Mar 22, 2018, 3:34 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
This thread examines BA's use of Amadeus' Theoretical Seating module. This kicks in at T-72 hours before departure, so this thread is primarily of interest to those travelling within the next few days.
FAQ : 'Theoretical Seating' : Blocked seats and status
May 16, 2018, 2:33 pm
#946
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYC
Posts: 2,075
Will seats "allocated" for a family travelling with young children show as Blocked or Occupied in EF after T-72? I checked the seat map on EF around T-60 for an upcoming flight; a number of seats were showing as blocked, but now all of the blocked seats except the bassinet positions are showing as occupied at T-32. No adjacent seats are available or blocked at this time on the seat map. Guess I'll find out in 8 hours if no one responds... 
May 16, 2018, 3:08 pm
#947
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,838
Will seats "allocated" for a family travelling with young children show as Blocked or Occupied in EF after T-72? I checked the seat map on EF around T-60 for an upcoming flight; a number of seats were showing as blocked, but now all of the blocked seats except the bassinet positions are showing as occupied at T-32. No adjacent seats are available or blocked at this time on the seat map. Guess I'll find out in 8 hours if no one responds...
May 16, 2018, 10:13 pm
#948
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYC
Posts: 2,075
Thanks for the feedback! As it happens, we were assigned exactly which seats I predicted based on the blocked seat map from a couple of days ago. Not only that, they were the seats that I was hoping for. Only have to do this once more.. will be Bronze on our next journey; Silver the one after...
May 16, 2018, 11:06 pm
#949
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
Have a bit of a strange one, DBV-LGW leaving 17:25 today - TS doesn't appear to have kicked in (neither at T-72 or even by T-24).
I'm unable to OLCI for my flight (it says must check in at the airport), I suspect that's the same for a lot of the rest of the cabin as very few seats are showing as allocated. In fact, only 20 are in Y - odd!
Has anyone come across this before? Is this something related to ex-DBV flights?
I'm thinking it's either going to be absolute chockers and no one else can OLCI either, therefore that's why no TS - as when people do check in at the airport all the seats will fill. Or... there's something awry.
Still a reasonable amount of seats for sale: J9 C7 D3 R0 I0 Y9 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q9 S9 G9
I'm unable to OLCI for my flight (it says must check in at the airport), I suspect that's the same for a lot of the rest of the cabin as very few seats are showing as allocated. In fact, only 20 are in Y - odd!
Has anyone come across this before? Is this something related to ex-DBV flights?
I'm thinking it's either going to be absolute chockers and no one else can OLCI either, therefore that's why no TS - as when people do check in at the airport all the seats will fill. Or... there's something awry.
Still a reasonable amount of seats for sale: J9 C7 D3 R0 I0 Y9 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q9 S9 G9
May 17, 2018, 1:44 am
#950
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: BA, Hilton
Posts: 2,092
Have a bit of a strange one, DBV-LGW leaving 17:25 today - TS doesn't appear to have kicked in (neither at T-72 or even by T-24).
I'm unable to OLCI for my flight (it says must check in at the airport), I suspect that's the same for a lot of the rest of the cabin as very few seats are showing as allocated. In fact, only 20 are in Y - odd!
Has anyone come across this before? Is this something related to ex-DBV flights?
I'm unable to OLCI for my flight (it says must check in at the airport), I suspect that's the same for a lot of the rest of the cabin as very few seats are showing as allocated. In fact, only 20 are in Y - odd!
Has anyone come across this before? Is this something related to ex-DBV flights?
It appears to be an airport that only supports local check-in not OLCI (per this post from c-w-s: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29527418-post67.html) so I expect that explains a lot of what you're seeing, but I would still expect there to be some status pax who had pre booked their seats. Perhaps it's a function of the airport as you surmise - maybe one of our resident gurus could confirm/deny this?
May 17, 2018, 10:07 am
#952
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,838
DBV wasn't under full FLY last year, and is presumably still on the cut-down version. in that situation any pre-booked seating is retained, but the airport has full freedom to put people anywhere, and usually just satisfy requests at check-in, the old fashioned way.
May 20, 2018, 1:16 pm
#953
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: West Sussex, UK
Programs: BAEC, Silver
Posts: 148
Any ideas as to when row 1 will become available?
Bronze status so will be allocating my seats at T-7 days.
Just curious as to whether row 1 will be available at the same time.
BA2676 LGW-PFO 30th May
Bronze status so will be allocating my seats at T-7 days.
Just curious as to whether row 1 will be available at the same time.
BA2676 LGW-PFO 30th May
May 23, 2018, 6:51 am
#955
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
I am giving up hope of ever fully understanding theoretical seating, having seen that the 'explanatory' thread has 64 pages so far.
Clearly as a Gold it is largely operating to my benefit and I am very thankful for that. However the below still baffles me.
BA457, dep tomorrow (so well inside T-72, now inside T-24 so OLCI open). I am in ET, 14A as things stand so it does look like the seat next to me is being protected for the moment.
However I thought that as a Gold I would have been free to move to one of those protected seats if I wished. I am pretty sure I had that ability a couple of days ago (ie pre T-72). Now, if for some odd reason I want to move seats, I don't seem to be able to select anything North of row 21.
So the little Xs in EF for rows 12-20 clearly don't represent quite the same thing as the Xs in 21+.
I guess I'm staying put or maybe considering an AUP as they seem to have stuck the curtain at 9 despite having seemingly quite a lot of CE availability.
Or could this be still something ATC strike disruption related?
Clearly as a Gold it is largely operating to my benefit and I am very thankful for that. However the below still baffles me.
BA457, dep tomorrow (so well inside T-72, now inside T-24 so OLCI open). I am in ET, 14A as things stand so it does look like the seat next to me is being protected for the moment.
However I thought that as a Gold I would have been free to move to one of those protected seats if I wished. I am pretty sure I had that ability a couple of days ago (ie pre T-72). Now, if for some odd reason I want to move seats, I don't seem to be able to select anything North of row 21.
So the little Xs in EF for rows 12-20 clearly don't represent quite the same thing as the Xs in 21+.
I guess I'm staying put or maybe considering an AUP as they seem to have stuck the curtain at 9 despite having seemingly quite a lot of CE availability.
Or could this be still something ATC strike disruption related?
May 23, 2018, 7:35 am
#956
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Krakow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Miles and More(FTL), IHG(Platinum), Accor, HHonors(Diamond), SPG, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 5,936
I think this idea that golds can move to protected seats is a misunderstanding
at T-72 protected seats next to other golds will not be available even to golds, until the cabin starts to fill up and seats need freed.
However, there will be other seats not next to golds that are blocked to blue and bronze but will be available for golds.
lets say you are in 2A so 2C is blocked
3 A and C are empty
A gold will not be offered 2C as its blocked for you, they might get offered 3A and 3C. A bronze may only get offered 3C
You have been offered row 22 D E and F there but you see on EF that there are blocks on those seats. Is EF picking up your status correctly? 22J has a block next to it but is available for you so maybe a bronze or silver sat next to there
at T-72 protected seats next to other golds will not be available even to golds, until the cabin starts to fill up and seats need freed.
However, there will be other seats not next to golds that are blocked to blue and bronze but will be available for golds.
lets say you are in 2A so 2C is blocked
3 A and C are empty
A gold will not be offered 2C as its blocked for you, they might get offered 3A and 3C. A bronze may only get offered 3C
You have been offered row 22 D E and F there but you see on EF that there are blocks on those seats. Is EF picking up your status correctly? 22J has a block next to it but is available for you so maybe a bronze or silver sat next to there
Last edited by scottishpoet; May 23, 2018 at 7:42 am
May 23, 2018, 7:58 am
#957
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,676
I think this idea that golds can move to protected seats is a misunderstanding
at T-72 protected seats next to other golds will not be available even to golds, until the cabin starts to fill up and seats need freed.
However, there will be other seats not next to golds that are blocked to blue and bronze but will be available for golds.
lets say you are in 2A so 2C is blocked
3 A and C are empty
A gold will not be offered 2C as its blocked for you, they might get offered 3A and 3C. A bronze may only get offered 3C
You have been offered row 22 D E and F there but you see on EF that there are blocks on those seats. Is EF picking up your status correctly? 22J has a block next to it but is available for you so maybe a bronze or silver sat next to there
at T-72 protected seats next to other golds will not be available even to golds, until the cabin starts to fill up and seats need freed.
However, there will be other seats not next to golds that are blocked to blue and bronze but will be available for golds.
lets say you are in 2A so 2C is blocked
3 A and C are empty
A gold will not be offered 2C as its blocked for you, they might get offered 3A and 3C. A bronze may only get offered 3C
You have been offered row 22 D E and F there but you see on EF that there are blocks on those seats. Is EF picking up your status correctly? 22J has a block next to it but is available for you so maybe a bronze or silver sat next to there
Whenever I've compared EF and my own view of the seats, I've always seen all blocked seats as available once TS has kicked in.
And I'm "just" a normal gold - not a GGL. When I was a GGL - I didn't notice any difference when I was 'downgraded'.
But I also don't know my CIV ... so maybe there's a 'tiering' inside Gold? But if that's the case - how is it I've watched other seats in the cabin remain blocked and yet the one next to me comes free for someone. I'd have expected if there's a tier which allows me to sit anywhere - it'd put me on the top of the food chain for keeping an empty seat.
Which makes me think there's no such thing.
In Pascoe's case - it could be a couple of different things: It could be a weight/balance thing - that's reasonably common on the 767 (which is what I think we're looking at).
May 23, 2018, 8:05 am
#958
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,157
FYI and not sure if it's important to you but Row 14 on the 767 has a full window blank if you weren't aware.
May 23, 2018, 8:06 am
#959
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Dundee
Programs: BA Plastic. HH Diamond. Speedwell Bar Lifetime Platinum.
Posts: 1,426
Even as a Blue I had a blocked seat beside me on the 767 back from Larnaca, which came and went showing as blocked in the shuffle during the final few hours before departure.
I had paid for a window seat for the flight in CE.
I did end up with the seat vacant beside me on a fairly full flight, with only 6 rows of CE.
On the way out, I had no seats purchased, but the seat beside me did also show as blocked after I had checked in.
This was an Avios redemption if it makes a difference.
I had paid for a window seat for the flight in CE.
I did end up with the seat vacant beside me on a fairly full flight, with only 6 rows of CE.
On the way out, I had no seats purchased, but the seat beside me did also show as blocked after I had checked in.
This was an Avios redemption if it makes a difference.
May 23, 2018, 8:18 am
#960
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: BA, Hilton
Posts: 2,092
This was based on discussions in a previous thread where c-w-s had indicated this: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...&postcount=137
But I was under the impression - perhaps wrongly - that prior to that such seats were not blocked to Gold (as MPH1980s experience might indicate - I admit I've not paid close enough attention since getting my own shinier card)