Aztec_Flyer

I've done a quick search but can't find any definitive answers on this.

Booking a BA long haul in business (mix of D / I fares) and using EI for the DUB / LGW connector.

BA have booked the EI segment in Y. This appears to be the highest fare bucket available on the BA code share.

EI are advising me that to use the new "Aer Space" (blocked middle seat) the booking must be in J / C / I on the DUB/LGW sectors. These buckets only seems to exist on the EI prime number and not on the BA code share. Doing a quick check the same principle seems to apply to DUB / LHR flights.

Is "Aer Space" available on the connector flight on BA business / first bookings and whats the best way to go about booking it?

stevie

I have flown BA F/D sector and only make Y in EI sector and often down back of the plane.

Confus

EI refused to allow BA access to their Aer Space product, so it won’t be available to anyone on the BA coded flight regardless of how expensive their full itinerary is.

Aztec_Flyer

Just a quick update. Booked the DUB/LGW on the EI prime and there was no change in fare to get confirmed into J (Aer Space) on EI.

Aztec_Flyer

Any idea to the background on this? Seems strange given IAG etc., and that connecting flights with CX / MH etc are booked into business with BA presumably willing to cough up for the premium charge involved?

Sam Bee

I'd had a quick look using DUB-LHR-SIN as an example before you'd had a reply, so this may be redundant!

But you're right, BA do not offer any classes above Y on their EI codeshares.

I'd looked at BA in I class (was interested in savings, yes my mind wondered)

BA LHR-SIN in I was £3564
BA flight numbers on EI DUB-LHR and onto SIN (B/I/I/B) drops to £2115
EI flight numbers on EI DUB-LHR and onto SIN (A/J/J/Z) a snip at £10801 (note, all Business Fare Groups available on DUB-LHR-DUB)
BA metal throughout (J,I,I,J) £2118

Odd that I couldn't get the same fare using EI Prime Numbers, so well done you. My example is just a randomly picked one though!

Confus

IAG doesn’t get involved in day-to-day management. The difference is that CX, MH (and BA) have full-sized business class cabins, not a ‘front row only’ limited to 4 seats max. With the high number of connecting customers EI didn't want those on (lower) connecting yields taking all 4 of their ‘premium’ seats and leaving none for those it was intended for.

BA connecting J pax will however be booked into the beds on the 32Q when that’s scheduled to London.

WVFM

While AerSpace might not be available because BA books into Y, you will have free access to pick any other seat including exit row seats ....

anniegray

I had to pay to choose exit seats last month when connecting through LGW from DUB in J .
I am BA gold.
Never again will I connect with Aer Lingus, they were truly awful.
Didn't even allow lounge access.
Luckily I can access lounges in other ways, but no thanks to EI

KARFA

you should get access to the EI lounge at LHR T2 as a BA gold when on an EI flight.

Aztec_Flyer

It looks to me like it's down to what fare tables happen to have been loaded i.e. it's a little random? Going out DUB-PUJ I can get the EI prime on the DUB/LGW but it's not loaded as an option for an MCO-DUB return via LGW. The only option to return is on the BA codeshare which is capped at Y. Seems more random than strategy to me.

SHT88T

Unfortunately that isn’t my experience. Once I was at the back after no ability to choose seat. Once in 8A after I spent 45 minutes on a call with them arguing my case (I had nothing better to do) and once in 9F presumably because we were able to have BA check us in 28 hours before the flight.

With the caveat there is no guest allowed or so I was told. Luckily they made ‘an exception because it isn’t busy’ a few weeks ago. We were very thankful for that on the day.

KARFA

yes, no guests

River in Sight

I booked a flight LHR-DUB-IAD for next summer in I class (all EI metal but BA flight numbers as I needed credit toward my 4 BA flights) - when I called to get seat assignments, the EI agent let me pick any seats I wanted for the DUB-IAD flight. For LHR-DUB, I looked at the seat map and it appeared to have the business class seats in the front, every single seat on the plane was empty. However, the agent told me (1) there was no business class on the plane and (2) in fact there were only three open seats left on the flight for next summer, in row 17 or something like that, and nothing else was available for assignment. I checked the seat map again after the call and it showed our three seats taken, and still every other seat on the plane unassigned so not sure what that was about.

I was going to give it another shot but based on this thread it sounds like I am not going to get business class on the LHR-DUB flight either way. Not a big deal on a short hop.

Dambus

When EI joins OW all these issues will go away...