IB/BA codeshare LHR-MAD: check in questions
 

Hive mind knowledge appreciated here – I’m on the IB codeshare service LHR-MAD this evening in Business (booked via BA). I was able to check in yesterday on the Iberia app with our preferred window seats. This morning I got an aircraft change notification via Expertflyer (A346 to A345), and I could see our seats were now showing as not occupied.

I went back to the IB app which no longer recognised my booking, but via the BA app I was able to check in via it sending me to IB in the app – I then went through check in again but couldn’t see the option to select seats, and then when I completed that process we are now in a middle pair, which is a bit annoying.

Two questions:

• If I call up BA Gold line are they able to do anything at all re seat allocations now? Or do I have to wait until the airport to do that now? (either because I have checked in already or because it is under airport control, or because it is an IB booking – or indeed all three reasons!)
• At LHR do I recall correctly that there are now dedicated Iberia desks that I would need to visit, and that the BA desks in the First Wing can’t help? (I think I remember reading about something changing around this when they renumbered all the IB flights so they were on IB prime codes and not BA numbers…)

It all feels slightly more difficult than it needs to, but I know getting airline reservation systems to talk to each other is not necessarily an easy task. On the return leg we're on BA so hopefully a slightly more straightforward process...!

I'm pretty sure the BA Gold line won't be able to do anything. You could try calling IB, but they may say airport control too. However, when you click through to the IB app from the BA app, can you see if there is a different PNR there to the one you were previously using in IB? If so, try using that to log into the IB app/website directly. The good thing with IB is that ordinarily, and unlike BA, it lets you change your seats even after you have downloaded your BP. That may not work here given the aircraft change though.

On the second point, yes there are dedicated IB desks. I can speak from experience in saying that the BA desks, First wing or otherwise, won't be able to touch your IB flight at all unfortunately.

Also to warn you: don't expect the avios/TPs to credit automatically. I am currently trying to retro claim them from my last BA coded IB metal LHR-MAD, and it has been a painful process. :mad:

This probably doesn't help, but I had a similar problem last month in reverse.

I booked LHR-MAD-LIM on IB and then had an issue checking in for the LHR-MAD sector as it was on BA, which also meant I couldn't change seats on the MAD-LIM sector either.

BA app told me to go to IB. IB told me to go to BA. I was going around in circles.

I looked for an IB representative at T5 and couldn't find any. I think BA handle everything for IB at T5 (might be wrong)

In the end I went to BA and they helped me with both BA and IB issues.

I would suggest calling the Gold Line and getting First Wing to help.

I stand corrected about the IB desks. But I was told by a BA staff member there weren't any. Where are they in T5 ?

You are correct about avios/TP - the BA flight of the IB itinerary has still not credited. I am doing the retro claim for that. Seems pathetic given it is one company !

That has changed some time ago, now Iberia has their own desks at T5, can't remember which group, but it's clearly singposted.

It is fairly recent but there are now IB check in desks in zone in T5 somewhere in the middle - zone E I think. The IB signs are all fairly prominent so you can't miss it.

See this thread for more detail https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...s-lhr-mad.html

Indeed and they are very much IB - not BA - staff. With a certain Iberian character, shall we say. :) Helps to speak in Spanish if you can.

Or the wildcard option you could always try first is using another OW carrier's website and having a go at moving.

I use RJ.com for all my seat selection now on IB metal / BA Codeshares and it seems to work ok.

You could always try that first and revert to the IB desks at T5 if unsuccessful.

Any changes via rj.com will not make a difference at this stage (flight under airport control).

OP, try the app using the ticket number?

Whenever IB has an aircraft change, they e-mail out (perhaps not in your case, due to the codeshare) an e-mail saying you have been reseated. That's probably why your 'old' seats show unoccupied. Though if it's a 345 (i.e. 346 with no Y+) I don't think any seats in J are numbered exactly the same...

IB (and Vueling) are different to BA in that so long as you are looking at the right reservation, the IB App does allow seat changes after the issue of the Boarding Pass, the trouble can be getting the App to seize the booking correctly. The ticket number is one route (and you can use RJ.com to find that number at least) and sometimes putting the BA PNR in the App initially errors but does go on to the correct screens. The five character IB reference may or may not work.

But otherwise go to Zone E, in the middle of the departure landside hall and they will be able to find you some suitable seats. At the MAD they are also helpful, bearing in mind that IB have a different approach to Curtain Roulette - there are usually some plum seats at the front of the cabin, hopefully not the SL3510 seating area, which are kept back for the day of travel and not allocated before then. After dealing with check-in in E, then you can use the First Wing if eligible.

Thanks all of you as always for the very helpful replies and guidance - for anyone else in the same situation the advice from C-W-S was spot on, I was able to go back into the IB app and select different seats, even though earlier today the IB app wasn't recognising the 5-letter IB code. (I was taken through the "check-in" process again, but I was already checked in and wasn't entering any new info until it brought up the option to view seats a few screens in).

Boarding passes safely in Passbook, so we can head straight for the First Wing after all - phew, that's a good 5 minutes saved ;-)