Dave Noble

If the other passengers are actually in the same booking , then seat selection should have been available for all in that single booking as detailed on the BA website . Are all passengers found in the same BA booking reference number?


If they are in a different booking reference to you , then you can choose seats for others as long as prepared to pay for it. If there are children travelling ( as in those classed as children which is ages 2-11 ), then if seats are not chosen, they will allocate seats automatically 3 days beforehand and ensure that the children are seated by an accompanying adult

salut0

Not sure if this is the most recent thread on this topic, but it is certainly relevant.

I'm AA GLD flying BA in WT NYC-LHR-DEL-LHR-NYC. I'd like to select exit rows. How much will it cost me and how long in advance can I do it?

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I'd also add that I'd be interested in knowing how likely it is that exit row seats would be available at T-24 for free (or must one still pay then as a OW Ruby?). I am happy to pay if really necessary to guarantee it.

brewdog11

That's a negative, ghostrider. Unfortunately, you have to wait until 24 hours before departure to select seats. You can pay to select seats, though. Just go to BA.com, look up your reservation, and you should find the option for seat selection.

FWIW, I have selected exit seats in the past as PLT.

Dave Noble

I believe that gold members get the same benefit as BA Bronze members and can select seats for free within 7 days of departure

in World Traveller, I think that exit rows will not be available as freebies

If you go in now you can see whether exit rows can be selected albeit not free

Andriyko

salut0, you will be able to select seats for free 7 days before departure, however exit rows are available for free only to OW EMDs. You will need to pay for them. If I am not mistaken SPHs (AA PLTs) can select and pay for exit rows 14 days before departure. As AA Gold you may have a shorter window but do check to see if you can pay for them 14 days before departure.

salut0

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Thanks for the replies. Two more issues: does being on AA code share numbers affect this (as long as I can get the Amadeus record locator which I am able to bring up on mmb at ba.com), and which seats in WT have in seat power?

carlosdca

To view your reservation on ba.com, sometimes you can use the AA record locator directly, sometimes you have to get the BA record locator. Whichever record locator you use to successfully retrieve your reservation on ba.com won't make any difference on your ability of selecting seats. Neither will make any difference for seat selection purposes whether your ba flights have an AA code-share or BA flight number(not sure what you were exactly asking).

Just to add to what has been said, exit rows for international flights are indeed not available for free for AA PLTs or GOLDs. When I was PLT, I was able to select exit rows for free, but ONLY for intra-Europe flights.

There is no power on WT seats, AFAIK.

Regarding your question about availability of exit rows at check-in time, yes it is possible. But it is also possible they are gone by check-in time. I don't know about you, but I if REALLY have to be on an exit row seat, I will make sure I do have one, paying for it if necessary.

elkhornne

I have award travel later this year, AA to LHR connecting to BA. The AA desk sent an email to BA and got my seats #s 8 months in advance. Just got the email this morning with confirmed seats on BA. The AA agent said all you have to do is ask them to email BA for seat assignment, takes about 48-72 hours.
Several days before the AA agent said it couldn't be done until 24 hours prior to flight. I guess I just needed someone willing to do the extra work.

bhomburg

I have never seen power ports in WT on any BA aircraft. Only in WT+, on the 744 and 777.

If I were you, and considering the amount of hours you'll be seated in a WT seat, I'd pay the $75 for reserving those exit row seat. Also, when you go to MMB on ba.com, are you offered an upgrade to WT+? If that's in the $/Ł 200 range, I'd definitely consider taking it. Those are a good deal.

BA's status-based access to exit row seats works pretty well:
I have had a LAX-LHR flight booked on BA for travel in April since mid-last year, when I was AA GLD. No free advance seat selection possible at all. Then, after my status changed to PLT (OW Sapphire) , I could select any seat in WT except the exit rows for free, and then as EXP (OW Emerald) the exit rows were available as well. Booked myself in 29A, which will save me the Ł250 or thereabouts upgrade to WT+ or the change fee to switch to an AA flight where I could apply an SWU.

@elkhornne: That only works for tickets issued on AA stock that have a BA segment, not for an all-BA itinerary like the OP has. And did you request and get exit seats or standard seats?
In his case, BA and their policies control the whole thing. I tried to have AA book me into the exit seats by calling them with no luck.

Andriyko

As far as I am aware you can now do seat assignments for AA*BA flights directly from aa.com using your AA locator; you will be taken to ba.com where you'll select the seats.

Just checked that you will be able to purchase exit row seats from 14 days to 4 days before the flight departs.

elkhornne

Bhomburg,
I have AA from DFW to LHR, then BA to CDG. First on AA, then standard Club Ex on BA.

billgrates3

correction: you MAY be able to purchase exit row seats in that time window. It's not a sure thing.
Back in 2010 I tried to do that for a colleague with whom I was traveling (as OW Emerald I got the exit row at booking for free) but could not get a similar seat for him with money. I called 3-4 times and failed. Then a non-status person was given the exit row seat next to me at checkin... very irritating, but that's BA!!

limeyx

That seems to be the case (worked for me on a flight at the end of 2012). However, even the BA telephone staff seemed confused about it (I got two different answers from them, one saying 7 days and one saying 24 hours)