alvinlwh

Got a question about TCP.

I have a booking for myself and my 3 years old KOI-GLA-LHR-SIN-LHR-GLA-KOI on one PNR.
My wife got a booking for herself and our 10 months old (at time of flying) KOI-GLA-LHR and then KUL-LHR-GLA-KOI a month after my own return with the 3 years old.
Her booking with an infant allows her to book the bassinet seat for free. I on the other hand, will have to pay for two booked seats. Now, for the good of everyone, it will make sense for the 3 year old to sit behind her so that she will be kicking (and annoying) her own mum instead of some stranger. It will also help for the peace of mind for everyone in that area if 2 adults are on hand to deal with a screaming infant instead of being split in different decks, for example.

Is it too much to hope that BA will be logical in this situation or will that be too much?

KARFA

TCP + free seat selection across bookings would only be for BA flights and only for golds/OWEs. Is your wife a gold/OWE?

alvinlwh

No, she is booked with an infant, so free seat selection at booking without needing Gold. We have outbound on the same route and date but returning on different route and date, therefore different PNR. If we are booked together, we will all get free seats selection due to the infant, I get that part. My question is can I still take advantage (maybe the wrong word) of the infant if we TCP the outbound.

corporate-wage-slave

TCP on its own doesn't give much more than a text line on the booking reference, which the robots don't read. It doesn't give seat selection.

TCP + seat selection is a Gold only benefit.

Child + nearby seat selection is a benefit of having a child on the booking.

Theoretical seating does its best to keep family groups together if all under one booking.

So from where you are now, you best get all on to one booking, or wait until OLCI to see what is the best compromise.

alvinlwh

One booking is not possible since we are returning on different routes on different dates, if not I would have done that at booking stage.

All I am saying is that if BA can treat the outbound as one booking and allow us to select seats, there will actually be advantages to them.
1. The 3yo kicks mum's seat instead of some other pax.
2. I will be on hand to quiet the 10mo instead of being on a different deck (A380). Mum can ignore cries for hours and go to sleep herself thus causing discomfort to everyone else in the same area.
3. In the event of a delay, BA only need to provide 1 hotel room instead of 2.

If there is no way, then so be it. I will just let everyone else in that area be annoyed on the 13 hours flight while I pick a different deck (don't think BA allow movement between deck?).

CWS, since you are here, I also have a question regarding prepaid seating. 2 years ago, when flying with the now 3yo (she was 7mo back then) on BA12, wife was booked on 80E. I am on a seperate booking and paid for 80B (near but not too near kind of idea). As I often had to reach over 80D to assist, the CC wanted to move me there as it was "unfair" to the pax in 80D because of the "disturbance". Well, 80D was blocked (I think) at the time of booking anyway and I paid for 80B (£80 I think at that time?). I refused to swap, am I wrong?

KARFA

It is not that your suggestion doesn't make sense - although 3 is largely irrelevant to being sat together but anyone can do the TCP bit if you think that it would help. It is that there is no policy for BA to do it on the basis you have noted in 1 & 2. You are still free to pay for seats in order to relieve the burden of everyone else tho

alvinlwh

I know there is no policy as such, which is what I am asking the question, will BA be logical or is that hoping for too much? If we are booked together on the same PNR, all 3 + 1 of us will be able to select seats for free but routing and timing do not allow a same booking trip.

As for relieving the burden, I believe in spreading the joys and suffering!

KARFA

no and yes

gcuk

To be honest these motivations are a pretty weak attempt to obtain free seating.
The average 3 year old has the cognitive ability to understand 'No' if kicking another passenger, and the need for two adults to deal with one screaming infant is somewhat negated by the fact you and your wife are travelling home separately with respective offspring anyway.

corporate-wage-slave

I can see the point you are making, and who knows at OLCI or even on board you will find a suitable solution. But if on separate tickets the robot doesn't know better. At T-72 you can call up and perhaps the agent can help you with this, but don't leave it later than T-26 hrs or so. As for kicking 3 year olds, bribery tends to work.

No, you paid for a service and you were entitled to receive it. The person in between could have done what you did and paid to sit somewhere else. Hopefully everyone was civil about it, and it makes no difference when asleep anyway.

bisonrav

There is also the point that the only way of finding out what sort of logic BA will employ is to call them and ask. People here will have their opinions, and so I'm sure do you, but BA are the only people able to assist.

cbagent

Whilst TCP for the purpose of seat selection is a Gold benefit it can also be applied to pnrs which include an infant.
Call BA , perhaps when lines are a bit quieter , and ask for this to be done. The non infant pnr will then be sent for back office seat allocation on relevant flights.
In order to clear security on both bookings ensure both adults are available to talk when the call is made.

alvinlwh

*1 Like I said, if not due to different arrangements, we will all be on the same PNR and we all will get free seating anyway and I will not be even asking the question here.
*2 As for if my 3yo can understand "No" for 13 hours or not, I will find out. If she does not, well, whoever is in front will pay the price.
*3 Did I mention if she will have someone else traveling on the return leg with her? Let me check...Nope, I did not.

Even if she will be travelling home alone, I am trying to reduce the disruption to other pax to just 1 x 13h flight instead of 2 x 13h flight. Like I said, I enjoyed spreading joy and suffering, if trying to at least make it more peaceful for everyone, at least for even just one leg, got me accused of trying to bag a freebie, then let the suffering begin. The last time I took the same flight, I had other pax coming up to me to say how appreciative they are for a well behaved infant, that was because I was on hand to help with keeping her quiet. There was another infant on the lower deck which screamed for the whole flight and the screams can be heard on the upper deck where we are so it must be terrible for the pax in the same deck.

alvinlwh

T-72, got it. Thanks CWS. At this point, I am not sure what will work, I can only try, but don't worry, I will not be jamming her down (missing) 43A again!

At that time, pax 80D seems to be OK about it but it was the CC that seem to have an issue with it. My gal was mostly quiet through the flight because I was carrying her half the time as I wanted to give the rest of the section some peace. Mum didn't care and just gone to sleep. This will not be possible if I am placed far away or on a different deck.

alvinlwh

Thanks, will do.