Cymro

Just booked a trip travelling with a no status (not even blue) friend from LHR-DUS, and there are no blocked seats at all on a dummy booking or in EF - at the moment, on an empty flight, we have cheekily done aisle and window exit seats. I was hoping that the seat would show up as blocked but it risks being slightly awkward otherwise....

MPH1980

What dates?

Cymro

11-13 August.

Jagboi

I have a trip coming up on Monday on 103 to YYC in CW. I went to choose my seat today and I'm shown in a center section seat and when I try to change the entire cabin is greyed out.

Is CW really full? I find that hard to believe in the summer, I have flown it previously in July on the 767 and it was half empty, and the 787 has more CW seats.

I would prefer a window, I was surprised to be sitting in the center portion and unable to change to any other seat.

BA6501

It's a 789. The entire F cabin is unoccupied, and all window seats in CW are taken. 7DEF, 10BDEFJ, 11F and 12J are available/blocked.

Jagboi

Computer has me in 7D, nothing else is showing as available to me in MMB.

BA6501

That would be Theoretical Seating blocking out everything else for you then, I'm afraid.

woglet86

Sorry for some basic questions about seat blocking...

I understand it doesn't kick in before T-72? Thinking about an empty seat next to a Gold passenger, does that mean:
- Prior to T-72, anybody could pay to take the seat?
- Silver and Bronze could select the seat for free when they become eligible (Silver at booking, Bronze 7 days out), up until T-72 when blocking would kick in?
- A gold member could take it at any time?
- If, as a Gold, you're aiming for an empty seat next to you, you should reassess the map at T-72 and move yourself if necessary?

I'm mostly interested in WTP, but I'm not sure if there are any differences in how it works between the cabins.

Many thanks

MPH1980

Yes
Yes
In theory yes. I say theory because I have seen seats blocked to myself when I was gold.
Yes - but in WTP - I've found that 90% of the time theoretical seating has 0 impact because of how busy the cabin gets.

KARFA

Any idea if a TA booking would impact on TS? Generally I have noticed seat blocking on domestic and short haul flights. However I have a TA booked LBA-LHR-AMS in two weeks time and no blocking at all on EF or if I make a dummy booking on BA.com. I am on the same flight as another person who is a GCH, we are currently sat on the aisle and window seats on an exit row but the middle is showing up as available.

corporate-wage-slave

TA bookings don't impact TS, so long as they a properly interfaced (in other words if the BAEC number is included, which on some systems doesn't happen. It shouldn't impact CWT, HRG, FCM or Amex bookings however). In some cases this is after ticketing, in other cases one leg (or both) is initially booked into a random seat at the back and then 24 hours later moved to a TS allocation. This would be for a late booking since TS only applies in the final 72 hours.

Also bear in mind that Golds can't block other Golds, you just hope they have a bit of common sense. In other words a Gold could have a block next to them which will keep Silvers and below from getting the seat next to them, but another Gold could get the seat in question.

Jagboi

My last flight in CW I tried selecting a seat as a bronze at 6 days out and the computer had put me in a seat and everything else was greyed out. So my "choice" was take it or leave it!

Great_circle

Being Gold I always have someone next to me (usually between AMS-LHR), perhaps just because the flights happened to be fully packed..

Jed

TS generally works really well for us in ET. As 3 golds plus lap infant, we always book A,C,D in a given row. On all 3 flights where we have done this, B and E have remained empty. We figured that in case of full flights, we would ask if the person in B wouldnt mind swapping with the person in D, as they are likely to prefer an aisle to a middle.
Playing the system? Yes, but for once, happy to find a BA system that works for us.

KARFA

Yes, so my BAEC number was included from the start - the booking has always been listed in my future bookings on ba.com. The complicating factor was that I was originally on an earlier LHR-AMS flight but due to by desire to do some more socialising at T5 I have changed to a later LHR-AMS flight. I notice that the ticket number has not changed - should I have had a new ticket number?

Anyway, when I just do a dummy booking on ba.com and not signed in so effectively booking with no status in the cheapest ET selling class the middle seat in the exit row between myself and the GCH is available for purchase - so it doesn't appear there is any seat blocking going on at all.