Absolute nightmare right now with Choice Air, getting to Barcelona!

[joyride]

We are (hopefully) cruising on the Pursuit 5/31 out of Barcelona. We usually book our own airfare, but with Covid and all going on, we decided to use Choice Air.

Our flight is this Sunday, 5/29 out of San Francisco to Barcelona and Choice Air booked us on Iberia (Through American Airlines) for the flight. We paid extra for premium economy seats (sort of like business class) in December and got our seat assignments way back then. 

 

Now, we have checked our flights for Sunday and we have NO seat assignment. Our paid for assigned seats have been given to someone else. 

 

Our travel agent has called Choice air this morning and they won't call Iberia to check on this. Iberia won't talk to our travel agent because they say our travel agent is Choice air. We personally called Iberia and got through once, got disconnected. Got through a second time and the agent (who we could hardly understand) said there was nothing they could do. 

 

At this point we aren't sure who to talk to. Azamara? Travel Agent? Choice Air? American Airlines? Iberia?

 

Any suggestions? Jeez, So upset right now...

Edited May 27, 2022 by joyride

[blag]

4 minutes ago, joyride said:

We are (hopefully) cruising on the Pursuit 5/31 out of Barcelona. We usually book our own airfare, but with Covid and all going on, we decided to use Choice Air.

Our flight is this Sunday, 5/29 out of San Francisco to Barcelona and Choice Air booked us on Iberia (Through American Airlines) for the flight. We paid extra for premium economy seats (sort of like business class) in December and got our seat assignments way back then. 

 

Now, we have checked our flights for Sunday and we have NO seat assignment. Our paid for assigned seats have been given to someone else. 

 

Our travel agent has called Choice air this morning and they won't call Iberia to check on this. Iberia won't talk to our travel agent because they say our travel agent is Choice air. We personally called Iberia and got through once, got disconnected. Got through a second time and the agent (who we could hardly understand) said there was nothing they could do. 

 

At this point we aren't sure who to talk to. Azamara? Travel Agent? Choice Air? American Airlines? Iberia?

 

Any suggestions? Jeez, So upset right now...

Premium Economy isn't really worth getting too stressed about, and it certainly isn't like Business on Iberia long-haul.

Arrive really early for your flights and try yo be at the head of the queue. When you check-in present all your documents and insist that you be given the seats assigned to you. If that doesn't work, seek compensation from your agent/Choice Air or whoever, but remember that Iberia are merely the providers. 

[joyride]

Thank you Blag. Except for one thing - it was Iberia who collected the money for the upgrade. And we had 2 seats that consist of one window seat and an aisle seat. Showing available now are seats shared with others, which I wanted to avoid.

 

I am thankful that it appears the flight is not full, and we will get there. LOL But, I want my fricking window seat that I paid for 5 months ago!!!

 

Joyce

[les37b]

21 minutes ago, joyride said:

We are (hopefully) cruising on the Pursuit 5/31 out of Barcelona. We usually book our own airfare, but with Covid and all going on, we decided to use Choice Air.

Our flight is this Sunday, 5/29 out of San Francisco to Barcelona and Choice Air booked us on Iberia (Through American Airlines) for the flight. We paid extra for premium economy seats (sort of like business class) in December and got our seat assignments way back then. 

 

Now, we have checked our flights for Sunday and we have NO seat assignment. Our paid for assigned seats have been given to someone else. 

 

Our travel agent has called Choice air this morning and they won't call Iberia to check on this. Iberia won't talk to our travel agent because they say our travel agent is Choice air. We personally called Iberia and got through once, got disconnected. Got through a second time and the agent (who we could hardly understand) said there was nothing they could do. 

 

At this point we aren't sure who to talk to. Azamara? Travel Agent? Choice Air? American Airlines? Iberia?

 

Any suggestions? Jeez, So upset right now...

 

When you say you booked and paid the upgrade, was it with Azamara or the airline? Did you get a receipt confirmation?

 

I don't blame you for being upset. Premium is a huge improvement over economy.

 

Edit... Just seen your followup.

 

Funnily I had a similar issue in January. My flights were cancelled (COVID on the ship) and the CL rebooked out of Santiago. They had nothing to do with my seat upgrade I'd paid to the airline direct. Indeed our flights were moved from KLM to BA.

 

I contacted KLM and they put the shutters up and told me to contact the bookers. They were not interested as it was me who paid the enhancement.

 

When I went back to the airline, they still went interested until I said I was doing a chargeback. That triggered the proper response.

 

I know you are not wanting a refund, but it's Iberia who you need to battle. Hopefully armed with your receipt and payment details they will act properly. Good luck.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by les37b

[blag]

I am uncertain as to whether online check-in will work to your advantage (or not) in securing the seats you want/paid for. Sometimes the personal approach works best. But, I probably hardly need add: be cool, calm and collected. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!

Maybe more experienced travellers can advise? 

Edited May 27, 2022 by blag
Grammar!

[SunnyNy]

I had similar problems with Choice Air and Lufthansa.  I doubt you'll have any luck with Choice Air now or later.  If you have any receipts or prior emails showing the word Premium or even just the seat no. (that would indicate that it's in the Premium section), bring it to the airport with you.

 

As blag says, Premium is NOTHING like business class, so  you won't be missing that experience.  Still, I get it - you paid for an upgrade and want particular seats..  I hope you get some satisfaction but don't stress too much.  All will be forgotten when you arrive in BCN and board the ship.

 

[Fatfish]

Sorry for your trouble with seats etc. but Iberia is 1 airline I will never use...Google their reviews....

[SunnyNy]

Have you tried calling American, since it seems they're the booking airline?

 

[joyride]

We are now trying to call American airlines to see what they have to say. And, yes, I have a screen shot from the Iberia website that shows our seat assignments from back in December. We also have a receipt for when we paid for the upgrade. 

[pastis]

I just checked SeatGuru for your flight.  It is showing that there are no Premium Economy seats for that specific aircraft.  Maybe Iberia changed the aircraft since your original booking.  You should definitely try and get a refund from ChoiceAir for the extra money you spent.

[RW75]

If it helps, Iberia online check in opens 36 hours prior to departure. Not sure if that will help if you’re connecting on AA.  You will be able to see seats at that point on the IB website. 

Try looking at the seats using Royal Jordanian website. Often a good One World resource. 
You will probably find the seat pairs are not all actually taken, just not available to selection without status. 

[voyager1964]

I think you are flying on Level - thus you need to contact them (www.flylevel.com)

[RW75]

22 minutes ago, pastis said:

I just checked SeatGuru for your flight.  It is showing that there are no Premium Economy seats for that specific aircraft.  Maybe Iberia changed the aircraft since your original booking.  You should definitely try and get a refund from ChoiceAir for the extra money you spent.

All of the A330/A350 fleet are fitted with premium seats 

[joyride]

It's been a crazy day, on hold with Choice Air, American Airlines, Iberia. We ended up getting boarding passes from Iberia for different seats in Premium Economy. Instead of the Row 1 seats we had, they have given us seats in Row 3 that back up to the bulkhead and do not recline. Also, with our first seats baggage was included, now the new boarding passes say baggage is not included. Not sure what's going to happen with that. In my opinion, they should give us the original seats back and compensate the people who they sold them to in error.. These non-reclining seats aren't going to be very good for an almost 12 hour flight and my husband's spinal arthritis. This is the whole reason why we paid extra and booked these seats so far in advance. Also, after being so careful about covid, I now have to sit next to a stranger for 12 hours.

[vslparis]

I guess my first question would be , are you sure that you are flying Iberia ( or Level which is some Iberia type of flight ) which is a direct flight that departs SFO at 7:55 pm.  If that is not your departure time then you are on a connecting flight that ,while sold as Iberia, is flown by American or one flown by British Airlines.   Or was it a different flight when you first booked it ; could it have Iberia and then it was changed to Level due to Iberia cancelling you original flight ?
If indeed you are on that Level flight and you paid for premium economy you should absolutely get a refund for that.   

[Vineyard View]

30 minutes ago, joyride said:

It's been a crazy day, on hold with Choice Air, American Airlines, Iberia. We ended up getting boarding passes from Iberia for different seats in Premium Economy. Instead of the Row 1 seats we had, they have given us seats in Row 3 that back up to the bulkhead and do not recline. Also, with our first seats baggage was included, now the new boarding passes say baggage is not included. Not sure what's going to happen with that. In my opinion, they should give us the original seats back and compensate the people who they sold them to in error.. These non-reclining seats aren't going to be very good for an almost 12 hour flight and my husband's spinal arthritis. This is the whole reason why we paid extra and booked these seats so far in advance. Also, after being so careful about covid, I now have to sit next to a stranger for 12 hours.

Boi. I would not be happy either. Hopefully when you get to SFO you can talk them into honoring your original seats, or see what it takes to further upgrade. I agree with getting there really early to be on the standby list for upgrade. I hope it works out well for you and you have an amazing vacation. 

[RW75]

Joyride,  I’m thinking the above poster is correct and you are flying Level which is the long haul low cost carrier of IAG. 
There is recline space at the bulkhead. They are the exact same seats that Iberia have for Premium. I’ve used the IBeria product a few times and the seat is okay. Take some snack items with you, the catering is not substantial.
You should have two checked pieces at 23kgs each per person.

im guessing you have been booked on IB2622 or AA8847.  When you’re not used to the arrangements of code-sharing it can be confusing and agents do not often explain the finer points or indeed the operating carrier which is a requirement.

There are often discrepancies in luggage and seating policies between carriers issuing tickets on their own ticket stock. 

confirm your return seat allocation when you arrive at the airport and maybe ask to speak to the station manager and have him/her contact customer services regarding the refund of your seating fees

I would suggest you have a discussion with the loyalty person onboard.  
Hope you can relax a little now and look forward to enjoying your cruise. 

[FlyerTalker]

8 minutes ago, RW75 said:

im guessing you have been booked on IB2622 or AA8847.

 

 

Amazing how crucial details like dates, times and flight numbers get left out by posters complaining about issues with their flights.

 

I have a number of proprietary tools that can research details on flights.....but when I merely see

 

"

6 hours ago, joyride said:

Our flight is this Sunday, 5/29 out of San Francisco to Barcelona and Choice Air booked us on Iberia (Through American Airlines) for the flight.

 

well, luckily there is only one scheduled IB flight SFO-BCN.  And I don't understand the "through AA" part.

 

First off....seat assignments are NEVER guaranteed.

 

Second - because you bought through the cruiseline, your ticket is under the control of Azamara.   Had you bought them directly, you would be the customer.

 

Third - the comment about getting a refund for not having your first choice of seats is laughable.  You didn't buy a specific seat.  You bought an upgrade to PE.  You are being transported in PE.  End of story, as far as a refund goes.

 

Fourth - there are no unassigned seats in row 1.  And there are only 3 unassigned seats in the PE cabin (out of 21)

 

Fifth - you are most likely on a Level aircraft, operated by IB.

 

Sorry to be blunt, but those are the facts.

 

[joyride]

Jeez FlyerTalker, I didn't know that making a post about the issues we are having required me to give YOU all the specific details about our Flight. But, OK, let's go there. We PAID for an upgrade to Premium Economy on 12/29 and received a receipt, and picked exact seats of 1J and 1L. And, yes, it's Level. We have a screenshot from the Iberia website showing our Flight AA8847. I guess it's Choice air, through American airlines, through Iberia, using Level. It's not exactly an easy thing to follow....

 

Bottom line is we have been sitting here for 5 months, confident that our flights were paid for, confirmed and good to go - and now 48 hours before we fly out we find out they have sold our seats to someone else. I don't understand what you FlyerTalker mean by seat assignments are never guaranteed. I don't get that. We picked our seats and paid extra for those seats. Does that mean that even though we picked our cabin on the cruise, we can get there and find that they have given it to someone else? I don't think so.

 

Bottom line is, we will get to Barcelona and hopefully have a great vacation, But for us, this is a big trip of a lifetime and having this happen to start it off is not good. The thing that bugs me the most is that there's no explanation from the airline as to why this happened. It's horrible customer service...

 

Just to clarify, according to my hubby. We paid for premium economy through our Travel Agent when we paid for our flights, and then later paid extra when we selected the seats on Iberia's website.

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by joyride

[RW75]

Joyride, you’re all sorted now so don’t stress about it any longer. 
when you’re not a frequent flyer the small details don’t mean so much to you and you take it all at face value. 
I often have my seat assignments shifted, it is unfortunately one of those things that happens. They are never assured even when you pay a fee. You are entitled to a refund of your seat assignment fees.  
For reference on your return flight, you may wish to move from row 1 as these seats may be bassinet positions, therefore, anyone travelling with an infant will be assigned the bassinet position seating. Again, ask at the airport tomorrow.
 

[joyride]

16 minutes ago, RW75 said:

Joyride, you’re all sorted now so don’t stress about it any longer. 
when you’re not a frequent flyer the small details don’t mean so much to you and you take it all at face value. 
I often have my seat assignments shifted, it is unfortunately one of those things that happens. They are never assured even when you pay a fee. You are entitled to a refund of your seat assignment fees.  
For reference on your return flight, you may wish to move from row 1 as these seats may be bassinet positions, therefore, anyone travelling with an infant will be assigned the bassinet position seating. Again, ask at the airport tomorrow.
 

Thank you RW75. We are fine. Our return flight are out of Lisbon and are on American Airlines, so hopefully we won't have problems coming home.

[RW75]

If you have not arranged a covid test for your return and will not be testing onboard, an antigen is available for €25 at Lisbon airport with SynLab. Results/certificate within one hour - usually much quicker. 
Seemed to be €20 in the city with a certificate. Possibly less if you look around. 
can be a bit of a hassle with VeriFLY, have taken a result to the AA check in desk and not had a problem. 

[les37b]

4 hours ago, RW75 said:

If you have not arranged a covid test for your return and will not be testing onboard, an antigen is available for €25 at Lisbon airport with SynLab. Results/certificate within one hour - usually much quicker. 
Seemed to be €20 in the city with a certificate. Possibly less if you look around. 
can be a bit of a hassle with VeriFLY, have taken a result to the AA check in desk and not had a problem. 

 

Sorry to post off topic (though relevant for the OP hopefully)...

 

I posted on another forum hoping to find somewhere for my antigen test prior to boarding in Lisbon in 10 days. The best I managed to locate (which the unconnected hotel suggested) was €40 which I was less than impressed with.

 

Are there lots of test sites? I did search Google but found nothing. Elsewhere in Greece and Italy, there are places punters have used for under €10 so really hoping not to stump up €40 or £69 for a pre departure PCR.

 

Joyride, I've had bulkhead seats and like you concerned they wouldn't recline properly to get the benefit of what you'd paid for..... They did, at least on my flight.

 

Looking on Seat Guru, it is confusing as the aircraft seat configuration shows no premium seats. Further confusion from what you've said, is that it doesn't include cabin luggage, which makes me wonder if they've given you PE seats. With PE seats, you get 2 hold bags, 1 overhead and one small under seat allowance. I assume you have checked in now? Did you get the option to check in 2 hold bags without extra charge?

 

Also from what you've said, your TA should be dealing with this on your behalf. You booked this holiday through them not direct right? They should have been earning their commission and got it sorted.

 

Seats or cabins are never guaranteed. On the ship there maybe a problem with the shower for example. That is predominately the reason for the caveat, but no doubt there may be others. On airlines, I agree the whole point of booking and pay extra is to get what you want. Unfortunately it does say that the can make changes and whilst I agree it's out of order to be told they've sold your booked seat, there is nothing you can do.

 

At least you are ticked and ready to go.the airline Azamara booked me on are cancelling flights left right and centre because of software problems. A news article suggests this will go on for at least the next 10 days .... We fly in 9.

 

Travel is not the fun it once used to be but hopefully once you are on board, you can put this stress behind you are enjoy.... Do please post how it's all going.

[tidespring]

Could the seats being sold to others, possibly be because the OP deliberately booked the two seats, window and aisle, hoping no one would take the middle seat?. This can cause a lot of problems for the airline and others who may want for example three seats together, or two aisle seats. Just a thought.

[RedBlu]

1 hour ago, les37b said:

 

Sorry to post off topic (though relevant for the OP hopefully)...

 

I posted on another forum hoping to find somewhere for my antigen test prior to boarding in Lisbon in 10 days. The best I managed to locate (which the unconnected hotel suggested) was €40 which I was less than impressed with.

 

Are there lots of test sites? I did search Google but found nothing. Elsewhere in Greece and Italy, there are places punters have used for under €10 so really hoping not to stump up €40 or £69 for a pre departure PCR.

 

Joyride, I've had bulkhead seats and like you concerned they wouldn't recline properly to get the benefit of what you'd paid for..... They did, at least on my flight.

 

Looking on Seat Guru, it is confusing as the aircraft seat configuration shows no premium seats. Further confusion from what you've said, is that it doesn't include cabin luggage, which makes me wonder if they've given you PE seats. With PE seats, you get 2 hold bags, 1 overhead and one small under seat allowance. I assume you have checked in now? Did you get the option to check in 2 hold bags without extra charge?

 

Also from what you've said, your TA should be dealing with this on your behalf. You booked this holiday through them not direct right? They should have been earning their commission and got it sorted.

 

Seats or cabins are never guaranteed. On the ship there maybe a problem with the shower for example. That is predominately the reason for the caveat, but no doubt there may be others. On airlines, I agree the whole point of booking and pay extra is to get what you want. Unfortunately it does say that the can make changes and whilst I agree it's out of order to be told they've sold your booked seat, there is nothing you can do.

 

At least you are ticked and ready to go.the airline Azamara booked me on are cancelling flights left right and centre because of software problems. A news article suggests this will go on for at least the next 10 days .... We fly in 9.

 

Travel is not the fun it once used to be but hopefully once you are on board, you can put this stress behind you are enjoy.... Do please post how it's all going.

It looks like we are also on the same airline, we now have to worry about cancellations, getting through the infamous scenario at Manchester Airport , then getting a negative test the morning we leave our hotel in Athens. I wont relax until I'm on board!