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When to call for bassinet CW seats

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Old Aug 17, 2019, 10:43 am
  #1  
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When to call for bassinet CW seats

Travelling next Saturday, and keen to grab one of the bassinet seats. What exactly is the ideal time for this? Is it still the case one has to call, or is there any way of doing this online?
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 10:57 am
  #2  
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Released at T-72h, isn’t it? Someone will confirm, I’m sure.

At that point, choose your preferred seat-change method.
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 11:31 am
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Originally Posted by T8191
Released at T-72h, isn’t it? Someone will confirm, I’m sure.

At that point, choose your preferred seat-change method.
As a lowly OWR I was not able to select 64A on the 747 even at OLCI time and had to get the desk agent to move me.
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 11:52 am
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Originally Posted by phenombr


As a lowly OWR I was not able to select 64A on the 747 even at OLCI time and had to get the desk agent to move me.
Perhaps a penalty clause for OWR?

Sorry, I don’t know all the rules for all the status levels in detail.
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 5:17 pm
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I tried one of the bassinet on the A350 at OLCI and wasn't able to get it as a BA gold, so I don't think it works anymore. As @T8191 said, calling after T-72 seems to be the only solution.
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 9:20 pm
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Just went through this with 64A on the 747. Eventually became unblocked/available to choose on the app around T-32 but couldn't select it and had to call up. Was no problem but given the usual warning about potentially losing it.

​​​
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Old Aug 17, 2019, 9:27 pm
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I can never book them in MMB but they have always sorted it if I call or tweet after T-72. I've once had a phone agent tell me they "didn't think they could do that" but then I asked them to just try and see if it let them and it did.
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 1:42 am
  #8  
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There are a lot of threads on this, but my summary of them is that at T-72 you can call up when the seating is migrated to the FLY side of Amadeus. Sometimes the agent isn't able to get the seat and so you have a higher chance of it working around T-48. But when you get towards T-26 then the flight comes under FMU control and unless you've got a high CIV the agent would be reluctant to take it further. And then sometimes no matter when you call, no matter what your CIV, the seat just can't be made available, e.g. because the seat is marked as inoperable. So you can also try at the airport on the day of departure since by then the seating would typically be repaired by that stage.

Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; Aug 18, 2019 at 1:47 am
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 2:08 am
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This may be a stupid question, but once allocated a bassinet position, is it possible you would be reducing your chances of an op-up? Does the op-up algorithm assume that passengers seated in a bassinet position are there for a reason (ie travelling with a small child) and shouldn’t be moved ‘involuntarily’, or is it smart enough to know that you’re still free to move up?
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 3:22 am
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
There are a lot of threads on this, but my summary of them is that at T-72 you can call up when the seating is migrated to the FLY side of Amadeus. Sometimes the agent isn't able to get the seat and so you have a higher chance of it working around T-48. But when you get towards T-26 then the flight comes under FMU control and unless you've got a high CIV the agent would be reluctant to take it further. And then sometimes no matter when you call, no matter what your CIV, the seat just can't be made available, e.g. because the seat is marked as inoperable. So you can also try at the airport on the day of departure since by then the seating would typically be repaired by that stage.
As a data point I've just changed into a bassinet seat in PE from one next to it (aisle to window). I was ringing up about something else but the agent was quite happy to change it. Interesting that the system did not then put a theoretical seating block on my original seat. This was done at T-26 hours. From seatguru & BA the flight I am on looks very full (an LGW bucket and spade) in all classes apart from CW so if the upgrade gods are kind (single PAX, flexible W fare, recently renewed Gold, sat at the front of PE on what appears to be a full flight) I might just get lucky with an OPUP...
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 3:24 am
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Starship73
This may be a stupid question, but once allocated a bassinet position, is it possible you would be reducing your chances of an op-up?
It makes no difference. DUT just wants the seat to give to someone else. Almost all my 747 CW to First upgrades have been from 64A.
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 10:05 am
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
There are a lot of threads on this, but my summary of them is that at T-72 you can call up when the seating is migrated to the FLY side of Amadeus. Sometimes the agent isn't able to get the seat and so you have a higher chance of it working around T-48. But when you get towards T-26 then the flight comes under FMU control and unless you've got a high CIV the agent would be reluctant to take it further. And then sometimes no matter when you call, no matter what your CIV, the seat just can't be made available, e.g. because the seat is marked as inoperable. So you can also try at the airport on the day of departure since by then the seating would typically be repaired by that stage.
So the seat is meant for my wife, and I'll take the aisle. But if CIV/status matters in the likelihood of it sticking, am I better off asking for the seat to be assigned to me, since I'm gold and she's silver?
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 10:09 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Mordac
So the seat is meant for my wife, and I'll take the aisle. But if CIV/status matters in the likelihood of it sticking, am I better off asking for the seat to be assigned to me, since I'm gold and she's silver?
Yes, but more because it would allow you to call the Gold line. CIV makes no difference before the FMU gets hold of the flight. Hopefully you're on the same PNR otherwise Theoretical Seating may get painful.
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 11:26 am
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
Yes, but more because it would allow you to call the Gold line. CIV makes no difference before the FMU gets hold of the flight. Hopefully you're on the same PNR otherwise Theoretical Seating may get painful.
Yeah we are, no worries there. Thanks!
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