kered

I think chucking the crap seats to the non-status / non-full passengers in CW wouldn’t be a very helpful way of doing things. I for one am very close to abandoning BA because of the seating policy.

While not full-fare, I still would spend over two grand of my own hard earned money to fly CW, twice that if Mrs Kered is traveling with me. Why should I give BA that sort money if I can’t pre-assign my seats, when pretty much every other airline allows me to do so ?

At the moment I’m fine, as I have Silver Status, so I can pre-assign, but it’s going to mean three round trips a year in CW for me to maintain Silver status. Which for me traveling on my own, never mind the two us of traveling together, would cost well over six thousand Euro a year, all just so I can choose a seat. I don’t think so !!!

We really do like flying BA, absolutely love Club World & really don’t want to change airline. But there’s no way on Earth I’m going to lash out the money it would take to stay Silver, just so I can pre-assign my seats.

So news of a revised seating policy could be good news. I’m all for the premium seats being held back for Gold’s & or Silvers, but at least allow someone who as taken the trouble to sign up to the BAEC thereby pledging some sort of loyalty to BA, but still only Blue status, have the ability to pre-assign their seats. When on most other airlines, you can do so by doing nothing else than booking a ticket, with no need of being a member of their FFP never mind having to hold status in such a program.

BAAZ

Yes! Agree absolutely. Although how many "a few" is should be a function of how many status pax are expected on the plane.

gaia06

I just don't "get it" about BA's change in seating policy anyway. Several years ago (probably eight or so) I flew BA and booked all the seats in advance. No, I didn't have any kind of status either. What happened to BA? Why did this airline decide to change their booking procedures to this crazy one? How did they think they could compete with this silly, crazy plan? I wish I'd booked a different airline for my fall trip to the UK, but my daughter wanted to travel on BA again. I loved flying BA as well, but I just hate this inability to pick seats! This is just plain crazy! We aren't business travellers or frequent fliers. We fly once or twice a year so there is no way we can gain enough status to enjoy BA perks. As for credit card miles, forget about it. I don't use CC unless I absolutely have to. Just hate them.

Anyway, I'd just love BA to wake up and smell the coffee!!

gaia

BAAZ

The problem with a free-for-all is that status pax who book without too much advance notice don't get an enhanced choice of seats. But instead of trying to address this by blocking the best seats for status pax, BA has probably gone too far and blocked them all.

BahrainLad

I have done the same. On my last CE flight, original assignment 6E (E! E!), eventual seat 1F, I just wrote "NEW SEATING POLICY IS BOLLOCKS SORT IT PLEASE" in capital letters on the survey form (without bothering to tick any of the actual questions boxes).

OK, I could have been more erudite but I had a stinking hangover.

USA_flyer

Actually in this case BA could take a leaf out of the US carriers books. Block the exit rows and favoured seats in other cabins for those with status and full fare pax. Allow the rest to pre-assign in the less favourable areas of the plane.

Smirnoff

Oops, not very well put, I agree.

What I meant was allocate some, but not the best, seats to non-status passengers in I and D.

kered

Exactly !!

But hey that’s the very way it worked, BEFORE this new policy came into place.

The way it is now, is that a passenger travelling on full fare economy, but yet paying way less than a discounted business class passenger, can pre-assign a seat. But the “Numpty” who is giving BA thousands of their own hard earned money to travel in Club World on a discounted fare CANNOT pre-assign a seat.

Meanwhile on VS, AF & UA to mention three airlines that I know of that you can have your seat assigned when you book your ticket.

Which exactly where my thousands of Euro will be going, once I drop back from Silver, which I think will be rather soon, as I can't see myself flying anymore on BA in order to maitain Status, just to get what I can get (for the time being) as standard elsewhere.

Sheer madness

kered

Fair enough !

As I’ve said, I’m all on for keeping back good seats for regular travellers.

Keep the likes of 64K, 62A, 14K & whatever other seats are the “prized catches” for those with Silver & Gold status.

But to not allow anyone else pre-assign is just plain unfair. I’ve never gone for those “special seats” & even on an upcoming trip to MIA where I can pre-assign & all those seats are open I haven’t grabbed them.

Preferring as usual just to get a window seat (& the one beside it if Mrs Kered is travelling with me.)

All I want after spending all that money on an airfare is to be allowed to know where I’ll be sitting & know that I won’t end up in a middle “love Seat” beside a complete stranger.

Not much to ask I think !!!

gaia06

Yep, and at the risk of being pelted with many small (and perhaps a few large) stones, I flew f class on Virgin in Dec. last year and was actually given the pick of seats up front without having status. It was such a pleasure to be able to choose any seats we wanted months in advance and even make a change later without any hassles. Now, I don't expect BA to do this, but I sure don't like this crazy free-for-all. Kinda reminds me of China Air and I don't EVER like to be reminded of THAT!

gaia

Spounce

What on earth could their reason for that policy be? Sometimes seats that weren't available at the time of OLCI become available later. What skin off BA's nose would it be to permit seating changes at the airport even in cases where a boarding pass has already been issued? This isn't a problem at any other airline.

jhm

Less staff time required, less staff required, lower costs!

Spounce

Perhaps, however if I was travelling with two other people and hadn't been able to secure 3 seats together at OLCI but had reason to believe that 3 seats together were available at once I got to the airport, I'd make a point of costing them more staff time to explain to me why they refuse to make a simple change than it would cost them just to make the change and get rid of me. Wierd policy.

sunrisegirl

And that very often happens!

Spounce

A shame for their check-in staff who ought not to be put in the position of having to explain and uphold such a silly policy.