[Anonymous]

[jazzcharley]

Having made 46 LHR-EDI return flights (all on BA) in the last 11 months you’d have thought I’d have worked out by now how to get a decent seat on the plane – but I still haven’t. Having BAEC Silver status doesn’t seem to give me any advantage at all. The website allows me to select my seat from the time of booking – usually a month ahead – but even so, the first ten rows or so are always ‘unavailable’.

Can anyone give me some tips on how to get a seat closer to the front of the plane? On my return flights to LHR I’m always tight for time and those extra few minutes saved by getting off the plane quickly are invaluable. Is it a timing thing (i.e. so many hours before departure all the seats become available) or do Gold cardholders have a wider seat selection, or what?

All suggestions will be gratefully received.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Rows 1 to 5/6 are always held back for Gold Card Holders – they normally open up around 24-72 hours before departure for Silvers.

[jazzcharley]

Thanks Tim – I suspected that, but very very occasionally I get 1C or 1D as a choice, and I’ve never had Gold status. And the flights are invariably full to bursting!

[AllOverTheGaff]

TimFitzgeraldTC – 09/01/2015 13:10 GMT
Rows 1 to 5/6 are always held back for Gold Card Holders – they normally open up around 24-72 hours before departure for Silvers.

Ahhh, I thought as much to be honest, even when flying business to MCO just then I couldn’t get rows 1 – 5, now I know how to do it.

Thanks Tim.

Rgds.
AOTG.

[Tim2soza]

jazzcharley – I have BAEC Gold (from long haul flights) and my 3 or 4 round trip per annum redemption/purchased seats to EDI and GLA always have front row seats open for selection from booking. I have to date never not got front row if wanted.

[jazzcharley]

Ah, well. RHIP, as we used to say in the military.

[Tim2soza]

Sorry!

[KarlMarx]

Rows 1 to 5/6 are always held back for Gold Card Holders – they normally open up around 24-72 hours before departure for Silvers.
++
I wonder when GCH pressure will see the exits rows also blocked, now the legroom is the same throughout?

[openfly]

@Jazzcharley….but surely with only 4 more sectors in the year you will be Gold anyway and, as such, you will be able to book what you like. 50 short-haul in a year for Gold??!

[jazzcharley]

surely with only 4 more sectors in the year you will be Gold anyway

100 short-haul sectors in a year for Gold? I’ve never heard that before. (I will have made 98 as it happens by the time my TPs expire!) I currently have 960 TPs and expect to get another 100 before they all disappear.

[Ah,Mr.Bond]

Well JC, you will be loving it now!
I have just made my first trip from GLA-LHR under the new exec club rules. … what a joke.
Lets face it, most business folk will be travelling with just hand baggage for an quick escape as you say – so will not be booking the check in baggage fare. To now ask a silver member for £7 each way just to book a seat which should be one of the silver benefits is a joke.
I could maybe forgive them slightly if at online checkin 24hrs prior you can pick what you want… you cant. It is automatically assigned to you, could be anywhere, and if you want to change it, it’s £7 thank you very much. This is a farce for their busines travellers., whoever signed this off for their top card holders should be removed from their position.
No Idea if this is the same for Gold so can’t comment on that.

[MartynSinclair]

A small tip for getting a “half” decent seat without paying on most BA shorthaul… book the row behind the emergency exit row as the emergency exit row seats do not have (or at least did not have) any seat recline…

[BA319131]

AhMrBond, unfortunately it is the same for us Gold members, we are in the same boat so to speak.

Now if only BA would get rid of priority boarding for Bronze members, that would be something of a plus.

[MrMichael]

Oi, I heard that!

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