gill03

Hi All

I am back looking for seating advice after getting some amazing help on our trip to New York in November

We are travelling to Vegas from LHR on Feb 14th 2024 and really just wanted 2 seats but can see on the configuration that this is not available in economy, only premium - having checked which seats are available in WT+ there is still the following twin window seats available 22JK, 24JK, 25AB, 25JK - we would consider paying to upgrade to WT+ just to have the twin seats if the seats were ok - are those seats ok? ie have a window, not where people will stand for toilet etc.

Also we are travelling on BA A380 from San Francisco to LHR on 28th Feb 24 and the only available WT+ seats are 67AB, 67JK which look to be right by the toilets so as there is plenty of twin seats available on the upper deck we thought we would just stay in economy for that flight - can we upgrade just one way? I don't want to sound like an idiot ringing BA and asking for that if it isn't a thing Which twin seats would you recommend on the A380 upper deck - I was thinking between rows 73,74,75 on either side of the plane?

I hope this makes sense and thank you in advance for any advice

PETER01

These threads might help.

Re the A350 the seat numbers you quote are fine. See the map in the Wiki. WTP on both aircraft, in my humble opinion, is definitely worth a little extra especially on long haul west coast flights.

Row 67 is next to the toilets but of course has more legroom than the economy seats in 73-75.

BA Airbus A350: Which are the best seats? Master discussion thread

BA Airbus A380: Which are the best seats? Master discussion thread

Edited to add: The mini cabin at the rear is a cosy place to be. Downsides are probably be the last to be off the plane though! Here's some photos from an old trip report of mine in the rear cabin. The twin exit seats are good in the A380 upper deck (have to pay unless your Gold/Emereld but they have no window nor side bins)





More photos here.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21948492-post42.html

Pete

gill03

Thank you so much for the links!

PETER01

I meant to add that you can of course book economy out, WTP back (or the other way around) on ba.com

gill03

Hi Peter

Thanks for your trip photos and reviews - I really like the look of the window bins and to be honest begrudge paying £111 per seat, I would rather put that towards an upgrade. I would also like to not be too near the bassinet seats as there was a couple of unhappy babies on our way back from NYC and it wasn't the best! Can't be helped and we have all been there but would like to minimise that as much as possible Do you know if it is roughly the same fee to choose a seat in WT+ as WT? I am just trying to weigh up my options and think I may give BA a call to see what they say too.

I also notice in your review that you mentioned being near the toilets wasn't too bad as it was a night flight. I hadn't really thought of that before, we would be leaving SFO at 4.30pm so I am guessing at some stage people will want to relax and sleep? do you know if the toilets that are at the back of the WT+ (ie the ones behind seat 67JK are used only by the premium cabin or do the economy use those too? Just wondering what the separation would be and if it is only WT+ using the toilet it may not be too bad.

Pleased to hear I can choose only one way for WT+ if needed.
Thanks again for your help

PETER01

Hi gill03

Apart from First Class where seating is free, BA use what's called 'Dynamic Seat Pricing' so basically the more 'lucrative' a seat as in a window pair on the UD is more than say the middle row.

A350
Economy - I've done a dummy booking and economy varies from £27-54 (£90 for the 2nd front row of economy where the aisle seat has nothing in front of it)

World Traveller Plus - Varies from £44-£71

A380
Economy - Varies from £34 to £98 for an exit seat. Upper Deck windows are £70 a seat, per sector.

World Traveller Plus - Varies from £55 to £75.

If you book economy and are a direct flight from LHR-XXX you may get a POUG (Pro-active Upgrade offer) through Manage My Booking.

Pro-active Online Upgrade (POUG) tracking and discussion | 2022 / 23 thread

You can also ask on the day from LHR (assuming that's where your starting from?) See the AUP Thread for more details, however I would say it's unlikely you'd get a decent pair in WTP at that stage of the process/hours to go until the flight closes.

Airport Upgrades (AUP) promotion 2021/22 thread

On the A380 there is a curtain separating WTP and economy. If you did go for row 67 WTP say on the way back then at OLCI, which I'd do as soon as it opens, just don't print/or download your BP as this would allow you to change seats within that cabin.

See here re the curtain on the A380 between WTP and Economy (to the left of the picture) It's only really much busier when there's the 40 minutes to landing call, otherwise it's fine ish. Definitely better leg room! I've only ever sat as far back as row 65 so can't comment specifically on row 67, just what I've seen in the past.

The toilets are shared between Economy and WTP passengers but as you can see the curtain separates the cabin.

(Picture courtesy of JetSettingBen)

Geordie405

In terms of WTP on the A350, the toilets are actually at the rear of the mini WT cabin. There's a curtain divider immediately behind row 26 and then you have a few rows of WT seating before the toilets. So you wouldn't have anyone standing next to you waiting for the loo if you're in WTP.

Much as the A350 is a nice plane I wouldn't want to spend 10+ hours in WT where it's 3+3+3 seating. I'd definitely recommend WT+ if your budget stretches to it. However, without status you'd be unable to secure window seats before check-in without paying for them.

PETER01

That's a very good point Geordie405 and I'd agree for a west coast flight WTP is definitely worth it (if one can afford it if possible)

gill03

Thanks again for all of your tips and advice - it is really appreciated! I have enjoyed reading around the forum and will continue to do so for more research into BA

We ended up cancelling our original booking today and losing the deposit as they were trying to charge us over £2300 to change the booking and upgrade. We rebooked with a new booking and altered one of the hotels we were unsure of in LA and also upgraded to WTP for both in/out long hauls choosing 24JK on A350 outbound and 67JK on A380 inbound for around £800 extra so it was worth us losing the deposit.

We are also hoping to collect as many avios points as we can along the way so we can have a big holiday to Dubai/Maldives at a discounted rate so I will definitely be back asking for more advice in the future Thanks again - you are certainly all very knowledgable!

I forgot to say it was £72 to select seat on A350 and £85 on A380

VictorSierra

I’m going to assume you might be new to Avios collecting… before you start, do have a read of other posts on this forum as to how the scheme actually works. A lot of people end up taking out credit cards (etc), only to eventually discover it’s not as cheap/discounted/free or accessible as they thought it would be.

Good news on your west coast trip!

acucobol

I find the A380 to be a much better experience.