Having just commented on another thread that I've always managed to get non-status friends / family seated next to me in CE row 1 via a TCP (gold benefit) I have just tried to do this again for a (blue) family member travelling in CE and was point blank refused by the agent. Apparently 'lots of gold members have been complaining that they can't get row 1 as non-status passengers are sitting there'. Really? How do these complaining gold members know whether or not a passenger in row 1 is gold, non-gold on the same PNR as a gold member or seated there through TCP? Apparently this is not a new rule but 'quite a few have been slipping through so it's up to agent vigilance to prevent it'. Nothing in the gold benefits info about any restriction here (the only restriction is on row 1 in First) - I'm going to call again and see if I get a different answer!

This whole thing is, frankly, rather bizarre and must produce some odd outcomes...I can see how it makes some sense of more status-heavy or business routes, but for some leisure routes it's mad...essentially assuming that every flight to ACE/TFS/Greek Islands would necessarily have a GGL or a "two-Gold" family in CE failing which (assuming family groups elect to sit together) Row 1 remains empty? Weird.


Also...the idea that lots of Golds had been complaining because other Golds were booking their non-Gold travel companions into Row 1 ahead of them is laughable. Really? How would they even know? And seriously...first world problem!


Potential solution to try (crudely) to differentiate between business routes where you might want to enforce this and leisure routes where perhaps you don't...restrict the Gold benefit to allocate Row 1 to travel companions to only include members of Household Accounts or those on "Friends & Family" list? Would cut out the problem on business routes of Gold X booking self plus 3 (non-status) colleagues into Row 1, without denying Row 1 to a Gold plus (non-Gold) partner on a holiday flight...


just a thought

Very odd - just seen this thread.

Booked my family of 4 into Row 1 LHR-GVA-LHR with no problems (1xGGL, 1xG, 2xS) in April 2017 for Dec 2017 flight.
Should I be concerned that my family could now be moved from Row 1?

I'm worried too, I have 4 row 1 seats booked for my family in a few months time.

One PNR isn't the issue. I think it's TCP where problems arise and there is a manual aspect to that. I've seen a number of threads where TCP and row 1 hasn't been allowed, and therefore that is unlikely to be a random or rogue agent. On the other hand, the marvels of TS and the countdown from T-72 to T-1 may well give options for row 1 anyway. TS, is, however bad news overall for those one separate reservations, as noted in the main thread on this topic.

In April I booked myself and my wife into row 1 on a LED-LHR reward flight which we flew last Thursday. At the time I was Gold and she was and is still Silver. I since soft-landed to Silver but our seats remained untouched and we flew in them.

Yes, just TCP is the issue. It's strange though, as I've not had a problem before and I see from another thread that success has been reported as recently as yesterday. The gold benefits page notes no such restriction. From https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb.../gold-benefits

"Free seat selection from the time of booking for your whole party on British Airways flights – even friends and family on other bookings, as long as they’re in the same travel class and on the same flight plus exclusive access to 1A and 1K when travelling in First for the Gold Member only"

I had an agent a few weeks ago who was apprehensive (but put the request through anyway) to move a silver card holder to sit with me in row 2 when the front three rows were available for golds only

By way of follow-up to this, despite the agent saying she would not put a request through for my (blue) travelling companion to sit next to me in 1C (she suggested behind me in 2A as an alternative!) I was surprised to see a notification from MyFlights just now showing that my companion has indeed been allocated 1C. So clearly the agent did put the request through, and seating have honoured it :D

What is the problem?
 

Thanks to yet another cancellation with the mighty American Airlines and a complete lack of information regarding alternatives, BA rescued me (they had ticketed me) and thus I was in a flight from MAN - LHR at 8.30am. I was in row 2. I would have been led to believe that I would be squashed, pinched, and that putting the tray down was night impossible.

What Tommyrot. There was plenty of room ahead of me and more than enough space when they table was unfolded. I really feel now that the only good reason for insisting on Row 1 is to be able to snag the best choice of food. I had no problem whatsoever, but then I am not fat nor have the legs of a colossus. My list of what I can find to complain about on Flyertalk diminishes.

I'm a lowly blue and I recently booked myself an Avios redemption in CE LHR-CDG about 3.5 hrs from departure. I was able to select 1A for myself at OLCI which I did using the app on my way to the airport.

Is this normal or was I just lucky?

Well quite. I want one of the three ploughman's salads they load for a cabin of 20...

Normal. Front row reservation for Emeralds fades out at a point between 72 and 1 hour. TS is constantly working in the background and will offer row 1 if it think it is a good idea.

Wife booked avios reward flights in CE - no status. Initially a charge for seat selection row one blocked off.

She then registered her special assistants request - as expected seat assignment was then free. She was automatically allocated row 1 on all four flights - this was 4 weeks out.