GaxxyFlyer

As it turns out i couldn't select the first cabin for them anyway. Maybe because they're blue? Either way I got an error when attempting to confirm seats. They'll have to wait until check-in.

corporate-wage-slave

The thing we don't know is exactly how overfull WT is (so historic sales), and the roll forwards from that cabin, given the equipment change from an aircraft which was
40CW / 24W / 219 WT = 283 passengers [or something similar, there are 3 x 3 class variants at LGW]
and is now
14F+48J=62CW / 40WTP / 124 WT = 226 passengers

So if (speculating) they sold 180 seats or so in WT, 20 in WTP, then anything over 12 in CW would lead to a Flub cabin. And BA have been selling very competitive WT and WTP fares to FLL as the Chief Exec regularly reminds us.

So the side effect of DY on FLL is Flub Class for some.

Can I help you

GaxxyFlyer

Can I help you

Which seats have you chosen for them, it looks like 13AB, 11JK would be better.

corporate-wage-slave

I think we've seen this before - it maybe a restriction on the passenger side of Manage My Booking / BA.com, a kind of furdge to get it to display. I can't recall many stories of people getting it to work and then stick via MMB, so the airport negotiation may be a better bet. This is how it looks on ExpertFlyer

Row 15 is still empty too.

GaxxyFlyer

I have actually moved them to 11 to give mother a better, more wing free view. CWS, I would have gone for row 15 myself but mother wants a view. When they wake up I'll make sure I explain the virtues of direct aisle access and leave it to them.

corporate-wage-slave

On that particular aircraft there is a view in row 15, the wing starts at row 11, so given a rearwards view most of the wing is out of the way. Row 11 has about half a view, row 13 is the worst. This is because First takes all the space forward from door 2.

EDIT: I found this photo on an external site. Look at door 3, WTP has 5 windows left of door 3, then it's row 15 looking backwards.
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8872931

brunos

A general question.
When BA opens at OLCI the F section for J seat assignment, would they kick you out afterwards?
I understand that they might not open those seats at OLCI, even if they show on the cheackin map, but what if you manage to get one?
My main experience is with CX where it is quite frequent that they operate a 4-class ac on regional route where they don't sell F. If the flight is heavily loaded, they would open the F seats at OLCI (for status pax) and then they won't move you. Sometimes the F seats can only be assigned at airport. Sometimes the F cabin is closed.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes they would move you if CW wasn't full. OK, there may be exceptions, but generally what would happen is that the airport staff would move you to any available CW seat at that point. The reason being that having people in First unnecessarily would tie down crew inefficiently, and they wouldn't have extra crew provided for this, particularly not from downroute.

brunos

Ineresting.
To continue with my parallel, I was chatting with a CX outstation manager where they often get the 4-class ac sub. He said that a primary question is crew. if the crew from the day before has full complement, CX system opens the F cabin. In part, that is an appreciated "reward" for OWE. But once a F seat is assigned, they would honor it, unless unexpected staffing crisis.

What surprises me, from what I guess in this thread, is that BA seems to have the policy to systematically open the F section at OLCI and then move pax back to J section if they don't need these seats. That seems strange or at least very inefficient and frustrating. I understand that CX faces the situation far more often than BA and therefore developed better IT software to deal with it.

makin'miles

BA are actually in this situation relatively frequently. Take a look at a route like YYC, where a four-class 789 replaces the planned three-class 788 almost half the time in recent months.

I don't believe that BA always open the F seats - it seems that they only do if its borderline (or required). What I don't understand is why they open them if they are not sure - it just disappoints customers, which shouldn't be an own-goal.

Frankly, I'm surprised that BA hasn't monetized this yet.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, that is very much the position though there are more reports of people seeing some extra seats in MMB that reports of people successfully moving into them, and fewer reports still of it sticking. I think I can guess why: for MMB purposes they need to offer a seat to everyone doing OLCI otherwise check-in won't complete, so these extra seats are perhaps notional for that purpose. But notional First seats switched at the airport for a middle, middle, middle 777 isn't going to create lasting happiness for many passengers.

Yes, very true. If BA - given that this is, as you say, an ongoing problem that will last for quite some time (and is even embedded in the LGW, 777, 787 combinations) - they really ought to roll over and simply charge Ł200 (?) via an email/SMS alert per Flub seat to cover staffing costs. They usually have a few days to plan this too, in terms of staffing on the one night trips that cabin crew get to much of North America, for example.

GaxxyFlyer

Thank you everyone for your advice. Parents are at the airport with the row one window seats booked. They were initially concerned about not sitting together but after I told them about the buddy seat I think they're happier. I'm sure they're going to have a great flight!

Foofighter69