Earlier this year, I spent an hour of my time playing telephone ping pong with Aer Lingus and Avios. My simple request for seat selection on a frequent flyer redemption booking turned out to be very difficult.
Eventually it turned out that it could not be done at all, so I cancelled my booking and went for another carrier. Not the best set of circumstances at all, however there is now some good news.
Seat Selection is Now Available
Several people have reported they have been able to select seats on AerClub Avios redemption bookings. What you do is make your booking online with your Avios, then call Aer Lingus and ask to do the seat selection.
This is pretty much exactly how it always used to be for redemption bookings with Avios. Apparently I got caught in some kind of alternate universe back in January and February where the policy was changed for some reason.
To confirm this was true, I called Aer Lingus this morning and asked what I needed to do if I wanted seat selection on an Avios booking. The first person said just to call them and they would do it for me.
Of course, I decided to call back to see if another person agreed and also to see if they charge. The second person also confirmed just to call once I had my booking and they’d do the seats and of course there is a charge for the seat which is no problem at all.
Overall Thoughts
It is pleasing to see some sanity prevail when it comes to seat selection on an AerClub Avios booking. While I will never get back the time I spent on my ultimately cancelled booking I am happy that choosing a seat is now possible.
I’m completely aware it is a total first world problem. However, since it’s a standard offering on all airlines when redeeming points, it’s good to see Aer Lingus allowing it.
Do you always choose your seat when you travel? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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I booked a DUB-IAD business class seat with Aer Club Avios and just called in to Aer Lingus and selected my seat. I did that last October and for this July.
Yes, it should work just fine. I called in January to select seats on a LHR-DUB and Aer Lingus said to call Avios, Avios said to call Aer Lingus and nobody could do it for me, despite two calls to each and an escalation at the Avios side. I found that really poor – the Aer Lingus agents said they had been instructed not to select seats anymore. Looks like it’s all sorted now though, which I am happy about!
I just booked three Economy seats with Avios for ORD-DUB. I called Aer Lingus to select the seats. The agent was kind and helpful and had no issues selecting my preferred seats.
Good to know – thanks very much for the data point! 🙂