Thomson Seat Booking Discrimination

eglons

Thomson operate a policy where, having paid for the select a seat service, you can only book your seats 90 days before your RETURN flight. This means that anyone travelling for 2 weeks gets a whole week longer than those travelling for 3 weeks or longer. To me this is discrimination and potentially legally tenuous (2 people on the same flight given different access to seat booking having paid for the same thing). The policy is also fundamentally flawed, say I am travelling on a 100 day cruise... I can only book my outward flight 10 days after I arrive!!!


I've raised this with them and get an "it works for us" answer (which I'm obviously very happy with!)... I wonder if there is some way of putting some pressure on to fall into line with the rest of the airlines and allow booking fairly for all?

EssexExile

eglons wrote: »

To me this is discrimination and potentially legally tenuous (2 people on the same flight given different access to seat booking having paid for the same thing).

Surely discrimination is only illegal if it's on the grounds of sex, race, etc. Giving a different service to different customers is normal.

Browntoa

Works for me as well , never been an issue

eglons

I appreciate the reply but "works for me" suggests you think it's fair, or is it just that you always travel for 2 weeks or less?... hopefully you can see it's not fair that people booking for longer get to book their outbound seats weeks after those travelling for shorter periods. I'm sure it wouldn't work for you if you were going for a week and when you logged in to pick your seats found lots of singles all over the plane due to those travelling 6 days having booked them all the day before?

PeacefulWaters

Sometimes it's just tough. And legal.

Westin

The policy is also fundamentally flawed, say I am travelling on a 100 day cruise... I can only book my outward flight 10 days after I arrive!!!

Well you won't be if booking a Thomson Holiday - so again not a problem.

I get it might be an annoyance for some if booking a two week holidays vs. a one week holiday, but I think it is just one of those things.

I guess you have a choice in that if you don't like the way Thomson allows you to reserve a seat on their flights, then simply pick another travel provider.

leylandsunaddict

This guy postd about it on TA as well, but at least he didn't accuse them of discrimination

Easy answer is if you don't like their system, don't book to fly with them.

antenna

Why this desperation to "pre-book" a seat.....is it missplaced greed,like speedy boarding?do you think your are someone special or just someone that likes to waste money

jpsartre

It's really a shame when people water down the concept of discrimination by using it to describe such utterly pedestrian matters.

Gloomendoom

jpsartre wrote: »

It's really a shame when people water down the concept of discrimination by using it to describe such utterly pedestrian matters.

Sedentary matters?


However, I must admit that I like choose my own seat and am willing to pay for the privilege. It's nothing to do with misplaced greed or believing that I am someone special. I'm tall with long legs and find some economy class seats impossible to sit in without raising my knees up high against the back of the seat in front and having my feet dangling a foot off the floor for several hours.

Murphy_The_Cat

antenna wrote: »

Why this desperation to "pre-book" a seat.....is it missplaced greed,like speedy boarding?do you think your are someone special or just someone that likes to waste money

I look upon it as part of being organised and (as much as I can be) in control of things.

With a click of my mouse I can either
a) pre select a seat with (say) power point and (say) reclining seat or
b) leave it to chance that I'll be assigned a seat with no power point, no recline and located next to the bogs.

Depending on who you fly with, the cost can be nil.