Last edit by: Tobias-UK
This is community help desk which allows members to assist each other in finding out how many seats are available on any given flight.
If you wish to request availability for a specific flight, please state the date and origin/departure airport codes, not just the flight number.
Please also restrict requests to BA/oneworld flights - flights for other airlines may be removed to avoid cluttering the thread and taking it away from BAEC.
As of 15 Oct 2014 flightstats.com no longer displays flight availability.
Fare class availability can be queried in various ways*:
* Please update wiki if you know of any others.
** Origin of data concealed and probably unauthorised (so buyer beware)
What do the codes mean?
Suppose we have a result as F1 A0 J9 C7 D0 RC IC W9 E9 T4 Y9 BC HC ...
This means:
There is 1 seat in the F bucket for sale
There are 0 seats in the A and D bucket for sale, but you can join the waitlist in case seats get released later.
There are at least 9 seats in the J, W, E and Y buckets.
The R, I, B and H buckets are closed to waitlisting.
There are two important things to note about how to interpret these numbers that many people don't understand as it is very counter intuitive:
1) There is NO direct relation to the actual number of seats available on the specific flight. They only mean that the airline is willing to sell this many seats on that specific flight. The airline may intend to oversell seats or withhold seats from sale for many reasons.
2) In the example above, the results show W9 E9 T4 (which are all WT+ buckets). This does not mean that there are 9+9+4=22 seats for sale. Interpret these numbers as "there are at least 9 seats for sale in WT+". There could really be anywhere between 9 and 22 seats for sale - we just can't tell from the numbers the system gives us. Therefore, the conservative approach of assuming that there are at least 9 seats for sale is usually the best one.
What does the "C" mean?
Closed to waitlisting.
In the example above we have RC, IC, BC and HC. This is different to A0 and D0: The A and D buckets are "full" but you can apply to join their waitlists (if your fare permits waitlisting). With R, I, B and H you cannot even request a seat.
The carrier will determine how to confirm your seat if it wishes. Sometimes this may happen immediately, other times only a few minutes before the flight's departure. The order of the waitlist is determined by the carrier privately, but your Executive Club status will push you towards the front of the queue. Many cheap fares do not allow waitlisting.
Differences for non-BA airlines
If you wish to request availability for a specific flight, please state the date and origin/departure airport codes, not just the flight number.
Please also restrict requests to BA/oneworld flights - flights for other airlines may be removed to avoid cluttering the thread and taking it away from BAEC.
As of 15 Oct 2014 flightstats.com no longer displays flight availability.
Fare class availability can be queried in various ways*:
* Please update wiki if you know of any others.
** Origin of data concealed and probably unauthorised (so buyer beware)
What do the codes mean?
Suppose we have a result as F1 A0 J9 C7 D0 RC IC W9 E9 T4 Y9 BC HC ...
This means:
There is 1 seat in the F bucket for sale
There are 0 seats in the A and D bucket for sale, but you can join the waitlist in case seats get released later.
There are at least 9 seats in the J, W, E and Y buckets.
The R, I, B and H buckets are closed to waitlisting.
There are two important things to note about how to interpret these numbers that many people don't understand as it is very counter intuitive:
1) There is NO direct relation to the actual number of seats available on the specific flight. They only mean that the airline is willing to sell this many seats on that specific flight. The airline may intend to oversell seats or withhold seats from sale for many reasons.
2) In the example above, the results show W9 E9 T4 (which are all WT+ buckets). This does not mean that there are 9+9+4=22 seats for sale. Interpret these numbers as "there are at least 9 seats for sale in WT+". There could really be anywhere between 9 and 22 seats for sale - we just can't tell from the numbers the system gives us. Therefore, the conservative approach of assuming that there are at least 9 seats for sale is usually the best one.
What does the "C" mean?
Closed to waitlisting.
In the example above we have RC, IC, BC and HC. This is different to A0 and D0: The A and D buckets are "full" but you can apply to join their waitlists (if your fare permits waitlisting). With R, I, B and H you cannot even request a seat.
The carrier will determine how to confirm your seat if it wishes. Sometimes this may happen immediately, other times only a few minutes before the flight's departure. The order of the waitlist is determined by the carrier privately, but your Executive Club status will push you towards the front of the queue. Many cheap fares do not allow waitlisting.
Differences for non-BA airlines
- Some carriers (those using Sabre such as AA) only show a maximum of 7 available seats (not 9). Others only show a maximum of 5.
- Some carriers use "L" instead of "0" (e.g., CL DL YL) to indicate you may waitlist for the seat. This tends to happen when the entire flight is on a list basis.
Help to check BA seat availability and BA flight loads
#2072
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 270
Yes, our child and I already assigned 2F and G, but my partner hasn’t been assigned as he’s on a different booking. All the blocked seats are open now and it seems we have a good chance to get 2E when OLCI open.
#2073
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 6
Hi, Could someone please take a look at the load for BA55 for the 17th July - looks like its a very busy one
#2076
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: oak/sfo
Programs: BA Silver, AF Silver
Posts: 225
Hi Can someone please look at the load on BA 278 SJC-LHR on July 14.
Thanks.
Thanks.
#2078
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 36
Lhr - lax a380
Hi fellow flyers!
We are flying LHR-LAX on september on the A380. I was just wondering do any of you know how full these LAX flights usually are in september?
Have a nice summer
We are flying LHR-LAX on september on the A380. I was just wondering do any of you know how full these LAX flights usually are in september?
Have a nice summer
#2080
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,196
if you give the date and flight number some people can do a search on expert flyer.
#2081
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK / Pasadena CA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,311
I guess it's variable and dependent on cabin but it is an extremely busy route and in my experience F and J are nearly always full. WT+ likewise because it's small cabin. Can't speak for Y. If the query is about seat pre-allocation, a fair proportion of people are put off by the high charge and do not pay to reserve seats. For a family party it's a hefty chunk of £££. So, if you are not overly fussy about where you sit and don't mind a bit of a gamble, my instinct is to say you should be able to get tolerable seats at check-in. If it's really important to you to have one of the better seats, or seat a party together, you'd probably need to cough up and reserve. That's only one opinion - but as I say, it is a busy route.
#2082
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 52
Anyone knows loads on BA1502 (AA 135: LHR-LAX) on July 19?
Many many thanks!
Many many thanks!
#2083
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 208
Could someone post the load for BA212 (BOS-LHR) on 2018-08-17?
cheers!
cheers!
#2084
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Windsor Berkshire
Programs: BA Silver, VS, Carlson, IHG Gold
Posts: 100
Could someone help with BA0009 July 12th?