bernardd

I'm sure you're right about the majority of holiday makers not discovering this until the get to the airport, but equally I'm sure the vast majority of people wouldn't know whether their seat had been pre-assigned by a computer the day before, or by a check in agent while they're standing in front of a desk, and surely that's one way to take the sting out of most of this - get the computer to randomly assign seats throughout the cabin for groups of three or more in the same PNR immediately prior to the opening of OLCI. Surely that will take away a lot of the pain because the families will be together and the singles and couples can slotted in more easily?

bernardd

That's human nature - bad news travels fast. What sells newspapers? Disaster!

I'm actually not really bothered where I sit, but that's possibly because I travel mostly on my own, I don't care a lot about the view out of the window because I've been there before, the meal choice isn't that big of a deal and I'm travelling in cabins where I'm never more than one seat from an aisle with adequae leg room throughout. For me therefore it works out fine. Plus I know that, based on status, I can probably find a way out of the middle seat in the last row of WT should I ever be so unfortunate.... I can only hope I haven't tempted the fates and offered too tempting a challenge to a BA lurker.....

mwalsh

I'm in agreement with those who say at the very least put couples and families on the same PNR in seats together. As I've said ad infinitum, my worst nightmare would be getting to T-24 and finding that my wife and I don't get to sit togther!

Traveling alone, I don't really give a s**t where I'm placed. After all, in CW there aren't too many seats that are just horrible.

Swiss Tony

To what extent is this all related to the fact BA have an uncompetitive 8 across layout in club? (I accept the flat bed was market leading, but 8 across in J was a blast from the past). This move may have been designed to help BA maintain market share as people like CX roll out their new J products.

After all, many carriers don't allow you to preassign in Y and BA do allow you to assign in F regardless of status.

Just a thought...

expatboy

Quite - when I'm on my own in CW then it's not too big a deal - as someone else said, it's Club at the end of the day. What bothers me is that on separate PNRs but travelling together there's nothing doing if one can assign and the other can't.

Spitfire1

It appears to be worse than that; SWMBO & myself are off on a jolly, CE tomorrow.

From the day that it was booked (some 9 months ago) I was pre-assigned
3A, but Mrs Spitfire (Blue) was unallocated with the message to choose at OLCI. So what happens? I check in at T-25 and find that I'm supposedly in
3A whilst SWMBO has been allocated 1A . Luckly 1C was still available.

It remains to be seen what they've done on the return.

Furthermore, whilst I checked in at exactly T-25, we were still numbers 50 & 51 in the sequence? Can someone throw some light on that?

expatboy

So even on the same PNR they separate you? That IS worse than I thought.

Jenbel

Possibly if you are ex-LON, those going (for example) ex-EDI MAN etc or ex-USA and connecting onto your flight have an earlier T-25, since they can check in for all flights from the time of their first flight? Not all people originate from London, despite what BA likes to think

Spitfire1

Sorry, your right, I didn't consider that.

However, I suppose it's understandable; the thought of 49 Sweaties, Mancs & Yanks is unthinkable.

kered

Looking at the VS UCS cabin as an example, there’s none of the dreaded “Middle Love Seats” where you can get sandwiched in with a stranger between two aisle seats.

So you could have a point there alright.

I’d have to agree to a certain extent with those who say travelling alone, they don’t mind too much where they sit, although I really do prefer a window seat. More importantly though, I’d hate to be in one of the Love Seats.

But it still bugs me senseless that while every other airline allows pre-assigning BA have taken that away. Especially when you take into account the sort of money you have to lash out for CW. So unless there’s a U-turn on this policy, as soon as I drop back to Blue from Silver & lose the facility to pre-assign, I’ll be spending my money elsewhere.

PeS

Moved to separate thread.

anabolism

My partner and I have been together for 16 years, but when we travel it's very important to us that we sit together. Usually I'm on a paid D ticket and my partner is on a business class award, using my miles. Hence separate PNRs. I can choose my seats as a OW E, but there is nothing I can do about my partner's seats. I've tried having our PNRs linked, calling various BA and EC offices, but to no avail. Seating is a big deal to many people, especially on long or overnight flights. It's incomprehensible that BA would choose such a policy, since it seems to annoy so many of its good customers. I generally choose QF or CX for long flights, using BA only for intra-Europe connections. Our summer flights YVR-LHR and LHR-HKG will be our first BA CW, and the seat assignment business is very frustrating. It makes it much less likely that I'll choose BA for future trips.

Hang out on the AA board for a while -- seat selection is one of the main topics! It really does make a big difference to people where they sit, especially when there are middle seats.

I agree.

This thread started with the rumor of such a U-turn. Is there any news on this?

BA or bust

Well I got a survvey today (actually I asked the CSD who was handing them out).

My response? I loved the on-board service (5* today, though I am not 100% convinced about NNCW seat) but i HATE the seating policy and the baggage policy. Put it in the largest type I could find (to ensure the short sighted youknowwho's at Waterworld take note).

Bukhara

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

G-BOAC

Thanks as ever, Bukhara. Good news - a welcome modification I think for many here as they mix GUFs and 241s, etc. or book their OH separately when they're on a work trip ^

*Awaits barrage from moaning Silvers*