Your guide to the Executive Club, attaining status and earning Avios | 2016
 

I would not recommend you put your Baec number in someone else's booking.

I just had a frustrating phone call with the BA Gold Line.

I have two friends travelling on the same flights as me in the same cabin both on their own bookings.

I called up to select their seats and was told due to data protection this was not possible. I quoted the Gold Benefit listed online and was told no this is not possible as I have no link to their bookings.

How do I go about linking the bookings? Do I need to add my friends to my friends and family section on my account?

Edit: Apologies if this in the wrong thread, I didn't think it was worthy of starting a new thread so please move it if its better suited elsewhere.

You need them to be on the phone too or for them to add you as a nominee on their accounts/booking.

Sometimes BA agents insist on this due to data protection, sometimes they just do the TCP and seat selection anyway.

Thanks. I tried the trusted method of calling back and hoping for someone else and within 5 minutes they put in a request to link all three bookings and took down the seat numbers I wanted and said it should be processed within 24 hours.

As a GCH I have chosen the seats for friends on the same flight a couple of times. Each time BA has required the permission of my friends before I could do this and I wholeheartedly endorse this approach.

Indeed, but surely golds and ggls are honest chaps & ladies and can be trusted? ;)

can a 2 year old become ba gold under the t&c? thanks!

Yes - although a 2 year old can only hold an account if they are a member of a household account.

The point you make is not related to the request. It was to link two bookings so I could select their seats as a benefit of being a GCH as listed on the website. It wasn't to request meals/special assistance etc and if I wanted to be cruel I could just login to MMB with the details provided by my friends and make the changes you mention but they would be notified of any updates via email anyway (unless I was really cruel and changed the email address).

This is fraud and will be treated as such by BA if they find out, which they could easily do for instance by comparing date of birth as you point out. Never do this, it is a silly way to lose your BAEC account and avios and possibly be barred from flying BA in the future.

How long does it takes for status to change? In February I shall qualify Gold. I shall arrive at LHR on Thursday 11/2 and will have 1530 TP including that flight. On the following Monday (15/12) I will leave from LHR, will my new status show in the BA app?

It will take a day or two to post the TP from your flight on 11/2, then an additional 2 to 3 days for BA.com and the App to update your status. So on the 15th February, it might or might not be reflected. If the TP are posted and the App not updated yet, show your TP history to the check-in agent and kindly ask them if they could put a manual note on your BP for you to access the F Lounge.

Thank you