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
Sep 7, 2016, 7:53 am
#107
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Sep 7, 2016, 8:04 am
#109
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Is there not a risk that this is counterproductive. If elites get a good ET experience with a blocked seat, what is the advantage of paying for CE?
Extra leg room? no.
Catering? yes, but buy a Ramsey picnic.
Lounge access? Elites have that anyway.
Extra leg room? no.
Catering? yes, but buy a Ramsey picnic.
Lounge access? Elites have that anyway.
Sep 7, 2016, 8:14 am
#110
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But that assumes that there will always be an empty seat next to you. Similarly as OpUps do not cannibalize the sale of premium cabins, theoretical seating won't cannibalize it either (although the chance of having an empty seat next to you is higher than the chance of an OpUp).
Sep 7, 2016, 8:28 am
#111
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Sep 7, 2016, 9:36 am
#112
Join Date: Jun 2012
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But that assumes that there will always be an empty seat next to you. Similarly as OpUps do not cannibalize the sale of premium cabins, theoretical seating won't cannibalize it either (although the chance of having an empty seat next to you is higher than the chance of an OpUp).
CE remains attractive, but ET isn't something to be avoided at all reasonable costs (unlike an overnight in WT for example) and the closer the gap between the cabins becomes, the less I am prepared to pay for the pricier ticket.
Sep 7, 2016, 9:43 am
#113
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I would be wary of the 40% figure. If your flight is full then Theoretical Seating isn't going to help you. It will depend on the route, on shorthaul loads tend to be in the 80-90% area - and at the lower figure that would certainly help you get a middle seat. But there are plenty of completely full flights out there, and you won't see standbys come through until the last moment. Furthermore the seating for CE is such that they may be happy to have a half row of empty CE seats, at the expense of filling up the ET cabin, and that 80-90% figure includes CE seats.
Sep 7, 2016, 11:26 am
#114
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Hoping this is the right thread. I've got a PRG-LHR sector in CE coming up in just over two weeks. Currently MMB shows a six row CE cabin. I am Silver and it's a J-class ticket (connecting to F). I can select seats in row 6 but none of the rest of the cabin. Assuming it's not full of status pax already or a group booking I find this puzzling. If I've read CWS's intro correctly then maybe, but only maybe, at T -72 some further rows will open up?
First-world problems and all that but it dampens "free seat selection" as a status perk if you can only select from a tiny portion of the cabin.
First-world problems and all that but it dampens "free seat selection" as a status perk if you can only select from a tiny portion of the cabin.
Sep 7, 2016, 11:31 am
#115
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Hoping this is the right thread. I've got a PRG-LHR sector in CE coming up in just over two weeks. Currently MMB shows a six row CE cabin. I am Silver and it's a J-class ticket (connecting to F). I can select seats in row 6 but none of the rest of the cabin. Assuming it's not full of status pax already or a group booking I find this puzzling. If I've read CWS's intro correctly then maybe, but only maybe, at T -72 some further rows will open up?
First-world problems and all that but it dampens "free seat selection" as a status perk if you can only select from a tiny portion of the cabin.
First-world problems and all that but it dampens "free seat selection" as a status perk if you can only select from a tiny portion of the cabin.
Sep 7, 2016, 1:31 pm
#117
Join Date: Jul 2016
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Row 1 on both outbound and return CE flights this week opened up for me as silver at less than 2-days to check-in. Changed from 2a to 1c both times.
Sep 8, 2016, 3:29 am
#118
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Implications in summary:
- If Silver you best ensure you have a good seat before T-72. you can't assume you can improve on it after 72 hours. On the other hand you will get more seat options then than Blue or Bronze cardholders
- If Silver and in company then Theoretical Seating does open up adjoining seats if necessary
- If Silver and single, after T-72 while the seats on offer may be further back, it is possible that the passenger will have an empty seat next to them on less full flights.
- Silver cardholders face two downsides: not just losing the ability to get front row seats at T-72 but also sometimes not being offered exit row seats which are offered to Bronze passengers.
- Bronze doesn't seem to get the benefit of seat blocking but may give access to good seats, sometimes better than Silver (exit rows) and better seating than Blue.
- Be very careful not to split your travel companion on to a separate booking if their BAEC/oneworld status is different to your own: you may find it nearly impossible to get seats next to each other. Golds/Emeralds can ring up BA to get seats together under the TCP provision, a somewhat clunky and manual process. But otherwise if on 2 PNRs and one passenger has no status, you may well want to pay for a seat early on, if you want to sit together.
- If Silver you best ensure you have a good seat before T-72. you can't assume you can improve on it after 72 hours. On the other hand you will get more seat options then than Blue or Bronze cardholders
- If Silver and in company then Theoretical Seating does open up adjoining seats if necessary
- If Silver and single, after T-72 while the seats on offer may be further back, it is possible that the passenger will have an empty seat next to them on less full flights.
- Silver cardholders face two downsides: not just losing the ability to get front row seats at T-72 but also sometimes not being offered exit row seats which are offered to Bronze passengers.
- Bronze doesn't seem to get the benefit of seat blocking but may give access to good seats, sometimes better than Silver (exit rows) and better seating than Blue.
- Be very careful not to split your travel companion on to a separate booking if their BAEC/oneworld status is different to your own: you may find it nearly impossible to get seats next to each other. Golds/Emeralds can ring up BA to get seats together under the TCP provision, a somewhat clunky and manual process. But otherwise if on 2 PNRs and one passenger has no status, you may well want to pay for a seat early on, if you want to sit together.
- my gf (bronze) and I (silver) are on STN-PMI, departing in < 72hrs, in separate bookings
- ever since booking in June, I had been able to pick any row except row 1. I'd plonked myself in 2D, the plum exit/front row seat on the E190 afaik
- at T-7d, my gf was unable to pick row 1 nor 2. 2C also showed as unavailable on my own seat map, so she picked 3A and I moved to 3B
- at T-72h she was now able to pick anywhere except row 1; I was able to pick row 1 as well. 2CD were both free
- so, I moved to 2D. she was now unable to move to 2C, and on my seat map it also showed as unavailable again
- I surmised that maybe it was blocking seats next to me, and thus she had to move first: I moved back to 3B, she moved to 2C, I then moved to 2D. checkmate!
We hadn't expected to have to play chess like this. Of particular confusion was that once I moved into a seat in row 2, the one next to me was blocked even for me!
Sep 8, 2016, 3:56 am
#119
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I think what you just posted is matching what was written above. Yes, you moving was blocking the seat next to you so your GF could not pick the seat.
Sep 8, 2016, 4:06 am
#120
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I still think having my sibling seat blocked even for me is confusing. If I had mis-clicked and chosen an aisle when I wanted a window, then for all I knew I would have been unable to ever go back and fix that because it looked unavailable. I wouldn't have thought to move to another row first, and whilst on a relatively empty flight it would just stay blocked and I'd be able to move onboard, if it's full I would just be stuck when that needn't have been the case.