I find that Reservation Assurance works out of Moscow if we're both keen to get to the UK and for some reason the BA flight is full, usually on a Friday. I pay around GBP 250 return these days for my tickets - with a changeable return date for GBP 30 if I need to - and only need to book around a week ahead at this time of year. No miles, no points but I'm not paying $3000 for a choice of main course in a marginally more spacious than economy seat one row ahead of me! If my wife decides she'll come to the UK as well, it's her fault that she has to pay full fare for the leg of the journey to the UK when she doesn't plan ahead ( ) but BA do confirm the seat. I have to explain the concept to them occasionally (and indeed had to search the site pretty thoroughly the first time to find it since it was indeed tucked away in the silver benefits) but Moscow is generally very helpful - to the extent that when I try and buy a ticket to London they start at the cheapest tickets and work up, which is commendable.

Less good is this long-haul waitlist thing I have to say. Invariably when I go to the US (or the Bahamas next week) as a D fare through London out of Moscow - even if I book several weeks ahead - I'm waitlisted in business on every flight to NY except the last one of the day even if I'm connecting with an extra day in London and can take an earlier flight out to the US. In ten days for example I'm confirmed on the indirect flight to Houston and waitlisted on the more useful direct flight, gold card or not. Often it doesn't clear and I end up faced with having to take the very late BA (meaning no time to see a client that evening in the US) or - now that our travel policy has changed (bigger bank paying) - I just take an American flight at a more convenient time and put the miles and points on Cathay (or take Lufthansa to avoid changing in London at all on occasion). I guess BA must be doing well since their US flights are all jammed full and they can do without my money .