BertieBadger

So there has been a discussion between myself and TWCLAM in the following thread: Group Boarding 2018 - first hand experiences

To avoid going OT there, I thought I'd start a new thread. Various ground was covered, but to keep the discussion focused, I'd like to (initially anyway) focus on the matter of seat selection for a separate PNR, as that seems to be a fairly common query.

TWCLAM reports that in Dec 2019 they were successfully able to "extend" their Silver status, such that friends on a separate PNR were able to select seats for free in a different cabin (that they otherwise could not) immediately that the PNRs had been linked.

Does anyone know if there has been a policy change in this respect?

I'm somewhat surprised at this report, for a number of reasons:

1) It is contrary to the published BA seating policy ( https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...ving-your-seat)

2) If there has been a change, and the website is simply out of date, then we've gone two months or more without hearing about it. Also, given it is a positive change, why would BA not publish it?

3) There are roughly contemporaneous reports here on FT about GCHs having such seat requests processed manually, e.g.: TCP & Row 1 in CE?

4) To my knowledge, PNR linking is simply a free text entry in the notes of each, i.e. BA's IT would need to have been enhanced to interpret that data and check the status of the passengers on the linked PNR.

Anyone know if there has been a change in this area? It's quite a significant benefit improvement if there has been.

UKtravelbear

re 3 the TCP benefit also applies to Golds and yes it is a manual process but that has been in place for a long time though people aren't always aware of it

re 4 - a 'note in the booking' is basiclly like leaving a post it note saying 'buy milk' and hoping someone sees it aamongst all the other things stick to the fridge door! Gate and other staff aren't proactivly looking at PNR notes.

I'm not aware of any change in BA policy - and if there were I'd have expected a huge thread about it on here - so I would say this was more down to luck (just as you sometimes find an outstation who will through check bags on separate tickets) than a positive schedule change

scottishpoet

No change of policy. I saw the comment on the other thread and ignored it as it was not correct but I doubted I could convince the OP that if the others got the priveledges then something else was at play.

BertieBadger

To clarify my point 3, I was aware of the GCH benefit, but what I meant was it was evidence that it was still being processed manually at a time (roughly) comparable to a report that it could all be done straight away via MMB etc - that seemed contradictory.

etiene

Highest fare classes give seat selection in higher cabins at least - is that true in ET too?

TWCLAM

scottishpoet I'm perfectly open to the fact it happening may not be correct as per the T&C's as posted and am the 1st to admit that with only 2 years flying BA i'm far removed from being an expert on this or any other matter. I can only go on personal and lived experience and that has shown that if you call BA and ask them to link the bookings then at least in our cases our friends have been graced with the seat selection, baggage allowance and matching BP group( the last one very much being easily achieved anyway via check in or gate agents I agree) that we have as Silvers.

I actually tried to go back through an old whatsapp group for the trip to see if there was any discussion in there simply to give data points but it wasn't discussed in there.

How or why it has happened on 3 occasions I can't answer as an outsider and im 100% open to me having some amazing luck and each of the CS agents pulling some magical trick behind the scenes without making any fuss about it but as I said previously it's never even been viewed as an issue when i've called BA CS. Honestly I had the assumption it was a pretty everyday thing as it's always been dealt with very matter of factly by them. Whilst it doesn't happen often i'll make a conscious note to collect data showing such things although as per current planned flights I wont be able to repeat the experiment anytime soon.

KARFA

There hasn't been any change.

Non Compos Mentis

I called to ask for TCP for a friend a few months ago. I was able to assign his exit row seat next to me in Y but his boarding pass didn’t scan at Fast Track. This might suggest no (IT system) transfer of benefits from TCP.

Oaxaca

Yes it is. Economy Plus Flex fares allow seat selection from time of booking. Can’t remember all the fare classes included, definitely Y, possibly B and H too.

corporate-wage-slave

I'm aware of no change in policy, BA aren't usually shy to promote changes (e.g. status selection on Basic fares). PNR annotation doesn't change seating poiicy.. If you saw the notes you would understand why, they are a mish mash of text and manual entry tends to be highly abbreviated. That isn't to say an agent may have been helpful for various reasons, and of course some people get free seating selection for a whole variety of reasons and are perhaps unaware of it.

Nota bene: one of the Likes in KARFA's post.