[Anonymous]

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Good Evening

I noticed in the Ask Alex that someone asked about seating for Gold Card holders (Charles Hogarth question) and that BA said that they keep the best seats just for Gold Card Holders (1A / 1K).

Well they have just launched a trade training program mentioning the benefits of Gold Status as below:

“Congratulations on reaching the Gold tier within ‘Top Tiers’. Being a Gold Member of the Club unlocks the following benefits.

All of the Silver benefits, plus…
•Free advanced reservation of the best seats on the plane (eg. Seat 1A) for everyone in your party
•Access to First departure lounges for you and a guest
•Complementary spa treatments at Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York JFK
•Access to Arrivals lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5
•Two free ‘Gold Upgrade for Two’ vouchers to the next cabin
•Additional reward seats available only to Gold Members (V-class redemption)
•A Silver partner card for a friend or family member
•First class check-in desks

The First line of the clearly indicates that everyone should get this choice if you are Gold. If I told a client his and this didn’t happen I would be royally annoyed and no doubt as the agent I would get the blame.

Alex I don’t know if it is worth going back to BA on this question as they are contradicting themselves somewhere. Either there response to you was wrong – or they are giving Travel Agents the wrong information

[VintageKrug]

Their, not there.

I don’t think 1A/K is the best seat in F, for a number of reasons, but happy for others to believe it is, so I can stick with rows 2 and 3. K side always better to avoid bright sun on Transatlantics. It is allocated to Golds only, but is of course subject to availability; anyone can reserve it at T-24 if it hasn’t yet been allocated. 1A/K is blocked for non-Golds outside T-24.

The list BA have provided above is somewhat misleading, as two elements of that are only available to Gold card holders who have achieved additional TPs over and above standard Gold:

•Two free ‘Gold Upgrade for Two’ vouchers to the next cabin
•A Silver partner card for a friend or family member

Use of “v-class” is also somewhat misleading as few normals would understand that means economy seats, which of course is not (usually) great value for a redemption.

[Guest_Poster]

The K side is not always in the shade, across the pond, it depends on the time of day.

I would not recommend it on BA178, for example, the A side is better for morning departures from the US.

[VintageKrug]

Well, obviously, but of course DoS I wouldn’t want to let you miss an opportunity to highlight the single exception (not including the day flight to BOS when it runs).

Do feel free to continue the post-stalking, with which everyone is so entertained…!

I’d imagine this thread will run and run now….! 😉

[Guest_Poster]

Vintage Krug

You seem to meet the criteria for being a moron and an unpleasant one at that.

You posted “I don’t think 1A/K is the best seat in F, for a number of reasons, but happy for others to believe it is, so I can stick with rows 2 and 3. K side always better to avoid bright sun on Transatlantics.”

No mention of time of day. So I made a short, non-critical post that might inform interested parties, who may be considering TATL sectors and you spit your dummy out. You really are pathetic.

In case you have not noticed, British Airways is not the only airline that operates TATL day flights and there is more than one out of JFK operating with a BA flight number.

[SimonS1]

Glad to hear you like row 2 or 3, Kruggles, it helps with planning in the unlikely event of flying to the USA and with BA. Good place to seat the brats.

I thought you were paranoid about giving away any personal data that might identify you, there may right now be people out there scrutinising the BA manifests for travellers fitting your mould.

Re the sunshine, why not just pull the blind? Is the answer a) I am too self important to do it or b) the blind is too flimsy to do the job.

Think of the children, Kruggles, think of the children.

[MartynSinclair]

A couple of reasons why 1 A/K are so popular. Generally first to get served, but best of all you are positioned furthest away from the galley and the inherent crew noise that comes with being so close.

I wish crew training on BA included learning to talk quietly in the galley as well as how to close overhead bins Thai style, i.e. with the latch open and then release to lock rather than the typical BA crew method SLAM THEM BLOODY BIN SHUT!

I came back from last Sunday afternoon, crew had absolute no care for the business class passengers trying to sleep.

[pdtraveller]

Martyn….. Am with you all the way on that. No care whatever and every flight they slam the bins. It is really frustrating. I would that they also need to walk lightly not clump around the cabin in the middle of the night.
1AK on A380 777 etal all definitely to be avoided.

[1nfrequent]

So does the best seat reward mean that a Gold member can bump a silver out of a seat reservation or does it just mean that certain seats are blocked out and only available for Golds?

1F

[VintageKrug]

I would still avoid 1 A/K even on a 747, but I’m glad some like them!

It is not normal for a Gold to be able to bump anyone out of an allocated seat, though I have had people travelling with me (on my PNR, and therefore able to book row 1) bumped for Prems/a Head of State (though nowhere I’d ever heard of!).

My understanding from speaking to Special Services is that this is only done as a special request, and not as a matter of course.

The Head of State was a charming chappie, buut we had to google him before take off to work out who it was!

[Foreignescape]

Off topic. But I have flown Trans Atlantic 5 times in the last week and an awful lot this year. I agree with VKs point on avoiding the sun. 4A to BOS and JFK uncomfortably warm, then yesterday 64A to LAX, I thought I was in a sauna. Yes blinds were shut but panels were hot to the touch and that heat bounces nicely around the club world or first seat.

Why did I chose those seats….well there wasn’t a choice, not an issue but heading off the next comment.

[millionsofmiles]

KS said:
“The Head of State was a charming chappie, buut we had to google him before take off to work out who it was!”
WE had to wok it out? You guys working for BA special services or what? WE are working for BA?

[dutchyankee]

Careful Millionsofmiles, VK doesnt like it when people accuse him of working for BA. You will probably be getting an earful soon. Take Cover!

[AMcWhirter]

Hello Tim

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

I research all my work thoroughly. BA provided Business Traveller with a written statement for the reader reply in Ask Alex (June 2013).

When I first contacted BA I was told that the rules had changed but after further investigation, BA told me in writing that:

“Colleagues in a Gold cardholder’s booking do have the same seating access as they do [even if the colleague in question does not hold Gold status], the only exception to this rule is how we allocate seats 1A and 1K.”

“Both of these seats will only be released at time of booking to a Gold cardholder.”

“We have to try to treat all Gold cardholders as equally as possible and given the number of them who travel in First, that there is a fair allocation of 1A and 1K.”

BA then told me that any unsold 1A and 1K seats are released back into the system for other passengers to choose. But the time at which this occurs will vary depending on the route.

If further clarification is needed then maybe it’s best to ask your BA rep. for comment.

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