Vueling: Purchased extra seat but seat was then occupied

[ringingup]

I purchased an extra (comfort) seat for a Vueling flight from Italy to Spain.

After boarding, towards the end, someone took my seat as per their boarding card. I suspect it was some kind of mess up by the ground staff.

Vueling is denying that my seat was taken and won’t refund me.

What do you suggest I do next?

[Lady London]

Did you do photos or get anything from the crew confirming?

I’d try a chargeback with your cardco anyway.

I suppose you could do a DSAR with Vueling for who landed in which seat, as I believe there is some requirement for airlines to log this, but I suspect Vueling could wriggle out of it on the basis they only have to provide info on your seat and not breach the privacy of others. Plus I wouldn’t be sure accurate records were kept.

If you have any sort of evidence it would help but try your cardco anyway.

[NorthernLass]

Incidentally, where did you sit? Did you show your boarding card and ask why you weren’t able to sit in your purchased seat? Did they direct you to another seat? All these things are good evidence to use in a complaint.

[ChrisBCN]

They will deny, deny, deny many times (like most airlines). Keep fighting, or try the chargeback as LL says.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

When you say extra seat do you mean an empty seat beside your seat? As in, buying your way to a Club Europe experience. I know Vueling offer this facility.

Re the DSAR – no point submitting as Vueling would have to strip out anyone else’s data before giving you the info.

[NorthernLass]

@BWS, that does make sense now I’ve googled it! OP stated that “someone took my seat”, which I think anyone would assume to mean a single seat, that a passenger had purchased, to occupy themselves. As usual, half the information is missing, lol.

[yonasl]

This makes no sense.

You book a Vueling flight and pay for a specific seat.

On the day you check-in and get a boarding pass with a certain seat on it.

As you enter the plane somebody is seating there and has a boarding pass with the very same seat.

As you check into the plane and scan your boarding pass your seat is checked vs the plane manifest and if it doesn’t match you are provided with a new boarding pass.

Did the crew intervene? After all your boarding pass and that of the other passenger was just as valid so they should have been told. Where did you end up seating? Since you didn’t clash with other passengers I infer you were assigned to a new seat? In such case Vueling will have a record and should refund the seat assignment feee.

[John]

yonasl wrote:

This makes no sense.

You book a Vueling flight and pay for a specific seat.

On the day you check-in and get a boarding pass with a certain seat on it.

As you enter the plane somebody is seating there and has a boarding pass with the very same seat.

As you check into the plane and scan your boarding pass your seat is checked vs the plane manifest and if it doesn’t match you are provided with a new boarding pass.

Did the crew intervene? After all your boarding pass and that of the other passenger was just as valid so they should have been told. Where did you end up seating? Since you didn’t clash with other passengers I infer you were assigned to a new seat? In such case Vueling will have a record and should refund the seat assignment feee.

Vueling allows you to buy two seats, i.e. to guarantee that the seat next to you will be empty. Another passenger was assigned to the OP’s second seat.

I have read people who bought two *tickets*, in one case to transport a large instrument, but this is not the correct way to do it as the duplicate ticket will either be cancelled or check-in will be refused.

Presumably, the OP bought the second seat the correct way on Vueling’s website.

[Roberto]

I think what happened is that the OP bought a seat and paid extra for the one next to them to be empty. Veuling then issued a BP for that seat to another passenger.

Contact Vueling and if you don’t get a refund with 30 days then do a charge back with your credit card provider for the extra cost you paid for the extra space.

[Andrew.]

yonasl wrote:

This makes no sense.

“Extra Seat” means that you are given the opportunity to buy an additional seat immediately next to you for a more comfortable journey. Spread out a bit, place a beloved musical instrument on the seat instead of the hold, or maybe a have a life-size latex companion up to 75Kg join you onboard?

Sounds like a bit an error at some point. Were you able to check in online? The T&Cs say you must check-in in person.

[ringingup]

Andrew. wrote:

Sounds like a bit an error at some point. Were you able to check in online? The T&Cs say you must check-in in person.

Ha! That’s it then, I didn’t do that.

The whole process was rather unfriendly and no explanation was given as part of online check-in.

I’ve written to the CEO today and the Director of Customer Services. Let’s see if that works somehow.

It’s less than €30, but it’s a matter of principle now. If they come back saying: you should’ve checked in in person and you didn’t, well – I’ll take that.

[yonasl]

I found this in Spanish:

https://static.vueling.com/cms/media/2742847/extra_seat_es.pdf

It says that in order to have the extra seat you have to check in at the airport in person.

Supposedly that is in order to check that you are not planning on bringing a ton of hand luggage and using the extra seat to store it.

[NorthernLass]

You’d just have to make sure your hand luggage was shaped like a cello!

[ringingup]

Dear ringingup,

We are contacting you in response to your request.

Following our resolution to your case in our previous e-mails, we proceeded to revise this case and according to our system, the seats XXF and XXE contracted by you were not assigned to any other passenger. So our company has complied at all times with our Conditions of Carriage and the current European air travel regulation.

Once again, we regret not being able to honor your request.

We remain at your disposal for any other doubts or questions.

It really makes me boil that they’re basically saying I’m lying.

[NorthernLass]

You still haven’t said what you did at the time – take crew details/pictures/any other evidence? Otherwise it’s always going to be your word against theirs.

But if you’ve not complied with the Ts and Cs by checking in in person then you’re very unlikely to get anything anyway.

[ringingup]

I didn’t do anything. In hindsight I should’ve, but after speaking to the crew I thought it would be a simple matter that would be easily resolved by customer services.

[Lady London]

NorthernLass wrote:

You still haven’t said what you did at the time – take crew details/pictures/any other evidence? Otherwise it’s always going to be your word against theirs.

But if you’ve not complied with the Ts and Cs by checking in in person then you’re very unlikely to get anything anyway.

It depends if the requirement to check in in person and not online was made very clear to you. If it wasn’t pointed out very clearly at the time you purchased the comfort seat then it’s not reasonable to impose this as a condition.