Last edit by: JDiver
AA Flyers and Seat Selection on British Airways Operated Flights
Link to FlyerTalk British Airways | Executive Club / BAEC forum guide thread with Wikipost: BA Seating Policy Guide
Link to BAEC forum Dashboard, including seating guides for BA aircraft. Please make enquiries regarding BA aircraft seats in the appropriate thread in the BAEC forum, not here in the AA forum, for better response.
Link to britishairways.com page "Choosing your seat" (policies and how to).
Link to BA Speedbird Club (agent site) seat policy
For Country select "Global"; for IATA number, press on "I don't have an IATA"
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The Passenger should be advised BA will pre-seat the customer subject to availability & seat requests are never guaranteed and always subject to operational needs Subsequent seat change Should an aircraft or configuration change generate an automated operational seat change that separates the party, the request seat process must be initiated again. The travel agent would need to remove and re-enter the TOGT keyword.
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Members of the Executive Club and other oneworld frequent flyers are able to reserve seats at different stages, depending on their tier. Tier Seat selection Gold/oneworld Emerald Free seat selection from the time of booking for everyone in your booking and friends and family on other bookings, who are travelling with you in the same travel class and on the same flight*. Silver/oneworld Sapphire Free seat selection from the time of booking for everyone in your booking*. Bronze/oneworld Ruby Free seat selection from seven days before departurefor everyone in your booking*. *You must be travelling on the booking (or in the case of Gold Members, one of the bookings) for these benefits to apply. They apply to British Airways flights only and are not available on Basic (HBO / hand baggage only) fares or group rate bookings. Exit row seats are not available to Silver or Bronze Members on long haul flights until 24 hours before departure. On some occasions, exit rows seats on short haul flights may not be available in advance due to operational reasons.
Updated 26 Oct 2016 - JDiver
BA Seat Selection Issues for AA Flyers - charges, seating, award, etc.
#91
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 9,871
Found a decent price in business class for a summer flight to LHR from LAX. Its all on BA metal but I can code share book on AA. Of course AA will not assign seats. When I went to book on BA, selecting seats added another $350 to the flight. I was going to book on BA and use my AARP discount for an add'l $200 savings. But I checked on AA and I could book for the original price. What I don't know is if AA will assign me seats at N/C. I'm a seat princess, so I don't want middle seats, I want a window. Both flight are on Club suites and every seat has a price cost attached to it. So if I"m going to pay, better to pay on BA, get my exact seat choices, at least as the flights are currently loaded into the schedule than have AA call BA and be told I have to pay. Does anyone know the protocol? thx in advance.
#92
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 27,198
Your profile states that you're EXP. If that's true then you'd get free seat selection at the time of booking. You'd need to select your seats on BA's website using their PNR and not the AA record locator, but seat selection would be free. If you're OW Emerald or Sapphire then you get seat selection at the time of booking. Ruby would get you seat selection seven days out. Otherwise it's at time of check in or else you can pay.
$350 to reserve seats.....LOL
#94
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,445
The BA site was not working correctly recently, but seems to have been fixed. I've usually had good luck with it, but it requires a refresh (meaning that simply entering my AA number during the reservation won't work). I usually have to finish the reservation and then log back into the reservation and it'll allow me to choose for free.
Here's the recent thread on the BA forum (in case you hit a snag): Stuck in AA/BA/OneWorld Hell (AA Status not carrying through to BA)
Here's the recent thread on the BA forum (in case you hit a snag): Stuck in AA/BA/OneWorld Hell (AA Status not carrying through to BA)
#95
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,016
Book through BA (or the AARP portal), don't select seats because the system will charge a fee. After you get the confirmation, click through and select seats. Then monitor them periodically, as the aircraft type can change, especially if your travel is further out.
#96
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Gold, Flying Blue Silver, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 1,757
I think the BA site/IT only fetches non-BA status when ticketing, so the "free seat selection from time of booking" isn't quite literal for non-BA fliers. Once the ticket email comes through you should be good though.
#97
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 122
Your profile states that you're EXP. If that's true then you'd get free seat selection at the time of booking. You'd need to select your seats on BA's website using their PNR and not the AA record locator, but seat selection would be free. If you're OW Emerald or Sapphire then you get seat selection at the time of booking. Ruby would get you seat selection seven days out. Otherwise it's at time of check in or else you can pay.
#98
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold; Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 2,653
I've never had free seat selection at time of booking, but I've been able to select seats after getting my confirmation from BA.
Book through BA (or the AARP portal), don't select seats because the system will charge a fee. After you get the confirmation, click through and select seats. Then monitor them periodically, as the aircraft type can change, especially if your travel is further out.
Book through BA (or the AARP portal), don't select seats because the system will charge a fee. After you get the confirmation, click through and select seats. Then monitor them periodically, as the aircraft type can change, especially if your travel is further out.

Whether the seat selection takes place precisely "at the time of booking" or immediately after booking is pretty much immaterial. The net result is that the OP can choose seats for free as a result of their EXP status. They don't need to pay. Depending on the specifics of the booking (e.g. booking BA operated flights via AA's website) it may need to be done as a distinct step after the tickets are issued - but they are still not chargeable.
#99
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 25,918
I think we both are talking about the same thing here 
Whether the seat selection takes place precisely "at the time of booking" or immediately after booking is pretty much immaterial. The net result is that the OP can choose seats for free as a result of their EXP status. They don't need to pay. Depending on the specifics of the booking (e.g. booking BA operated flights via AA's website) it may need to be done as a distinct step after the tickets are issued - but they are still not chargeable.

Whether the seat selection takes place precisely "at the time of booking" or immediately after booking is pretty much immaterial. The net result is that the OP can choose seats for free as a result of their EXP status. They don't need to pay. Depending on the specifics of the booking (e.g. booking BA operated flights via AA's website) it may need to be done as a distinct step after the tickets are issued - but they are still not chargeable.
Im not sure if BA extends the elite-driven free seat assignments to companions on the same record, but they never charge for seat assignments in First class.
#100
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 122
Well I think its more clear to say after ticketing so people dont get all in a huff when the BA website tries to charge while theyre in the process of booking.
Im not sure if BA extends the elite-driven free seat assignments to companions on the same record, but they never charge for seat assignments in First class.
Im not sure if BA extends the elite-driven free seat assignments to companions on the same record, but they never charge for seat assignments in First class.
Yes, good point, I broke the PNRs apart so that I could use up all the credits, finally....