Guaranteed seat even on full flight - Gold Hidden perk?
I was just speaking to another BA Gold member regarding how full some of the BA flights are in South Africa.. He tells me that as Gold member, if you book a full fare ticket up to 24 hours in advance, you are automatically guaranteed a seat in economy no matter how full the flight is at time of booking...
I checked the BA website under Gold priviledge and there is not mention of this... Is this a hidden benefit... Also, has any BA Gold used this priveledge? |
It used to be a Gold perk. I do wonder whether there might be some sort of background deal as I have never failed to clear a waitlist when travelling full fare. Though I have always ended up in the ticketed cabin.
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Found the answer - it's a SILVER benefit
Just found the answer..... it's a Silver benefit....and of course would carry forward to a gold...
Now, would this work for J? |
Hi,
Called Reservation Assurance ( aslo to BA Silver) from Ask BA " Reservation Assurance provides Premier, Gold and Silver Executive Club members an economy seat on their chosen British Airways flight, when a flight is full in all cabins. The following conditions apply: * Available to Premier, Gold and Silver Executive Club members only. * Benefit is not transferable to travel companions. * Applies on British Airways flights only. Not available on franchise, codeshare or partner airline flights. * Available on full fare economy tickets only. A member is not able to purchase Club or FIRST tickets. * Tickets can be booked up to a minimum of 24 hours in advance of departure. * Minimum check in requirement is one hour before departure. British Airways will do its utmost to ensure Reservation Assurance is delivered. However, we provide no guarantees due to circumstances beyond our control, which may mean we are unable to offer this service. Reservations can be made by contacting your Dedicated Reservations Line or through your local travel agent. Reservation Assurance is not available to book online. " Regards TBS |
Hi,
From the text only to full fare Y . not to J or F. Regards TBS |
Thanks Banking Scott..
Now, does this apply to a change in reservation? i.e. I booked Y on flight A and now decide that I want to change to flight B (but B is overbooked), and I call in before 24 hours before my flight? |
...and the benefit is only available if all other booking classes are showing 0 availability. Techincally that means that if there is even one F seat you will have to buy that before you can use reservation assurance. Not sure whether this is enforced in practice.
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Originally Posted by Cyba
...and the benefit is only available if all other booking classes are showing 0 availability. Techincally that means that if there is even one F seat you will have to buy that before you can use reservation assurance. Not sure whether this is enforced in practice.
So for example, I cant use reservation assurance if I want to book in Y, but because F has availability, I have to buy F ticket? :confused: Not much of a benefit if that is the case... |
Yield Revenue Agent: "... telling you they were all out for 210 for chrissake! Yes, hello?! What now?"
Ticketing Office Agent: "Sir, a Gold customer is requesting a J award seat for tomorrow's flight to SFO - it's showing there are 10 seats left" YRA: "No way - I need to keep it open - Now if I can just...". TOA: "Oh, sir?" YRA: "Yeah, what now". TOA: "Another pax is requesting to buy a full fare to JFK for today - flight is overbooked in all classes - even Y is closed." YRA: "All right, I'll open one for you - what's the flight number?" |
The only time Reservation 24 (or Reservation Assurance) comes into its own is on UK domestic. Only one cabin (so none of this is there a seat in F business) and the price differential is not so great that you'd have to be desperate (or unhinged) to use it. (e.g. on the JFK run, if you had to use Res24 on a completely full flight, you would have to fork out £1008 (each way plus taxes) for a full Y fare). Res24 was absolutely fantastic during the East Coast Mainline rail chaos a few years back. Got a seat on a totally full NCL service (ops that day by a 767) by using Res24. Worked a treat.
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This would also be worth a great deal on a sold out flight (eg Friday evening) where there is may be only one flight a day, and you have no other way of getting home.
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Originally Posted by ACfly
Now, would this work for J?
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Originally Posted by number_6
CX offers guaranteed J for their Diamond benefit (gold equivalent). QF is the same as BA -- economy only -- but with the caveat "facility may be restricted due to operational constraints" (a guaranteed seat that isn't guaranteed, wonder if BA has similar wording on its guarantee?).
As long as you book a full fare ticket up to 24 hours in advance and check in at least one hour before the flight, we will confirm your reservation* – even if the flight is full. *Applicable only to full fare economy and minimum check-in time still applies. It is your reservation which is secured, not your preferred seat or cabin. Circumstances beyond our control may mean we are unable to offer this service. Applies to British Airways operated flights only. |
In reality the Gold waitlist priority really works. I frequently waitlist, and it has never failed to clear, usually in a matter of hours.
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In 1992 when BA EC North America was established, there was a Gold Reservation Assurance. It applied if there were no available seats in F, the Gold Member was guaranteed a seat in Club World even if there were no seats in J available for this flight.
I guess they've modified this benefit over the years. I'd have thought they'd guarantee a seat in CW rather than WT- DL had a similar guarantee for Medallion members in full fare Y. |
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