Question about seat availability at online check-in by status / booking class
Curious if anyone has experienced anything like the situation we experienced today or if indeed it’s BA policy?
My partner and I are booked on the same flight back to LHR tomorrow in Euro Traveller but on separate bookings. I am a GCH and she is Blue. I am in on a redemption booking and she is on a full but not flexible economy fare. At online check-in I can see that the rest of my row is empty. When she tries to choose a seat, she sees only very limited seat availability, all at the very back of the aircraft. I called BAEC and they saw the same thing, when looking at each of our bookings, respectively. However, with some help from a supervisor or another department, the agent was able to move my partner into the empty seat next to me, Is this normal? Really sneaky, if so. If I pay full fare economy, I expect access to all the seats in economy at check-in, even if I don’t want to pay to choose a seat in advance! No? |
Yes it's normal - look for threads on Theoretical Seating in the dashboard. Its a systen designed to give the best seats to status holders and to try and keep a seat empty next to them
In future if your partner is travelling with you on separate bookings but inthe samecabin you should call and ask for BA 'To Complete Party' and they will seat you together - this is what the agent did for you when you called. |
Huh. Now I know. Thanks!
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The trick with Theoretical Seating is for the Blue to find a decent seating area first and then the Gold to move in afterwards. But there is a risk that all available seats for Blue will be nearer the back. As the main thread will show, this does change over time, so had you not called in, with a bit patience and delaying printing / Apping the boarding passes, you could probably achieve something acceptable.
If she was not on a Basic fare then she can select her seat for free at T-48 hours, so 24 hours before OLCI, something that comes as a surprise to some. This often opens up seats nearer the front. That's for Plus fares, which is what she appears to be on. Plus Flex fares can choose seats at any time after booking. |
Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
(Post 31896802)
If she was not on a Basic fare then she can select her seat for free at T-48 hours, so 24 hours before OLCI, something that comes as a surprise to some. This often opens up seats nearer the front. That's for Plus fares, which is what she appears to be on. Plus Flex fares can choose seats at any time after booking.
Also... Theoretical Seating... mind blown!!! All those times I thought I was just lucky to have the only empty seat on the aircraft next to me :eek: Thank you all, as always! |
Originally Posted by sdmr
(Post 31896903)
Also... Theoretical Seating... mind blown!!! All those times I thought I was just lucky to have the only empty seat on the aircraft next to me :eek:
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