LTN Phobia

I am certainly not disputing that at all, but I wanted to make a point that staff travel is not all advantages and no disadvantages like some people seem to think.

I do not really like seeing the general anti-staff undertone (including what I could call conspiracy theories to work things to their advantage at the cost of their customers) that is often seen in various threads because it's not really fair on individual staff members that contribute here to be tarnished (not by you, just the general feelings that I get from time to time) that way.

BOH

Things may have changed now but an ex-GF of mine 10 years ago was LGW long-haul CC for BA. She always used to say if "you knew the right people" - and of course this was more likely if you had been there a good few years, then favours could be done regarding seating and getting upgraded when staff or family members traveled privately. Whether this extended to getting paying passengers moved out of their seats I have no idea but she said it certainly would mean upgrades at the gate or once on-board. Particularly the ex BCAL staff who were a close family and tended to stick together for some years after the takeover....and favours would be done!

Personally I don't have a problem with this provided paying pax don't get inconvenienced. Although as happened to the OP, to move paying GCHs out of their seats in order to give those to staff members simply because they were staff members is not on - if this was the reason. I also couldn't care if BA staff members get upgraded at the gate or once on board if there is space because BA have a policy of not freely dishing out upgrades to pax just because there is space. Good for the staff to get an occasional perk ^

cgtechuk

When you fly in Y or W and you can have an exit row with unlimited leg room at the aisle or window then that is a world of difference from the middle seat of 4 at the back of the plane and I doubt you would disagree. not everyone is in J.

flyuk

You fly staff and you certainly take the rough with the smooth. Watching your aircraft leave and having to find last minute accommodation, sitting on broken chairs on long haul flights, having no IFE, being forced to purchase tickets at "on the day walk up prices" because your flight is cancelled and you are not entitled to any other routing assistance.

Also, you've not experienced staff standby flying until you've been sat refreshing your phone at T5 waiting to see if you're onloaded, while your partner gives you stink-eye...

Tobias-UK

Even worse. Flying a full MAN-LHR on Friday morning after everyone appeared to have boarded, the senior gate agent came on board to talk to the cabin crew member sat behind me in 2D (who was on her way to work). She was told that a passenger had turned up late and she would have to surrender her seat. Her response was "don't worry, they said at the desk the flight was oversold and this might happen". Off she went and on came a young fellow, delighted with his upgrade.

Tobias-UK

So definitely not staff. The person occupying your seat was clearly a Premier Cardholder, and if you were moved for them that is likely a Premier who was also a VVIP. You would likely have been moved by a senior member of the Concorde Team (fka Special Services) in London.

NorthUistFlyer

On my way to Amsterdam today - Seat was changed yesterday and Staff were in the exit row on the flight today - from what I can see BA moved the Business Cabin rearwards and then brought it forwards and didn't rectify the mess they created in the first place with the initial move. The process seems to be rather broken as it happens quite regularly and there is nothing in the process to move people back when it happens. Result is a lot of unhappy freq travelers. Not sure of the answer here but some tracking and automated move on the reversal would make sense. Whether it is achievable is another matter.

cheshirepete

It means Premier on the iPAD, if you get chatty enough to see it! Which is strictly forbidden :-O The seat map shows your status as a colour, the obvious ones Silver, Gold, and Black is Premier. It also displays your 'Number', which is a value to what your worth to BA.

Yes, I agree, there's always a bigger fish than you is my thinking! Obviously it's not 'official' BA policy to move a passenger based on status. But, in the general theme of this thread, if anyone has any doubt that certain BA staff can pull 'a fast one', and log it under the reason of 'Operational' , then don't have that doubt!

Tobias-UK

You will note above that a staffer has already indicated only certain staff have the ability to access the seat map to make changes, and even then they would not be permitted to use that power for the benefit of staff. In your example, the movement was almost certainly made by Special Services, who do have that power within strict policy. I suspect your seat was taken for a VVIP (and not just a 'regular' Premier cardholder).

cheshirepete

Yes I understand this, I should have said have no doubt that 'some' BA personnel, such as SS, can indeed dump you out of your seat. Which again is not in the BA t&c's, it's strictly first come first served. But like any 'Special Services', they have powers above and beyond!

My point might be, don't log it as 'Operational' and then create a mystery. Log it as something else, and compensate the unfortunate recipients due to VIP reasons. I'd accept that, but not the clandestine run-around I was given whereby BA Staff in the UK were trying to blame the Istanbul ground staff. It was a complete lie.

FeedbirdNiner

I hope that's not very common, it is a colossally bad way to treat Bronze/Silver/Golds/GGL etc.

WRT to the main issue, if as you note Tobias, certain staff have the ability to do it, then I would suggest it will happen. In an organisation and big and busy as BA, some staff will get into habits that fall outside the SOPs.

All the more reason for OP to raise the issue with CS and have it looked at.

ilcannone

I had a feeling my comment would ruffle some feathers here. Can't say I'm surprised, however.

Mobility issues I could totally understand the frustration, but for most other things (perhaps except children...just about...) I see it as being a just grin and bear it kind of thing. True, the point of seat selection is for choosing your preferred seat, but GUARANTEED surely is different from preferred...no?

All well and good, but I find those who care TOO much to be the worst offenders in this kind of thing. Fair point about the cabin differences too, but it seems to me that unless one goes DOWN a cabin, then what is realistically the issue of complaining about it? I mean, I'm not overly fussy myself so whatever, I can't expect everyone to be like me, but it does seem a bit..silly.

Well, as far as I'm concerned, that's ultimately the passenger's choice, not the airline, to pay for such a thing.

I've never doubted the importance of such services rendered with flying, it's always nice to have a choice. But again, as mentioned before, unless one moves down a cabin, I don't really see the big deal personally. Especially when it's not THAT long of a flight.

Not sure if the 'not travel much' thing is meant to be a swipe at me or not (I'm willing to be corrected on that matter), but I'm far from being an ignorant flyer.

However, whilst the traveller is not wrong for what the airline does when things go to pot, but at the end of the day, one gets the same kind of seat (at least in cabin class, possibly even position i.e. aisle, window, etc) and it gets you to your destination...so what else does one want? personal escorting to one's seat?

I don't know what Y and W are, quite frankly, but exactly my point, not everyone gets to fly in the premium cabins, yet it's those who do fly in these cabins who complain the most. Yes, no doubt some have spent a fortune on their tickets or a lot of miles or whatever, but that's, presumably, their choice. Unless for business etc.


As far as I'm concerned, I can't say I'm like a vast majority on here - I don't fly premium cabins (the very few times I have were out of pure luck), I don't make a fuss about where to sit (sure I have my preferences but I can't say I make a song and dance about not getting my choice), I don't even expect a great deal from any airline bar getting me from A to B, and it strikes me that many people here are...well...quite the opposite. But hey, that's just my opinion...no doubt unpopular, but still.

Rassalas

This whole query sounds territorial.

Tobias-UK

Quite! Although I suspect it isn't intended to be.

@Rassalas thank you for breaking your duck! I see you've been a member here for sometime but glad you've come out of lurkerdom to join in. Now that you have broken that duck, I look forward to hearing more from you ^

binman

The issue with seat changes is that they are not rare as BA would like to pretend. They are regular and random. Until very recently they were also not communicated though I think this is changing.

Staff do not always travel standby, it depends on their ticket. Some must travel but can be downgraded, some must travel and cannot be downgraded. Others may be booked as the load allows this and even those on standby would be accepted at check in if the space was available.

What is absolutely certain is that passengers do get moved for no good reason. Even as a gold I have been turfed out of 1AK without any communication only to find the seat occupied by another. I have never experienced the level of changes on any other carrier I get on BA. I have a flight this weekend and the seats have been altered 4 times in the last month with only the last change communicated.