sarahuk

Hi,
We fly LHR- BHD tomorrow.
One hour before check in I looked at my seats and they were as selected at time of booking eight months ago .It was an aisle seat which is easier for me and the middle seat was free so not all seats were taken.
They are not special seats but as I am disabled and walk with sticks it is a struggle to walk too far down the back so I selected 12 for my husband and 13c for myself so I sit behind him as I have recently had a knee replacement so do not want anyone reclining on me.
I went to check in and I have been put down the back on my own. My husband is still in the original seat.
Under my name it says seat not allowed to change!!!
We rang BA and they say nothing can be done as they cannot move anybody . Well they moved me to give my seat away.
Thanks BA I have to struggle down the back of the plane and sit on my own.
I cannot get up from the seat very well without the help from my husband.
So much for being silver so you can select your seats.

T8191

So BAD! Have you tried phoning the Silver Line?

ahmetdouas

I would try to deal with this at the airport check in desk?

HIDDY

Might be an aircraft change. Phone them and tell them you're disabled.

corporate-wage-slave

I'm sorry to hear about this. Do you know when you were moved? Was it at the T-72 hours point? An aircraft change perhaps? If you haven't got boarding passes you can select another set of seating and usually there are big movements in the final 24 hours of available seating.

Unfortunately if you are within 24 hours of departure there isn't a lot the Contact Centre staff can do: it has at that point passed to airport control. However they should be able to do something helpful at the airport, I don't know which flight you are on so unfortunately I can't be more helpful, but a quick look suggests the flights to BHD are not particularly full.

I'm sure you know that the recline on those refitted aircraft is very modest, and on a very short sector it would be unusual if someone reclined into you, there's only a 30 minute window in which to do this. But I would be cautiously hopeful this can be rectified at the airport. You could also consider a UuA to Club Europe perhaps? This may give better options for you. It would need to be in a fare bucket equal to or higher than N.

smokie36

Yes this and if that fails try having a word with CC when you are boarding and see if the passenger allocated your seat will move.

sarahuk

An hour before check in opened we still had the same seats.
We called the silver line and my husband explained I was disabled so would struggle to get to the back of the aircraft. They said they could not move anybody as it would not be fair to them.
Im not asking for a special seat just one where I can sit behind my husband so he can help me up off the seat. I would not ask a stranger not to recline his seat as I don't think that is right as its my problem not theirs. I had a seat midway down the aircraft which is a bit of a struggle for me but I could have managed, but they have put me much further down now.
We have always gone out of our way to maintain silver so we can select our seats so I can rest easy that I will be able to manage but we cannot even do that now.
Please don't think I am a DYKHIA or feel self entitled being disabled. I have never made a fuss before or expected special treatment but I struggle to walk, its very painful and it makes a real difference to me if I have to walk quite a way down the aisle especially if my husband is not sat near me.
I know its only a hours flight so at least I wont need to get up for the toilet!!

Often1

Best dealt with at the airport. The seat allocations ought to be locked by now and it is far easier for airport staff to look at what happened.

Could be anything from an aircraft swap to a disabled pax requiring an aisle and you are just the unlucky person.

sarahuk

Can anyone confirm to me if BA 1418 LHR to BHD tomorrow Wednesday has had an aircraft change at T24?

Thanks

sarahuk

Yes but Im a disabled person requiring an aisle that's why I selected this seat and Im booked for wheelchair assistance on my booking.

GaryK84

The seatmap indicates there is no row 13. Also showing 12C as occupied and 12B as blocked.

corporate-wage-slave

What appears to have happened here is that your aircraft was changed at T-24 from a normal A320 to a LGW former BMI A320. BMI didn't have row 13 out of deference to those passengers with superstitions. As this doesn't happen very often you are unlucky here, and you would have had to be moved. It is a very busy flight but there are other seats available, so if you haven't downloaded your boarding pass (or equivalents such as emailing) I would expect other seats to become available. If you have got your boarding pass it gets a bit more sticky but you can sometimes persuade an agent to offload you, then have another go at OLCI. Over time, a better seat should become available.


You can aim for the clear box seats, the boxes with an X may be available, possibly blocked for status passengers. In CE there is only one open seat and about a dozen blocked seat. I think 12B, next to your husband, is being blocked, ditto the seat in front, I guess the other 2 passengers will have status, so that may be another option.

EDIT: On this aircraft, rows 10 and 11 cannot recline at all, so 12B certainly would work.

HIDDY

Poor show if they can't give a disabled person with status another aisle seat.

ahmetdouas

Seriously though just ask them to
move you at the airport! If there are seats available they will move you!

gingeola

sarahuk I'm sorry to hear about your problems. You have been unlucky missing out on row 13 due to the aircraft change.

Excellent idea from C-W-S and I would have suggested it too, however the wheelchair assistance in your booking would preclude you from sitting in 12B as it is an exit row.

I think the least stress option for you now is a three step process.

If you have already checked-in online and retrieved your boarding pass:

Step 1: Ring BA and ask them to offload you and your husband(!) which will remove your checked-in status. Don't worry, you'll still be on the flight.

Step 2: Complete online check-in again, selecting two seats behind each other. 22C and 23C seem to be the furthest forward available.

Step 3: Ask at check-in if there's anything available further forward. Wheelchair assistance in your booking may work in your favour here.