Paralytic

I'm flying LHR-SFO on Saturday in WT+ and the 4 bassinets bulkhead seats opened up in the cabin today. They typically open up at T-3 days. I've phoned up multiple times previously and been placed in a bassinet seat.

So i phoned up a few hours ago and asked to be moved to one of the seats. I was told it was not possible until T-48 hours. I said it'd be done before but I was told that it was not possible so they could not comment on that.

Hang up and try again is the mantra....

I just phoned again and was this time told that they can't move me there until T-24 hours.

I noticed that one of the bassinet seats is now taken, and I doubt its someone with an infant. I mentioned that and she said it must have been someone with an infant but cannot tell me because of data protection yada yada yada.

I'm thinking about phoning again, but am worried that the trajectory of responses means I'll be told I can't select it until T-0 hours.

So, does anyone know the actual rule as to when Golds can get moved into a bassinet seat?

Paralytic

UPDATE: Shortly after posting this, the second BA agent I spoke to on the phone left me a voicemail saying she'd been able to override the system and has put me into the bassinet seat I requested.

So, good service recovery there, and I've got a warm fuzzy feeling that she's learned something new today.

henners

I've found it's about 50/50 whether they do it with no problem or claim it can't be done until some point in the future.

Every time they've said it's impossible I've asked them to try and they've been surprised when it works.

flydrive

But the question still remains, when can golds get the bassinet seat? I fly WTP and prefer the bulkhead window, and both are blocked. I know they open up at some point, but it is hit or miss whether I can get them. When I've called, the agent always seems clueless, although I must admit I have not pressed the issue. As an aside, I do find it annoying that the two only window bulkhead seats in WTP on the 777s are bassinets. Does BA really expect two WTP babies on each flight?

henners

Unless there's been any recent enhancement, it's at some point typically a bit under T-72. You can tell by checking on ExpertFlyer or equivalent. Once they become unblocked, you can (with perseverance) get the gold line to assign them.

Exact time varies because someone manually does some fiddling with the seat assignments before things unblock.

Paralytic

You're talking about when they become available - we know that is around T-72.

What I'm asking is when (if at all) can Golds can be asked to move into the seat. From my experience today, agents do not know. I suspect its one of these BA unwritten rules so agents cooler talk, or they make it up.

peterrabbit

I managed to select one online at about T-90, yet a colleague on the same flight a day earlier was unable to even within T-72.

henners

No, I think it's simpler than that - I think it's a policy that golds (and silvers for all I know) can nab them once the manual assignments are done, but so unimportant for the majority of people that the letter of the law isn't widely known by agents.

Anonba

The seat map agents see is interactive and responds differently based on status or if keywords such as mobility assistance or if an infant is on a booking.

Therefore if there is no infant/mobility assistance or status the bulkheads simply show "blocked".

If a gold exec number is in the booking they will show "blocked" unless it is possible to book the seat currently.

The reason why its difficult to give an answer is because there seems to be no hard n fast rules. The 72 hours is only really a general rule of thumb in my experience.

When ive spoke to someone who had gold status call up to assign bulkhead seats it can still can vary as to when its available, as ive had some that i was able to book months out and some which were blocked still even within 72 hours.

Given thats my experience i cant then say its definetly going to be released at certain point.


Truthfully it seems to some extent to be flight specific, which is only reasonable if seating are aware of numbers of families/infants on the flight.

Globaliser

Is it not tied to the release of the edited seat map, and the change in the aircraft code to the internal code, etc etc?

As I always say, and will keep saying: this does not happen at T-72h.

It usually happens at about lunchtime UK time on the day three days before the flight. T-3d would be more accurate, and everyone who keeps saying T-72h is liable to mislead.

baileysserpant

I am trying to select 56b for my wife on Fridays LAX to LHR. Both silver, thanks to our OGG trip but it is saying infant seat not available to Mrs B, same if I try. Any ideas on what to do as this seems a new one to me. Thanks B

ENTP

Appears to be 11am GMT on T-3d, so currently noon BST.

Anonba

Ok so i should have said approximately t-3 days before departure is generally when it happens but as i said i'm sure i've had occassions where i was able to book tem for someone before this and some where it was still unavailable within the t-3 days.

When you say release of the edited seat map i presume you mean that families will have been assigned seats at this point?

Paralytic

No, at T-3 days (around noon) the "select your seat" option on MMB changes to show the bassinet seats as being available. Prior to that, they show as unavailable/blocked/reserved.

However, the system does not let you move to a bassinet seat at that time, giving an error if you try to do so.

Its at this point I phone up to get my seat allocated, and get differing responses, varying from "I'll do that", to "can't do it till 2 days before", "can't do it till the day before" and "can't do that".

SCSA

This happened to me in January on a long haul flight. I wanted the last row of CW on the window, because it was private but had it's own access point. But it was marked as being a cot seat.

I got the run-around when I tried to book it, even with T-48. When I boarded there was a young woman in that seat - no baby. She may have been a GCH...who knows?

Similarly I was on a CE flight the other day booked in the front row. When I was arrived for check in I'd been moved to the second row - "equipment change" - but the check in agent at LCY told me the front row was blocked and I'd have no trouble moving.

Naturally a passengers boarded right before take off and sat down in my original seat. He was followed by another guy who sat across the aisle from him. I asked the FA about it, and she showed me the iPAD. Both were Blues.

The moral of the story is GCH status means less and less to BA every day.