BA redemption availability

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Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 57 total)

  • OneA
    Participant

    Alexthegreat; EasternPedlar…Small point, but I am not aware that the BA 787 – 8 has a first class cabin (none that I have flown have had); its just the 787 – 9 that has. Another reason for no upgrade availability from J to F – as if BA needed one!
    The booking options are often inaccurate on the web booking page I have found. Best to check on the BA seat plans web page or even seat guru for true seating layouts.


    EasternPedlar
    Participant

    @NigelHuggins – you’re quite right, it is the 787-9. BA uses that aircraft for one of their Delhi flights. I must say that the individual First Class seat is a huge improvement on their existing product, though the overall cabin aesthetics are terrible and look like something put together by a kid with a meccano set!


    traveldoc
    Participant

    Have been able to book two flights recently with Avios – IST-LHR-BHD and GVA-LHR-BHD; both in CE. Long haul seems impossible – even PE. Emirates and LH both seem to offer more opportunities.


    wastedlife
    Participant

    I’ve had no real problem redeeming long haul in J or F, including using companion vouchers, but you do have to be flexible over travel dates and organised enough to look a long time in advance. If you want to travel on Christmas Eve to JNB in a family of four, you are going to be sorely disappointed. But I’ve already got my 2016 holidays to Brazil and the Cayman Islands sorted, in J, using Avios. So it can be done.

    The reason they will be inflexible about the number of reward seats and upgrades on a flight, even when there is capacity, is it results in cashless profits. The provision for BAEC balances goes down, resulting in income in the P&L, but minimal cash is received.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    @ wastedlife – 26/11/2015 12:44 GMT

    I could use your advice as you seem to be able to get the seats you want. I would like to finally use some of my Avios, and need to book two First or Business class seats, one-way, from BGI to BRU or AMS in late November 2016. When does BA release seats for Avios/how soon can I look for availability, and if nothing is available on BA’s direct service out of BGI, am I able to book on AA via the USA on BA’s site?


    navnov11
    Participant

    I was able to book First class redemption for LHR-BOM-LHR using Avios + Amex companion voucher.. July/August 2016..


    openfly
    Participant

    @dutchyankee The seats are released at 00.01 353 days before.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Thanks openfly, I appreciate that, and have noted the date in my diary to check. I keep my fingers crossed but my expectations realistic.


    navnov11
    Participant

    just check bgi – ams availability for First. The only availability is on 24th Oct and 2nd Nov 2016. (showing till 14th November 2015). Business is not available for these dates.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Thanks NavNov11, what you illustrate is why I am keeping my expectations realistic.


    wastedlife
    Participant

    Yeah, I’d echo all that. To give you an example, I booked my Brazil tickets in August 2015 for a March 2016 departure and Grand Cayman 10 days ago for an August 2016 departure. Notwithstanding that, some places are an absolute nightmare – I’ve just come back from San Francisco for a “summer” 2015 holiday, where the first availability was the w/c 26 October, and going via LAX!

    I’d heartily recommend the availability tool on ba.com as well.


    EasternPedlar
    Participant

    BA EC Gold in the UK are driving me mad! I’m trying to do a date change on a ticket that I upgraded J-F off peak. The new date is in the peak period, and they want another 15,000 Avios! I’ve tried twice to explain that its 22,500 Avios to upgrade off-peak and 25,000 to upgrade peak, so they should be taking 2,500 Avios more but …. I wonder, is this also part of the shareholder value enhancement programme ?


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Well, I followed everyone’s advice and logged on the minute the seats should have been released, and nothing! I was hoping to get two First or Business one way from BGI to the continent via LGW. The only seats available for me are WT+, which I have never done before, so advice if I should take this would be useful. I called the service centre and they could do nothing even through Miami, etc. What I found funny is the lady on the phone, who was lovely by the way, said, and I quote, ‘yeah, we know, its almost impossible to use avios!’ Not exactly what you want to hear, and I know from reading from many of you, there is availability, maybe I am choosing the wrong market/time, but disappointing none the less. On a different note, if I do take the WT+ seats, and some seats in Club or even First become available can I change them?


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Dutchyankee

    If you take the WT+ seats, you will be able to upgrade one class only, so to CW, IF seats become available.

    I’m sitting on 57,000 avios and, like you, cannot find long haul seats when I need to and cannot feasibly use RFS as I’m based near MAN.

    Although redemptions are not always available on Emirates, my hit rate is many times higher than on BA (this is a fact, not an attack.)


    Gold-2K
    Participant

    I was on a flight from Vegas to LHR a couple of weeks ago and was travelling In First. A colleague had a CW booking and tried to use Avios to u/grade 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week and 2 days prior to departure. He called the exec club as BA. Com kept telling him he couldn’t upgrade as he was already in First …… Which he wasn’t. On the phone he was consistently told the first cabin was busy but to check back as there was a slim chance someone may cancel and redemption seats may be released. He was unsuccessful so travelled in Club. I was in First with 3 other people ……. Ie there were 10 empty seats.

    I get that it makes no sense to allow someone to use Avios just because there is an empty seat, there would be little incentive ever to pay for the cabin in which you want to travel. But on a flight from LAS/LHR with very light loads in the premium cabins, on the week after Thanksgiving (which I am told is the quietest week of the year in Las Vegas), if there isn’t availability on such flights, I wonder if it’s ever worth trying on more popular routes.

    Luckily on business I usually get to travel in First, but with a balance of 900K Avios and 5 upgrade vouchers to use, I’m struggling to understand how I can use any of them.

    I have also just received a companion voucher via Amex. I wonder what Dusseldorf is like at this time of year????

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 57 total)
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