OxonCantab

No, it's not a dance move - it is the pirouette of BA call center agents as they try to explain why I can't access my BA operated(but booked through AA) flights on BA's Manage My Booking.

Here are the reasons given thus far:
1. PNR is "restricted"
2. AA flies between Amsterdam and London
3.Need to pay for a seat

After calling AA, I learned that my PNR wasn't restricted, AA doesn't fly between Amsterdam and London, and as a OWE, I don't need to pay to pick a seat.

Unfortunately, all this has fallen on deaf ears. BA is currently hanging up calls to their UK line, and transferring calls on their US line to a subsidiary, Greaves Travel, who is in turn outsourcing this to a call center in India.

Total call time has been over an hour thus far, and now, I'm waiting to be transferred to a "supervisor" at Greaves' call center in India.

BA, get your act together!!!

.................

Update 1: Greaves agent just disconnected call when transferring to "supervisor". It's this kind of day that has me reaching for the bottle of laphroaig.

Fruitcake

How very unfortunate.

I found the AA and BA websites not very compatible in a recent codeshare journey, as I think have many others on here, having to find ways to beat the system.

Any techies out there know why it is so difficult to get two linked companies' websites to interact or be compatible? Or is it just lack of effort?

OxonCantab

FYI: BA still disconnecting calls to its UK line.

I have never had this happen. Ever. What is going on today that would cause BA to be so overwhelmed as to summarily disconnect calls?

I experienced better customer service from Soviet-era Aeroflot.

Update: BA still transferring calls to the US line to India.

Given my experiences, this seems tragically comedic:

"As a chosen business partner, you can be assured that Greaves Travel will handle your call with the same care and attention as the British Airways call center."

Swiss Tony

have you tried using MMB in finnair.com?

EuropeanPete

Odd. I booked a recent codeshare on aa.com and found my ba.com profile instantly had the flight added to my list. I was able to select seats on the AA operated flights on aa.com and the BA operated flights on ba.com - surprisingly smooth.

Have you added your BAEC frequent flyer # on aa.com?

OxonCantab

I can look at my itinerary on BA, I just can't book a seat.

OxonCantab

I give up. BA rep still tried to blame it on AA, then said the "computers were different" and finally said that a supervisor "would not take this call". On my 6th request of asking to speak with a supervisor, was told "you can ask till the cows come home, you aren't getting one."

And that, BA is how you just lost my business. Regardless of the hard/soft product onboard, I am tired of the callous attitude and indifference towards the passengers that fund the staff's salaries. AA's new planes are coming soon, and I can use CX for Asia, but can I really use Finnair and Malev efficiently instead of BA in Europe? That's going to be the tricky.

EuropeanPete

Oxon, I think it's probably for the best.

Enjoy Ryanair and EgyptAir!

LTN Phobia

If you are so dissatisfied, no point in complaining online because it usually does not solve anything. Vote with your feet and fly someone else. Simple as that.

OxonCantab

Haven't flown either, and don't really plan on doing so in the future, at least where there is a OW alternative.

Andriyko

If you are talking about the BA PNR created for an AA coded but BA operated flight then you're not going to be able to manage it online. It is what's called an "operating PNR". In theory you should not have access to it at all (and sometimes you can't even open it on ba.com let alone pick a seat). BA creates it for its own purposes. However! If you call BA they should have no problems selecting a seat for you in this PNR... In fact, if you have status a seat should be selected automatically (although I am not sure if it's going to appear in the original AA PNR).

With other BA codeshare partners (e.g. AY) the "operating" PNR allows more actions. I am in a similar situation with MA (MA coded but BA operated flight). I have two PNRs for teh same flight (MA also used Amadeus) but I can't select seats in the BA PNR but the seat selected for me over the phone was fed into the original MA PNR (because they both use the same system).

So, no reason to complain - it's just how this is set up and there is no way around it but to call.

OxonCantab

This is a very knowledgable response. However, I was able to pick a seat, and view a seat map last month on a flight booked under the exact same circumstances.

LTN Phobia

Maybe 'being able to' was the glitch, and the current state is the 'norm'?

Andriyko

I guess you were lucky (simple as that). You should get an error message when you try to select a seat (which, I believe, you do now). BA creates such PNRs for its own operating purposes and all actions with your booking should be initiated by AA and done in its PNR.

It's strange that the other way (BA coded AA operated flight) it works much easier and BA agents can select a seat in the BA PNR. And even if one wants to do it themselves on aa.com, the AA PNR will be fully functionable...

irishguy28

Perhaps this is the norm - which really would be rather ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous is that, after at least 6 calls, the OP still apparently hasn't been assigned a seat.