FT01

Hi,

Can someone advise on this please?

I am looking to book thru BA (as silver) but fly on AA, LHR-ORD, then ORD-EDI on the return.

The price is showing £485 when booked thru BA, but over £600 on AA site.

is this because AA will charge me for the MCE seat (which was always 'free' in the past) because of their new fare setup, I.e basic economy, main cabin etc?
Or will I still get my free MCE because of my silver?

If I do the booking thru Google flights and go thru the AA website, it wants to charge me for the MCE seat even after I've put in my BA exec number, which it didn't used to do.

any help is greatly appreciated

Vasco Pridat

Is it a basic economy fare? Then you will always be charged for seat no matter how you book.
If not. At least as gold I can always get any free y seat thru the AA ap after I receive booking code.

FT01

This is my issue. With BA, it is just a standard 'economy' fare. No 'basic' or any of that stuff. Which, in the past, has given me the MCE for free.
But then the fares on the AA website have normally been within 5-10% of the BA price, sometimes actually cheaper.

The difference between the two prices is what's giving me the concern. As in, will the BA 'economy' fare be classed as AA 'basic economy', rather than 'main cabin', where my silver/sapphire status would give me the MCE seat free. At £130 difference, one would tend to think AA are classing the BA fare as their 'basic' equivalent, no?
I should really call them, but I'm abroad and that would be costly and irritating with the 2 second delay on the line (satellite phone).

For what it's worth, the BA site is showing that I'd be entitled to the full cabin baggage allowance, as well as a checked bag. So would that lean towards being a full 'main cabin' ticket on AA?

Airprox

Could you give us the dates and we can take a look?

Mirp

I've booked AA Basic Economy Fares on the BA site and as BA Silver I have been auto assigned MCE. When I go to MMB in AA I can change to other MCE seats but there is a charge for regular economy seats even in the middle. No charge for MCE or Exit seats.

I have not travelled yet.

The prices were the same on AA and BA. I chose to book BA to get seat choice. I have no checked luggage allowance.

xenole

If push comes to shove, book the cheaper fare through BA and if it doesn't let you choose a seat without charge, cancel within 24hrs.

I just paid the extra £50 for my AA fare through BA.com. Makes sure I get the 12500 Avios that will give me a greater return than £50.
Didn't want to take my own suggestion above especially if prices and availability could change in the meantime, and if you've the funds to make another booking before the refund comes through.

FT01

LHR - ORD - 26/01/19
ORD - EDI - 09/02/19

AA 87
AA 46
BA 1446

Thanks

FT01

This seems to be the exact opposite of what I'm seeing then.
I don't get any option to choose 'basic' or 'main cabin' on the BA site. Just 'economy' or 'business' (on AA flights).

I did actually call them just now. The lady (who was very helpful in researching alternatives that would eliminate the uncertainty) said she is "90% sure" the economy fare booked on BA would NOT allow me to select an MCE seat for free. And that my checked baggage allowance was showing because the BA economy baggage entitlement, for an economy fare, is 1 checked bag, rather than because that BA fare is the equivalent of a 'main cabin' AA fare.

Airprox

The £80 difference between the two is made up of £5 extra in fare (AA is only selling a V class for the return instead of S), and £75 extra "Carrier Surcharge" for booking on the AA codes, whereas usually BA's are higher. So it isn't that AA is trying to charge you for MCE seats, their total price is that much higher regardless of what seats you would choose.

It is very difficult to be certain about how exactly the booking will translate to AA when on the BA codeshares, but as far as I can see it looks like a normal regular economy class fare, booked into normal fare classes, with a baggage allowance etc, and therefore should allow you normal seat selection benefits once the booking is made.

I would echo what xenole said above, you should book and then if it doesn't work you can cancel within the cooling off period. If this is done promtly then usually BA won't even complete the transaction on your credit card and it will just disappear.

Often1

The easiest way to determine whether this is BE or Y is to look at the fare rules relating to cancellations and changes. BE is wholly inflexible, e.g., not changeable with a fee. Other discounted Y fares are penalty fares, e.g., they will be changeable for a fee. This is by far the most important thing to know before or at least within 24 hours of booking.