[woking1]

Well done BA yet another nail in the coffin .
BA has just said that it would charge passengers for sitting together.
How does this work ,when you make a booking on the internet you then have the choice of phoning BA if you can get through and booking your seats for a price.
If you are going to Barbados it will cost you £60 each way say x 4 for the family the extra cost would be £480.
Of course you don’t have to do this and you could wait for 24 hours before the flight and take your luck
But if the flight is nearly full you will not have a choice and my mole inside BA tells me they will try to put a family apart to encourage you next time to pay up the extra £480.
You could always go elsewhere such as Virgin who let you book your seat as soon as you book on line and there is no charge for this. I would think Richard Branson is rubbing his hands with glee
At such a nice marketing advantage

[TemboOne]

Well initially this looked like a good OPTION for those non-business leisure travellers who are travelling on low cost heavily discounted World Traveller tickets who do not want to leave seat selection until check-in.

However, examination of the rules/conditions applicable to “paid seat selection” show they are anything but good.

Unlike other carriers where you can view seat availability PRIOR to purchase and select your desired seat(s) as an integral part of the booking process, BA requires that passengers FIRST purchase tickets (which in many cases are non-refundable/non-exchangable) and then telephone separately (futilely?) in an attempt to select and pay for seats. Is BA expecting everyone to have a seating chart when they call? In many cases passengers don’t even know which aircraft type flights will be operated by.

Having now had the opportunity to read the rules in detail I have to say “forget it BA, we won’t be seeing you any time soon”.

Seat selection should be an integral part of the reservation process!

It really was better in the old B O A C days.
Although we had no advance seat selection then, early check-in always got us the 17A/B seats on the VC10s from LHR to KUL and SIN!

Although we often joked back then (mid-late 60s) that BOAC was an acronym for “Better On Another Carrier” we had no idea what it was to be like after the BA-BE merger and it just became simply B ***** A wful!

[BAGoldcard]

I am a BA Gold holder, but have mixed feelings on this latest policy although it (generally) will not affect me.

I do understand those who are disappointed, however. Still, I am unsure what the best solution for BA is to ensure that they remain viable – increased extra fees (a la Ryanair etc) or higher air fares?

Good to see that Airpocket does not disappoint- do you really have to slag BA off at every opportunity?. Far from objective or interesting, really, IMHO, and the frequent attacks on Vintage Krug, who provides lots of interesting information, are unnecessary.

You do not like BA. Fine – we get it! Enjoy your * flights or whatever.

BA is far from perfect, as I am very happy to admit and I tell them from time to time, but really…

[GoonerLondon]

What is the matter with you people?

“I’ve travelled daily First Class for 30 years but this is it – never again”

“Final nail in the coffin for BA (despite every post i’ve ever done on BT suggesting the same)”

NOTHING has been taken away. If you enjoyed a seat allocation with your booking 2 days ago – you still do now if you repeated the booking. So Chill!

All thats happened is those that didn’t have the ability to reserve seats at time of booking now can on payment of a fee. This is good news for people who have posted previously about such things as access to upper deck J class when they are on their (expensive) holidays.

Personally, I’m (selfishly) thinking this might mean less choice for me when i book (as I get existing status rights). But I see exit rows (and I imagine 1st couple of rows) are held back till 10 days before.

But blimey – if some of you people act in the way you do before understanding what is actually happening, no wonder the global economy is in such a mess.

[GoonerLondon]

And you are right (BAGoldcard) – the ongoing anti-BA grandstanding by some people is getting wearing. And predictable.

[GoonerLondon]

To rephrase a post..

Come to think of it AirPocket – you are Richard Branson aren’t you? Come on – admit it?

[Hess963]

Hi everyone!!

First of all, as I have said before, this is a platform for everyone to express his/her opinion. Everyone’s opinion should be tolerated and handled with respect.

I am a loyal BA flyer and that is why I critize this airline directly and often with harsch words, because I care for it !! I like flying with BA and like the service in the air and on the ground( inspite of periodical occurences/factors like rude F/A, uncomfortable Club Europe seat, inconsitent food quality in F and C cabins in certain routes etc which really challenge my patience and loyalty…)
So when issues like these arouse which addresses to most of the pax who are flying with BA, it is normal to hear it and let them express their thoughts. Then these people are in general who fly with and like BA. In my opinion it is not normal to be always on the side of BA’s policies
( otherwise if you are being sponsored from this company–probably everything is bearable!!). If you are a normal paying pax–let aside the national pride issues of flying BA and issues like these make you difficult to fly with BA–it angers you. Yes, such steps alienate those who are not ExecClub status holder.

So if the reader or user of this platform write such negative comments, we only want BA to reconsider such steps. It is really easy to turn our backs from BA and fly with other airlines at the moment which tend to offer their pax more lucrative privileges for nothing, for example the increase of checked luggage allowance by GF and EK.

GoonerLondon if the constant negative comments is to much for your taste, well–you do not need to read it !! I personally think it is not helpful, if you dare one of the user in this platform to reveal him-/herself. What is the point?? It just looks pathetic.

I personally don’t care, if I write such direct words to W. Walsh or M O’Leary or R. Branson which defy them.– for me they are normal human beings who just tend to run their firms and that is it !!! Especially in their position or backgrounds they have to know, endure and handle such critics.

About Vintage Krug and other user here in this platform. I think everyone of us is “old and sensible” enough to defend him/herself without anyone needed to be second.
If anyone here tends to speak all to favourable for a company, it just doesn’t fit in the general feelings and opinions of normal flyers nowadays.
So those people just have to expect some uncordial words or comments, if they praise their “favourite airline” all to obviously. As we are still the paying part in this side of the road and not the other way around !!

[TemboOne]

I find it somewhat astounding how upset some people are, whether they be pro or con to BA in general.

A point that may be lost here, although I alluded to it in my previous post, is that while “prior seat selection” was previously available only to First, Club, and some status passengers, it is now available to all.

What is being missed here is that seat selection “at a price” now becomes available to leisure passengers on heavily discounted advance purchase tickets.

However, unlike full fare passengers, discounted tickets cannot be changed or refunded, even if needed seat selections are unavailable.

While I still yearn (at times!) for the good old days of BOAC, the VC10s to KUL and the Whispering Giant “Skycoach” flights to HKG and SIN, today’s BA is still a darn good airline, and one of very few carriers I would ever feel 100% “safe” in!

BUT, if only the admin people would smarten up! Offer seat selection ON-LINE at the time of and prior to completing booking. Keep it simple!

And if someone does purchase an RTW, cap the seat selection charge regardless of the number of sector legs flown on BA.

Of all the seat selection services I’ve used I must say I like Aer Lingus best. Your booking confirmation even includes a diagram with your selections clearly marked.

[Travellator]

Bit confused. If I want advance seat selection can I purcahse online at the time of booking or do I have to phone after making an online booking.

Like others I am a Silver card holder so as long as this endures ( getting less likely however ) it does not affect me.

My wife and I are going on our usual HKG journey in October in CW and are already in upper deck where according to the seat plan there are still seats. Our son is travelling as well on a booking made later, he cannot check in until 24 hrs before flight so unlikely to get upper deck. If he could pay he would but NOT £ 60 each way. He booked a long time after us and his ticket is much more expensive than ours.

As an aside when I travel in the UK or from Ireland with Flybe or Aer Lingus I usually pre assign my seat and pay a small premium both sites make this painless, the Aer Lingus one is especially good because you can view the available seats before booking – this must be a post W Walsh idea because it is sensible !

A useful site is https://www.checkmytrip.com/ where you can view a booked seat at anytime it also has any updated aircraft news eg a change from a n A321 to a A319 eg.

[Airpocket]

Admit it BA Goldcard, you’re VK’s alter ego, aren’t you?:o)
VK might provide useful information but boy does he like to spin for BA and VS!Indeed, he’s conspicuous by his absence on this thread so far. Even he’s probably given up the fight on this particular stunt from BA.
And,Gooner, if you’ve been paying attention (probably not, judging from your ignorance), you will know that I don’t rate VS either so I’m not ‘Beardie’ Branson using a nom de plume.

[Airpocket]

In response to BA Goldcard and Gooner- it would appear that those who, like me, disapporove of BA’s latest stunt, outnumber the handful of you who don’t see anything wrong with it.
As for me not saying anything interesting, well, as you can see, I started this thread and it has gone on to generate (heated?) debate.
I don’t slag BA off, it just so happens they commit one faux-pas after another and consequently set themselves up for criticism. Can you distinguish between a slagging off and genuine criticism boys? Apparently not. Obviously, there are other BT readers out there who feel similarly about BA (i.e. they disapprove).
Will I stop criticising BA?No, unless they start getting their act together.Similarly, I won’t stop criticising other airlines or highlighting their drawbacks so that other BT readers are forewarned.
Not all of us are wealthy (nouveau riche?) like you so an extra £60 hits us hard (incidentally, has anyone considered how this is going to affect people in the Third World who use BA? For instance, a pound is about 79 Rupees.So, anyone flying from India to London, who isn’t eligible for free seat selection, will have to pay an extra Rs.4,740 for the privilege of selecting a seat, twice that if they’re connecting through London onto another destination on BA. Do you really see them sticking by BA? I expect a mass exodus to Jet, Kingfisher, Air India, the Gulf carries, and the other European carriers that fly between India and Europe and the Americas. Indeed, it’s a sad state of affairs when Third World carriers don’t charge for seat selection but First World carriers do.) The very fact that you don’t appreciate this and don’t see how it’s wrong shows you’re somewhat disconnected from the rest of us, up there in your ivory tower (or, in this context, the J Class Upper Deck on the 747 ?).
As for slagging off VK…it’s mostly been in retaliation to some snide, sarcastic, offensive remark he’s made about me. Am I going to stop that?No.If he, or any of you (Gooner and BA Goldcard) want to dish it out you can expect to have it heaved back in your faces in spades.
Now, fasten your seat belts because we’re in for some turbulence :o)

[Expat_Consultant]

Let’s cut through the ****

Sme of us take exception to a so called ‘full service airline’ trying to bring in a loco sales model, because it cannot get its cost base under control.

[Airpocket]

Very well put Expat! Cut through the verbosity and flailing and desperate attempts to make turds look like gateaux.

[Bunnahabhain]

Somebody should get on to Sky News about this thread. Instead of keeping on trying to get a live debate between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and the lib dem guy who looks like David Cameron on issues like global recession, nuclear weapons, terrorism, climate change and so on, it could have one straight away on the somewhat more riveting issue of BA’s seat selection. Plenty of “party leaders” like Airpocket & Gooner already signed up surely, with Vintage Krug – who is alive and well, or was at 1128 GMT when he posted something under Airports – waiting to come on, a bit like Jerry Springer gets the ex girlfriend in at the right moment. Where’s Mark Roberts 9 though? – the bookies had him even money at least to be in on this latest cyanide pill from BA and are cleaning up!

[NTarrant]

That’s great Jim, when are the tickets going on sale? Presumably non-BA Silver and Gold card holders will have to pay extra to reserve the best seats at the front!

[Author]

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