[Anonymous]

[Manyatta]

Dear all,
I’d be grateful for any views on whether it would be sensible to pay £68 to pre book a seat in J on LHR – NBO in April. I don’t want to pay but as a solo traveller I really don’t fancy one of those rather cosy middle seats. Also, is the lounge at T3 worth turning up to for a good breakfast prior to a 1015 departure?
Thanks so much.

[GivingupBA]

Regarding J seats on BA, I personally strongly recommend paying the charge unless you are happy with any J seat on the plane. I really dislike the aisle seats in Club World – to me they have far less privacy, and storage. You have to step over sleeping people from a window seat, of course, but that is a minor problem to me.

I have travelled very often on BA in Club World over very many years and the above is my 2p worth. Good luck!

[AspirationalFlyer2]

Regarding the seat, I think it depends on whether you are happy with an aisle seat or not (personally I agree with the poster above and the window seats are the way to go – some people find them claustrophobic though so it’s all a matter of preference). If you’re happy with the aisle or the window you should generally be ok if you check in 24 hours before departure.

The food in the T3 lounge is ok; It’s the same as T5 as far as I’m aware: toast, cereal, porridge, fruit salad, pastries, egg rolls and warm bacon rolls etc. There is no full hot English breakfast in Galleries Club. It’s fine but not amazing; I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. That said, in my recent experience, it is better than the food on offer in the T4 skyteam lounge!

I hope that helps and enjoy your trip!

[Manyatta]

Thanks chaps, for the advice and the wishes. Any other input appreciated but sounds like it would be sensible to cough up and play safe.

[canucklad]

It’s a scandal that BA are putting you in this position, as a premium passenger you shouldn’t need to be considering ancillary fees of any type. Not least ,seat selection.
By paying it just encourages BA,and others to push the envelope that is ARPU, or at least the airline equivalent!

[MartynSinclair]

The flip side of this is the regular travellers get first pickings depending on status levels…

I like that…

[Manyatta]

It seems a very high fee to me but pragmatism will win over principles for me. It’s a £38 fee for WT+ on the way back. Why not a single fee for all classes? I guess the reason is obvious but feels wrong to me. Thanks for the thoughts though.

[Jetcruiser]

We paid over 20000USD for tickets from Miami to Africa on BA last year and they wanted nearly 700USD additional for seat assignments! It is disgraceful that BA would charge passengers booked in Club World for such a service, especially after paying such a high airfare and ridiculous additional “charges” that they impose. Such an LCC attitude towards their premium travelers!

The above situation definitely motivated me to fly other airlines that treat their customers with the respect they are due. I would CANCEL your BA flight and book on another airline such as Qatar Airways or Etihad!

[FaroFlyer]

Why not start a dummy booking for the same flights, same class, on Expedia. Later in the process, before payment, is the option to view available seats. If the flight is full, or if there is a particular seat you fancy, go on to BA.com and pay up £68.

Hope this helps.

[Manyatta]

I’ve just done a dummy run on BA to check seat availability. It’s light at the mo but I’m reluctant to keep checking all the time. Thanks for the ideas and thoughts. I shall ask BA via social media to explain the reasoning for this hefty charge.

[EU_Flyer]

The fact that BA charge £68 for a non status customer to choose a seat before check-in when flying in Club World is disappointing.

Same goes for any other airline with the same policy in the premium cabins.

Disappointing.

[AlanOrton1]

I could be wrong but Gold and Silver (plus OW Emerald & Sapphire) get to choose at the time of booking. Bronze (Ruby) 7 days out.
I was able to get upper deck 747 J seats a week out as a Ruby in the past (personally I wouldn’t pay for advance seat selection, but to each their own).
IMHO this policy, while making them money, does add a little benefit to OW elites. As a OW elite I guess I’m slightly biased, though I think this particular policy has been in place for a while.

[EU_Flyer]

Good point Alan. I stand corrected.

But what about those non-OW elites -flying in premium cabins – that BA would be wanting to bring over from Star / Skyteam?

Slapped with a 60+ pound fee on an airfare that likely cost them over 2K just to secure an aisle seat is a bit rough.

[FDOS_UK]

BA has its own way of working

– only flies internationally from London in the UK
– has a ‘First Class’ that is said by many to be a ‘business class plus’
– has a long haul business class that is very high density
– has a short haul business class that has the same legroom as its economy class and is similar to ‘loco’ airlines
– charges anciliary fees such as seating fees in premium cabins that are usually not levied by similar airlines
– has a manic obsession with cost reduction/containment

It’s a bit like Marmite – doesn’t work for me*, but others such as Martyn Sinclair get a lot of value from the model.

Caveat Emptor.

*Usually – though I have just cashed in crica 50,000 avios plus £105 for 3x Reward Saver flights to Greece in June, which is a great result

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