[mario]

Hello guys..I have an upcoming BA flight booked on the 29th of Oct,LHR-ATH, and i specifically booked the 632 flight to pay tribute to one of the last intra-european 767 flights.I bought seat 12A to be filming close to the engine during takeoff/landing, as an avid planespotter/aviation enthusiast,but BA sent me an email that for “operational reasons” they bumped me to 20K..Don’t know what really those reasons are but i see now they’ve given my seat and all close seat 13,14 to others..I know that for ordinary people and for the company it’s just a matter of transporting pax from A to B, but i specifically chose this flight and the seat for my last BA767 flight,which was not cheap considering the alternatives (A3,U2 etc)..If any of u is an aviation enthusiast you will understand what i’m talking about..Do you think there’s sth i could do? Complain to BA by email?Will they give a damn?I am not Club Europe pax so maybe i don’t matter much..
Any suggestion welcome..thanx..

P.S. Do you think after retiring the 767s they’ll be replaced with 787s on intra-european routes with high demand or will BA just increase A320/321s frequency?

[capetonianm]

I understand your annoyance and I would suggest that you send BA customer relations an email or even a letter addressed to Alex Cruz, who won’t see it and wouldn’t give a damn, but somebody higher up than the normal customer relations agents might.

Unfortunately I can more or less guarantee that you’ll get a standard cut and paste response referring to the conditions of carriage and their right to amend seating for operational reasons.

It’s always a good thing to stand up against corporate bullying, which is what this is, even if there isn’t any directly visible result or benefit.

[capetonianm]

In fact I could write the letter, containing obfuscation, poor grammar and spelling, and obsequious grovelling :

Dear Mr Mario

Here at British Airways Customer’s Service we are comitted to offer a best service at all times. In this instance we regret it if we did not deliver the excellent standard for which we strive as the World’s Favourite Airline.

It is of course frustrating when occasionaly due to to operational reason we are unable to deliver the service that you have requested and we will investigate this matter.

Seating can never be guaranteed as an aircraft type may change without warning and the seat you requested may not be present on the aircraft rostered for your flight. We have checked our records for the last year and 99.27% of seat requests were complied for the passenger.

Thank you for reaching out to us, as customer feedbacks enables us to continue achieving excellence.

We trust this addresses your concern and that we shall have privilege to welcome you on board one of our flights in the near future.

[fqtvgla]

Could be that if the loads are light that they have kept the front part of ET empty for trim?

[mkcol74]

Without a specific check of the 767 (despite having flown G-BZHB yesterday from ARN) seat plan I’m guessing that Club Europe load has gone up, so the curtain has been moved aft.

[Ekond222]

Hello Mario,

….Your seat change may be due to the Club Europe cabin being extended beyond Row 12, hence the seat change…

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mario

[FrDougal]

I’d say it’s because the Club Europe configuration has increased and your original seat is now at the other side of the curtain.

Happens all the time.

Loving the comparison to corporate bullying though! Sheer unadulterated hysterical class that is! 😂

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mario

[capetonianm]

Very funny. It’s not the seat change that I’m referring to as corporate bullying, it’s British Airways high handed arrogant attitude to its customers in general.

But then as you’re the one that doesn’t seem bothered about the fact that your personal and credit details may have been compromised I suppose that’s the sort of response I would expect from you.

It’s all very well to go through life with such a relaxed attitude but unfortunately if you don’t stand up and fight back you end up becoming a victim.

[MartynSinclair]

@mario, if you live in the vicinity of Heathrow or indeed are in London before your flight, I would go out to the airport and go straight to the F check in at T5 and find a manager to speak to. The staff there can be very helpful and I think its worth a try.

Whilst we all know seat reservations are subject to change, but in this case, for you, it is a one and only chance.

I would be surprised if you get anywhere by mail though..

Please let us know

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mario

[mkcol74]

[quote quote=889067] @mario, if you live in the vicinity of Heathrow or indeed are in London before your flight, I would go out to the airport and go straight to the F check in at T5 and find a manager to speak to. The staff there can be very helpful and I think its worth a try.

Whilst we all know seat reservations are subject to change, but in this case, for you, it is a one and only chance.

I would be surprised if you get anywhere by mail though..

Please let us know[/quote]

Something else to do which helps you retain seat flexibility is to check-in online/in app but *DO NOT* print off/download your boarding pass. Then at the airport speak to a human or use a machine to see if you can move further forward. I presume you had to pay to reserve as you’ve not mentioned status. Do ensure you get that fee refunded.

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mario

[mario]

[quote quote=888554]In fact I could write the letter, containing obfuscation, poor grammar and spelling, and obsequious grovelling :

Dear Mr Mario

Here at British Airways Customer’s Service we are comitted to offer a best service at all times. In this instance we regret it if we did not deliver the excellent standard for which we strive as the World’s Favourite Airline.

It is of course frustrating when occasionaly due to to operational reason we are unable to deliver the service that you have requested and we will investigate this matter.

Seating can never be guaranteed as an aircraft type may change without warning and the seat you requested may not be present on the aircraft rostered for your flight. We have checked our records for the last year and 99.27% of seat requests were complied for the passenger.

Thank you for reaching out to us, as customer feedbacks enables us to continue achieving excellence.

We trust this addresses your concern and that we shall have privilege to welcome you on board one of our flights in the near future.

[/quote]

it’s like literally having received an answer from the customer service department!Have you received one too many in the past and know this by heart!!?? 🙂

[mario]

Thank you guys for all your feedback..I will try to do what MartynSinclair advised in case it pays off,although if Club Europe has increased there’s not much they can do..And i will check-in in app like mkcol74 suggested..So far what BA has offered me is a refund on my seat or upgrading to Club Europe for 150quid which, in my opinion, is a lot to splash for a one-way trip..As much as i love the BA767s and want to say goodbye to them in a memorable way, i think it borders the unreasonable..Then again aviation enthusiasts have been known to do a lot of crazy things 😛

P.S. I would have booked Club Europe from the beginning had i suspected this was going to happen..ignorant little me..

[rferguson]

Hey Mario,

If it was me, it was a ‘special’ trip and I didn’t have any frequent flyer status I’d consider treating myself to Club Europe. £150 isn’t too unreasonable for a four hour flight. Don’t forget all food and drink is paid for in economy.

So for £150 you’ll get the seat you want, a decent three course hot meal, farewell the old girl with a glass of champagne (or three), plus you’ll get Fast Track security and lounge access at LHR.

[first_class_please]

Checking the seat map via expertflyer.com row 12-15 are all showing as being economy, but all blocked off.

Not occupied, but blocked.

Could be for Status card holders or to cover the possible extension of Club.

If you are an expert flyer member you can create a seat alert for when any of these come available. I have created an alert and will update this thread if any update.

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mkcol74, rferguson

[Ah,Mr.Bond]

I agree… 150 quid for a 4 hour flight is an absolute no brainier, especially for a special occasion… However, as you are obviously wanting a window seat be warned that on the 767 there is no middle seat that is unoccupied as is the case with an Airbus. The window and aisle seat are EXACTLY the same as economy with shared arm rests etc. Check out my old review of my trip to Cyprus!! Enthusiast are just as happy at the back filming flaps and things, why not sit further back?

[Author]

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