Not everyone is as obsessed as us about the best seat!
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
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Not everyone is as obsessed as us about the best seat!
I flew back from MCT last night and when I checked in I could have grabbed any seat in the F cabin. Roll forward 8 hours to the flight and the AUH-LHR sector had 16 seats occupied in F.
I can't believe that no one other than me had pre-selected a seat for the flight.
Are we a little too obsessed about seats?
I can't believe that no one other than me had pre-selected a seat for the flight.
Are we a little too obsessed about seats?
#4
Original Poster
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#5
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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I have a 95% OpUp rate on that route in 2011, my highest rate, not always welcome due to OF and my power guzzling activities.
But it is worth reiterating that not all travellers are obsessed with seats. I was chatting to a coterie of Golds and Silvers in the NCL lounge yesterday - (quite a few delays and unfortunately I missed a rare chance to go down on the 767 that operated one service) - and most of them weren't that bothered - or didn't get the time - to muck about with seating. One irregular traveller there said she was very happy to have a middle seat if near the front, which doesn't compute for me, but it just goes to show that we perhaps need to keep things in proportion.
But it is worth reiterating that not all travellers are obsessed with seats. I was chatting to a coterie of Golds and Silvers in the NCL lounge yesterday - (quite a few delays and unfortunately I missed a rare chance to go down on the 767 that operated one service) - and most of them weren't that bothered - or didn't get the time - to muck about with seating. One irregular traveller there said she was very happy to have a middle seat if near the front, which doesn't compute for me, but it just goes to show that we perhaps need to keep things in proportion.
#6
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Quite easily. The largest user of that route are staff members of PDO, who can represent over half the travellers. Very lucrative for BA, but their corporate policy is J (or even Y in certain cases). You can spot them by the bar codes on their laptops.
#7
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BA have gone in 5 years from heavily protecting the forward cabins to taking a very dynamic view of revenue. It - I suspect - one of they contributors to staying afloat and even profitable in the last few challenging years.
#8
Original Poster
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So perhaps I should have titled this thread "why bother paying for F when the cabin is going to be filled with op-ups?"
#9
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#10
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,483
In which case absolutely op-ups. This is a pattern I see very frequently on long haul. My suspicion is that they are more likely to sell J than F at short notice so would prefer to offer more inventory there.
BA have gone in 5 years from heavily protecting the forward cabins to taking a very dynamic view of revenue. It - I suspect - one of they contributors to staying afloat and even profitable in the last few challenging years.
BA have gone in 5 years from heavily protecting the forward cabins to taking a very dynamic view of revenue. It - I suspect - one of they contributors to staying afloat and even profitable in the last few challenging years.
#11
They must have been OpUps...everyone booked in F gets a seat allocated for them whether Blue, Bronze, Silver or Gold. (or *shudder* doesn't have a BA Executive Club account)
So if at check in, there were no allocations, no-one was booked into that cabin.
I am in a rare position on this forum to have flown as a blue in first, and can tell you that my first sector automatically booked me into 4E as it happens, and I moved it to 2A.
PS Happy new year to all.
So if at check in, there were no allocations, no-one was booked into that cabin.
I am in a rare position on this forum to have flown as a blue in first, and can tell you that my first sector automatically booked me into 4E as it happens, and I moved it to 2A.
PS Happy new year to all.
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
I think your title despite the likelihood of your cabin being full of op-ups is probably near the truth.
On a few flights I've had the chance of nabbing the so called best seats and failed to do so. I also noticed on our flight to YVR a guy sitting beside a stranger in the middle seats stayed where he was rather than moving to one of the 'good' aisle seats that lay empty.
On a few flights I've had the chance of nabbing the so called best seats and failed to do so. I also noticed on our flight to YVR a guy sitting beside a stranger in the middle seats stayed where he was rather than moving to one of the 'good' aisle seats that lay empty.