Malli1

Hi all

I wonder if anyone can help detail to me what the reason may be for the below. We booked well in advance of our flight LGW-BGI in club world and paid for seats to sit together as a family of 5. I got an email this morning that due to operational reasons our seats have moved.

I am pretty used to this experience and wouldn’t moan but upon opening the seat map literally one of the seats (ours) had been blocked out so we were moved to rubbish seats. None of the other passenger seats have been affected in the cabin by the look of it, as I had checked the seat plans yesterday and reacted as soon as I got here. There is not a change of plane as I would understand that. There is no way we can sit together now with a window (claustrophobic traveller) so I asked BA the rationale.

BAs response was that the airport had changed the seat and this can be for several reasons but did not specify one. I find it strange that a month out from a flight a single window seat would be blocked out by an airport? I may be wrong but just wondered if someone might be able to shed some light on what this scenario may be.

We are flying LGW-BGI on 22 March 2019.

thanks

corporate-wage-slave

Thanks for putting the flight information, that makes it a lot easier to give specific advice. This is what I'm seeing at the moment:



Now I'm trying to work out where you originally were, was it row 15? In which case it may be a crew rest seat at 15K. I notice WTP is either overbooked or close to being overbooked. So I'm wondering if they are having to shuffle passengers between cabins here.

Malli1

Often1

You are unlikely to ever obtain a satisfactory answer. But, any answer you do get will be more valuable at LGW where someone may both know and be willing to discuss. More likely is a sympathetic nod and the boilerplate that seats are not guaranteed.

You are, of course, entitled to a refund of any seat assignment fees, so long as you accept what was assigned.

Crofton138

Exactly what happened on my booking last year, LHR-LAS. No explanation but did get a refund for seat selection that had been paid for.

Malli1

LTN Phobia

When they say 'airport' they don't really mean the airport as in LHR, LGW etc. They are talking about BA's airport department/staff.
It sounds rather confusing and they shouldn't really use that term to customers.

corporate-wage-slave

Very difficult to work out this one, I must admit. It may still be that 11K is crew rest, but now 11J and 11K are both taken (may be 2 unrelated transactions?). I would keep an eye on it and react as other things happen. I would be tempted to put the trio in 15F, G and J, since probably someone will end up with a spare seat on either side, 15E being the bassinet. 15E may be available at T-72,. T-48 or OLCI. You can apply for a seat refund, but I would do that after flying.

andrewkeith5

Is it just me that thinks a refund isn't enough in this case?

People select various seats for specific reasons (and not just to get 'that' seat), so it can be very frustrating to be randomly moved without a reason. Someone must have done it, and they must have a reason for doing so. That should really be shared with the person who has paid money for that service, along with an opportunity to select another seat with relative priority so as to maintain the specific reasons for selection of a seat.

Frequentflyer99

Surely "the airport" does not become involved in seating until T-24/48. Up until that time is it not "seating control", those mysterious people who nobody - even CS agents - are able to actually speak to ? Sounds like a lot of hooey to even mention the airport at this stage.

corporate-wage-slave

It's just the way Contact Centres refer to stuff in London. They mean the Flight Management Unit, and no the FMU certainly doesn't encourage Contact Centre staff to call them.