Iberia ticket, BA metal unable to change assigned seat
 

Apologies if this has already been asked but I have checked the dashboard without much success.

I have a LHR-MAD-LHR flight ticketed with Iberia . The outbound flight is operated by Iberia and it was very easy to select a seat on the Iberia website for this sector. However, the website won’t allow me to select a seat for the inbound, BA-operated flight. These flights also appear under MMB on the BA website and app (I’m EC Silver) . However, MMB won’t allow me to select a seat on the BA-operated flight and I get a message saying “unable please try again later or alternatively check in early...”

I’ve called BA and they have tried unsuccessfully to change my seat (aisle, assigned automatically) and suggested I call Iberia as the flight was “marketed by Iberia”. Iberia have tried but say they are “locked out” of the seat map for the inbound flight.

I suppose I should give up and not worry about it given current events in the wider world, but just wondered whether anyone might have another option ?

This is unfortunately a common IT snafu between Iberia and BA where you have an IB flight number for a BA operated flight. I have never found a way around selecting a different seat, even trying to use the BA booking ref which will be different to the IB booking ref. You may also have a problem with not being able to do online checkin either.

Fair enough I suspected something like IT. No problem, I’ll just sit where I’ve been told to !

I also meant to add you may have to chase for Tier Points and Avios too (assuming it's not a reward booking). So keep copies of the BP.

IIRC I once had a similar problem and was able to sort it out using Finnairs MMB.

It's worth trying that, didn't work for me last time I tried.

Thanks AJA_ and HIDDY

It’s a regular (non Avios) paid ticket. I tried Finnair and some other OW airline websites and in all cases they either said it wasn’t possible or just redirected me back to BA MMB.

No problem, I’m fine with it and I suspect the flight won’t be that busy (it’s a 777).