sunrisegirl

I may be wrong, but I don't think BahrainLad was suggesting couples have the middle seats, just be pre-assigned seats together at -3 days before. Why should they have preference over somebody else, just because they're travelling together, if they've paid the same price and have the same lack of status as a single person travelling.

Of course there aren't enough window/aisle seats for everyone, and some will have to go on the middle seats. But it's unfair on single travellers to be put at the back of the queue.

jhm

... because of cries from certain people about how awful it is to split up a (honeymoon) couple, families etc on their J trip to Frankfurt and other places!

So where in the queue should a single non-status discount fare pax go then ?

sunrisegirl

And don't I know it!

In the same place as couples (honeymoon or not) and families, and those who don't qualify for pre-assignment.

JimmyTheJock

The rear?

PITBULL1K

The whole process is a shambles.

At the moment, I am flying CW to India 2-3 times a month and have been since December - add the miles and the points. So, in my ignorance, I book two tix, separate PNRs for myself and a friend using MY miles to MFU in August to LAX. Used separate PNRs as I could use their credit card for their own tix - I can preassign, they cannot. Its my miles.....blah blah but BA dont care. My fault for not understanding!

Now, I've qualified for Gold to 2009. Do I:

a. Carry on with BA to get 2000+ TPs or
b. Try for VS

Now, VS would be an easy choice if the flight times to Delhi weren't so awful (for me anyway!).

Oh, and BA have yet to reply to my complaint - so no surprise there. Gone are the days when my score was high enough that a discussion about grumpy check in staff resulted in 10k miles on my a/c. But then 5 yrs ago, it didnt really matter what the issue was - fly to Amsterdam in CE get the usual poor mileage, have an issue get 10K!

Smirnoff

How many seriously deranged people are there, that would go to FRA for their honeymoon?

harryhv

Yes you'd have to be doubly deranged to a) Select BA-CE who won't assign you seats and b) fly to FRA

Smirnoff

That'll be why the CE cabins out of LHR are so full then. All those deranged people flying around.

Good job there's an alternative for all those sane people out there. These guys will get you there in style.

Flying Doctor

With regard to assigning seats,

I often have to book at the very last minute, which means full fare and also that many of the best seats are gone (I never get the upper deck in J, for example).

Whilst I would not wish to make the point too strongly there is a case for full fare J with Gold Card with a last minute booking to be able to have at least some choice of seat over and above those who have probably paid less than half the full fare for the same flight.

FD

SchmeckFlyer

But how do you accomplish this without irritating many other loyal and valuable customers? Plenty of examples can be given why other pax are more lucrative compared to a last-minute walk-up, so when do you decide to provide this preferrential treatment, and when not? It would seem like an even greater complication.

BAAZ

Actually, if you want to avoid couples being split up, then you should prohibit single travellers from sitting in the middle seats! Every one that does, stops a couple from sitting in that block of three seats.

Now it may be that some couples with status fiendishly book D and F in the hope that E will remain free, leaving only the middle seat left for the singles... (well, I might have done on the odd occasion )

LHR Tim

Which is why the merchant bankers on corporate D fares can pick seats, but others on D fares cannot.

Roger

Having been figuratively prodded by jhm, I tried again, mentioning the words IT glitch. These seemed to act as Open Sesame, and minutes later were were confirmed upstairs in both directions.

Thanks, jhm. ^

Flying Doctor

I agree with you that a happy medium needs to be reached. Ultimately there has to be some compromise as someone has to sit in the middle seats if the flight is very full. I was not defending anything but 1 full J2BA return to the US is far and away more profit than 2 I fares that would add up to roughly the same in monetary value.

I often end up with middle seats that is all I am saying. Having said that I have always found staff at BA will then always try and move me if I ask them.

FD.

kered

I'm have to wonder why the policy of “First Come, First Served” can’t be applied to the seating allocation, with Golds & Silvers having the pick of the blocked off best seats, with the rest open to everyone else.

Why should a last minute booking, Gold or not, get seating preference over someone who has taken the trouble to book months in advance & in the case of “I” class paid over their money to BA in advance ?

Chances are with access to the best seats only allowed to Golds & Silvers there could be a nice seat waiting for them anyway. But in any case if the flight is nearly full & the seats are taken, so be it & tough luck !!!