, will always need to pay to select a seat.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

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1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

100,000 Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-3x Earn 3x miles on United® purchases, 2x miles on dining, select streaming services & all other travel, 1x on all other purchases

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

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UA changed my wife's E+ seat assignment

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