Jethrobee
This is taken from the press release and also the thrird or fourth post in this thread :
Quote:
Premier and Gold Executive Club members will be able to pre-book their seats for free in all cabins as they can today.
Clearly this is an attempt by BA not to anger their most frequent fliers but it does nothing to win them a new generation of loyal customers, quite the opposite in fact.
Assume I am a potential frequent flier in business class with a choice of carriers but not yet in any loyalty scheme.
I fork out thousands of pounds with BA for my business class seat and have to pay another £60 for the privilege of choosing it there an then.
It is only if I am prepared to pay the fully flexible fare (ie the most expensive) that I can reserve my seat at the time of booking without paying this fee.
Thus the temptation is to seek out other carriers who don't have this charge and join their loyalty scheme.
A previous poster here has already booked with a rival airline on the back of this charge even though he expects a worse service than he might expect with BA.
Presumably BA will also soon be amending this section of their website booking page:
"Book with British Airways and you can rest assured that there won't be any extra charges for selecting a seat, checking your bag or having a drink on board.
And of course, you'll receive the quality of service you'd expect from our award-winning airline."
Not a great move from BA at all.