Unable to Get Seat Selection on Delta Flight to Rome using Flights by Celebrity

[Virginia100]

2 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Code share flights can be tricky.   It sounds like ITA (formerly Alitalia) is the operating carrier, not Delta the booking carrier.  That means ITA's seating, baggage, etc rules apply, not Delta's rules.  FBC should have provided you with record locators for both Delta, where you can find your reservation and ITA where you can actually work on your reservation.   We have had these issues with Air Canada/United bookings and AA/BA bookings.  Yes, it can be a pain but follow up with FBC and make sure you have the record locator for ITA as well. They are the ones who can tell you more about seating. It is beyond Delta's control.

On fights by celebrity you only get the one locator code that corresponds to the flight code. If it’s not DL but ITA that is it. You do everything thru ITA. I do not care who operates the plane I wanted a Delta (DL) fight number.

[Fly and Sail]

2 hours ago, Virginia100 said:

On fights by celebrity you only get the one locator code that corresponds to the flight code. If it’s not DL but ITA that is it. You do everything thru ITA. I do not care who operates the plane I wanted a Delta (DL) fight number.

 

Any particular reason why the DL flight number is important to you? Just curious...

[lorimay]

I was look at flights on FBC today for our upcoming cruise in October. For MIA to FCO I could choose the ITA non-stop flight for $50 (yes that's the correct price) or the exact same flight but labeled as Delta but operated by ITA, same flight, plane and itinerary for $200. If you looked at the details, the ITA flight did not allow seat selection in advance and only 1 checked bag and no carry ons. The Delta flight allowed advance seat selection, 1 checked bag and 2 carry ons. I also think you can get Delta Skymiles for the Delta flight but not the ITA branded flight. 

[Lastdance]

I have a similar situation due to a code share with UA/Swiss on Biz class.  I fly from SF to Zurich on UA, with a code share from Zurich that is labeled Swiss, but operated by UA.  I cannot make my seats from Zurich to FCC; seats are ticket and paid for weeks ago.  However, I do keep calling, and at the very least, the flight is not very long.  FBC isn't what it once was, but since covid, so many things have changed.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Lastdance

[12cruise2]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

I have a similar situation due to a code share with UA/Swiss on Biz class.  I fly from SF to Zurich on UA, with a code share from Zurich that is labeled Swiss, but operated by UA.  I cannot make my seats from Zurich to FCC; seats are ticket and paid for weeks ago.  However, I do keep calling, and at the very least, the flight is not very long.  FBC isn't what it once was, but since covid, so many things have changed.

 

 

I think it's probably Swiss Air flying the plane; I'm not aware of United mainline flying within Europe. 

[Dar & Bob]

21 hours ago, pdanza22 said:

We booked with FBC for our upcoming Aug. 15th Reflection Med cruise.  Our outbound flight is MIA to FCO with Delta.  We tried to do our seat selection but we are being told by Delta that the seating is "under the control of the gate agent".  Has anyone ever encountered this? This is a first for us and I'm frankly a little nervous that my DH and I will be separated or worse bumped because of overbooking.  The person I spoke to at Delta actually said, "So just relax and let us do the worrying for you."  That alone made me nervous. Any advice would help.  Also, BTW we are returning home with Air Canada and we were able to download the app and do our seat selection there with no trouble.

What class of seat are you in?  I am looking at booking through FBC for next year.  We would be booking Premium economy and a flight by Delta.  It doesn't appear to be a code share flight.  Just curious if the class makes a difference.  We are doing a Princess EZAir flight and are fliying first class and we were able to choose a seat from the start and so far (knocking on wood) haven't had a problem

Thanks for the info

[terrydtx]

21 hours ago, pdanza22 said:

You are correct, it is operated by Delta but really ITA.  We did not see anything when we first booked with FBC that said seat selection not included.  Maybe we missed it. But what happens when you get to the gate?  are there seats?

 

We had the same issue with ITA flight operated by Delta, ITA is like British Airways, you cannot get seat until 24 hours before when you check in even though it is a Delta flight. I called both Delta and ITA to get seats with no luck, both told me nothing could be booked until the flights were actually ticketed by FBC. We were even flying business class, fortunately our flights got changed to direct flights by Delta to Atlanta from Venice by Delta and the ITA flight numbers went away. This is all for our August Reflection cruise.

Edited June 14, 2022 by terrydtx

[Spif Barwunkel]

We have never not been able to choose our seats when booking through FBC. We will book online and when Delta - our primary choice - is the carrier I can select seats myself. When using other US carriers, we book online and call a FBC rep to book our seats, no problem. Once seats are selected, we receive a FBC confirmation and an airline confirmation number, this all prior to final payment. 

 

Using "partnered" carriers, particularly foreign, is more difficult and your seats might not be assigned until final payment. Since the pandemic, the FBC representative can be anywhere in the world. The frustrations and problems pertinent to noisy locations, difficulty with understanding accents, poor connections and disconnects, etc. can make for long conversations, but eventually the job gets done.    

[Jeremiah1212]

There is no hard and fast rule for this nor is it directly a FBC issue. It totally depends on the airline who booked the ticket, the airline operating the flight and the type of ticket you purchased. If you booked something (even without knowing) similar to a US domestic Basic Economy ticket, you aren't going to be able to select seats in advance no matter who you call. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Jeremiah1212

[Spif Barwunkel]

24 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

There is no hard and fast rule for this nor is it directly a FBC issue. It totally depends on the airline who booked the ticket, the airline operating the flight and the type of ticket you purchased. If you booked something (even without knowing) similar to a US domestic Basic Economy ticket, you aren't going to be able to select seats in advance no matter who you call. 

My comments in post #33 include "Main Cabin" and above.  

[pdanza22]

1 hour ago, Dar & Bob said:

What class of seat are you in?  I am looking at booking through FBC for next year.  We would be booking Premium economy and a flight by Delta.  It doesn't appear to be a code share flight.  Just curious if the class makes a difference.  We are doing a Princess EZAir flight and are fliying first class and we were able to choose a seat from the start and so far (knocking on wood) haven't had a problem

Thanks for the info

It was an economy seat, not sure that mattered because we were able to do seat selection on the flight home with Brussels Air operated by Air Canada. Both legs are economy, one you can do selections one you cannot.

[B_A_H]

36 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

There is no hard and fast rule for this nor is it directly a FBC issue. It totally depends on the airline who booked the ticket, the airline operating the flight and the type of ticket you purchased. If you booked something (even without knowing) similar to a US domestic Basic Economy ticket, you aren't going to be able to select seats in advance no matter who you call. 

 

Well said. 

 

Everyone has a great misconception about code shares.  The operating carrier (regardless of which airline's code was on the segment sold [AKA: marketing carrier]) is responsible for all aspects of transportation.  That includes seat assignment, baggage allowance, and accommodating you during irregular operations.  All airlines selling code shares on other airlines specifically state the operating carrier's rules apply. 

 

There's no benefit to having the Delta code on another airlines flight segment except maybe frequent flyer mileage accrual or for elite qualifying.  If anything, it makes managing the reservation more difficult for both airlines.  In this case, there are two distinct reservations in each of the two airlines separate reservation system each with different record locators.  Both reservation systems limit what can be changed on these types of reservations to prevent then from becoming unmarried.  If they get out of sync the e-ticket can be screwed up and you won't be able to fly until it's fixed.  

 

If you have a problem with a Delta marketed and ticketed ITA operated flight, Delta's going to refer you back to ITA.  They might help you if there's a real Delta flight they can protect you on but it's ITA's responsibility to protect you in an irregular operations situation.  And the fact that you're on a ticket issued by another carrier makes ITA protecting you all the more difficult.  

 

As for FBC.  I don't think they are better or worse than any third party dealing with this summer's meltdowns.  There are things third parties can do when confronting a challenge and things they are totally dependent on the airlines to do.  If your itinerary booked and ticketed by FBC has a massive schedule change they have to turn to the carrier for protection; just like we do.  And often times the end result is less than desirable. 

 

Everyone needs to reset their expectations for flying in the near term.  Getting where you're supposed to go with your luggage accompanying you and arriving reasonably close to the scheduled time is victory.  Airline customer service doesn't exist this summer. 

[pdanza22]

42 minutes ago, B_A_H said:

 

Well said. 

 

Everyone has a great misconception about code shares.  The operating carrier (regardless of which airline's code was on the segment sold [AKA: marketing carrier]) is responsible for all aspects of transportation.  That includes seat assignment, baggage allowance, and accommodating you during irregular operations.  All airlines selling code shares on other airlines specifically state the operating carrier's rules apply. 

 

There's no benefit to having the Delta code on another airlines flight segment except maybe frequent flyer mileage accrual or for elite qualifying.  If anything, it makes managing the reservation more difficult for both airlines.  In this case, there are two distinct reservations in each of the two airlines separate reservation system each with different record locators.  Both reservation systems limit what can be changed on these types of reservations to prevent then from becoming unmarried.  If they get out of sync the e-ticket can be screwed up and you won't be able to fly until it's fixed.  

 

If you have a problem with a Delta marketed and ticketed ITA operated flight, Delta's going to refer you back to ITA.  They might help you if there's a real Delta flight they can protect you on but it's ITA's responsibility to protect you in an irregular operations situation.  And the fact that you're on a ticket issued by another carrier makes ITA protecting you all the more difficult.  

 

As for FBC.  I don't think they are better or worse than any third party dealing with this summer's meltdowns.  There are things third parties can do when confronting a challenge and things they are totally dependent on the airlines to do.  If your itinerary booked and ticketed by FBC has a massive schedule change they have to turn to the carrier for protection; just like we do.  And often times the end result is less than desirable. 

 

Everyone needs to reset their expectations for flying in the near term.  Getting where you're supposed to go with your luggage accompanying you and arriving reasonably close to the scheduled time is victory.  Airline customer service doesn't exist this summer. 

This was very enlightening, thanks.  Yesterday, after getting nowhere with Delta, I called ITA.  They couldn't do seat selection either.  So I said, then I guess we have to wait for online check in to pick our seats. I was then told that there is no online check in.  Check in will be done at the gate the day of the flight! So we will be heading down to Miami with a hope and a prayer and no idea if we are getting on a plane. It really is the Wild West out there.

[terrydtx]

27 minutes ago, pdanza22 said:

This was very enlightening, thanks.  Yesterday, after getting nowhere with Delta, I called ITA.  They couldn't do seat selection either.  So I said, then I guess we have to wait for online check in to pick our seats. I was then told that there is no online check in.  Check in will be done at the gate the day of the flight! So we will be heading down to Miami with a hope and a prayer and no idea if we are getting on a plane. It really is the Wild West out there.

Maybe this will change once FBC pays for the flights and they are actually ticketed. Once ticketed you own them and should be able to make changes.  This happened to us last year when after final payment for our Infinity cruise from Barcelona and FBC had ticketed the flights we were finally able to get seats assigned from AA.  The flight we couldn't get seats prior to FP, was the segment home from Madrid  to DFW which was shown as Iberian Airlines operated by AA. Then two weeks later the cruise was canceled anyway by Celebrity. Once they were paid and ticketed the AA online site allowed us to get seats. Good Luck flying today is just so stressful. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by terrydtx

[Jeremiah1212]

34 minutes ago, pdanza22 said:

This was very enlightening, thanks.  Yesterday, after getting nowhere with Delta, I called ITA.  They couldn't do seat selection either.  So I said, then I guess we have to wait for online check in to pick our seats. I was then told that there is no online check in.  Check in will be done at the gate the day of the flight! So we will be heading down to Miami with a hope and a prayer and no idea if we are getting on a plane. It really is the Wild West out there.

 

This is just how ITA does things. You have a ticket. You will be fine. The ITA website explains the fare classes and the checkin-in process. 

 

 

 

 

[Lighthousepointdream15]

We just had this same issue on the same flight from Miami to Rome on ITA. My adult children were In economy and DH and I in economy plus. We got seats right away but the kids got theirs at check in. They were seated together in the center section 

[D. B.]

Lots of good information here!

so nice to share our hard earned Experience with others.😊

[neverlaysup]

On 6/13/2022 at 7:59 AM, pdanza22 said:

We booked with FBC for our upcoming Aug. 15th Reflection Med cruise.  Our outbound flight is MIA to FCO with Delta.  We tried to do our seat selection but we are being told by Delta that the seating is "under the control of the gate agent".  Has anyone ever encountered this? This is a first for us and I'm frankly a little nervous that my DH and I will be separated or worse bumped because of overbooking.  The person I spoke to at Delta actually said, "So just relax and let us do the worrying for you."  That alone made me nervous. Any advice would help.  Also, BTW we are returning home with Air Canada and we were able to download the app and do our seat selection there with no trouble.

This is one of the many reasons I will not book FBC anymore. Maybe if the deal is exceptional for business class but otherwise, no thank you. Hope you two aren't separated but I wouldn't put it past them to make you both middle seat warriors for the flight. I would cancel the flight if i got stuck in the middle seat.

 

[pdanza22]

11 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

This is one of the many reasons I will not book FBC anymore. Maybe if the deal is exceptional for business class but otherwise, no thank you. Hope you two aren't separated but I wouldn't put it past them to make you both middle seat warriors for the flight. I would cancel the flight if i got stuck in the middle seat.

 

Already tried to cancel, there is a $200 fee .... each person.  Still have no outbound seats, but not giving up. Hoping we can get seats at check in and not at the gate. Thanks to everyone for the help though. 

[Virginia100]

11 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

This is one of the many reasons I will not book FBC anymore. Maybe if the deal is exceptional for business class but otherwise, no thank you. Hope you two aren't separated but I wouldn't put it past them to make you both middle seat warriors for the flight. I would cancel the flight if i got stuck in the middle seat.

 

Odd, I booked and paid for the Reflection out of Rome on August 26. All air done thru FBC and no problems at time of booking air getting all my seats RT. Outbound was Delta snd inbound American.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Virginia100

[Susanb10567]

I am using FBC for this first time mainly because the business class fares were so much cheaper…our outbound to Rome is a United flight operated by Swiss Air and I was able to call Swiss Air for seats prior to final payment..our return is British Air and was able to pick seats immediately on their Ap.. hopefully we have a good experience…