Hello, I am in the middle of booking flight tickets, after entering all the personal details and moved to seat booking i see only 3 extra legroom seats are available and all other seats are booked. Both flights chennai to hongkong and HKG to los angeles has only extra legroom seats available now. I dont want extra leg seats as they charge 10k extra for each seat. Can i still go ahead book tickets without selecting seats and later can i confirm the seats before 1 or 2 days of travel start date. Sorry this is the first time i am booking and have no idea.
The seats are categorized into classes and while there are seats available on the flight, they may not show at the time of booking. Any delay on your part can result in flight becoming full. So I would advise you to go ahead and make your booking (i.e. without actual seat assignment if the system allows it). Once you make the reservation, then call the airline and have them assign you the seats (based on availability). But be prepared you may end up with middle seats
Thank you so much. I am planning to book for Apr 16 or Apr22 which is not even a month from now. Sure i will be doing it by end of day as i really want my mom and sis sit next to each other and dont want them given some random seats.
I think you should book the seats. Longer you delay, prices going to increase assuming your travel date remains same. Do not book the seats right away. Later on, right after 1-2 days of booking which means no need to wait till travel date, you can login to your reservation and keep eye on seats availability. Normally all economy seats are at same price unless it is business class or different category. I do not which Airlines you selected. Probably they have extra legroom category. If you do not book now, you may not get it later also.
Thanks Peartree. Its reassuring. I never thought cathay pacific would get fully booked before 1 month.
Thank you sanjuruby3. I have selected cathay pacific since that is the only airlines i have travelled before and so i can guide them well. Also is there any option to select for wheel chair while booking ticket or should i inform airlines while confirming seats. My mom need WC as she has knee or joint pain.
Pearldrop, I had wheelchair assistance requested for my dad. You can just call customer service and they can take care of it. At Chennai airport, as soon as they go, there will be people at the gate who will usually assist with wheelchair and check-in etc. and then requesting assistance with the airline will ensure they have one ready for transit and checking in for the second leg and then to help with immigration etc. So just call Customer Service and specify you would like wheelchair assistance. Also, I don't think that cathay even lets you choose seats unless it is for those legroom seats. At least that is what I remember, the only options it gave me if I wanted to choose seats was if I was prepared to pay extra.
Thank you peartree. I will call and confirm the WC assisstance with airlines. My last question, I booked and got the reference number but yet to make a payment. It says that the credit card used for payment must be presented at the time of check in is it mandatory? I will be making payment from US using my card and they will not be having it.
Hi, yes. Cathay asks that you show the card for verification in person to avoid fraudulent purchases, I guess. I used my Master Card (CapitalOne) from here in the US and they have an automatic fraud detection where I am asked immediately if I made the purchase and they don't require a second verification in that case. I am not sure if that is the case with all Master Cards or specifically Capital One. I would call the customer service again and ask them what the solution is. In another airline, I had this requirement and I just sent a letter of authorization of sorts to my parents with a copy of my card and ID that they showed at the time of check-in. But Cathay is a little stricter about that. So best would be to call them and ask.
