I am just back from Gran Canaria and had a good seat near to the front of the plane going there..I was first in the queue so i assume that is why i got that seat..but on the way back I was at the back of the queue..through no fault of my own i might add..so i assumed that i would be at the back of the plane.. but i was almost in the same seat..so i wondered how it works..

I put it down to foreign check-in staff, they are usually the culprits. They do work in weird ways.

First of all - Welcome back Bluebird! Hope you enjoyed your holiday :D

And to the question - Well unless you had them booked before the flight, then no they aren't pre-allocated on the way back. It is just wherever you are put by check in staff on the day of travel, so it was pure coincidence that you were sat in nearly the same place on the way there and back. I was in the middle of the queue once and got the middle of the aircraft on the way there, then I was roughly 1/3 into the queue on the way back but I was at the very back of the 757, so it is just the luck of the draw really. You are put where the check in people put you - unless of course you ask them for a specific place on the aircraft.

Cheers,

Dan

I think you could pre book your seat blue, but i think you need to know their language to tell them you want a window seat near the from of the plane

On the way back from Cape Town last year i wanted a window seat, my friend who i stayed with, did this for me by explaining to the check in person in Afrikaanse 8)

Unfortunatly they were all sold out! ah well, i could see out of the window from the aisle seeat anyways, those 744 windows r big.

I looked at my Spanish book, i think the sentence, May i have a window seat please is,

Por Favor una la ventana el asiento 8)

Thats helpful at Spanish Airports but thats where the most of us go during holidays

But some of us venture to hotter climes, we have been to Spain nearly every year, but its just too developed now, so we visit un developed or developing countries. But the experience is good.

That is sort of what happened to me with Tenerife and also found that the prices were getting more expensive that what the holiday was worth in the first place. So we have ended up going to Thailand several times. Offers very similar stuff you can find a beach (away from tsunami's thats why we went there because my mum would not like it) at Hua Hin and well shopping and sightseeing can be done in Bangkok.

On the most recent trip to Thailand, inbound to LHR the earlier BA flight had been overbooked! They were paying each passenger £125 to stay at the airport for 4 hours and then get the next flight home... if i was on the earlier flight i would say yes (for the money of course )

We went back to Majorca a few years back, which is where we used to visit a lot because it is a lovely small island. But then the euro came in, we paid 2,000 pounds for the holiday, we spent a further 3,000 spending money, we aren't big shoppers, but hotels get boring for drinking in after a while, so we ventured out to a few bars, our hotel entertainment was bland too. We will never set foot on Spanish soil again for financial reasons. It worked out cheaper for us to go to Egypt than to go to Majorca.

Yes, the Spanish resorts are getting more and more expensive each year as they grow with popularity and more hotels, shops, bars ect.

I looked at how much my Ibiza holiday package would be for summer 2006, nearly £600 more than it was back in 2003

Ok, so they need to make a profit but they need to realise that they are driving poorer families away from them which is not good

I also saw on the news yesterday that Spain is contributing to global warming dramatically and thats why they are getting high temperatures and failed crops more now.

Exploring other cultures and countries away from the main Mediterranean resorts is a brilliant idea Places like Egypt, Thailand, Cape Town, Kenya, Iceland, Asia, Dubai, are just waiting to be explored! and also they may be cheaper 8)

Last year, i couldnt belive a travel agents advertisement, it said £199 New York and £328 for SPAIN! Typical, the Spanish are just raking it all in, greedy or what?

:D Thanks for the information..and the welcome back Dan..I know you can pre-book your seats but it does add onto the cost of your holiday..so i just take a chance.
One place i really do not like though is right at the back..I flew to Teneriffe one time and when there even a small bit of turbulence the whole thing wiggled..and i didn't like it....

Hello to all, hello bluebird, long time no see! For the topic, I once flew from YUL to LIS in a L-1011 of Air Transat at the back of the plane under the third engine... That was no good. The sound of tyhe engines don't let you sleep and the turbulence is terrible!!!. I prefer to fly in front of a plane so I come early for the check in!