johnaalex

Just wondering what is currently the best strategy for two GCHs travelling together? We have booked LHR:MRS in ET for the end of August and there are plenty of seats available including the exit rows 11 & 12. If we select D & F is it like that E will be blocked?

TIA.

alex67500

From my understanding of previous posts: Only if it's still free at T-72 when TS kicks in. If a Gold or Silver take or someone else buys the E seat, then it'll be occupied. You'd be better off taking E and F or D and E depending if you prefer Window or Aisle, because if the other seat on that row is still free at T-72 it'll get a block and then you can spread out.

johnaalex

Thanks for confirming what I suspected.

scottishpoet

With Exit rows there is always a risk that a gold or silver will take the seat before TS kicks in at T-72

Provided that does not happen then yes the seat will get blocked

If the seat will remain blocked and unoccupied will depend on

1/ how busy the flight is
2/ how many status holders there are on the flight

if you are both gold then I would assume it would be one of the last blocks to go so if the flight is not full you should be OK

best thing to do is grab the seats now but keep checking to make sure nobody has taken the middle seat before TS kicks in

snaxmuppet

Just looking at how best to use TS to maximise the chance of an empty seat at departure...

Flight is LHR - OTP on a 32Q aircraft. I am Silver.

When I booked, 3 months ago, I chose a window seat near the front of Y. At that time there was a lot of choice even near the front. This has mostly filled in back to row 17. Aft of 17 it is mostly clear.

Now we are at T-72hrs TS has kicked in an a lot of the middle seats are now blocked... presumably because a status passenger is occupying the seat next to it. I am currently in seat 13F with seats 13D and 13E unoccupied. But it is quite forward and so in all likelihood 13D will fill and if the flight is fullish there is a chance 13E might fill too. As has been mentioned, there is more of a chance of me getting an empty seat beside me the further back I am, but do I move further back now or wait until nearer departure? Does it matter? I could move back to say, 18F where the entire row is currently clear, or even further back. Would that make much (or any) of a difference to the outcome if I move now or later?

If possible I'd like a clear row, D,& E clear with me in F (wouldn't we all!) and as I am HBO and are not really bothered about how quickly I disembark I wondered what the best strategy is. This is the first time I have looked at doing anything with TS so I a bit of a newbie

scottishpoet

Assuming you are on the BA884 on Sunday

Right now there is a block beside you, 13 D is occupied. You can see this on expert flyer even if you do not pay for expert flyer. you get 5 free "seat alert" searches a day.

when people start checking in at t-24 they will look for seats with nobody beside them. Typically they will look as far forward in the cabin as possible

you move back now all you do is free up 13 and occupy a seat further back

Personally I would wait and look at the situation again a couple of hours before checkin closes. By then you will have seen how online checkin has left things and can decide what you want to do. Its likely the person in 13 D is also a status holder, maybe even a gold, and 2 status holders either side of a blocked seat in the row will probably "trump" and empty seat further back with only a status holder on one side

snaxmuppet

That makes sense.

Do I have to delay checking in then until 2 hours before check-in closes? I seem to remember seeing that I can check in early but if I don't collect my boarding card I can still change my seat assignment... is that true. It is looking like I will probably arrive at the airport around 9ish for an 11:40 departure so I will need to collect my boarding card to go through to the lounge so what about if I hold on 13F for now, check in when OLCI opens but don't collect my boarding card and re-check the seat situation when I get to the airport? I can then either choose to keep 13F or switch if there are empty rows further back. I can then either collect my boarding card on the app or at the desk.

How does that sound as a plan?

scottishpoet

You can check in anytime but do not download your boarding pass.

I have even spoken to the agents in the lounge and changed my seat in the lounge after the flight closes if there were what I considered better seating options that got a seat beside me. My own opinion is if the flights not full you will be ok and keep the block. No point moving to what you consider a worse seat just to have someone sit next to you there too which is what will happen of the flight is full. Looking at the map there are about 11 or 12 seats blocked for status. 13C currently only has one status holder in the row where 13 Da nd F look like they are both status holders so I would expect 13B goes before 13E. Similarly 35B and 35E, 27B and 27 E, 28B....

In the last 90 minutes before the flight closes the seatmap will change a lot.

IslingtonFlyer

Just wondering if anyone has guidance on my current dilemma. Flying on BA680 LHR-IST tomorrow (3rd) in ET. When i look at the seat map for ET, the row i'm currently seated in (10) is no longer even an option with the ET cabin starting at row 13. I assume Fly is doing the usual shuffle around 72hours prior however do i change my set to an OK one in the current ET cabin to avoid risking being moved automatically to a bad one further down the plane if the CE curtain has shuffled back or do i hold my nerve? I'm not sure what the strategy is on this one so any tips welcome!

snaxmuppet

I tried... but the app automatically downloaded the boarding card without giving me the option so my plan didn't work.

How do I do OLCI or check in with the app and avoid the automatic download of the boarding pass?

BAEC

anyuser

I have had this happen with the app. So now, if I want to avoid the automatic download, I check in on the website either on my computer or in a browser on my phone and choose to collect boarding pass at airport when asked.

ISTFlyer

Istanbul is a route that could have minimum 3 rows and maximum 12 rows of Club Europe on the A320's. I have experienced both.
The curtain could go back forward, but not rearwards as row 12 is the maximum limit for the curtain to go backwards. So, you won't be shot back in an aircraft that has 12 rows of Club Europe.

I had a situation that I was first seated at 10A, then I was automatically assigned 13A at T-168 due to the curtain being behind row 12. However, somewhere around T-24 and T-48, the curtain moved forward to behind row 9. I have changed my seat to 12F just after I have realized the situation.

So, if I were you I would check the seat map on MMB until being assigned a better seat.

IslingtonFlyer

Thank you ISTFlyer! I will hold on to 10A then and keep my fingers crossed (ET still showing as starting at row 13 on the current seat map). Check-in opens in a few hours but right now there are no windows till row 17 (and there aren't that many left to choose from) so i'll standby and keep my eye on MMB.

BAEC

2 rows completely blocked ...... Never had that before. Looks like a fairly empty flight .... only 1 in CE