It's interesting you mention whoever had the shiniest card. If 2DF are deemed the better seats on the GATx aircraft then I'm wondering why weren't 2DF seat shifted back to row 5 in order to make way for 1A man if these suddenly became the best seats in the bus? Unless 2DF status/CIV trumped that of the OP possibly and why he lost out. I fly this route 5-6 times a year and as a gold (with a mediocre CIV) moved from 1F to 4C in this situation. Presumably as that was the furthest forward seat available. This is why I always try and select 1AC in the first place now - to reduce chances of the 1DF effect, although in my personal experience I more often then not end up on ex BMI birds..... luck of the draw I guess....

They don't want to move people unless necessary. Look at OPs (understandable) irritation at being moved. If BA shuffled the whole cabin that would multiply quickly.

The only time it has happened to me was when I was in 1A and the placed an unaccompanied girl in that row. It was explained to me that I had to be moved into another row as they could not place her next to a strange male passenger. I was a little miffed but got over it in about 2 mins.

A Queens Messenger maybe?

I believe they can move and do move for that. Actually does that roll still exist?

Did he have a document case chained to his wrist?

I already mentioned this on an other thread, but just briefly, on a return from IST>LHR we had 1A&C booked for many months in CE. Day before we mysteriously got moved to Row 7. To cut a long story short the Man who got our seats (with one blocked) was a Premier/VIP (Black Icon on the iPad). We were both Gold.

Actually, in a situation like this then yes, the whole cabin should move back one row in my opinion! No one is Row 2-6 is really going to be bothered a 1 Row change. Whereas us moving back 6 Rows was actually quite annoying! We got 5,000 SR each anyhow after complaining.

Like it or not there will always be occasions when there is someone commercially or politically more important on the plane that results in seats being shifted (and I say this as a GGL member). It's just a fact of life that one is going to get moved into possibly a less desirable seat when this does happen.

Just to update on this, for completeness. After some to-ing and fro-ing of emails, BA have offered a small amount of Avios to resolve the complaint. I am happy with the offer and can at least now draw a line under this.

Thanks as always for advice from FTers.

BA have chosen to engineer incredible complexity into almost all areas of their business.

Take EasyJet. Pay you get it. Finished.

BA ( and i will probably only give half the real complexity)

- theoretical seating ( which amounts other things changes the seat map each time you choose to book a seat)
- free seating by status
- free seating by class ( first)
- holding front rows for Gold and other decent seats ( 747 upper deck)
- equipment change ( the Locos run almost a single fleet - 319 / 320)
- no seat selection at all ( basic fares)
- dealing with the fall out in terms of customer calls, complaints when the above complex system goes wrong.

And I have no doubt that I have missed off at least as many other seating permutations.

If they want to complete with the Loco ( they clearly do) then the sheer level of complexity in one area of their business - bums on seats - says it all. Take ticketing ... a loco - you have a booking ref. Done. BA - ticketing, ticketing delays, cancelled as more than 7 days has past re the CVV .... complexity complexity complexity and every opportunity to mess it up and result in unhappy customers ....

That's one of the problems when you run 4 class aircraft. The guys paying big money for F seats expect to trump the others on the occasional short haul.