BA deliberately separating parties to fuel seat charges?
Nov 4, 2018, 2:05 am
#16
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Nov 4, 2018, 2:56 am
#18
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"Where was the option to get this discount? BA didn't make it clear on the booking page. I've ended up paying more than I wanted to because I never wanted seat selection, yet I've been tricked into paying a stealth fee!"
Nov 4, 2018, 3:09 am
#19
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Originally posted by Globaliser:
"Where was the option to get this discount? BA didn't make it clear on the booking page. I've ended up paying more than I wanted to because I never wanted seat selection, yet I've been tricked into paying a stealth fee!"
"Where was the option to get this discount? BA didn't make it clear on the booking page. I've ended up paying more than I wanted to because I never wanted seat selection, yet I've been tricked into paying a stealth fee!"
Last edited by RGS5526; Nov 4, 2018 at 3:09 am Reason: Forgot to highlight the quote.
Nov 4, 2018, 4:09 am
#20
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As a general rule I tend to give these stories a very wide berth.
However, my in laws have literally just landed having flown GLA-LHR-HKG in J, the latter segment on the A380. I booked their tickets 5 months backand decided not to pay for seat selection having mistakenly believed they would be kept together although not in the best seats. When I went to check them in which was effectively T-28 given the connecting fight there were only 2 single seats for selection and they had been allocated 52 and 53 E. Having just collected them at HKG they mentioned that pretty much everyone else in that cabin at least appeared to be single travellers. It does surprise me therefore that they were not give a pair of middle seats downstairs or a middle and aisle upstairs.
Of of course I agree with paying if you want certainty and I will do that for their return but I would not dismiss the article totally having gone through this situation.
The charging for seats in J does baffle me given pretty much no other airline I’m aware of does this but they are transparent about it so can’t argue too much.
However, my in laws have literally just landed having flown GLA-LHR-HKG in J, the latter segment on the A380. I booked their tickets 5 months backand decided not to pay for seat selection having mistakenly believed they would be kept together although not in the best seats. When I went to check them in which was effectively T-28 given the connecting fight there were only 2 single seats for selection and they had been allocated 52 and 53 E. Having just collected them at HKG they mentioned that pretty much everyone else in that cabin at least appeared to be single travellers. It does surprise me therefore that they were not give a pair of middle seats downstairs or a middle and aisle upstairs.
Of of course I agree with paying if you want certainty and I will do that for their return but I would not dismiss the article totally having gone through this situation.
The charging for seats in J does baffle me given pretty much no other airline I’m aware of does this but they are transparent about it so can’t argue too much.
Nov 4, 2018, 4:11 am
#21
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Why assume this is an anti BA article? It would be in BA's interest to both highlight it's cheap fares and to manage peoples expectations. Ryanair have been courting negative publicity for years (Germans would crawl over broken glass for cheap fares etc). Could be the case that the BA PR department is playing catch up.
Nov 4, 2018, 4:31 am
#22
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I don't believe a word of it. I disagree with the current policy but that is not the question here. Asked if they do so deliberately, I am certain that it would have appeared here were already as there are more than enough people to deplore BA for even existing,
Nov 4, 2018, 4:31 am
#23
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Nov 4, 2018, 5:05 am
#24
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I would hope that no airline favors couples over single travelers in seat assignments. Suppose there are three people (none of whom have status) ,traveling on super cheap fares that don't permit seat selection (or depending on the airline, who refused to pay for seats) where two of them are a couple and one is traveling along. If there are a pair of seats (middle and aisle or middle and window) and a single middle seat, if the couple are seated together, it means that the single traveler will necessarily get a middle seat. Fairness would demand giving every one of the three an equal chance of getting the better seat, since they all purchased the same rock bottom fare. If one of the couple gets the better seat, I see nothing wrong with uniting the couple by giving the other half the middle seat next to the better seat, but with the single traveler having equal claims on the better seat, in that case the couple would be split and assigned the two middles. Remember, every one of the three decided to purchase the super cheap fare, so they should be aware of what this means for seats, and they each saved the same amount of money in the process.
Nov 4, 2018, 5:18 am
#25
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To be honest, I find the seat charges that BA levies on non status passengers to be rather high.
However, there is no secret about it, there is no mystery surrounding it, and there is no trick to it. If they are not happy about their seat outlook, pay for it or find another airline where you get it for free. Don't whine about it as it was made pretty clear for you at the time of booking.
That being said, once I don't have status any longer I will probably find an airline that would allow my seat selection at lower price tags than BA But that is my choice i will live happily with it and so will BA.
And the Sunday Times should really not waste their ink and paper unless there is a finding from the CAA saying BA is willfully manipulating against the passengers Which I doubt there will ever be.
However, there is no secret about it, there is no mystery surrounding it, and there is no trick to it. If they are not happy about their seat outlook, pay for it or find another airline where you get it for free. Don't whine about it as it was made pretty clear for you at the time of booking.
That being said, once I don't have status any longer I will probably find an airline that would allow my seat selection at lower price tags than BA But that is my choice i will live happily with it and so will BA.
And the Sunday Times should really not waste their ink and paper unless there is a finding from the CAA saying BA is willfully manipulating against the passengers Which I doubt there will ever be.
Nov 4, 2018, 5:21 am
#26
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Why not go the whole hog and really penalise HBO passengers - by allocating them seats next to crying babies. 
Nov 4, 2018, 5:26 am
#27
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Nov 4, 2018, 5:28 am
#28
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To be honest, I find the seat charges that BA levies on non status passengers to be rather high.
However, there is no secret about it, there is no mystery surrounding it, and there is no trick to it. If they are not happy about their seat outlook, pay for it or find another airline where you get it for free. Don't whine about it as it was made pretty clear for you at the time of booking.
That being said, once I don't have status any longer I will probably find an airline that would allow my seat selection at lower price tags than BA But that is my choice i will live happily with it and so will BA.
And the Sunday Times should really not waste their ink and paper unless there is a finding from the CAA saying BA is willfully manipulating against the passengers Which I doubt there will ever be.
However, there is no secret about it, there is no mystery surrounding it, and there is no trick to it. If they are not happy about their seat outlook, pay for it or find another airline where you get it for free. Don't whine about it as it was made pretty clear for you at the time of booking.
That being said, once I don't have status any longer I will probably find an airline that would allow my seat selection at lower price tags than BA But that is my choice i will live happily with it and so will BA.
And the Sunday Times should really not waste their ink and paper unless there is a finding from the CAA saying BA is willfully manipulating against the passengers Which I doubt there will ever be.
S
Nov 4, 2018, 5:34 am
#29
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I'm a bit fed up with the so-called 'race-to-the-bottom BA bashing' (although they do have plenty of other issues to get right), and the constant whine about 'having paid that much for a CW fare I have to cough up another wad to select a seat'. If seat selection was included, then the ticket price would be higher. I see the ability to choose to pay less if you are not bothered about where you sit, or take baggage, as a good thing. Perhaps the article could have been written:
Instead they are concerned with the lack of transparency across airlines (surprised?) and the risk whether true or not that the airline will deliberately split up groups of people to try and force people to pay more.
In my view it's highly unlikely that they would seek to stop the unbundling of different elements of the service, but I would say it is quite likely they will force airlines to display some form of wording that indicates their policy. For example "where seats are available at the time of booking we will seat parties together" or "regardless of availability we are unable to guarantee parties will be seated together unless seating is paid for". What doesn't appear satisfactory is panicking people into paying if the policy is the first one.
Nov 4, 2018, 5:34 am
#30
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Isn't that just because until OLCI, long-haul exit rows are chargeable to everyone except Golds, and IIRC at the same rate?