BA ADVANCE SEAT ALLOCATION

[KLOS]

I am modest Ex Club 'Bronze' .I am booked to TPA 28/10 at 11.40.I just went on line as usual to book my free 7 day advance free seat only to be asked for £36. I phoned Ex Club and told not avaiable until 24 hours hence. When did this change? It has always been 7 days to the day Very polite chap added ' don't worry .plenty of seats'

Anyone in the know?

Thanks

[Andy_S]

http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf...-shambles.html

[Background Noise]

Interesting, and surely a glitch. I reached the dizzy heights of bronze and have just done a BA club class return to the states. Both going out and coming back I was was able to choose seats at 7 days to go, and that included my travelling partner who is only blue in her own right.

We have just booked flights for next year and was told when booking that I would be able to choose our seats with 7 days to go - so it must be working somewhere.

What is perhaps more interesting, is how the seats are released. For the flights in a year's time, there are apparently already no seats available upstairs (747) - I can't believe they are all allocated already. On the recent trip, upstairs appeared to be full right up until the 7-day point when 2 seats became available - so we had them.

[KLOS]

.....:32 hours later the system is still asking me for a fee, I felt at the time i was just being fobbed off because the customer service Rep could not explain why the rules had changed. Just got an automated e mail asking about satisfaction re my query/

I think it was well summed up by a poster in the associated thread. I too have always found the actual BA flight experience good but the customer service is woeful. I think other than gold card they are not interested. You have feeling they would like to run every service on a converted Airbus 319 refuelling as necessary carrying only 32 plutocrats whom the hostesses could pursue for matrimony - like the good old days

[Ancient Observer]

Their website for Bronze benefits is still showing 7 days ahead for seat selection.
Except.....
"(Not available on hand baggage only (Basic) fares or group rate bookings and excluding exit row seats on long haul flights.)"

So something wierd going on, or you have an especially cheap ticket code.
More advice over on flyertalk.

[KLOS]

Hi A.O

Thanks for this - It is a qualfying ticket worth 145 tier points in total.

[Background Noise]

It is a bit confusing - when I made the most recent booking, the chap said I would be able to choose the seats with seven days to go. In manage my booking, it says 24 hrs to go.

[LFT]

Did you book a package (holiday) or a car with your flight, if so I think this mucks up the seat selection process, but if you phone the Executive Club I think they'll sort it if you know what seat you want?

[Shackman]

As only a 'blue' member I no longer have any advanced booking benefits (once upon a time I registered preferences and they were always met!). On Sunday evening my family and I flew back from Larnaca to UK, and I was warned a couple of days earlier to check in early as the flight was full (and overbooked). On Friday I was able to choose seats - and pay the exorbitant charges - almost anyhere in cattle class, but on going to check in exactly 24 hours before flight all those options had gone, except for four seats by the overwing exits - again at £18 a throw - and we were allocated the worst seats in the ac, row 28 with backs to the toilets and galley. I'm not complaining (too much) about the seat allocation as someone has to sit there, but chatting to other pax who checked in later or on arrival at the airport they had all been allocated seats almost on request. So are BA penalising pax who look at but do not pay to book seats? And do not get me started on the appalling 'in flight catering'.

[Capot]

the chap said I would be able to choose the seats with seven days to go.

Yes, well, he was probably wrong. That's what happens when you reduce costs by putting badly trained, fairly unintelligent people, perhaps EU migrants to reduce costs even further, into jobs that require excellent understanding of complex systems and regulations, and excellent understanding of, and empathy for, your clients, customers, whatever you want to call them, and, in the UK, excellent English.

Anyone who has had recent dealings with the Licensing section of the CAA, other than on a very simple straightforward matter, will know exactly what I mean.

[rog747]

Bronze/oneworld Ruby Free seat selection from seven days before departure
for everyone in your booking*. *You must be travelling on the booking (or in the case of Gold Members, one of the bookings) for these benefits to apply. They apply to British Airways flights only and are not available on Basic (hand baggage only) fares or group rate bookings. Exit row seats are not available to Silver or Bronze Members on long haul flights until 24 hours before departure. On some occasions, exit rows seats on short haul flights may not be available in advance due to operational reasons.

still on there now - call BA exec club and ask nicely for seats to be allocated