Seat assignments with Air Canada?

[JustinPlusLauren]

I tried calling them today but there was a 3+ hour wait time (!) due to the poor weather in eastern Canada/USA. I'll try again in a couple of days once the weather sorts itself out and report my findings :)

[JustinPlusLauren]

Update! I was able to get through to Air Canada (had the phone on hold for a couple of hours....just off to the side on speaker phone until someone answered lol!) and I was able to choose my seats! I had to pay a fee to pick them but I was able to do so. So, if you're looking to choose your seats when you book through a consolidator / travel agent does that, you can do so if you call them. I was that my travel agent was able to provide me with that info or do the calling for me....he said that I could only choose my seats when I did the check-in 24 hours prior to my flight!

[fendbass]

After examining several different travel sites, I decided to use CruiseAir, their price was marginally better than Orbitz or Expedia, round trip from Tampa to Copenhagen in late April

 

Big mistake... I got the reservation number but no seat assignment. So, I called back, and found that we had been assigned middle seats to and from Copenhagen, a 8+ hour flight. At that point, I knew exactly what had happened, we got the lowest class ticket, with no choice of seats. Airlines, you gotta love 'em (not really, a few choice words is more like it)

 

So, I had to cough up about $180 more so that we could have one aisle seat in both directions

 

I guess I learned my lesson, and will be making my own reservations in the future

[FlyerTalker]

I guess I learned my lesson, and will be making my own reservations in the future

Remember that just because you make your own reservations does NOT mean that you will be getting a published fare ticket. If you buy from someone that resells bulk tickets (and that includes major travel sites) and you find a price lower than what you could pay the airline directly, the odds are that you have a bulk ticket. And may have the same issues - and more.

 

Unless you can check the fare rules, the only way to ensure buying a published fare ticket is to buy from the airline directly.

 

Sorry that those "marginally better" dollars actually cost you in the long run. Price is not the only consideration, as you have found.

[RickT]

I just booked two Tango tickets (class L) on some non-cruise related flights (booked directly with Air Canada). Neither ticket came with a seat assignment and if I would like one prior to the 24 hr check in period I have to pay $18 plus tax.

 

I also have to pay $25 per bag by booking a Tango fare.

 

Seems that Air Canada has figured out how to make more money selling low cost tickets.

[JustinPlusLauren]

We have to pay $25 per bag and $35 for a second bag, plus we had to pay $26 per ticket to assign our seats. All of the extras definitely didn't end up making this a cheaper flight....I think if we had gone with Westjet instead, it would have been cheaper in the long run. Oh well, live and learn!