RG1X

I always took that to mean that you had to book for the cardholder and another, not that the cardholder had to actually take the flight...

...but that's just my opinion. I'm sure someone will be along shortly with actual facts.

nemonon

Some advice please FT'ers.

In Jan I redeemed 2 x 241 vouchers and 360,000 Avios for the family summer holiday to Vietnam, via Hong Kong. Redemption flights are 3 x adults, 1 x 'youth' (15) LHR-HKG in early July and return 14 days later. All the pax are on the BAEC family account but, because the vouchers were earned on 2 x separate accounts (my wife's and mine), I made 2 x separate bookings of 2 pax each. Both my wife and I are now down to BAEC Blue after my work-related travel died off last year so we are therefore unable to reserve seats for the redemption flight more than 24 hrs in advance. This makes me nervous as I (maybe falsely?) believe that reserved seats and a higher BAEC status would make us less likely of being bumped off the flight or downgraded from CW.
I had planned to get both my wife and me up to Bronze or Silver prior to the July departure so that we could select seats for free (7 days only for Bronze) but that hasn't happened due to a variety of reasons in the first few months of this year. I have now identified a period where I may be able to get myself onto a TP run up to Silver over the next few months but my wife, while enjoying the fruits of a higher status, doesn't quite get the idea of spending less than 24 hrs in Phoenix, having routed via Bucharest to get there. So I'll be going alone, if at all.

So my question is: if I managed to get myself up to either Bronze or Silver by the summer would I be able to reserve the seats for the redemption flight for all 4 of us or would I need to get both my wife to Bronze or Silver as well? I can reserve the seats for £340 now as a Blue member but, as I am likely to complete a bit of long-haul for work over 4Q19-2Q20, I'd rather put that money towards a TP run and improve my lot when travelling for work as well. My TP year ends 08 Nov 19.

I appreciate any advice offered.

firstlight

This will not be happy news for you --- If you were gold you could TCP the two PNRs together and then get to select seats for everyone (assuming you were in the same cabin). I don't think you can do this as silver and bronze so that needs one passenger on each PNR to have status to book the seats ahead of online checkin

bigwalrus

Delete please - already answered.

nemonon

Thanks for the response. So, talk the missus into a mini-TP run with me to get Bronze to get a 7 day advance seat reservation for all 4 or simply take my chances without seat reservations nor status? Not really worth getting Gold half-way through my TP earning year methinks?

RG1X

Don't forget that you get it for the entire of your next TP earning year too. So you'd get just over a year and a half of it, not just six months.

stephenjc

In the wiki it states

Q: As redemption seats are released at midnight GMT, what is the best way to secure them? There is no guarantee they will be available when the BA office opens in the morning!
A: A common practice on the forum is to use this tool and call a BA office that is open at midnight GMT. You will then be able to make the booking without waiting for your local office to open. Depending on timezone, Japan, Hong Kong and even the USA are frequently contacted for this purpose.

However the "use this tool" link no longer works, can someone please post the phone numbers or message me them, as I'll need to phone up in a few days to add a TYO return flight to my 2-4-1. Or, do I just call the Silver line and I'll be put through to a call centre in an active timezone?

Thanks, Stephen

stephenjc

Answered my own question all the different contact numbers are available on the BA EXEC web site.

strickers

nemonon

Thanks Strickers. I try not to worry about 241 changes but can't help it, considering it's the annual family hols and want it to be just so, hence the attempt to mitigate the likelihood of downgrading, etc. I'm on the first of 2 daily HKG flights so there's a little bit of flex in there if the first is full. Que sera and all that.

fruitcage

Downgrades or bumps are very very rare - they just get a lot of noise on FT and elsewhere when they happen. If you want to pay for seats or a TP run for other reasons, that 's your choice, but doing so just to maybe reduce the already tiny chance of a downgrade or bump seems a waste of money.

chinhk

LHR to DOH return on F (with the use of 2for1 voucher) - 148000 miles plus 838.68 pounds for taxes. Is this a fair deal?

Steve in Olympia

andyedinburgh

I am looking to book the return leg of my 241 from Asia in a few days time when the flights become available and will need to add the domestic connection the following day as it won't become immediately available.

My question is - whilst the long-haul sector will be in J (or even better F thought that's highly unlikely!), is it possible to book the domestic connection back to EDI in either Y or J, or do they have to be the same?

KARFA