Seat reservation fees increase
Jun 7, 2019, 9:54 am
#166
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
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Posts: 9,883
It's hardly the most impartial of articles, is it? 
The two routes the blog chooses to illustrate BA's "price gouging", LHR-JFK and LHR-LAX, are routes on which it faces a great deal of competition. If passengers don't want to pay the seat selection fees then they can choose another airline on which they get free seat selection but end up paying more overall.
No-one likes paying to select a seat but that's BA's business model. It clearly works for them, and it definitely works for BA's higher-status passengers. There's no point continuing to rage about it.
The two routes the blog chooses to illustrate BA's "price gouging", LHR-JFK and LHR-LAX, are routes on which it faces a great deal of competition. If passengers don't want to pay the seat selection fees then they can choose another airline on which they get free seat selection but end up paying more overall.
No-one likes paying to select a seat but that's BA's business model. It clearly works for them, and it definitely works for BA's higher-status passengers. There's no point continuing to rage about it.
My experience in life is where the competition is strong / fierce a business usually changes some key factors such as quality, quantity, price, service, etc. Price generally goes DOWN.
No quarrel re it is BA's prerogative. It works today...no one know how it will work when more airlines excel, get more slots at LHR etc. Definitely it works for status holders, but in the long run will it attract more to go for status ? Right now if one wants to a long haul of a total of 15 -18 hrs on a redemption in J with desired seat selection Airline Imposed Fees and seat selection can top $ 1800 over and above the avios required. Yes it works, but anecdotally I know four couples who have abandoned BA completely ,,,and they used to chide me for flying ME3s ! Now they fly EY or QR.
Presenting facts or supporting data is NOT Raging about it, but of course you have a right to your opinion.
Jun 7, 2019, 10:11 am
#167
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Of course it is not impartial...But doesn't that depend on what color lenses one sees thru ? BUT FACTUAL !
My experience in life is where the competition is strong / fierce a business usually changes some key factors such as quality, quantity, price, service, etc. Price generally goes DOWN.
No quarrel re it is BA's prerogative. It works today...no one know how it will work when more airlines excel, get more slots at LHR etc. Definitely it works for status holders, but in the long run will it attract more to go for status ? Right now if one wants to a long haul of a total of 15 -18 hrs on a redemption in J with desired seat selection Airline Imposed Fees and seat selection can top $ 1800 over and above the avios required. Yes it works, but anecdotally I know four couples who have abandoned BA completely ,,,and they used to chide me for flying ME3s ! Now they fly EY or QR.
Presenting facts or supporting data is NOT Raging about it, but of course you have a right to your opinion.
My experience in life is where the competition is strong / fierce a business usually changes some key factors such as quality, quantity, price, service, etc. Price generally goes DOWN.
No quarrel re it is BA's prerogative. It works today...no one know how it will work when more airlines excel, get more slots at LHR etc. Definitely it works for status holders, but in the long run will it attract more to go for status ? Right now if one wants to a long haul of a total of 15 -18 hrs on a redemption in J with desired seat selection Airline Imposed Fees and seat selection can top $ 1800 over and above the avios required. Yes it works, but anecdotally I know four couples who have abandoned BA completely ,,,and they used to chide me for flying ME3s ! Now they fly EY or QR.
Presenting facts or supporting data is NOT Raging about it, but of course you have a right to your opinion.
Mistakes will no doubt have been made but looking at it from a business perspective he doesn't seem to have done too badly wouldn't you say?
Dec 7, 2019, 4:45 am
#168
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: surrey
Programs: Amex BA/platinum, BAec blue.
Posts: 73
Huge increase for reserving seats
A friend of mine has just had to pay £144.00 per person one way, for upper deck
on fights to Cape Town in October 2020. Massive increase on the existing £91.00.
Sorry if this has been mentioned in a previous post.
on fights to Cape Town in October 2020. Massive increase on the existing £91.00.
Sorry if this has been mentioned in a previous post.
Dec 7, 2019, 5:08 am
#170
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: Mucci, BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 761
I've just done a dummy booking LHR - CPT without logging in. I'm seeing £136pp each way to reserve seats on the upper deck. So £544 return for a couple. Seems somewhat steep given the flights on random dates I picked in April worked out at £10,500 return for two people in CW!
I suppose we could argue that it adds value to those of us that have status but I struggle to see how people without status would justify these sorts of prices just to pick seats.
I suppose we could argue that it adds value to those of us that have status but I struggle to see how people without status would justify these sorts of prices just to pick seats.
Dec 7, 2019, 5:23 am
#172
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
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Posts: 30,543
If people are foolish enough to pay those prices, why on earth should ba refrain from charging them? A seat selection is just a luxury purchase like any other, and like all luxury purchases, the price is determined by what people are willing to pay with the funny twist that sometimes a higher price makes the purchase more likely as people thus imagine it's a really valuable luxury if it costs that much. That’s why Hermes charges more for their handbags than all other brands - and in a very different way why ba charges those ridiculous amounts for upper deck cw seats.
Last edited by orbitmic; Dec 7, 2019 at 11:16 am
Dec 7, 2019, 6:37 am
#174
Join Date: Jul 2018
Programs: BA
Posts: 69
I know this is a common thread on here but I can’t help thinking that the number of people booking seats in CW will reduce dramatically once the Club Suites are rolled out fully. Maybe BA are trying to cash in whilst they still can.
Dec 7, 2019, 7:11 am
#176
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
I suppose it’s money for jam so even if 1 person per flight per day (say 100 flights offering the facility for easy maths), pays £100 to reserve their seat, that’s £3.65 million a year which has got to be almost entirely profit. What are their overheads for paid seat selection?
Dec 7, 2019, 7:35 am
#179
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LHR/ATH
Programs: Amex Platinum, LH SEN (Gold), BA Bronze
Posts: 4,489
I love flying, but for me time is the most important commodity of life and not money!