ozzie

I quite like the Qantas domestic system where seats are allocated on the day of travel by status (using the preference in your frequent flyer profile).

Gatwickba

Just get all the passengers for a particular flight into an air tight room, pump in some knock out gas, put them on a pallet and load them in as freight, no meals, no drinks....think of all the weight that will be saved and all the moaning...

"please miss, I want to sit there but she got there before me"

Roger

Goes to show the inconsistency. I also am OWS with a confirmed reservation in CW to LAX some months away.

On present form, my wife and I won't know until T-25 whether we will be sitting together on our 11-hour flight.

At MMB, I get, successively:
- Request your seat;
- Seat choice available;
- Choose your seat now;
- Unfortunately it is not possible for you to choose a seat at this time. Please try again later or alternatively please check in at the earliest opportunity.

Oddly, I do prefer to sit next to my wife and I do believe the feeling is mutual.

It's just not good enough, especially when AA and probably everybody else are happy to allocate seats at the time of reservation. It is probably the mean reason why I am no longer booking BA longhaul.

Smirnoff

I don't understand this. Ok for the EI LCC leg, there is no OLCI available, but why can't you OLCI for the onward BA flight?

When I have travelled DUB-LHR-DME, I was able to OLCI for LHR-DME at T-24 hours, despite the DUB-LHR leg being unavailable for anything.

kered

Aye, but at the risk of alienating everyone else.

We’ve been loyal to BA & have a trip booked with them to MIA in June. But the only reason we’re travelling BA is I managed to qualify for Silver in February & therefore can pre-assign our seats for MIA.

Had I not reached Silver, there was no way we going travel BA & instead take up the AF option we had booked with seats assigned.

There are many who are fortunate enough to be able to (& willing to) stump up for CW on their holidays, but how many are going to do so if they can’t assign seats with BA, while being able to do so with pretty much everyone else.

The CW product is indeed very good, but is it that good, where you will spend thousands while running the risk of getting separated on a 10 hour flight from your partner…….I think not.

As I’ve said before, I hope BA can survive with Golds & Silvers only. But I think in these lean times the revenue from the premium leisure traveller would be very important to BA too.

Kered & Mrs Kered are one couple who will not be giving their money to BA, once Silver is lost.

I certainly do not intend on spending more money on trips, that I might not want to take, just so I can keep Silver.

kered

Were you able to check your baggage through to DME & if so how did the EI computers handle the tagging of your baggage ??

Also, what did the EI check-in agent make of the fact that you had already checked in for half of your trip when you did your “bag-tag & drop” ??

My sentiments exactly ^

Smirnoff

I don't check in bags when I go on business.

But there is never an issue with OLCIing for an onward flight, even if you haven't checked in for the preceeding flight. Why would this be a problem?

jhm

Your problem isn't the seating policy but - AFAIK - the buggy IT implementation which means that even if you're OW sapphire/emerald, you can't choose your seat. I'd try giving BA a call if you haven't done so already.

Roger

Thanks, jhm. Good advice. The problem is that I've tried twice (obeying the FlyerTalk mantra 'if you don't like the first answer, try again'), sent a fax to the 020 number (knowing that using the 01787 number is next to pointless and avoiding askBAngalore), and, er, refaxed the 020 number.

I'll try again.

kered

Fair enough ^

Not saying there is a problem, but knowing EI as I do & the generally unhelpful nature that can present itself when dealing with their check-in staff I can just imagine the issues that could occur.

Especially so with EI now out of OW & really not wanting to do anything else except get you from point to point & charge you for hold luggage as they do. I’d say any excuse would be just what they are looking for.

I can just hear the spiel…….. “Oh you’ve already checked-in with BA, so therefore I can only send your bags to London & you’ll have to collect them there & re-check in with BA at Heathrow. …………..Oh & by the way our hold luggage charge now applies”

Smirnoff

Ok fair enough. Personally I don't see how BA can go on selling BA coded flights, which turn out to be on a LCC with the kind of issues you describe. Far better for BA to codeshare with BD, put the prices up a bit, but offer a bit more service (disclaimer - I have never flown BD, so can't comment on how much better they are!).

kered

Totally agree with you there Smirnoff ^

I can see myself & many others like me being stranded on this little island of ours & having to book ex UK fares with BA or whoever & just use EI to get us to LHR & back.

That will significantly increase the fares but will also require much longer connect times at LHR to collect our luggage & haul ourselves across the airport to our onward flights. A nightmare at the best of times, but just what you don’t want on the way back after an overnight flight, when all you want is to do is get home.

Of course all this would suit EI down to the ground.

With their increased services across the Atlantic, they want us all to fly direct with them, instead of transferring onto BA, VA or whoever else.

Nothing of course to do with the fact that they (EI) are offering a vastly inferior & overpriced product in “J” on their long haul flights compared to a real airline

But hey, that’s a subject for another thread.



Or even better, switch the DUB/LGW flights to LHR & put in a bit more frequency. That way you can fly BA all the way ^

Unfortunately the limited availability of slots at LHR would prevent this. It’s a pity though as BA used to have quite a good DUB/LHR service many years ago

spanishflea

Aside from the fact that BD have exactly the same poor interline policy as EI

phreegreens

Say that with a strong Irish accent and it sounds strangely familiar.

Raffles

Go on .... try the Moscow flight! You know you want to!