Best seats reserved - for who?

[pedalbin]

I fly regularly in 'traveller' class long haul with BA. I ave an executive club card but this has now dropped down to blue. I am able to check in online and choose my seat 24 hours before departure, but on the regular route I fly the seats 29A and 29H are the best, 28B,C and the equivalents on the RHS are 2nd best, and various others (bulkhead seats at 40, last 3 rows at the back with only 2 seats) are 3rd best. However, whenever I check-in the best seats are usually gone. I have never seen 29A or H available, and usually 28's are gone too. I can usually get one of the 40 seats or the 2 abreast at the back. I have assumed that I was just a bit unlucky and someelse has an earlier connecting flight and can check in earlier.

However... my most recent flight 29A was unoccupied and smeone was moved into it from another seat. Does this mean that the best seats are held back for some reason, kind of making a mockery of the claim to have the best choice at online checkin. I can understand reserving the bassinet bulkhead seats in case of travellers with babies, but 29A and H have no bulkhead, 28 B,C and the rightside equivalents are emergency exit seats so have to be fit people sitting there.

Can anyone shed any light on what the current situation is?

Posting so late because I am now jetlagged and cant sleep!!

Edited to add: Even when I was a gold EC member and could choose my seats at the time of booking, sometimes 3 months before the flight, the best seats were never available then either.

[raffele]

This page possibly explains why certain seats are already taken when check in opens for the masses:

British Airways - Seating Policy (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/mmbseatingpolicy/public/en_gb)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

My wife and I do not travel very much but we experienced a similar problem with Air New Zealand. We travelled on their "Pacific Premium" class and specifically asked for seats in a 2-seat row as my wife is disabled. We were promised that this would be no problem. When we checked in we found ourselves in the inside 2 seats of a 3-seat row and "our" seats became occupied by a very young, able, couple. No explanation was offered.

Travelling on 4 different aircraft on a return trip to Costa Rica with a US airline, we were allocated separate seats in different parts of the aircraft on all sectors!!! Luckily we were with a group so a bit of jiggery-pokery unabled most of us to sit with spouses/partners.

I really don't understand how some airlines function.

[Mr Quite Happy]

Swiss does this.

On my regular ZRH-AMS route the exit rows are all unavailable yet when you get on the plane they are vacant.

I know the obvious answer is the capability question but I think its more to do with capacity (empty flight, seats unreserved, fuller flight, seats held back.

@ Pedalbin, I suspect the young able couple checked in online ahead of you or had a better class of ticket, my experience of booking seats and having them reserved for you depends on your class/type of ticket. However this is a guess based on limited group travel as I generally fly on my own and don't care.

[GroundedSLF]

All airlines have their own seating policies, however the general rule is that top loyalty card holders can reserve at time of booking (up to 11 1/2 months in advance), the same as full fare passengers (F, J or Y fares).

Seats in bulkhead rows are often "blocked" in case of the need for use by infants/families.

Some airlines "block" the best seats from online reserving no matter what time you try and reserve, these are "reserved" for the top loyalty card holders - which is why you sometimes get on board and find them empty.

Some US carriers will not reserve exit seats in advance as they need to ensure that those sitting in an exit row are able to work the doors etc in an emergancy.

Tip if you want to ensure the most room on a flight, with the seat next to you vacent, go for the rear of the aircraft, and if on an aircraft with 2 aisles, go for an aisle seat in the middle block at the back - but beware you might not get a choice of meals if you do this...

[Seat65B]

The trick is to do your online check-in precisely 23 hours and 59 minutes before departure time. You should stand a good chance of getting a seat in row 28 or 29.

Incidentally, as a Blue EC member BA will normally pre-allocate a seat, and I've found that usually it's in the 28/29 range on the 747s. What I find slightly galling is that when travelling on a cheapie, I am always allocated a window seat when my profile clearly states Aisle, but if I'm paying full fare I get the aisle allocated. There's a subtle hint in there, I think.

[BladePilot]

Don't know of any carrier that lets you choose either emergency row seats or bulkhead seats online.
Pedalbin you seem to answer your own question or is it just the way I read it?
Those seats/rows with bulkheads facing them and not adjacent to an emergency exit are normally 'blocked out' (unavailable online) as they are held for allocation to families 1st, generally (you were right to mention the bassinet). Emergency exit seats are never available online as the carrier or their representative (Ground Handling Company) have to view anyone who is allocated those seats in order to determine that they are fit and capable to occupy those seats and assist in the operation of the emergency exit if requested to do so by the crew, rule applies to all cabins First / Business / Steerage! Now if you're in First or Business then 'best seat' shouldn't be a huge issue really should it?
Emergency exits and bulkhead position vary tremendiously throughout the industry due to the particular layout chosen by the carrier. So the seats adjacent to the emergency exit on a BA B777 can/may be different to those on an Emirates B777.
If I travel down back in economy (has been known!) I always get to check-in early and specifically ask for my favourite emergency exit seat after determining what a/c type and config is operating the flight that day, if the check-in agent isn't happy to allocate I will ask nicely if I can approach the supervisor and work my charm best I can, never failed:ok:

[IThink]

Not quite my experience with On Line Check in on BA European routes. I am lucky to be Gold and always have been able to put myself in row 9A on the A319 in the overwing emergency window. Need to just tick a box to say I realise it is emergency row and that I am fit.

[raffele]

I've checked in online with BA previously and been able to select emergency exit seats online. And I am lowly SLF, no FF status. As IThink rightly said, you have to tick a box saying that you accept that you must be able bodied, over 16 and willing to assist in an emergency.

[Atlantean1963]

IThink - so it's you!!!!

That's why I can never get to 9A first on a BA A319 :)

And just to echo what you say, on BA you can choose an emergency row at on-line check-in - you then have to check a box to say that you understand what you have done and you meet the criteria.

Mind you, there's nowhere near so much room in the emergency rows on a BA A320.

Yours folded awkwardly.

Atlantean.

[OFBSLF]

Don't know of any carrier that lets you choose either emergency row seats or bulkhead seats online.
I did just that on JetBlue a couple days ago. Using their online system, I chose the exit row, aisle seat on my flight from BOS-MCO and the return.

[IThink]

:):):):):)

Only to Brussels mind you, and rarely more than 10 days in advance.

[Globaliser]

Don't know of any carrier that lets you choose either emergency row seats or bulkhead seats online.If you're entitled to pre-allocation of seats, you can choose emergency row and bulkhead seats on BA, except for the specific bassinet positions and for a handful of seats that are reserved for BA Golds only (unless, of course, you are a Gold).

The short answer is that BA Golds and Silvers and oneworld equivalents get first go at the good seats, and are often the people who know exactly which these are. That's why they're often gone by the time that online check-in opens. But family and friends who rely on getting seats when online check-in opens frequently report that they can still get decent seats. My sister and her daughter got 64AB (upper deck) in this way earlier this week.

[BladePilot]

Brilliant, learnt something new today, thanks IThink, raffele, OFBSLF and Globaliser.

[eliptic]

Flying maybe 50% BC and when im not doing that i try to get the seat next to me blocked,,works 3-4 times of 10..

Last trip took(777) 11H and ask very nice if could block 11K;)
The flight must have been 99% full and i ended up with the whole row H J K..

This is what i call "flatbed" much better then the WBC..haha:ok:

[apaddyinuk]

You can indeed book exit rows on BA.COM when checking in online. A warning message should flash up advising you of the terms and conditions of chosing the exit row and states that you could be moved by crewmembers if you are deemed unsuitable.

Now back to your thread. Prem/Gold/Silv cardholders I believe can reserve their seats even before check-in is open. Many of these passengers will obviously know what the good seats are and if the system does not automatically allocate them these seats then they will be able to do it themselves. Now it must also be remembered that the vast majority of these frequent travellers are travelling on fully flexible tickets meaning they can check in but not neccessarily turn up for the flight hence you found the seats vacant when you arrived onboard.

It happens more then you may think!