pdb

After having booked, months ago, a TATL return ticket for two, I immediately thereafter attempt (repeatedly) to change the seats on both TATL legs to 1A and 1K. The system allowed me to sit in 1A, but would not permit my wife to occupy 1K. The cabin (on both outbound and inbound legs) was otherwise empty.

I returned to MMB, today, to find that I still could not get 1K for my wife. A call to BA did little more than waste an additional 1/2 hour of my time, the agent's time, and her supervisor's time. She said that she would send a special request to the seat assignment department to get 1K. No one can understand why this is happening. My wife does not have elite status with BA, but that should not create a problem, as these are first class seats. It's quite frustrating to have to waste so much time and energy on what is otherwise a simple booking, and it really is a pity that the IT geniuses that BA employs permit this to happen.

I'd appreciate any enlightenment from anyone knowing of a similar situation. Meanwhile, I will post a follow up message when I have more info.

Smirnoff

This is the Seating Policy. 1A and 1K are available to Golds only up until T-72 hours.

(As far as I can see, the system never actually "booted" Mrs pdb from 1K as it never permitted her to be pre-assigned this seat in the first place).

InfiniteCycle

Make a second booking in your name, reserve 1k as a Gold, then just before take off cancel that booking and get the seat assigned to her at the gate.

Smirnoff

Excellent advice.

So one of the bookings will be cancelled off as a duplicate, leaving a 50/50 chance that the OP's real reservation will remain untouched, and the wife will definitely not get 1K.

G-BOAC

So she's not been booted from anywhere. She never had 1K in the first place And rightly so per the policy.

You say she has no elite BA status. If she has Emerald on some other card, make sure that's included in the booking and it should be OK. If she has no Emerald, then that's the policy as Smirnoff states.

HIDDY

Months and months of needless worry if you ask me.

I would just settle for 2A/K now and be done with it. Then you can start looking forward to your holiday.

FlyerTalker6245

is this is 747 or 777? [please don't answer with "yes"!]

if a 747 1A and 1K are great and all, unless some plonkers decide to keep going into the cupboard all night long. also be prepared for the cupboard door to slap you in the face on take off

2A and 2K have much more personal space with larger space around the seats, and more separated for everyone else in the cabin

in a 777, i would avoid 1A and 1K like the plague as they are separated by 1E and 1F. Instead I'd go for 2A and 3A or the equivalent Ks depending on travelling East or West.

heartybob

Three in a row

Is this a record?

LeisureFirst

If the supervisor doesn't understand what's going on here then he deserves to be moved to another job, perhaps Ryanair Customer Service. Apart from that all is as is should be.

But did this really take half an hour? The OP sounds like he is US-based. I guess he doesn't have access to You First but is there any kind of Gold line he can call?

I've called the UK silver line from the US before as it was the only way to get hold of anyone helpful. Would the UK Gold line mind if the OP, being Gold, called them?

HIDDY

Indeed they do.

LeisureFirst

That's interesting. If they're anything like the UK You First line, they would have been able to explain the situation in a flash. So I'm guessing the OP was calling the regular BA line - which I understand (at least in the UK) can involve being on hold for literally hours if you get them on a bad day.

Incidentally, I have never had any problem being permitted to use You First to make a First Class reservation (or upgrade to F), even though this statement, which exists in a similar form for the UK line, suggests you already need to have made an F booking.

PUCCI GALORE

This great mystique of 1A or 1K. If I am travelling with my husband I actually would prefer to be in 4E and F. I simply do not understand the time and trouble that this seems to generate. Is a bit more First than further back? Where did that notion come from? Is it a status thing - Oh I'm in 1A. Who is this supposed to impress? Us? We know who and what you are from the manifest. All this fuss. Quite incredible.

Irish lad

2A and 2K for me. Lovely. My beloved is opposite me where I can look at her when I want. We have dinner together in one of the massive perks of BA first (her derriere is more petite than mine). When done with the chat, retire and watch movies. When we wake up, we can look, smile sleepily and have some BA brekkie.

We fly together later this week. Can not wait.

squeeler

He he, marvelous

I almost got into a fight on Watford Station once. "Have you got the time", he asked. "Yes", I replied. "Are you going to tell me (snarling)"? "No!" "Why not". "Wrong question" - legged it.

daniellam

1A and 1K on the 744 on BA are actually designated as "COT" or seats for people who are traveling with infants and need a bassinet.

If you want your wife to get seat 1K and have it preallocated in advance, you can always call BA and tell them that she will be traveling with a infant (you may need to pay 10% of the F fare) and need a bassinet. The infant can later be a "no show". "Little Johnny was has been a bad boy and cried too much, so we decided to leave him home with the nanny etc."

The PNR is then to be annoated "SSR BSCT" and seating control should be able to release seat 1K.