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Help to check BA seat availability and BA flight loads

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Old Jul 9, 2017, 11:09 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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
  • 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.
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Help to check BA seat availability and BA flight loads

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Old Oct 24, 2018, 8:58 am
  #2566  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London
Programs: Many. Too many. I came here to cut them down. I failed.
Posts: 2,999
Originally Posted by Castle25
Please can someone check BA107 LHR-DXB Fri 26 Oct

thanks
Is it half term week

1 LHR DXB 1255 2305
BA 107 F4 A2 J3 C0 DC RC IC W1 EC TC Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 LC VC SC NC QC OC G0
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 2:55 pm
  #2567  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 456
Help With Availability Please

Please could someone check the loading on BA0295 LHR-ORD on 31 October. I'm particularly interested in J and F. Many thanks
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 2:59 pm
  #2568  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 5,380
Originally Posted by Definitas
Please could someone check the loading on BA0295 LHR-ORD on 31 October. I'm particularly interested in J and F. Many thanks
Here you go:

BA 295
LHR
10/31/18 12:10 PM
ORD
10/31/18 4:05 PM
744
F5 A4 J9 C2 D2 R0 I0 W5 E0 T0 Y9 B9 H9 K7 M6 L4 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 G1
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 1:40 am
  #2569  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 456
Seat Availability

Originally Posted by Flexible preferences
Here you go:

BA 295
LHR
10/31/18 12:10 PM
ORD
10/31/18 4:05 PM
744
F5 A4 J9 C2 D2 R0 I0 W5 E0 T0 Y9 B9 H9 K7 M6 L4 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 G1
many thanks for that. I’ve requested to apply a space available upgrade voucher from J to F outbound and am keeping fingers crossed those 5 seats remain available
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 5:52 am
  #2570  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: London / Brighton
Programs: BAEC Gold / M-Life Gold / HH Diamond
Posts: 1,634
Originally Posted by Definitas
I’ve requested to apply a space available upgrade voucher from J to F outbound and am keeping fingers crossed those 5 seats remain available
I've never heard of one of these before (my bolding) - is it new?
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 7:50 am
  #2571  
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 456
Space Available Upgrade

Originally Posted by Lucanesque
I've never heard of one of these before (my bolding) - is it new?
Space Available

I'm afraid I have no idea. It was given to me due to a previous issue. It is valid for a single cabin upgrade (e.g. economy to WT+,) I am in CW and hoping to go up to F. It is only valid on a single leg and BA reserve the right not to allow it even if seats in the requested cabin are available so I'm just keeping fingers crossed. Apparently a decision will be made at check in.
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 10:28 am
  #2572  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,087
EClub World
From October 28, the revised Club World service standards will launch
on all LHR longhaul routes that currently have the transforming club
world service including new routes - ABV, ACC, BKK, DUR, KUL, LOS,
NBO, PEK, PVG.

DOH, ICN & Mid-haul routes - AMM, BEY, CAI, DME, DOH, ICN, IKA, SVO,
TLV will launch in December.
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 10:28 am
  #2573  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,087
Originally Posted by Can I help you
C
Club World
From October 28, the revised Club World service standards will launch
on all LHR longhaul routes that currently have the transforming club
world service including new routes - ABV, ACC, BKK, DUR, KUL, LOS,
NBO, PEK, PVG.

DOH, ICN & Mid-haul routes - AMM, BEY, CAI, DME, DOH, ICN, IKA, SVO,
TLV will launch in December.
Can I help you is offline  
Old Oct 26, 2018, 10:36 am
  #2574  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,766
Originally Posted by Lucanesque
I've never heard of one of these before (my bolding) - is it new?
Nope, they are at least 30 years old.
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Oct 27, 2018, 8:48 am
  #2575  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: London / Brighton
Programs: BAEC Gold / M-Life Gold / HH Diamond
Posts: 1,634
Originally Posted by Definitas

Space Available

I'm afraid I have no idea. It was given to me due to a previous issue.
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Nope, they are at least 30 years old.
So, something that is only given out by BA as part of compensation, rather than something that can be earned?
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 12:06 pm
  #2576  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,766
Originally Posted by Lucanesque
So, something that is only given out by BA as part of compensation, rather than something that can be earned?
There are GUFs which can be earnt the hard way, which are in a way "space available" rather than the compensation sort of SAU, but that is effectively being on standby for the higher cabin. I think they can also be awarded for good citizenship, for want of a better phrase, for example if you assist BA cabin crew in an incident, and I think some of the LAS fire evacuation passengers got them in lieu of the Gold card offer.
Lucanesque likes this.
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Old Oct 27, 2018, 11:29 pm
  #2577  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold/ All the AMEX Plat things
Posts: 195
Please could someone check the loading on BA0794 LHR-HEL on 28.10.18. The flight looks full and it would suit me better to travel on the later flight if they are looking for volunteers.
Finavia is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2018, 2:33 am
  #2578  
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,766
Originally Posted by Finavia
Please could someone check the loading on BA0794 LHR-HEL on 28.10.18. The flight looks full and it would suit me better to travel on the later flight if they are looking for volunteers.
It's nearly, but not completely full, my reckoning is that this flight will go out with about 2 spare seats between CE and ET. More if some connecting passengers don't make it in time.
J2 C0 D0 R0 I0 Y1 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
corporate-wage-slave is online now  
Old Oct 28, 2018, 8:47 am
  #2579  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold/ All the AMEX Plat things
Posts: 195
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
It's nearly, but not completely full, my reckoning is that this flight will go out with about 2 spare seats between CE and ET. More if some connecting passengers don't make it in time.
J2 C0 D0 R0 I0 Y1 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 V0 N0 O0 Q0 S0 G0
It was full but not over sold, maybe 2 free seats. I was hoping for it to be over sold as the later flight would have suited me better, but hey ho, I’m here in cold Helsinki now. Thanks for checking, very much appreciated.
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Old Oct 29, 2018, 6:54 am
  #2580  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: Gold Actually
Posts: 271
Please can someone check BA 80 MCT-LHR on Thur 1st Nov

thanks
Castle25 is offline  


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