LeisureFirst

There is no partition between the middle seats and, as I have commented before, the one time I got stuck in one (due to the strike and a badly-handled change of plane) my neighbour fell out of his seat onto me three times during the JFK-LHR flight. Had this been my boyfriend this might have been considered acceptable, but as it was I felt like showing him how you operate an exit door mid-flight.

Sixth Freedom

I doubt that you will have a problem.

Not many people will stay awake until midnight or 2am just to check in for a flight.

I have taken DOH-BAH-LHR many times. This flight also leaves at midnight from DOH and 2am from BAH and when I have checked in in the morning of my departure the seatmap is usually unchanged from how it was a day or two before OLCI opened.

There is a partition between the middle seats, but it is the same size as the 'wing' on the aisle side of the seat.

pb3

The "OP" says s/he now has no status with BA - from this we can infer that s/he has dropped from silver to blue and forgotten to update their profile.

The middle seats are brilliant for couples but a bit of a nightmare if you're travelling on your own. I've only been unlucky enough to be stuck there once - the plus side is that my neighbour was an attractive female ^ The downside is that she had a cold Over 8 hours of torture - I still have nightmares - don't think I've fully recovered from the trauma

PaulN

Just to add it is nowhere near big enough to give you even an illusion of privacy let alone any actual privacy. I would say there is probably a fair chance of an aisle or window seat still being available at OLCI so long as you aren't too picky on the location - not everybody has their browser open and ready to go at t-24.

Any seat other than the middle seats has to be better if you are travelling solo.

littlefish

Decisions .. decisions!
If its a fullish flight then maybe best to stump up the £60 for peace of mind.
The E or F seat is much less private when both occupied BUT if no-one's in the other its pretty good!
Its not the end of the world to be sat next to someone, but if its a mostly sleep flight it is a little weird. The seat divider provides a couple extra inches of 'privacy'.

Physci

Middle seats look like this:



http://twitpic.com/4loral

JumboD

Why not go online about an hour or so before Muscat pax can begin OLCI and see what the seat map looks like. If most of the aisle and window seats are taken, then pay the extra, but otherwise just roll the dice. You can also always try again at the airport, seeing as someone may have missed their connection in Muscat, cancelled their flight or had an upgrade to F processed.

audi2111

Thanks for the replies. Firstly, I was a silver member but now I am back to blue

I did not realise I can view the seatmap so close to when the muscat online check in opens as when I try to viewing seatmap for flights within 3 days on expertflyer, they don't show the seatmaps.

randomflyer

Middle seats are wonderful if you are in there alone or with somebody you know.

But as Leisurefirst says, can be awful. To me it's on the creepy side to be tucked up in there with somebody you've never met, especially if they partially disrobe and go to sleep! Then it's like being in a double bed with somebody you don't know. Ugh.

Lesson learned in November 2009 when I ended up in that situation. Somehow, I hadn't gotten the "memo' that you had to pay for a seat you want prior to 24 hour checkin, so didn't do so. And ended up with last dregs in the middle section with a male stranger of dubious mettle.

Never again. Lesson learned.

Every time I fly now I pony up my dosh for a reserved seat of my choice--on the aisle. The only exception was when a CW seat that I paid for was broken and the cabin crew member suggested the center two seats after checking and seeing that the other seat would remain empty.

That was the nicest coziest flight I ever had. Fab. Especially the empty seat right there to rest a couple of inflight necessities on.

Center seats are great. Folks may hear "center" and think it's awful as in a regular cabin.

But not in CW. But stay clear if a lone traveller. Once you are in there with somebody and those partitions go up on the aisle seats it gets even MORE "private" in there and it's downright offputting.

Just my HO.

sammyh25

You can look at the seat map to pre-book a seat on BA.COM up to 25 hours before departure. If you go in just before this time you will have an idea of which seats have not been pre-booked and I guess whether you think you'll get the seat you want.

Personally I would rather pay the money and know I have my preferred seat, than stress for weeks and then not be happy with what's left, at least that's what I/we do when going on our hols.

EuropeanPete

You win some, you lose some.

Ansett767

HI guys

Quick qu about this:

So my flight from SYD to LHR is on Thurs - in 1.5 days time. The seat map on BA.com yesterday showed about 20 seats available and today only showing 12 with only a few aisle seats left.

Did 8 people go and purchase seats?

And does this mean that 52 minus 12 - so 40 people have pre bought seats? Do any of the blocked out ones come up at time of Online Check in opening ?

Thanks in advance. Really dunno what to do!

T8191

Completely puzzled by seat maps on the 4-class 777 for our LHR-IAD next week.

It looks as though we're going to have to go for a 'pair' of aisle seats, but the various seat plans on ba.com, SeatGuru and indeed this exalted Forum's Dashboard can't seem to agree on whether the aisle seats are actually aligned with each other or not.

BA.com shows them in straight lines on MMB, this Forum's Dashboard shows either staggered or straight, SeatGuru also shows both options.
It's even more confusing when MMB shows the 777 seating plan, labelled as a 744

I can only assume that the mish-mash of 777 configurations means that until you actually get on the aircraft, with a specific airframe Registration, you have no idea how the seats are actually arranged? That makes the whole thing a lottery, doesn't it?

LadyB

We have a similar issue. There's 3 of us, me, hubby & 16 year old daughter, booked in CW on a 3 class 777 to CAN in July/return August and we have the dilemna of do we pay an additional £180 each way to pre-book the seats we've paid £6k for.

Part of me thinks that actually £360 extra isn't masses when you've paid £6k, but the more rational part of me thinks that there shouldn't be the additional charge in CW. We're still lowly blue, likely to remain that way as not looking like we can do the required number of flights in our membership year, but our money is just as good as anyone else's, yet to secure peace of mind and know our daughter isn't going to be sitting alongside a random stranger, we should have to pay all this extra. As much as peace of mind etc might be worth it, I would prefer to spend that extra on something she has always wanted to do, swimming with dolphins, than on which seats we get.

Padmeister

Hi Lady1964

Maybe you should look at it another way!

At the point of booking your flights and your about to pay if the cost was £6360 instead of £6000 would you of still booked the flights?

I think the answer would be YES! If i was in your situation it would not bother me spending a further £360 to choose my seats and know my daughter is by my side or close by than not pay and be concerned about her and not relax and enjoy the experience of CW! Catch my drift?

But i do no what you mean about having to pay to choose your seat after spending so much money in the first place but unfortunately thats a privilege to our SILVER AND GOLD superiors! to be able to choose there seat for free!

I will be in your shoes next year as i will take my girlfriend and myself to Sydney Australia and that will cost about 8k and then i will choose my own seats at a further £360 like your goodself may pay for

The joys of been a BLUE member