Have you got the Amadeus locator (booking reference) that allows you to access your own booking on the BA website? You can do that even if your booking was made with an agent.

If you don't have one, phone BA res and ask them to pre-allocate you a seat. If they'll give you the Amadeus locator, that'll give you some more control over the things that you can do on the BA website. You can put in your passport information, for example, and then check-in online at the appropriate time.

Worth turning up in Uniform with my PPL pips? :E :rolleyes:
(No, i would never even consider it!!)

I agree about the frequent flyer thing, but since going BA Gold a year ago I "only" got my first upgrade last week. [That's not a complaint, just pointing out that it's not always a dead cert]. In ten years of travelling, I've been upgraded a total of 4 times:
- BA longhaul on blue
- BA longhaul on blue (same route and also with Mrs EGLKF)
- BMI domestic on gold
- BA longhaul on gold

The way it seemed to work for me last week was to arrive at the gate in DFW without a boarding pass (I'd come from somewhere else domestic and stayed airside) although I'd checked in online the night before. The American lady in front of me was giving the poor girl grief about an AA flight - remember this was the BA gate - and asked me if my query was quick.

When I told her it was - I just wanted my boarding pass as I had already checked in (sequence number 001 as it happens) - she apologised for changing my seat allocation and proceeded to hand me a new seat in First!

I don't know if it was the gold card that did it or the fact that she wanted one of us walk off happy, but it took several days for the smile to wear off. Whoever you were - thank you :D :D :D

I know its wrong, but I know of police officers being upgraded on BA, AA, United, and Virgin when travelling Trans Atlantic. I have no idea why this is, but I do know they don't ask for it, but then again would you turn it down if asked!!.

I flew BA back from Nice to Gatwick on Saturday morning, and got an upgrade from a machine. Checked in as per usual using the kiosk; the thing offered me "Aisle seat 2D". I got as far as poking around on screen looking for a window seat and wondering why the display didn't seem to show the wings before I twigged...

The flight was overbooked of course - perhaps if I'd checked in at a desk I'dve been offered a bump, which in the circs I'd probably have taken (wisely, as the flight was delayed nearly an hour at Nice and for about quarter of an hour outside Gatwick due to an emergency on the plane in front).

Not the first time I've had an upgrade (twice in a row, I got economy to First on Virgin. I nearly bought a lottery ticket after that), but definitely the first time it's issued forth from a machine.

I didn't even have to smile - although when I realised what had happened, I did anyway.


R

I have tried to check in on line but it tells me that there are no seats left! Does this mean that the flight is full?

Do you really mean "no seats left" so that you can't check in, or just that you've been allocated a seat and it won't let you change it to anything else?

If the latter, the chances are that the flight is pretty busy and that the airport has taken full control of the seat allocation for that reason (to keep families together etc.) However, my advice would be to complete the check-in process even if you can't change seats. This is for two reasons: It minimises your risk of getting involuntarily bumped (although that risk is very small on BA), and I've heard it said that operational upgrades are sometimes done by scanning down the list of checked-in passengers in the order in which they checked in.

Also, try OLCI again in a few hours' time and see if the airport has released seat control back to the OLCI system. There is no difficulty in changing seats at that stage - you just have to go through the OLCI process again.

It tells me that:

Online Check-in for this flight is not available at present. You are able to check in from 24 hours before departure.

Does that mean its full. or should I check in 24hrs before?

I also have this;



x Change date / time of your flight - not available(more information)

x Upgrade your class of travel - not available(more information)

x Cancel / refund your ticket - not available(more information)

When is your flight?

As the screen says, OLCI opens at -24 hours. (If you see anything saying that it's -24 hours for Exec Club members and -12 hours for everyone else, ignore it - that's changed.)

If you've not yet reached the -24 hour point, look for the link that says "Request a seat". If there are seats available that you'd prefer, move yourself via that screen. If not, wait until OLCI opens. If you're really keen, you can go back in to your booking from time to time to see whether any good seats have been given back to the system, but it's pretty much pot luck whether anything happens. When OLCI opens, you'll have a reasonable chance at getting at the seats that are held back and not allocated until check-in.

Thanks for your help Global, I am not doing too well though.

I am now getting this!

We regret there are no further seats available for pre-allocation on this flight. Seats will be allocated at time of check-in.

Then that means what it says, unless you are a BA Gold or Silver (or oneworld Emerald or Sapphire). If you are, give res a call and ask if they can get seating to allocate you a seat.

Otherwise, get onto the computer at -24 hours and (a) see what the computer allocates you and (b) whether you can pick anything better off the seat map.

"We regret there are no further seats available for pre-allocation on this flight. Seats will be allocated at time of check-in."

Is this the same airline that is currently advertising something like "you will never have to queue to check in again" ?

I did not believe it when I heard it. Even if not the case here, how can the possibly allocate all seats when they have to see exit row PAX, allow for no shows etc?

The No Shows will probably have seats allocated to them Since, until they do not show, they are not No Shows!! (Sorry, couldn't resist). Also, not all seats are released for OLCI. Hence, "We regret there are no further seats available for pre-allocation on this flight."

In addition to what PAXboy says, the message about "no further seats available for pre-allocation" means exactly that. This is nothing to do with online check-in. This is pre-allocation in the normal reservations sense. Nothing in the message says that all seats have been allocated, only that there is nothing more for pre-allocation - not all of the cabin is available for pre-allocation.

When OLCI opens, more seats will therefore be available. Usually, you can pick your own seats yourself when you OLCI. But in any case, if you OLCI, you will get a seat allocated at that time. If the flight is full, or anticipated to be difficult, or editing is running late, then you may not be able to change to a different seat, but you will still have an allocated seat. And once you've OLCI'd, you don't have to join the main check-in queue at the airport.

Myself, I don't think I can remember when I last joined the main check-in queue for a BA flight ...

Sorry, yes I can, now. It was on my Concorde trip. :{

In 25 years of passenger flying I have only ever sat in the seat that I have paid for. This may be due to not showing any loyalty to any particular airline and having the cheapest ticket going.

However I am allways nice to the check in agent (even if it is the wrong time of the month), have baggage that is within the published limits, don't order a special meal and dress smartly.

Hopefuly one day the god of upgrades will shine his light upon me.

Just a quick update.

Flew BA0049 too and 0048 from Seattle last week. Really great service by BA, as a little busy at LHR on Friday but no trouble and I was checked in within a reasonable time.

I was allocated seat 42H in WT, which I didn’t know if that was a good or bad seat but didn’t really mind. Got to the gate early and watched the Open Golf on TV. They called for boarding to commence, so I queued up then I was told that they were very sorry but they would have to move me, no problem as I was travelling alone, and a new seat would be allocated to me by the Cabin Service Supervisor and she gave me seat 28B in WT+!

Really nice flight, great crew and WT on the way back was really quite good, good food, good films and even though I was put next to one of the toilets I got a good nights sleep.

Big thumbs up to BA for making another trip to Boeing pleasant, see you again in 3 months!

My experiences:

I am Gold with BA. I have been upgraded from WT+ to Club more times than I care to remember, usually at least 75% of flights.

As far as I can work out, it is down to the cost of the ticket. My company pays £1500 for a transatlantic WT+ ticket, quite expensive. But I usually get upgraded to Club, often both ways, and that ticket would have been £3000-4000 in the first place.

But I think the most important part is to fly regularly with the same airline. My company pays BA thousands, and they treat me very well. The best airline in the world, and now I don't even ask our travel clerk to look at any other flights. The ONLY choice.

BA and I have a mutually rewarding relationship. Long may it continue!

I must admit to having been bumped up quite a few times during long haul travel.

So far BA and Air Canada have been the best airlines in the freeby upgrade, 1 thing that does work in my favour is being 6ft 9inches tall:O

i always check-in seperately from my mum and dad i wait at least 1/2 an hour after they have done so, i dress semi casual (a good pair of trousers and casual shirt have never been out of fashion).
I always make the point of finding out the check-in persons name and calling them by it, asking them how they are etc etc. Then i always ask for a seat with extra legroom, 1 by an exit or near the partition, because of my freakish height. too prove the height i say i am, i always carry a Doctors letter saying that im 6ft9" tall and weigh in at ***lbs and a normal seat would be uncomfortable.

1 airline that didnt upgrade me was Cathay Pacific LHR to HKG, but i got a entire row of seats to myself by an exit which was nice, but i didnt need it in the end (this was pre 9/11) i asked for a flight deck visit, which got granted, i was allowed to stay up there for 5 hours which also included the approach and landing into Kai Tak on the Checker board approach.
I kept asking the Capt and FO if they wanted me to leave, but they said no stay up front, nice to have somebody to talk too etc etc, got an indepth lesson on the 744's systems incl demonstrations of how the FMC and auto throttle works.

First of all
- join the FF program and get a voyager number
- find out WHO does the bookings on your companies behalf and supply that person YOUR voyager number which she/he should use everytime they book you somewhere.
If the above is not possible, FIND another job, you work for *******

If you were to wangle your way into an upgrade, I for one would be pissed seeing as I have earned my upgrades. Get into coach and thank the fact your company does not regrad you important enough to be in bus/class.

Then again, a few hundred to the girl at SAA will do no harm as the corruption is open trade. Go for it !