Originally Posted by
ElizaB
I am on a very full flight from Houston to LHR. Lay out is 1-2-1. There are 4 of us. 2 adults, 2 kids. Initially there weren't seats together but I stalked the BA website and managed to finally get 4 together after (I guess) someone canceled.
Problem is: My husband and 1 son are on one booking. My second son and I are on a different booking. The way I had to reserve the seats, we are sitting three of us in a row with window seats and my husband across the aisle from the middle window seat. The way it would look to BA, I am not next to my child who is on the booking with me. In reality, he is next to my husband, though. I found online where on the BA website they state they will put children under 12 next to their parents...so, now I am worried they are going to cancel my good seats that I selected. I have had BA cancel "selected" seats before after we selected them (and I have no clue why unless someone with more status bumped us out of our seats) and then stick us across the plane from one another. Is them changing my seats for this reason even a valid concern? Should I call and explain?
That is a very interesting problem that I haven’t seen specifically brought up here before.
My inclination is to say that if you have selected (and paid?) for seats then BA will generally not want to move you. It sounds like you are in club suites or the first class cabin? BA’s definition of “next to” actually includes “in front of” or “behind”, but from what you have said I can’t think of a combination that would precisely meet those terms for both of your children on each booking. Although I guess your husband is actually diagonally across from the child on his booking and that may well be sufficient in the eyes of the BA algorithm. If either of you were a gold card holder then you could call to link the bookings and I just wonder if you called BA if they might be willing to do that for you in the circumstances anyway. “To complete party” is the key phrase to use and I would be tempted to call during UK working hours, possibly bang-on 0800 UK time (I realise I may be proposing a very early start for you or your husband that day but one of my favourite things about the US is how early y’all love to start work!
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Contrary to occasional opinion on FT, other passengers (even GGL and Prem) cannot actually bump people out of specific seats (the other myth is that BA will let planes miss take-off slots for premier passengers to arrive- they might wait 5 mins for anyone but your best chance of them keeping the doors open for you is to just check a bag!) although if there is a seat defect you may be moved out and the seat subsequently given to e.g. a member of staff. In my experience this is probably one of the most likely events to lead to an angry “conspiracy theory” post on FT….!