Waitlisted in lower cabin
Aug 20, 2019, 7:57 am
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 72
Waitlisted in lower cabin
Booked a ticket J down F back as the flight was F1 J0. TA, presumably due to policy, has waitlisted the return in J. What’s the best way to decrease the chance it clears and downgrades me?
Aug 20, 2019, 8:07 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Lemonia. Best Greek ever.
Posts: 2,267
I used to get this quite frequently. In my experience, I nearly always ended up in J. Sometimes it was resolved at the airport not long before the flight. There are a raft of questions about Co policy, BA policy, quality of customer and etc., but don't raise your hopes too high!
Aug 20, 2019, 8:48 am
#6
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isnt that a slippery slope? The same question could be asked if I stayed in a Fairfield Inn rather than a Motel 6?
But many reasons:
(1) wear and tear on body from 12k miles and two red eyes in three nights vs poor quality of BA J and risk of a middle seat if downgraded at the last minute
(2) it’s client chargeable so doesn’t effect my employer
(3) already waiving travel time costs (20k gbp at least - something that potentially hits my personal comp) so spending a bit more to be comfortable doesn’t bother me
But many reasons:
(1) wear and tear on body from 12k miles and two red eyes in three nights vs poor quality of BA J and risk of a middle seat if downgraded at the last minute
(2) it’s client chargeable so doesn’t effect my employer
(3) already waiving travel time costs (20k gbp at least - something that potentially hits my personal comp) so spending a bit more to be comfortable doesn’t bother me
Last edited by PGFlyer85; Aug 20, 2019 at 9:02 am
Aug 20, 2019, 9:55 am
#8
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Nothing you can do to make this more or less likely to happen.
I am not certain why your employer won't permit the travel in F/J if the client has authorized it and does not, as part of the authorization, require waitlisting for steerage.
I am not certain why your employer won't permit the travel in F/J if the client has authorized it and does not, as part of the authorization, require waitlisting for steerage.
Aug 20, 2019, 9:59 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,197
I'm sorry, if the travel policy is J+ and there is no sensible alternative then why the hell not?
The occasional Y or premium flight is fine; but if you are travelling long haul monthly or more for work then it becomes a health and safety issue. (Yes, people do it, but it doesn't mean that it's wise or productive).
Travel time costs of 20k seems like a hell of a lot - let's be generous and assume that's a daily rate of 4k, which is huge for consultancy, so I doubt the cash difference is an issue. Obviously if the policy is travel in J and we're talking about flying on the 7.30 vs. the 8.10 out of JFK then it's ridiculous but on those daily rates, I'm sure the premium for F is worth it vs. a connection or even a bad timing for jetlag.
The occasional Y or premium flight is fine; but if you are travelling long haul monthly or more for work then it becomes a health and safety issue. (Yes, people do it, but it doesn't mean that it's wise or productive).
Travel time costs of 20k seems like a hell of a lot - let's be generous and assume that's a daily rate of 4k, which is huge for consultancy, so I doubt the cash difference is an issue. Obviously if the policy is travel in J and we're talking about flying on the 7.30 vs. the 8.10 out of JFK then it's ridiculous but on those daily rates, I'm sure the premium for F is worth it vs. a connection or even a bad timing for jetlag.
Aug 20, 2019, 10:39 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK/France
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, EY Plat, etc
Posts: 351
I’m amazed that full J fares are permitted on a modern corp travel policy, let alone confirming one class up instead of one class down, regardless of who is settling the bill.
I would be surprised if the waitlist doesn’t clear and am not aware of any workaround to prevent you being confirmed in J if it does.
I would be surprised if the waitlist doesn’t clear and am not aware of any workaround to prevent you being confirmed in J if it does.
Aug 20, 2019, 10:45 am
#12
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK/France
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, EY Plat, etc
Posts: 351
Aug 20, 2019, 10:55 am
#13
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,683
Because the cost is typically twice that of a discount J Fare or a flexible indirect routing.
I am seeing more an more of my competitor companies downgrading to W/J except for C-Suite. Full J is seen as little different to discount F in my company from a cost control point of view.
Aug 20, 2019, 11:10 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK/France
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, EY Plat, etc
Posts: 351
My real surprise was that someone had a policy of being confirmed in the class above the waitlisted J cabin rather than below it. First time I have seen this. Obviously if it clears then it will be full fare J bucket but that is not really the point here.
Last edited by Robespierre; Aug 20, 2019 at 12:16 pm Reason: Off topic so decluttering
Aug 20, 2019, 11:17 am
#15
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
OP could confirm this, but it sounds to me as though the policy is Y, but an exception has been made because Y is not available and OP's travel is sufficiently important as to justify an exception. But, should a Y seat open up, OP will be rebooked into Y.
Whether travel in F/J is a good or a bad idea is irrelevant to this discussion as the travel policy is already set. The ROI and other merits of employer-paid premium travel are the subject of many other threads.
Whether travel in F/J is a good or a bad idea is irrelevant to this discussion as the travel policy is already set. The ROI and other merits of employer-paid premium travel are the subject of many other threads.
Last edited by Often1; Aug 20, 2019 at 11:40 am