Last edit by: NWIFlyer
Hand Baggage Only fares (HBO) are available on domestic and EuroTraveller routes. They are offered at a lower price to those able to travel without checked baggage on point to point journeys only - they are not offered with connections, stopovers or with Club Europe. There isn't a special fare bucket for HBO, it's just a discount to all domestic/ET fare buckets, so even expensive flexible tickets offer HBO. The discount varies depending on route. For example, going HBO on LHR-DUB gives a £10 discount; £15 on LHR-PRG; and £20 on LHR-ATH. Online Travel Agents often book into these fares (including building stopovers) and are sometimes less than transparent about the baggage restrictions during the booking process. HBO fares do not earn OnBusiness credits.
BAEC status passengers from Bronze upwards get advance seat choice with these tickets.
How to get seat allocation if HBO and without status:
- Pay up. You can pay up at OLCI if you don't like the seat. Costs vary from £7 to £21 per sector as a minimum, with differential pricing employed for better seats (e.g. an exit row on LHR-DUB was £23 in June 2017). Usually, but not always, this invalidates the cost saving of HBO. You can also pay up in Manage My Booking (MMB) before OLCI.
- Cancel OLCI at the "confirm contact details" stage. Go in again and/or later and you may be offered another seat.
- Corporate travel bookings still offer seating to HBO in some cases. Sometimes this ability is temporary and doesn't stick.
- Ask check-in or the lounge agent for a better seat, so far this seems to be possible. Lounge agents won't be able to assist where they aren't part of the ground handling for BA (e.g. LBA).
- If your airport has a Self Service Check In (SSCI) machine AND you do not print your boarding pass (see below) then you can select another seat there provided check-in is still open, typically up to 46 minutes before take off. So if you are being allocated a rotten seat and you can see better seats available, you can take a risk and complete/commence check-in later.
SSCI machines are available at: LHR, LGW, LCY, MAN, EDI (on the general purpose airport machines, but only those by the BA check-in area), NCE, BRU, OSL, BLL, AAR, MUC, AMS.
They are NOT available at: ABZ, BHD, GLA, LBA, NCL, DUB, CDG, ORY, SVG, DUS, TXL, MAH, CFU, OLB, CTA, CAG, FDH, ANE, UIP, BIO, HER, SVQ, PMI, BRI.
You can also do this operation the night before at LGW and LHR, details here.
By "printing boarding pass" we mean not selecting that option at OLCI, or saving, emailing, faxing and/or downloading the boarding pass on the App.
HBO fares - Have to pay to select seat in advance [free for GCH/SCH/BCHs @ 14 Jun 17]
#1891
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,068
I don't believe it was possible when HBO fares were first lauched and free seat selection was available to status holders, so I suspect the answer is still no.
#1892
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 251
It's only just occurred to me that this could be why the last time I tried to do it, the back office sent it back the job without actually processing the change (phone agent couldn't explain why at the time).
I'll update in a couple of days.
#1893
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,068
Thanks, I've tried and didn't get any resistance but will see if it makes it through back office.
It's only just occurred to me that this could be why the last time I tried to do it, the back office sent it back the job without actually processing the change (phone agent couldn't explain why at the time).
I'll update in a couple of days.
It's only just occurred to me that this could be why the last time I tried to do it, the back office sent it back the job without actually processing the change (phone agent couldn't explain why at the time).
I'll update in a couple of days.
#1894
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 251
I don't think BA.com excludes HBO when describing the benefit on the "gold benefits" page (only group rate bookings are specifically excluded), but may well be more detailed T&Cs elsewhere.
#1895
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
I am currently OWE (Qantas) and have booked an HBO flight FCO-LHR for next week.
As I am trying to become BAEC Gold (currently Bronze), I have put my BAEC number into the booking, so I'm not able to select a seat for free online.
Probably a silly question, but is there any way I could select a seat without paying (eg at the airport)?
As I am trying to become BAEC Gold (currently Bronze), I have put my BAEC number into the booking, so I'm not able to select a seat for free online.
Probably a silly question, but is there any way I could select a seat without paying (eg at the airport)?
#1896
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,068
I am currently OWE (Qantas) and have booked an HBO flight FCO-LHR for next week.
As I am trying to become BAEC Gold (currently Bronze), I have put my BAEC number into the booking, so I'm not able to select a seat for free online.
Probably a silly question, but is there any way I could select a seat without paying (eg at the airport)?
As I am trying to become BAEC Gold (currently Bronze), I have put my BAEC number into the booking, so I'm not able to select a seat for free online.
Probably a silly question, but is there any way I could select a seat without paying (eg at the airport)?
#1897
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
Yes put your QF number in now and choose a seat. And then a week before the flight, or later, switch it back to your BA number so that you credit the flight to that programme.
#1898
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
Thanks for the advice. Do you think I could switch the FF number back to BA from QF while in the lounge at LHR? That would probably be the most convenient option.
#1899
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 43,068
#1900
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
#1901
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
#1902
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
Well, guys, I tried all of that on the BA (and AY) websites, and in the end it didn't allow me to allocate a seat for free. Selective memory I assume.
So I decided to wait and see what the wonders of BA might have in store for me as a Blue {which is what I was when I booked the ticket).
To my surprise, I was assigned a reasonable window seat on both flights, so I just left it at that.
So I decided to wait and see what the wonders of BA might have in store for me as a Blue {which is what I was when I booked the ticket).
To my surprise, I was assigned a reasonable window seat on both flights, so I just left it at that.
#1903
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,512
Is this correct, or has it been superseded. If so, BA needs to update its advice.
#1904
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,989
It's been superseded. That they haven't updated the welcome email won't come as a big surprise around these parts, though the change is fairly recent.