Priority for seats when overbooked?

ThatT1Feeling · Nov 25, 12, 8:21 am

Hmmm so an interesting conundrum here... I have just changed an inbound flight time on a fully flex J ticket for next Friday evening (30th November).

It's the last flight out of DME to LHR that evening but I was allowed to make the change online with no problems.

However now I have gone to reserve a seat, the seat map is displayed but every seat is already taken.

So, if no other pax changes their plans between now and the time of the flight, who gets the seats? Those who have already booked and reserved their seat before me or does status, fare class (and on this route, possibly also CIV) come into the equation? Or should I just try to be the first to check in?? Any experience from others very much welcomed..

I do feel happier if I have a seat reserved

NonSmokingWindow · Nov 25, 12, 8:44 am

If you meet all the check-in requirement's (i.e. min. check in time) you should be fine. BA's policy is to downgrade a J passenger and offload a Y passenger. So, in theory the worst that can happen is a downgrade. (but check in as early as possible to mitigate this from happening!)

Swanhunter · Nov 25, 12, 10:32 am

Don't forget there is a bassinet seat(s) that mostly likely will not have been allocated.

windowontheAside · Nov 25, 12, 10:33 am

Wouldn't a bassinet show as available to a GCH though?

Normally they show for me, but disappear again when I try to select one.

ThatT1Feeling · Nov 25, 12, 1:21 pm

Interesting point - thanks. Expertflyer thinks that the bassinet seat is 1A on the 767 in CW, ba.com thinks it is 4B... in Expertflyer 1A is shown as a blocked seat so I am pinning my hopes on that. Certainly nothing is showing as available, disappearing or not, on the seat map.

In reality, there is certain to be movement in the next 5 days but I would still be interested to know whether I could have trumped another pax who already had a seat reservation...

arthurolecki · Nov 25, 12, 1:25 pm

That flight is oversold in Club but still has 9 free seats in WT+

ThatT1Feeling · Nov 25, 12, 1:32 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthurolecki

That flight is oversold in Club but still has 9 free seats in WT+

So I need to hope it's not me who ends up in WT+ in that case

Seems like there are possibly 25 of us playing musical chairs for 24 seats... maybe that is how BA should sort it out - a round of musical chairs by the checkin desks....

Scots_Al · Nov 25, 12, 1:37 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThatT1Feeling

So I need to hope it's not me who ends up in WT+ in that case

Seems like there are possibly 25 of us playing musical chairs for 24 seats... maybe that is how BA should sort it out - a round of musical chairs by the checkin desks....

Round the aisles on boarding, to Flower Duet, surely

arthurolecki · Nov 25, 12, 2:33 pm

BA Gold are never (99.9%) downgraded if your card is in the booking.

ThatT1Feeling · Nov 25, 12, 9:46 pm

Thanks for the reassurance.. of course as all seats are already allocated 5 days out then everyone is either a shiny cardholder already or from a big corporate... and I may not be the only additional passenger of course! Flower Duet here we come..

GaryK84 · Nov 25, 12, 9:59 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by windowontheAside

Wouldn't a bassinet show as available to a GCH though?

Normally they show for me, but disappear again when I try to select one.

If I remember right, they've tended to open at around T-72 for me - and have shown as blocked/occupied before that.

joejet · Nov 25, 12, 11:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryK84

If I remember right, they've tended to open at around T-72 for me - and have shown as blocked/occupied before that.

Yep 72 hours, then you have to call to get the seat allocated as it normally won't let you online.

Behindthecurtain · Nov 26, 12, 1:08 am

Seems the Moscow Flights are getting fuller. The CW cabin was rammed Full, no space DME-LHR on Saturday AM, which is a rarity on a weekend.

ThatT1Feeling · Nov 26, 12, 2:21 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behindthecurtain

Seems the Moscow Flights are getting fuller. The CW cabin was rammed Full, no space DME-LHR on Saturday AM, which is a rarity on a weekend.

And the opposite direction LHR-DME this Saturday. Don't know about the 747 but the daytime 767 had all 24 CW seats taken.

Plus CW on the 21st December has now been sold out for 3 weeks DME-LHR !!

I've been informed by BA that this Friday's flight DME-LHR is officially overbooked in J which is why I can't get a seat...

Behindthecurtain · Nov 26, 12, 2:52 am

Looks like you need to get the 6:40 on Saturday then. A good night out in Moscow before and you will sleep like a baby