averageflyerLHR

I'm one that falls into the camp of "I've paid for a J ticket so I don't want to be sleeping next to baby on board". It being far cheaper to pay for the odd seat here and there than it is to fiercely throw money at TPs and gaining free seating status. Saying that, some seats on some routes working out at £300 rtn on top of original Avios/cash layout for tickets is pretty galling; even more so that it is 99.99% profit for BA.
The plus side, on occasions I've done a dry run booking including paying for seat reservations only to realise it is cheaper to fly in F (with free selection) than it is to fly J (+paying for selection). Add in CCR consumption on these bookings then I like to think I've helped reduce it to 96.99% profit for BA.

BrianDromey

I don’t understand how paying for a seat in advance will help you escape a baby? Sure you can pick a seat away from bassinet seats, but often the bassinets in the next cabin are very near. Parents may choose not to have their child in a bassinet or the child could be 25 months and have thier own seat. I’ve never paid for seat selection in CW myself as I’ve always travelled as a couple. On a 747/777 we’re highly likely to get a middle pair. Travelling solo on the same aircraft is a different matter, on an overnight I wouldn’t want to be next to a stranger.

averageflyerLHR

Well, TS works well for couples but as I've only ever been solo (or very occasionally part of a v large group) in CW be it work travel or leisure so could easily end up honeymooning with a stranger, something I'd rather avoid. Obviously, if I am to shell out for seat selection I'd be selectioning (sic) a seat as far from a bassinet as possible, ideally 11 or 12 on 777.
Also, if the child is 25 months then it could be hard times for both myself, after paying for selection or worse.....a gold who has probably paid far more for status than I for pre-selection. Again, all part of the public transport lottery.

BrianDromey

I agree for solo you don’t want to be in the middle seat. Strangely in Economy being next to someone doesn’t seem such a big deal. Different expectations I guess.

averageflyerLHR

Exactly. All down to expectations. I expect to be stuck close to a stranger on the tube for £1.50 but would rather not endure it on a 8hr+ flight, hence flying CW or F and paying for personal space and champagne. Mainly champagne.....and decent gin.

LTN Phobia

I don't pay to pre-assign whatever seat I like on any of the carriers I fly on regularly, but you're right, it tends to be unavoidable.
I don't find babies to be a big problem, but screaming toddlers can be quite difficult.

However, if you avoid being seated in the centre 4 (of 2-4-2), then I'd say you tend to have a better chance of not being seated right next to a baby.

Not that it always works. The entire J cabin on my last night flight was woken up by a screaming toddler. It was quite an interesting sight as everyone ended up being woken up, including me who was seated right at the other end of the cabin.

Sometimes, one just has to live with the inevitable, but trying to minimise the risk is still desirable if you want to improve your chance of getting a better sleep.

Another thing of course with aircraft without direct aisle access is one's own mobility. With good mobility CW window seat probably won't present much of a problem at all unless someone is very short, but I can see that it can be a problem otherwise when trying to access the aisle. On the other hand, if you are a light sleeper, a window seat is likely to be better (I can sometimes feel the floor flex in an aisle seat as some people walk).

averageflyerLHR

Reply to LTN Phobia but forgot to quote

Agreed. I'd rather minimise risk where I can but sometimes it is a simply a case of abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Incidentally, I used to fly once a year to BNE for work, Sept/Oct outbound Dec inbound (cryptic clue to what work is was). Company TA used to send me SQ AM dept from LHR with late afternoon arrival in BNE to avoid early AM touchdown in Aus. One year my SINBNE in J was full but there were 4.....4 PAX in the back. There was a screaming child in J so I took my leave and decamped to a middle 4 in Y and had the best sleep I've ever had on a plane. Sometimes there is a left field solution to a first world problem.

fruitcage

I suspect one reason for the high charges for seat reservations is to increase the perceived value of gaining status- just think how much you are “saving” by upgrading a few times to get silver...

smf_ltn

After wincing, we reserved seats on one of four long haul legs in order to sit with our travel partners who are on a separate PNR. All four segments are on two deck CW flights and we wanted to co-locate at least once, choosing the daytime leg. And yes, we did check F as the prices were converging a bit.

LTN Phobia

That's lucky! When I copped noise issues, even jump seats were full so I could not go anywhere. I even asked about downgrading from F to Y to escape the noise, and failed! I miss the old days of flight deck jumpseating. Once, I got a stalker (or pesterer, at least) and the cabin crew told the captain who invited me to sit with them in the flight deck for the flight.

wesport

Two years ago I paid $124pp for the upper deck of the 747. Only 4 were showing available. Just booked MIA to LHR in September. Now, Upper deck is $230pp, but all are available. Since I have done it twice, think I will opt for two club world seats by the window at $144pp.

BlueThroughCrimp

And conversely too. Why bother with TP runs when I can pay for the seat.

Flexible preferences

This is an interesting development. Previously only a small handful of Upper Deck seats were available to purchase. Maybe BA now see it as a juicy cash cow and have removed the availability restrictions.

aristoph

Sometimes? I find that (in particular female) BA crew stomp up and down the aisle in heavy shoes as though we were about to crash land.

aircrashsurvivor

I think BA is one of the only airlines that charges this rediculous fee for choosing a seat when people pay thousands of ££ for a seat in a J cabin !!! It’s absurd personally. Make it free for status passengers on any booking. Make those who are booking with avios pay for seat if no status but any one spending £4000 and up to fly from NA to london to have spend another £600 just to be assured sitting together is joke. We sat near a couple last trip who were mumbling about having found out all you have to do is call up and say you have a disability and you’ll get free seat selection - no questions asked. And were laughing they haven’t paid for seats in years and always got great choices when they booked. Personally I think that is offensive ! Some moral compass that is. Anyway I digress