MarkD wrote
as someone who works in the IT field, this sounds like bad system design, and as someone who regularly praises BA.com and is an EC member, it's not on to "blame" pax - just have the system on a trigger to be withdrawn once a flight reaches a given level.
It's true - the software could be changed to withdraw on-line facilities once a pre-set limit had been reached. However, instead of "blaming" the customer, we would then be guilty of inconveniencing the customer - equally bad form. Let's face it, we all want these services to continue, the only way they will is through mutual co-operation.
Incidentally, the Emergency Exit seats are not supposed to be available for on-line or telephone check-in so please ignore the remark made earlier. Sometimes glitches occur, such as an aircraft change, which release exit seats into the on-line plan by mistake - not a problem if the pap (singular of pax) is fit, but the DETR or CAA (or both) say we must have knowledge of the customer before allocating such a seat.
Globaliser writes
However, in my experience, I've never had anything other than a singleton pax turn up for the seat, probably because check-in (or the department dealing with allocation before check-in opens) have done a good job of making sure that the couples do have what adjacent seats there are.
I know it's not your intention, but what happens often is that single male gets 16B and his girlfriend gets 24E. If they're foreigners, you probably wouldn't even be aware they were separated. If their names are different (ie they're not yet married) the ground staff and cabin crew wouldn't even be aware they were separated and, as a check-in agent, I have no power to juggle other pax seats around to accommodate them. I'm glad you can now see the dilemna - I know you, and 99% of the pax I have hitherto branded as "selfish" are not being inconsiderate deliberately. Unfortunately, 3 row seating is an unhappy arrangement - perhaps someone could tell Boeing and Airbus!
