Is my ANA flight overbooked?

Me and my wife have a flight from LAX to Haneda with ANA with Premium Economy this month!
This is my first time flying with them. During seat selection though, there is only one free seat available...
We are required to make a seat selection to check in though. So one of us has to select this one seat and then the other will be susceptible to being upgraded or downgraded or something. I haven't made the seat selection yet because of this issue.

The full message we get when presented with the seating selection says:

"""
There are not enough seats available that can be requested in advance for all members of the party. Some members of the party must check in at the airport on the departure date. For ANA-operated flights, please try to check in online again 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure.(W_S04P02_0005)
"""

Is this flight overbooked? How does a situation like this typically get handled and will we possibly be separated and one of us is upgraded/downgraded? Has anyone ever dealt with a situation like this?

I notice we are also required to put put in individual Mileage Card Information to check in as well for some reason.
Are we required to start a mileage club membership now too?

You should call the airline directly. In the best case, the operator could help you book the seats you want, directly on the phone.

Phone calls post-Covid are really hard to make.

You should be able to see a "chat" box on your computer or smartphone, which often only works when real people are at the office. So if you've tried the chat and didn't work, try again during a different time of the day.

That said, I don't really think that what you're seeing automatically means that your flight is overbooked. There are not so many Premium Economy seats, and it makes sense that ideal seats are unavailable if you're flying within a month from now.

And I don't think you'd be "downgraded" at this point. But some more convenient or comfier seats require a small fee.

In any case, you still have the option to show up at the airport earlier and request to sit side by side. But I would say that that's kind of a risky bet.

If it so happens that your flight is overbooked, you still can choose to be together. What I mean is that you can chose to be separated with one of you in a better situation, or you can be together in an alternative (such as a different flight that the airline endorses you to when they're overbooked).

I don't think you need to become a Mileage member to check in. If your device doesn't allow you to check in without Mileage, you need to ask the chat, make a phone call, or ask at the airport.

Needless to say, be sure you have enough time to fully enjoy your Premium Economy right to use the airport lounge. That's the best part of Premium Economy.

Joey,

All airlines hold back a few seats for assignment to check in time for various reasons. So, while your flight may not be oversold in Premium Economy (yet) it may be difficult for you to sit together if you don't act sooner than check in time 24 hours ahead.

Your ANA 787-9 has 21 PE seats in a 2-3-2 configuration with three rows. There is a fair chance you may get assigned middle seats if you don't take preemptive actions

While yes, getting a hold of an agent could be difficult on the phone, I would strive to do so to ask them about the seating and possibly getting two seats together. Better yet, if you have the time, drive to LAX and go to TBI and have an airport agent see if they can assign you seats. I know, a pain in the ass, however, you spent a lot of money on this and it would be nice to be able to sit next to your spouse. Next best thing would be to check in EXACTLY 24 hours ahead of the flight and try to get seats together if possible. As a contingency, I would try to grab that one available seat in PE if you can still do so.

Also, realize this around airlines, downgrading and bumping. Airlines have different formulas for doing these things. They take into account things like check in time (last one to check in is first to be bumped as an example), frequent flyer status, fare paid, others on same ticketing itinerary, connections etc. Airlines will always prioritize their most loyal customers first and then others. Even if you have no interest in joining ANA FF program, I would join a Star Alliance program such as United Airlines, and put that UA FF number into your reservations so ANA can see you are a United FF member, it cannot hurt.

I fly a lot and while I don't see it happen much it does happen where a class of service is oversold such as business or premium economy, and I see one or more people bumped down a class of service (unhappily of course).

Just my two cents.

Stan

I agree with pretty much everything said - it doesn't mean that you're going to be bumped or downgraded, but I too would be a bit concerned.

Having said that, ANA is one of the best airlines in the world so I can't imagine that they will leave you high and dry - worst case that one of you is downgraded, or you are given the choice of another flight, probably with significant compensation.

To avoid all of that, I agree that going to the airport (if close enough) is a good idea, probably a few hours before one of their flights leave in case they don't have the desk open all day. Have an idea what really matters to you (keeping the PE seat, getting to Japan before a particular time, etc.) and maybe have a look to see if there are any other flights around the same time that you wouldn't mind being booked on.

These fears are completely understandable, but usually they turn out to be nothing. On my trip last month (not with ANA but with AF/KLM), my return ticked took me from Hakodate to Osaka, then back to London the next day. After the first leg, the whole trip completely disappeared from the app, so I worried that somehow it had been cancelled. Turned up to check in the next day, presented my passport, and everything worked perfectly.

Please do enjoy the ANA premium economy - it is really good, and don't forget that you have lounge access too! Also, (I think just going from Japan), you can book a premium meal for a small cost that is really worth it.