Aer Lingus is NOT my favorite!

I have flown Aer Lingus. I like that I can clear immigration in Dublin on my return to Chicago and walk out of ORD (without any checked bag) in rapid time.
I have experienced notification by other airlines about seat changes after having paid extra to select my seat. It has always been due to the airline changing the aircraft which results in a different seat configuration.
I have also been notified that the ticket I purchased is no longer available because the airline no longer flies the route on that day of the week. I am then offered a seat on a flight either the day before or after my original ticket… for an extra fee!

It is annoying but can happen on any airline. It is one of the liabilities of booking early and wanting a choice of seat. I understand the righteous indignation of feeling you are losing the investment made to get the perfect seats, but it is what it is. When they change plane configurations, seat choices may be lost.
The only info you give us about the new seating is that you are seated away from your daughter. If they are still in the extra legroom area, then perhaps take that as a small blessing and do as they suggest...ask for a reassignment at the airport...or see if you can ask someone to move once boarding. I understand it is a longer flight, but unless you need your daughter's frequent assistance, perhaps just accept the separation, enjoy your legroom, and reconnect on landing.

I guess I’m just old fashioned. In my life, a deal is a deal. “I will give you a dollar, if you will give me an apple.” Parties negotiate at arms length. Both are expected to fulfill their end of the bargain. I do understand situations might force a change in equipment. Nonetheless, seats A and K exist and were assigned to strangers.

I am closer to 100 than I am to 50. I have planned this trip with my daughter for years. I paid the going rate. Are Lingus reneged and delivered less than what was bargained for and promised. Airlines get to do pretty much what they want and the public can just go jump in the lake. I do not know if I will have any more trips like this in my lifetime. I want this one as I bargained and paid for.

If you ordered a new car and selected red, would you accept a blue car because the manufacturer was out of red paint the day your car was produced? Airlines get away with delivering less than expected because we allow them to. Last year, airlines made over $9B just on baggage fees. They are profitable. They should have to make their agreements right.

Definitely check every day to see if seats open up, lots of people cancel their flights. Then at the airport check with the gate agent, if there are any empty seats they can make some changes.

If you can’t get it changed before boarding see if someone will switch with you. You have two aisle seats in C a H which may be desirable to others. Perhaps the A or K person in your row actually wants an aisle.

If you’re willing to sit across the aisle from each other could also try to trade seat H for seat D or seat C for seat G. Those are all aisles so someone may not care to move around for you.

Failing that if sitting together is essential then you could also try to trade both seats for an aisle-middle combination in the center section (DE or FG). Obviously that is less ideal and more complicated but a middle seat person might jump at the chance to get any aisle seat.

Be glad that you're not separated from a daughter who is 5 and a son who is 3-this happened to people we know who had made their seat assignments well in advance, on Delta. None of the 4 in their family were seated together. If Congress weren't so useless, they would pass a law against airlines separating parents from young children. My rant for the day.

Airlines get to do pretty much what they want and the public can just go jump in the lake.

It's the new version of the "Law of Supply and Demand". If you control the supply, you can demand just about whatever your want. Ahh, the joys of deregulation and the shrinking of the supply by mergers.

Sorry this happened to you Mumbling. I hope it gets fixed at the airport. It happens on cruise ships too. My friend recently got back from an NCL Antarctica cruise. Paid for a guaranteed cabin with a panoramic window. Right before the cruise start, they emailed her and said now you have a port hole cabin.

I won’t repeat what other posters have said, which i agree with, but only to say that we just flew Aer Lingus a month ago and were very impressed. Their flights usually cost much less than other legacy airlines, the plane was great (an A330 which reduces/eliminates jet lag), the food was very good (i’d order their ravioli and chocolate mousse dessert at a restaurant it was that good), the flights left on time, and the Flight Attendants were fantastic. We paid $115 each, R/T, for extra legroom seats (they’re actually in exit rows so you have about 10’ of space in front of you if you choose seats on the left or right of the plane), which is much less than other airlines for the same seats. They were supremely comfortable and worth every penny.

Lots of good advice above so I won't repeat that, except to share that seating reassignments happen all the time on every airline. It's part of flying.

The airline and you have a contract. Their part of the contract is simply to get you to your destination. Beyond that, everything else is a small detail that's nice-to-have but not guaranteed; there are few actual legal requirements besides getting you there.

Don't worry too much about this. As suggested above, keep checking, people cancel seats constantly and there will be some shuffling, especially right after online check-in time opens up (for most airlines exactly 24 hours before your departure time). Try going online (or calling) to try and re-select seats then. If that fails, show up a bit early and try again at the airport counter. They should be able to accommodate you. Ask nicely, they're humans and they didn't single you out to pick on you. FWIW I've found the staff at Aer Lingus friendly, helpful and generally a delight - like most Irish folks you'll meet. Enjoy your trip to Ireland - don't let this little wrinkle put you off at the start of it.

My sympathies on this. (Our first flight ever to Europe, we bought two seats together, and an unknown plane change later, we had the window and aisle with a very large person in the middle, taking space from both of us.) As well as the above suggestions for getting yourself back next to your daughter on the flight, consider emailing their customer service when you are back, telling your story, and asking for financial compensation. You may get nothing but an "I'm sorry," but it doesn't hurt to try. Over the years I have emailed other airlines a time or two and got some $ (or a voucher, which I realize you might never use.) Best wishes that this situation can be rectified, and you have a great trip

I and those that have posted above me sympathize with you. Unfortunately, when you reserve your flight there’s always the chance the airline (and that’s any airline) will make changes that you aren’t going to like. I think in recent years it’s gotten worse and I believe as posted on here, most of us have experienced it. I hope that you can let the anger go so that you can enjoy your trip and time with your daughter. Part of travel these days is being able to roll with the mishaps because not everything goes as planned any more.

I am sorry you did not get what you paid for and was expecting from Aer Lingus. I hope that the issue will be rectified when you arrive at the airport. I have flow Aer Lingus over a dozen times during the last 15 years (they have great rates from Boston). I am lucky that my flight schedule has never been changed and neither have my seat assignments. But I fully expect that either of these scenarios could happen. As long as I get to my destination in a timely manner, I am happy.

I feel your frustration. Aer Lingus is not my favorite either! Agreed that asking for seat reassignments at the airport will get you NOWHERE!! In fact , I will never fly them again . I didn't find them cheaper than any other legacy airline but rather more expensive. I chose a certain class of economy which included seat selection on a round trip direct flight originating from Hartford going to Dublin. I was able to select our seats going but not returning even though I paid extra for it. I spoke to the gate agent and his supervisor and was told there wasn't anything they could do but check with customer service in Dublin. I did that and she told me she couldn't do anything but return to the airport the day before our return flight. Well, that was totally impractical because I was at the Rock of Cashel the day before. When I checked in online for the flight I now had to pay even more to get a seat which should have been included in my original purchase and nowhere near my husband and daughter. I actually had to pay extra for a middle seat and pay for the privilege of sitting in-between a husband and wife who paid for a window seat and aisle hoping no-one would pick the middle seat or if they did they might switch.
I told the husband when he asked me to switch that I didn't want a window seat but rather the aisle where his wife would be sitting. He told me no so I didn't switch . He and his wife then made snide comments for a lot of the flight.
Since nowadays a lot of people are paying to sit in certain seats I think it is unrealistic to expect people to just switch. If you want to sit next to each other then pay for it.

Unfortunately, as others have already said, all the negatives can happen on ANY airline.

We chose Aer Lingus because it was much cheaper.

First, did you book these tickets with Aer Lingus or did a travel agent or third party? If you booked through a third party, you have to go through the third party, either a travel agent or another party to solve.

Second, if you booked yourself, I would write an email every single day explaining your situation to the CEO and copy the US Executive Vice-President, Bill.Byrne@aerlingus.com

The CEO is Lynne Embleton and her email address is Lynne.Embleton@aerlingus.com

Might not get you anywhere, but customer service sure probably won't. I would include any confirmation info you have and attach it to your email. If you have something that shows your original seat confirmation, all the better. Always worth a try!!!

Let us know if you are successful in anyway.

So seat assignment is an allegedly small detail, but they charged an unquestionably large fee for the privilege. Since they can’t now provide that seat guarantee, are they issuing a refund for that charge? Is that something that can be negotiated, or demanded?

How come the occupants of seats A and K get their seats? How much did they pay, or are they more special than you?

I booked with Aer Lingus directly. They gave us Row 29, Seats H & K. Middle of the plane, but extra legroom and we were together. Ok. I accepted that and paid extra for the benefit.

There is another wrinkle I neglected to mention: After getting these seats, another of my daughters expressed a desire to join us. I then booked her on the same flights, different confirmation number of course. As to seating, the closest I could get her to us was row 32 H. OK, she came late to the party, so that was what was available. I understand and accept.

As it stands now, my older daughter and I are far in front, on opposite sides of the plane, and the younger daughter is still back in row 32. Minor annoyance, but still another niggle just to add a bit to the aggravation.

The final niggle is the fact that my son works for a major airline. I could fly standby for about 1/3 of the cost that I paid. Yes, standby is not a guarantee, but since I am not going in "season", chances are we there would have got on. We would have been scattered about the plane, but I would also be a couple of grand richer. The reason I went with Aer Lingus, was they are the only airline that is non-stop, ORD to DUB, we would get good seats, and we arrive fresher, with a shorter journey. We are going to celebrate my daughter's 40th birthday.

Great plan ;-(

OK, hopefully you’ve gotten all your ranting and raving out here. Remember that you get farther with honey than vinegar when dealing with airline employees. There’s no need to start by telling the airline how much you dislike them and that you’re never flying them again. After all why try to help someone who’s already said they’re never coming back to spend money with the company again.?

Just out of curiosity, did you check your flight periodically or did you wait until you got this notice from the airline. As a general rule, the notices are sent close to the flight because they send them in order of impact. This is why I check everyone of my flights that I’ve booked every week to see if they changed seats, time etc because if there’s an equipment change things get messed up and if you find it immediately, it’s a lot easier to get it fixed. I know it’s too late for you, but hopefully this will help anybody else who has to go through this.

And the truth is you’re all still on the same plane - It’s still better than this standby option. Four people who are not actually employees of the airline going to the same place on the same flight? . Well, my friends, who work for Delta would be laughing hysterically. They don’t fly standby to Europe anymore. They won’t even give the buddy passes away to friends or family for Europe because the chances of you getting stuck are too high. If you’re using them domestically, it’s not as bad but internationally. It’s gotten very rough. There is no off-season and two weeks from now is spring break. I’m going around them. It’s not off-season anymore

As for whether you are due a refund, that would depend on if your current seat is still an extra legroom seat. If it is, you’re not due a refund. And to the people who think that you should send an email every day to the CEO? yeah keep in mind the CEO has interns to read those letters. And after about the third letter, you just marked as “unreasonable do not respond”.

So seat assignment is an allegedly small detail, but they charged an unquestionably large fee for the privilege. Since they can’t now provide that seat guarantee, are they issuing a refund for that charge? Is that something that can be negotiated, or demanded?
How come the occupants of seats A and K get their seats? How much did they pay, or are they more special than you?

Usually this happens when there is an equipment change. Things get shuffled by the system. Both the OP and her daughter are in the type of seat that they paid for, just not in the specific seats they originally selected. The people in seats A and K had nothing to do with the OP’s seat change.
This can also happen in bulkhead seats when a person traveling with an infant needs a seat with a bassinet. Sometimes they will reassign the seats in that row as they need to accommodate the bassinet. I always make a point not to select bulkhead seats to avoid this risk.

To the OP: It is disappointing, but I hope you can still enjoy your trip even if you don’t end up seated by your daughter. Keep checking the seating chart as you get closer to your flight.

I have vented. Thanks to all who replied.

Bailiff, call the next case …..

And to the people who think that you should send an email every day to the CEO? yeah keep in mind the CEO has interns to read those letters. And after about the third letter, you just marked as “unreasonable do not respond”.

Perhaps, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I wrote to the VP, UK of Marriott, on an issue I had with a hotel in London. I stayed 10 days there and it was a nightmare. He resolved it to my satisfaction and actually had someone research and confirm the problem. I did not write a scathing email. It was a polite, but to the point email. I think the OP deserves an answer as to why her seats were changed. After all, she booked these seats 6 months ago and paid for them. I would be ticked off and would want an answer. Companies count on customers to just give up and go away. How difficult is it to send an email, especially if you have some documentation showing your original seats.

OP has every right to be upset . I had a similar thing happen to me with Delta who cancelled my seat selection of premium comfort for my 91 yr old dad and I the day before our trip to Amsterdam Offered us middle seats in economy class with no explanations or apology. I persisted to finally speak with an agent, not chat bot or by text. I also was fortunate enough to live in NY C where there multiple flights going to Amsterdam. I looked up the fights and saw that there were still comfort seats available on an earlier flight. The agent , Bridget, was able to change our tickets to that flight . A second agent ,later that evening, mad an additional adjustment. When we got home, as per Bridget's instructions, I contacted Delta a d was given a refund for the difference in price snd an additional credit as compensation for the stress. The key,I think, was talking to an actual person, being prepared with a solution AND being persistent in not accepting the premise that this was my fault ( we booked thru Delta but it was a KLM flight) and being polite thruout the conversation. It might have helped that ,in the chitchat while waiting for the agent s computer to boot up, we discovered that her mother and I are nurses. Gotta love the nurse sisterhood and kind ,compassionate agents who did their best to make it a good flight

A final resolution: As suggested by Threadwear, I wrote the CEO and the US pr4sident. They answered this afternoon. In a nutshell, they said there were no other extra legroom seats available. They offered to refund the cost for the seats and seat us together in the rear in non charge seats with my other daughter. I am 6'3 and my daughter is 6'4. In November I had knee replacement surgery. We need extra legroom. I declined the offer.

At least they responded. As far as I am concerned, this matter is closed. Again, thank you to those who responded with suggestions.

Any chance of cancelling, getting your money back, and flying on another airline?

No, They are the only nonstop from here to Dublin. Also, I have a very tight time budget, with many things pre-paid. This is over and done

Well at least you know you would have the refund for your seat fee if you wanted it.

It sounds like you know want people to quit posting so you can quit responding... Probably only have a couple of options there.
1. Don't respond to more posts and ignore them, generally these threads may live on with "other stories" but you aren't obligated to get involved.
2. I guess you can ask the moderators to remove it but I'd just go with option 1