I deliberately held back two HBO bookings just to see what would happen. Focusing on one of them, LGW to EDI, so it is a very short flight:

Cost £58.80 - which for a semi flex ticket on a Friday is a bit of a bargain I suppose. V bucket. The cheapest inflex was £55.80 with a £60 change fee.

1) Plenty of warnings about the new policy:





2) A new version of the seat map comes up where it shows that even CWS has to pay for a seat, for the first time in his BA life. Row 1 was available at £7 (and indeed any other seat). Note the clear note about status and seat selection on the right.



3) We then get to MMB and, low and behold I am not in 25B - actually it's down as one of the last remaining unconverted A319s - they have allocated me 2A!



Window seating is my Profile preference. I am entirely happy with that seat, I would normally go for 1C, but for a short sector I would be fine to go 2A even in the refitted cabin (and I'm not a small person).

4) Intriguingly, if I go back now to select a seat in MMB, after completion of the purchase, the £7 option is still available to select any other seat - but I now cannot select a row 1 seat.

So to summarise the price points on this particular booking:

- HBO, no seats, inflexible ticket: £55.80
- HBO, no seats, semi flex: £58.80
- HBO, paid for seats, £62.80
- HBO, paid for seats, semi flex: £65.80
- Checked bag, seat included, inflexible: £64.80
- Checked bag, seat included, semi flex: £70.80

Note the delta increase on going semi flex with checked bag. It also feels a more cumbersome process in that there are more items to focus on during the booking. And quite a range of options really. You pays yer money....

And I notice a new "add to shortlist" feature on My Executive Club which is helpful for those who do a lot of searching.