Knee 'ed Advice

[ERNLYN]

Have not flown for several years, recently my left knee is unable to bend more than 90 degrees. As such Iam not able to sit in a position where I cannot stretch my left leg out occasionally to relieve the pain, hence, I really need to request an aisle seat on the right side of the plane. Our flight will be ticketed 30 days out flying from Orlando, Fl to Oahu, Hawaii. Other than paying for a first-class ticket has anyone had a similar issue, and how was it resolved? I would really knee' ed some advice.

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by ERNLYN

[Bo1953]

Have you not selected your seat at flight purchase???

 

That would resolve the issue, if the seat needed is open and available...

 

Good luck and bon voyage

[LHT28]

get a bulk head seat  as soon as you are ticketed 

I am guess you are using cruise air

If you made final payment ask them to ticket you now or request them to select an aisle or bulkhead  for you

JMO

[klfrodo]

Well,,,, the advice I have is not going to be appreciated. I empathize with the knee'd to have a certain seat for your malady. However, that knee'd should have been the priority over any cost savings when purchasing the air travel.

30 days out, I can almost guarantee that isle seats will already be filled.

 

Good luck.

[GeezerCouple]

Call the airline.  They can (or most can/will?) help with special seating requests for medical/disability reasons.

 

They will typically also let someone traveling with you sit next to you.

But call soon.  Some airlines block some seats for this purpose, so you may not see the availability on the seating chart.  (Bulkhead for wheelchair, etc.)  But they may release those seats as the flight date approaches, rather than risk having them remain empty.

 

Make SURE that you see the appropriate reservation in your email/ticket, and it's the correct seating.

 

GC

[ERNLYN]

Thank you all for your replies.  Yes, it is NCL "Fly Free." we will not be 30 days out till August 8th. I might give LHT28's suggestion a try.  Otherwise, I will be calling our ticketed airline at midnight on the 8th of August.

Edited March 24, 2023 by ERNLYN

[6rugrats]

You don't need to call, just go online and select a seat.  I know my airline would not consider this a "disability."  This is a very long flight from the east coast.  Personally, no savings would be worth this discomfort and I would have booked directly with the airline, so I could choose the seat I needed asap, even if I had to pay for it.  Note, with your problem, you cannot sit in the exit row.  Good luck.

Edited March 24, 2023 by 6rugrats

[purduemom1]

The OP mentioned that he/she had not flown in several years so might not be aware that many airlines now charge more for certain main cabin seats. Since this pax is limited to an aisle seat on only the right side of the plane, availability of an aisle seat, in the fair class NCL has purchased, could be further decreased. Another consideration is that so many flights are flying full these days so choice seats fill up quickly. 
 

OP. Is it possible for you to be credited the value of your NCL flight and you can book your own flight using a ticket class that allows you to choose your seat at time of booking? Have you called NCL to ask if they can secure a seat for you now that will work?

 

Airlines certainly try to accommodate passengers requests but they can’t create an empty seat when there aren’t any. In other words, if one needs a particular seat arrangement, for any reason, book the flight yourself and choose a ticket class that allows you to select a seat at time of booking. 
 

Good luck with this, I hope it can be resolved to your satisfaction.

[GeezerCouple]

5 minutes ago, purduemom1 said:

Airlines certainly try to accommodate passengers requests but they can’t create an empty seat when there aren’t any. In other words, if one needs a particular seat arrangement, for any reason, book the flight yourself and choose a ticket class that allows you to select a seat at time of booking. 
 

Good luck with this, I hope it can be resolved to your satisfaction.

 

Actually, first, there can be seats that appear to be taken/sold, but they are simply "blocked" until closer to flight date, in case they are needed for this type of use.

 

Second, the airline *can* ask someone to move, and they occasionally will do so, if the need is there.

 

It's important to call the airline (not the cruise line, etc.!) with the disability situation, and the earlier the better.  The more seating availability there is, the easier it will be for the airline to accommodate someone.

In at least some countries, there may be a legal requirement to do so.

 

GC

[ERNLYN]

Thank you all for your thoughts.  I will contact the airline as soon as NCL books and advises the seat arrangements.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

I hope you aren't planning to stretch your leg into the aisle.

 

This isn't safe for you, the cabin crew, or other passengers.

Edited April 15, 2023 by CruisingAlong4Now

[UMDTERPS1]

A few years ago I ran into a similar problem with Virgin Airlines.  I had selected a bulkhead seat (in an exit row) 9 monthes in advance - AND PAID EXTRA.  Around the 3 month mark (before the flight,) Virgin removed me from the seat and reseated me in a middle seat in coach.  It was a very frustrating experience.  I called Virgin several times and they basically gave me the runaround.  They were not very helpful - and I sat very uncomfortably throughout the whole flight.  I literally spent hours and multiple phone calls in order to avoid this situation - but to no avail.

[scottbee]

On 4/17/2023 at 4:20 AM, UMDTERPS1 said:

A few years ago I ran into a similar problem with Virgin Airlines.  I had selected a bulkhead seat (in an exit row) 9 monthes in advance - AND PAID EXTRA.  Around the 3 month mark (before the flight,) Virgin removed me from the seat and reseated me in a middle seat in coach.  It was a very frustrating experience.  I called Virgin several times and they basically gave me the runaround.  They were not very helpful - and I sat very uncomfortably throughout the whole flight.  I literally spent hours and multiple phone calls in order to avoid this situation - but to no avail.

 

I've seen it a few times with people in casts who pay to get an exit row (and more legroom) only to find out on board that they don't qualify to occupy an exit row (and generally they're not happy about it)

 

[Haljo1935]

Aligned that not being physically "fit" disqualifies paasenger from sitting in exit row. But that doesn't mean they don't try; they simply disregard the acknowledgements that go w/the seats. When it's obvious, like a cast or cane, flight attendant will move the passenger. But when it's not easily identified, crew and other passengers rely on passengers being honest.

After ankle surgery w/leg in cast, I was able to select bukhead aisle seat on the right (which I believe is what OP is needing), but don’t have any confidence gate agent or flight attendant would have move someone to put me there.

As others have said, recommend calling the airline- at minimum, you will learn your actual options.

Safe travels!

[6rugrats]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Aligned that not being physically "fit" disqualifies paasenger from sitting in exit row. But that doesn't mean they don't try; they simply disregard the acknowledgements that go w/the seats. When it's obvious, like a cast or cane, flight attendant will move the passenger. But when it's not easily identified, crew and other passengers rely on passengers being honest.

 

I had a pax who had broken his hips and recently had surgery.  He came up to the ticket counter asking for a cart to take him to the gate.  I found out about the surgery when I asked him why he needed the cart.  At my station, these are not available on demand and he was pretty unhappy.  I offered wheelchair assistance, but he refused.  It was not until about 20 minutes after he left, that I found he'd left his boarding pass on the counter.  Can you guess where he was seated?  Can you guess why he didn't want to roll up to the gate in a wheel chair?

Edited June 6, 2023 by 6rugrats

[katmu]

I have this same issue with my right knee due to an accident as my right knee only bends around 90 degrees max.  I don’t use the cruise lines air for this reason, although I also generally fly Delta as I can use miles to upgrade if needed.  Unless it’s a short flight, I would book at least a comfort+ seat, if not premium select or first class for the extra legroom and I book my seat myself.

 

Even if I could save a bit booking through the airlines, I might be risking starting my trip with my leg being aggravated.  That’s not worth the savings to me.