Confirmed vs. Waitlist - staff travel related enquiry
Feb 18, 2019, 10:57 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 423
Confirmed vs. Waitlist - staff travel related enquiry
Apologies for posting this here, I understand that the only people who may be able to answer this would be someone who works for BA and knows how staff travel works in depth.
I am looking at a particular flight and I can see J availability 20. At the same time I can see 18 people with 20/J20 and “confirmed” status.
Does this mean that there are still 20 seats left in Club for this flight after taking into account people with “confirmed” status? Or would this mean that there are only 2 seats left actually?
Unfortunately even my CSM friend is not sure on this, hence I wonder if anyone would know here.
I am looking at a particular flight and I can see J availability 20. At the same time I can see 18 people with 20/J20 and “confirmed” status.
Does this mean that there are still 20 seats left in Club for this flight after taking into account people with “confirmed” status? Or would this mean that there are only 2 seats left actually?
Unfortunately even my CSM friend is not sure on this, hence I wonder if anyone would know here.
Feb 18, 2019, 12:32 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: LGW.
Programs: Cunard WorldClub-Gold,Silverseas Venetian society,Alitalia Mille miglia,SPG,Fairmont,IHG.
Posts: 733
Correct, they are only confirmed in Y just now, so if nothing changes, they should get 18 of the J seats, leaving 2 available x
Feb 18, 2019, 3:17 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Programs: Mucci des Hommes Magiques et Magnifiques
Posts: 19,072
It depends, if there are plenty of seats available they will be confirmed before check in opens at STD -24 hours, if the flight is full it can happen right up until to boarding.
Feb 18, 2019, 4:15 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
Apologies for posting this here, I understand that the only people who may be able to answer this would be someone who works for BA and knows how staff travel works in depth.
I am looking at a particular flight and I can see J availability 20. At the same time I can see 18 people with 20/J20 and “confirmed” status.
Does this mean that there are still 20 seats left in Club for this flight after taking into account people with “confirmed” status? Or would this mean that there are only 2 seats left actually?
Unfortunately even my CSM friend is not sure on this, hence I wonder if anyone would know here.
I am looking at a particular flight and I can see J availability 20. At the same time I can see 18 people with 20/J20 and “confirmed” status.
Does this mean that there are still 20 seats left in Club for this flight after taking into account people with “confirmed” status? Or would this mean that there are only 2 seats left actually?
Unfortunately even my CSM friend is not sure on this, hence I wonder if anyone would know here.
Feb 18, 2019, 4:17 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
OP, sign up for BAEC and register the flight in your profile, it's really useful for seeing your seat change if checked in in economy or WTP. (Sometimes if confirmed, BA will check you in in economy to get you airside and change seats after the flight has closed)
Feb 19, 2019, 1:22 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 423
Exactly what has happened me on my last few staff travel flights.
OP, sign up for BAEC and register the flight in your profile, it's really useful for seeing your seat change if checked in in economy or WTP. (Sometimes if confirmed, BA will check you in in economy to get you airside and change seats after the flight has closed)
OP, sign up for BAEC and register the flight in your profile, it's really useful for seeing your seat change if checked in in economy or WTP. (Sometimes if confirmed, BA will check you in in economy to get you airside and change seats after the flight has closed)
I believe Prem standby never gets confirmed before check in / boarding.
Feb 19, 2019, 2:05 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Programs: Tufty Club (Gold), BAGA Gymnastics level 4, 440yds swimming certificate
Posts: 2,533
It will never show as confirmed before check in (on the Premium Standby tickets - which are different to the Free Firm tickets (J20/J21 and the like which you reference above) but if the loads are light Flight Management can and will put you in the entitled cabin before check in opens so when you use the self service check in machines you can change your seat etc.
Feb 19, 2019, 2:10 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 423
It will never show as confirmed before check in (on the Premium Standby tickets - which are different to the Free Firm tickets (J20/J21 and the like which you reference above) but if the loads are light Flight Management can and will put you in the entitled cabin before check in opens so when you use the self service check in machines you can change your seat etc.
The load will not be light. I am looking at Miami flights mid March and for each flight there are 15-20 people on “Free” Firm tickets “waiting” before me.
Feb 19, 2019, 2:19 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Programs: Tufty Club (Gold), BAGA Gymnastics level 4, 440yds swimming certificate
Posts: 2,533
I got to Miami once on a Prem standby. But there were about 40 listed above me coming home so I caught a jetblue to JFK and got Club standby from there. ATL is often a good back up for MIA too.
Feb 19, 2019, 4:21 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 689
And because of all that, flying on Staff Travel bring a new level of stress, and as A P Yo alluded to, if it is a busy route, or if things go wrong, you need backup plans. Whilst your standby flight will be cheap, having to pay for unplanned extra days hotel in somewhere like HK as the flights are full and 30 staff are all trying to get back at the same time, can get expensive fast.
Feb 19, 2019, 4:46 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Programs: Tufty Club (Gold), BAGA Gymnastics level 4, 440yds swimming certificate
Posts: 2,533
The numbers aren't meaningless, but yes there is a high degree of change to be expected. If theres 20 showing available and already 18 listed above me. I wouldn't be relying on that flight.
If people have used their free firm ticket, then they have probably made other plans based on getting on that flight so I wouldnt normally expect too many changes to those numbers. For a MIA flight in March id expect a few more standby bookings next week when MF get their rosters and a few choose to take companions with them
Then there'll be lots more changes in the week before travel.
For busy flights, later changes can actually work in the favour of a single person on standby. Colleagues planning to take their entire family often bottle it and drop out.
Ive gone to bed the night before a flight showing 6 spare seats and then woke up to find it overbooked by 1 - but I still got on
If people have used their free firm ticket, then they have probably made other plans based on getting on that flight so I wouldnt normally expect too many changes to those numbers. For a MIA flight in March id expect a few more standby bookings next week when MF get their rosters and a few choose to take companions with them
Then there'll be lots more changes in the week before travel.
For busy flights, later changes can actually work in the favour of a single person on standby. Colleagues planning to take their entire family often bottle it and drop out.
Ive gone to bed the night before a flight showing 6 spare seats and then woke up to find it overbooked by 1 - but I still got on