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-   -   Bronze: 7 day seat selection query (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1886613-bronze-7-day-seat-selection-query.html)

mikem004 Jan 6, 2018 6:09 am

Bronze: 7 day seat selection query
 
I have recently (last November) reached Bronze status.
I understand that this means I can now choose my seat for free, 7 days before departure.
Will BA automatically send me an email about this, at T-7 days? Or must I actively go in and do this myself in MMB?
Departing LHR-LAS, 13 Jan at 12:15. No sign of an email yet and no record of an allocated seat on the itinerary in MMB.

Globaliser Jan 6, 2018 6:12 am


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257221)
Will BA automatically send me an email about this, at T-7 days? Or must I actively go in and do this myself in MMB?

No email, and no automatic selection: you must do it yourself, otherwise you will still have no pre-allocated seat.

You should get the standard "services" reminder email at 5 days before the flight, but that is the same email that is sent to everyone rather than having anything to do with Bronze seat selection.

DG55 Jan 6, 2018 6:13 am

They wont send you an email. Simply login to manage my booking at exactly T-7 days local to the timezone of the departure airport and go to the seating button/tab, and instead of asking you to pay it will allow you to choose seats for free.

Unless your bronze status hasn't registered on the booking, in which case thats another matter. I assume in that case I would give them a call to do it.

BAW845_Matt Jan 6, 2018 6:38 am

As someone who's going to be Bronze for 3 out of 4 years in a row (with one solitary year as Silver), this has been by far the best benefit. Create a reminder on your phone at T-7 from the local departure time and select from there.

I've often noticed the map looks very different at that point compared to anything before it too. Flying back from JFK a couple of weeks ago and the seat map showed the upper deck completely full since booking. At T-7 I was able to snag 64K. Very glad I didn't stump up the £70/80 for a lower deck seat in advance.

corporate-wage-slave Jan 6, 2018 6:38 am

Also note that you may not have a huge selection of seats available, still it's important to select the best you can. At T-72 hours it's possible some better options will show up. Rinse and repeat, including after OLCI (provided you don't print / app your boarding pass).

mikem004 Jan 6, 2018 7:19 am

I have been allocated 13E in WTP on BA271. This is a middle seat. There are only three other possible options, all middle seats.
Looks like I might have missed a trick here. Especially as I am connecting to LHR on an earlier flight 09:20 from LBA. Maybe I could have beaten the ex-LHR passengers if I had logged in to MMB earlier?
I am a bit disappointed. For all my previous BA flights in Economy I have been automatically allocated an Aisle seat, as per the preference in my profile. But the WTP cabin is smaller, with less free options.

Takiteasy Jan 6, 2018 7:59 am


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257394)
I have been allocated 13E in WTP on BA271. This is a middle seat. There are only three other possible options, all middle seats.
Looks like I might have missed a trick here. Especially as I am connecting to LHR on an earlier flight 09:20 from LBA. Maybe I could have beaten the ex-LHR passengers if I had logged in to MMB earlier?
I am a bit disappointed. For all my previous BA flights in Economy I have been automatically allocated an Aisle seat, as per the preference in my profile. But the WTP cabin is smaller, with less free options.

Indeed the cabin looks quite full. The WTP cabin is very small which is part of the explanation. Aisle seats 11J and 12 D however look free and not status blocked. 13E also shows free which is odd given you are using this one...

mikem004 Jan 6, 2018 8:44 am

>Aisle seats 11J and 12 D however look free and not status blocked. 13E also shows free which is odd given you are using this one...<
I haven't actively confirmed that I want 13E. Any of the alternative seats I could be allocated to would not be less desirable to me.
Only free seats in MMB are 14E,15E,15F. 11J and 12D are not available for me to choose.

LordBuckethead Jan 6, 2018 3:24 pm


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257617)
11J and 12D are not available for me to choose.

Bronze selection is from a limited range of seats, not everything: anything remotely 'premium' is still chargeable, as is anything currently blocked for Theoretical Seating for G/S cards. They will probably become available at -72, -24 or if all else fails at the check-in desk.

Globaliser Jan 6, 2018 5:08 pm


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257394)
I have been allocated 13E in WTP on BA271.


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257617)
I haven't actively confirmed that I want 13E.

If you have not confirmed the seat you have been offered, you have not been allocated it; it is only an offer. If you do not confirm a seat now, you could find that all of the available seats will be taken by others, leaving you with nothing to select until OLCI.

If all of the seats on offer are poor, that may not be something to be disappointed about. But you do need to be aware that being offered 13E is only that unless/until you confirm it and it shows as your seat allocation in the main MMB page.

Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29257394)
Looks like I might have missed a trick here. Especially as I am connecting to LHR on an earlier flight 09:20 from LBA. Maybe I could have beaten the ex-LHR passengers if I had logged in to MMB earlier?

No. Bronze seat pre-allocation is timed to T-7d from flight departure, to the second. Being on a connecting itinerary doesn't give you earlier access to this.

The benefit of connecting is only for OLCI.

However, looking at the timings of your posts, I suspect you may have missed a trick by not logging on at 1215 today, and only posting about this at 1309. By 1419 (when you posted again), other Bronzes will already have had two hours to pick up seats. You and we will never know whether or not you missed out on anything by delaying.

Another lesson for next time: it is worth keeping track of which seats are still available during the period before the T-7d point. If there are lots of good seats still left, it may be less risky to leave it until T-7d. However, if the cabin looks like it is already getting very full, then there may be an argument for paying for seat pre-allocation to get something you like, and foregoing the benefit of free pre-allocation to minimise the risk of not getting anything decent.

mikem004 Jan 7, 2018 4:54 am

Yes. I was naively expecting an email at T-7 days, inviting me as a Bronze to select my preferred seat.

George K Jan 7, 2018 7:12 am


Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 29257289)
Rinse and repeat, including after OLCI (provided you don't print / app your boarding pass).

Apologies if I misinterpreted this last part, but what does printing the BP (or saving it in the app Wallet) prevent you from doing exactly?

windowontheAside Jan 7, 2018 7:21 am


Originally Posted by George Kyriakos (Post 29261031)
Apologies if I misinterpreted this last part, but what does printing the BP (or saving it in the app Wallet) prevent you from doing exactly?

It stops you changing to a better seat, should one become available.

BESTEDIFLYER Jan 8, 2018 3:01 pm

Keep checking as things do change.I recently picked seats at -7days checked at -72 hours and found I had been moved but original seats were still available so re-selected them. Must say that I have had a better choice in seats as a Bronze than I did as Silver.

JAXBA Jan 8, 2018 3:15 pm


Originally Posted by mikem004 (Post 29260701)
Yes. I was naively expecting an email at T-7 days, inviting me as a Bronze to select my preferred seat.

Bless.

BA's emails can be erratic, with receipts being delayed/missed/incomplete yet generic 'Prepare for your upcoming flight' emails being sent months in advance…

I think the best you can manage is to use the functions within your email account that can create a calendar item (or to download the calendar items from BA.com/MMB) and then set your own reminders for T-7, T-24h, etc. as you feel appropriate.


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