[dutchyankee]

I have a question for the more travelled and knowledgeable here on the forum, so everyone other than me. Last year, when I was still BAEC gold I booked club flights from Warsaw to Lisbon via LHR as I wanted a day in London. As I was gold, I was able to block 1A and 1C for both legs. Due to my decrease in flying BA, I was downgraded to Silver this year after being Gold consistently since 1992. A few weeks ago I checked my bookings and noticed the flights showed no seat assignments any longer. When I looked at what seats were available, to LHR the best I could get was row 3, to Lisbon the first row with two seats together was, get this, row 11! Granted an emergency exit row, but surprised how large the CE cabin was planned for this flight as it goes to row 15. Shouldn’t I have received notification of my chosen seats being deleted, and shouldn’t BA have reassigned me two seats together without me having to do this myself? I assume there is no recourse I can take on this, but I was really surprised especially after being gold for 25 years. Any advice how to handle this would be appreciated.

[SimonS1]

I can understand why the row one seats were deleted, notwithstanding your distinguished record these would have gone when you ceased to be Gold.

I do agree though, the appropriate action would have been for BA to reassign seats together somewhere else. I’m not sure whether there was a technical glitch but the reality is BA no longer does customer service so it isn’t any great surprise that you were left high and dry.

In terms of what to do next, sadly I would say grin and bear it. If you write in you will get some standard response which will probably irritate you even more.

As far as the rows are concerned, yes CE seems to go back a long way these days. However prices have come down a lot meaning it is accessible to more travellers now. Remember you are talking about economy seating with an empty middle seat and a slightly better meal. I thought I read that a further tightening to 27″ legroom was on the cards.

[FDOS_UK]

dutchyankee

I’ve always disagreed with the way BA handles this. The seat allocation is a privilege of holding a card and when you have exercised that privilege, the seats should stick IMO. Could you imagine if you booked reward seats which were made available to you because you were GCH, then they cancelled your ticket because you dropped to silver? The logic should be the same.

As to alerting you/finding two seats together, well you would expect in this day of datatbases and business rules that this would be easy to do. Heyho.

Sorry you lost your seats.

[dutchyankee]

Hi Simon, I’m sure you are right, and yes, I’ll refrain from writing them as you say the reply will likely annoy me more. I was just really surprised of no notification or other seats assigned. I remember I used to get an email from BA when there were changes. I just checked another flight I am holding which is LGW to MCO which is normally 3 class 777, where I had booked 2A and 2B, and there I have been reassigned to 10A and 10B but again no notification. When I go on line, I can see a seat plan for what is a First cabin with no seats available, and no CW cabin will display so can’t change my seats? All very odd, and typical of what you said, BA don’t do customer service anymore!

[dutchyankee]

Thanks FDOS_UK, fully agree with you! I was gold when I bought them. For my Orlando flight, that I purchased after becoming Silver, but still odd there is no notification, and no possibility to access the CW seat plan. BA really disappoint in so many areas these days.

[Derek1948]

I’m off to Tampa in November and tried to book my usual seats, 3A and 3 B but like you found the route had been allocated a 4 class 777. The best I could do was 11A and 11B. Originally I could see the Club World seats on the “change my seats” diagram but like you, all it shows now is a First Class cabin with “seats unavailable”. Very strange but like you say – it’s BA. And what do they do with all those First Class seats, especially as they don’t advertise a First Class fare to Tampa? Fill them with staff……..

[MartynSinclair]

4 class 777′ are sometimes allocated for 3 class routes. BA can not use the F cabin for pax as there is no F service, so the seats are left for crew to rest and those on staff travel to enjoy.

If you have sufficient status and you get a good CSD, you can sometimes be offered the use of the F seats, but you will really need to have a very understanding CSD and accept that it is a club offering, just the seat is bigger…

[AlanOrton1]

I’ve been on a few flights to MCO and TPA where a 4 class 777 has been used.
As Martin says, F is normally left vacant.

From memory row 10 is the front row so I’d avoid the aisle seat as you’re right by the galley.
Last 4 class 777 I flew in with Mrs O we picked row 11 which I’d happily recommend as not by the galley and second row for food and drink service.

[Yeoman]

On a recent flight (B767 from NCE to LHR in late May) my wife and I were moved from the front row of economy (with a window seat for Mrs Y) to back row, mid-section. Luckily I spotted it and changed to exit row seats. On boarding, economy was at most one quarter full with our original seat selection empty.
A call back from a puzzled BA customer services representative proved inconclusive as he had no idea why it happened, but assured me it was not a regular occurrence. Until last week on a flight back from AMS….

[MartynSinclair]

The only reason I can think of is there was either an aircraft change or a double aircraft change (back tot he original. I believe that any aircraft change will knock all the reserved seats into mayhem… OR it could have been another IT glitch :))

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