This is contrary to the information posted by the OP in that thread. It is likely that the BA person you spoke to was unaware of this.

As I posted on BA Forum:

Thanks for posting, but I can assure you that as a OneWorld Elite, we now get nothing. I have now had to re-confirmed.

The issue you were talking about is where seating control get involved to try and help people sit next to each other etc, but that is the only time we might get assistance and knowing BA like I now do, I can guarantee that we will get as little assistance as possible. :mad:

I believe it took effect December 4th or 5th so your flight was before the changes. Again I suggest you read the BA thread to understand better the course of events, taking into account that the BA thread has little information of use to us OneWorld Elites.

For the record, all of us can assign a seat at time of booking or can use the MMB tool to get a seat should we wish to do so later. My bugbear is that before we got an enhanced seat selection but now we get the same as BA Blues. :(

The asterisk is used to take into account that OW carriers all have different aircraft and condfigurations of those aircraft. They also regard some seats are Elite seats (generally forward cabins and certain select seats with better legroom etc) and others as not. The asterisk therefore covers this rather where BA has removed the benefit completely.

Starting to feel more and more that my Star Gold offers better benefits minus the First Class lounges bit. :(

As a OneWorld Emerald or Sapphire member, you still have access to pre-select a seat in advance even if travelling on a discounted fare ( as for BA Gold/Silver ) . This *is* preferential seating. If you are a no status passenger travelling on a D ticket (for example), you only get access to select seats at time of check in, whilst a OW Sapphire/Emerald member gets to pre-select from a wider range of seats than before.

Dave

Dave, while this was advertised with the initial announcements some weeks ago, it seems Traveloguy is unable to do so as a QF elite.That being the case; it's contrary to what was originally published when this was announced back 3 weeks ago: New seating policy ...:

Actually, I don't see anything in Traveloguy's post to indicate that he had any problems with a specific reservation. I had a BA reservation for someone with an AA platinum number in it on a discount business fare basis and was able to get him 1A in Club Europe after this change was implemented

Dave

I believe he was looking at his "seatmaps" online and found it quite a Blue perspective.

Later on in the same BA fumum thread he posts Here:It seems to me that many at BA don't really know what is going on there. That thread starts with a post seemingly a synopsis an BA memo/announcement. The implication was that oneWORLD elites would have access as I posted here earlier.

However it appear that this morning it was rewritten and refers to this post. :confused:

Yes, I added a caveat to the top of original post yesterday (which dates back to Dec 2004). Since the introduction of BA's new seating policy its largely a historical memo now and thus any content presently quoted from the OP is largely out of context. The commentary relevant to the new policy begins from post 90.

Preferred seating was never offered consistently across OW. CX are very generous, but try getting an exit row out of AA with a BA Gold card!

MMB is recognising OW Emerald if associated with the booking, though only for long haul segments. However, for any short haul segments, the first three rows on the A/C side will show as blocked out (rather than occupied).

It's definately down to a software glitch, as for the first couple of days after the new policy was introduced, I was unable to select from the first few rows on any booking. From yesterday, I was able to move both of us back to 1A/K - the seats we'd originally reserved - on long haul segments.

So the remaining bug applies only to shorthaul segments, hopefully BA's IT wizards will iron this out soon.

Traveloguy, I'd take what you were told by BA's call centre with a pinch of salt. So many times I've put them on the spot with questions which have to be referred to a supervisor and my experience has been what they don't know, they make up.

It'll be interesting to see if your letter to Waterworld clarifies the situation. I'm perfectly willing to eat my words, but all I can say is that for all of my upcoming bookings, preferential seating has opened up for long haul segments. I hope that BA works on the short haul bit.

Getting an exit row with any card but the operating carrier's own is difficult. All other seats however are generally up for grabs with anyone who has an Emerald card.

Again I see this as one of the key differentiating factors between OneWorld and it's competitors.

Having said that, LX seem to always be good at getting me the seats I want using my BD card so no complaints there either.

You are indeed correct. The seat maps are the same as would be presented to any Blue BAEC member, i.e. first few AC rows on shorthaul blocked in J, and first 5-6 rows of Y also blocked (yet unoccupied according to Experflyer and KVS).

virtualtroy could be right in that the problem has been fixed for long haul, however the only booking I have with a BA flight number in long haul is a codeshare operated by QF and that is in F. Needless to say, that is not going to help us work out what I have and what I dont have access to. I have plenty of up and coming Euro flights however and my experience with the seat maps is based on those bookings (which are in a mixture of J and Y).

From my experience, the issue is not just confined to QF WPs but is also experienced by AA EXPs. I can't speak for the rest of OW, but suspect all other OW Emeralds would have the same for Euro short haul.

I have both long haul and short haul BA flights booked (sapphire) and am able to choose 747 upperdeck exit row (62A on HKG-LHR for example, which I was NOT able to before) and intra-Europe J and Y seats (which I was not before able to on the Y flight, however, on the A320 I'm on FCO-LHR in Y, can't choose exit row nor any of the first 10 or so rows...anything in front of the exit row other than the row immediately in front). So, the policy has certainly opened things up for me.

Good news - looks like overnight OW status issues have been resolved ^ .

Yesterday (as a QF WP/Emerald) I could not select a seat in the first 6 rows of Y (UK-Europe flight), this morning I was able to select any seat on the plane.^

I thus now love the new BA seating policy !!! ;)