Originally Posted by iwillflytheworld

I'm BA silver (OW Sapphire) and need to fly to NUE from London, though FRA would be acceptable but less convenient. AB flies LGW-NUE direct which would be great as LGW is my most convenient LON airport. Before I jump in, I have a couple of basic questions:

1) AB seems to charge a £15 ticket service charge on their website, which is not part of the fare and can be avoided by using e.g. travelocity.co.uk. Any downsides to booking on travelocity?

2) Am I right that everybody gets a free checked bag?

3) Am I right that I can't preselect a seat? Does anybody know for sure if only AB's own elites have this benefit?

4) AB flies from LGW north terminal, same as BA. I presume I'll be able to use the BA galleries lounge?

The alternative is LCY/LHR-FRA on BA, which would get me quite a few more avios but not enough to sacrifice the convenience (AB is also a tad cheaper).

TIA ^