BA Website is Lame

[kabz]

Well, I really think I've had it with travelling on BA. I've been living in the States for the last nine years, and have become used to actually having some limited power over where I sit on planes.

SLF have so much crap in the way of security, rushed boarding for quick turns, etc., that travelling by plane is no longer very much fun, especially if you do it on a regular basis.

However, one of the bright spots is that Continental, my personal favourite airline have a great IT system that lets you get right into to see filled seats, groups of empty seats, and to actually, really choose, (not request) where you are on the plane.

The other great thing about this website is that it doesn't get in your way with a bunch of flash BS. I can be in and out in a couple of minutes.

Compare this with the BA site, where trying to simply confirm online brings up the longest and most god awful annoying flash movie I've ever seen. I'm trying to confirm a flight, not learn about 'all the options'.

Of course, when you find the right option to try choosing a seat, there are only about 10 available seats to choose on a 777. I do not believe this. This is absolute cack. And there are no requestable seats on a 777 for a flight, in a weeks time. BS. Pure BS.

Screw it BA, get a decent IT system, allow people to do what they actually want to do, and maybe I'll book a ticket with you again. Until then, I'll stick with one of the American carriers.

I'll lose the convenience of being able to book straight through to Inverness, but whatever. I'll even pay more. $200 more seems to be reasonable to be able to choose a decent seat (like most flights in the US) with a weeks warning (and this works prior to be checked in, and yes I am registered on the BA site)

In contrast, I already have my seats to and from Paris next year on CO setup (bought with OnePass miles ;-)). BA, check out some real airline websites. Look at how stuff should be done.

Sorry about venting like this, but man, I am pretty annoyed.

[slim_slag]

It's not the web site, it's the policy.

[kabz]

Yeah, see your point. Then the policy is also lame. It's a shame because BA is a decent airline, though probably not the 'world's favourite' anymore.

I think this shows up one point, which is that the systems that support an airline and it's customers are probably going to become much more important than the increasingly 'samey' food, narrow seat pitch and security delays that most airlines have been beaten into by government policy and economics.

I'll leave my post up, but apologise again for venting like that.

[Final 3 Greens]

Kabz

No need to apologize, BA is not going through its finest hours recently.

The fact that some short haul flights are still uncatered, months after the GG dispute ended is a disagrace IMHO.

And that dispute was the 3rd in three summers to hit the flight schedule.

The website frustrates me too, the onliine check in functionality was great when it first came in, but others are now catching up or doing it better.

Time for BA to get its act together.

[slim_slag]

kabz, The missus had to travel to Narita on short notice last week, decided BA was the best choice for that trip, and booked and paid in Club World.

She wasn't allowed to select her seat until on line check in kicked in. All she wanted to do was pick a seat upstairs, she didn't want upgrading (well she did, but they apparently arbitrarily decided the offer they are publicising didn't apply to her), yet they wouldn't let her. So if they can do that to somebody paying £5k for a flight you shouldn't be too surprised if they do it to the cheapskates in the back.

Competition is such a wonderful thing :)

[jack_essex]

I found the BA website completely fine when I was booking my New York flights. I booked about 8 months in advanced, the website gave me a view of the whole cabin and I could choose exactly where I wanted to sit. It lets you pick up 'you' and move about the cabin to sit where ever you want. Booking these such a long time in advanced let me have a choice of virtually the whole cabin. And check in was fine so saved the worry of not being able to sit together.

[MarkD]

BA's website is not bad for booking but is occasionally cranky when updating Executive Club personal info - I tried to add the missus to a household a/c but it wouldn't complete the job.

[sixmilehighclub]

kabz

The main reason only a percentage of the seats are available for pre assignment is because not all people who book flight tickets on BA have access to the internet! They have to wait until check in. Also, some seats are left until check in incase need arises to seat disabled passengers, executive club members, VIPs, etc or if the business class load increases on the shorthaul routes for example.

Next time you're on board, ask for a questionnaire to fill in (otherwise known as a Global Performance Monitor form). You can mention your frustrations on here, and it will be read.

[atco-matic]

Can't say I've ever had a problem with ba.com actually... it's always worked and done what I want it to do in a perfectly straight forward manner. I especially love the online check in.

[BOFH]

They are spying on me - really!

Every time I go to book a flight, run downstairs, ask my GF if she is happy with the itinerary, then run back up to book it, the fare increases by 20%.

BTW slim_slag, why didn't they honour the CW->1st upgrade? I was thinking of taking one of those...

BOFH

[zed3]

BOFH.....I believe it's something to do with cookies . They can tell that you are trying to get the cheapest fare , can anyone confirm this ?

[slim_slag]

I have no idea BOFH, clause 8 in the terms and conditions reads

Upgrades are subject to availability and capacity control at the time of booking. Seats available for this promotion on each flight are limited and may be fully booked during peak periods even though seats are still available in a different booking class in the same cabin. BA accepts no responsibility for an inability to take up this offer if seats in A class are not available on a given date within the Promotional Period. A shame as they are offering first class tier points, otherwise she wouldn't have been too bothered.

As for cookies, the BA policy is here (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/cookies/public/en_gb?source=TOP_cookies). I suppose they could use the session cookie to do what you suggest, but I'd be surprised if they did, but then funny things happen. If you suspect it then just close the browser and the session cookie will clear, or wait 15 minutes and it will clear. I think there is another explanation in that they appear to headline the cheapest fare available, but when it comes to booking the actual flight that fare is not valid. Also the tax/surcharge calculation used to be calculated later and added, but they seem to be putting that into the headline fare now.

The ba website has changed over the years, sometimes it's ahead of the field, sometimes behind. I think that is to be expected. It's got a nice feature in that you can easily compare fares within 14 days of any date you put it. It doesn't always work, I've had problems in the past retrieving bookings on my exec club number. It was doing that a couple of days ago, the missus was unable to do the online checkin, no idea if it is working now.

[newswatcher]

As previous posters have said, seat choice is subject to ticket type, with cheapest ticket holders usually "banned". However, look at the "small print", it always tells you that pre-allocated seats cannot be guaranteed!

I find it particularly irritating when, because of the "penalties applied on my "cheap" seat, particularly the "non-refundable" one!, I am almost guaranteed to be travelling on that flight. Fully-flexible ticket holders however, can pre-allocate a seat, and then not turn up!:hmm:

[slim_slag]

Well that wasn't what my missus found. She booked three days before travelling and couldn't get a seat assigned, and that was on a flexible business class fare. She did drop to blue this year, but jobs have changed and she could easily make gold again, but telling her she cannot reserve a seat that cost £5k return will not help BA get it. She does like the flat bed though.

Funnily enough it's me who encourages her to fly BA as then we will have both major alliances covered at gold level. Remember that you lot who think I am a BA basher :)

Over the years the choice of online checkin seats at the deep discount level has been cut drastically, that's what I have seen. When it started you could get in 24 hours ahead and have access to every available seat, over the years the selection has got smaller and smaller. It got to the stage where I used to get offered middle seats only, and would be sitting next to people in an aisle seat who flew transatlantic once a year. I never did work that out, competition is a wonderful thing.