[Anonymous]

[SergeantMajor]

I’ve never paid to reserve a seat.

It’s free to Gold cardholders at time of booking.

It’s free to Silver cardholders at time of booking.

It’s free to Gold and Silver oneworld equivalents.

It’s free to those travelling F.

It’s free at T-24 using MMB.

It’s entirely unnecessary to pay, and as TimF suggests, there are even ways to reserve a seat without paying if you don’t qualify in the categories above.

[AMcWhirter]

The problem is when people who wish to travel together, yet hold no FFP status with BA, find that they are separated on a long flight because it’s fully booked in Y class. That is when it would be wise to pay to reserve specific seats.

Look at the experience this reader’s parents faced when they flew HKG-LHR on a fully booked BA flight earlier this year:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/ask-alex/2013/pre-allocation-of-airline-seats

[Bucksnet]

People who book seats together should automatically be seated next to each other.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi Alex

I am only speculating, but for example if you have 2 elderly passengers travelling together wanting to ake sure they get seats allocated together, if one was to request the wheelchair assiatance (in the form of can walk short distances & climb stairs) whether this would suffice as grounds to get them sat together?

Just throwing it out there?!

[SimonS1]

Like VK I have never paid to reserve a seat. They are free on Emirates at any time to all passengers regardless of class, status, CIV etc etc.

If I was travelling BA and I had paid thousands for a CW seat I would find it outrageous to have to pay for a seat reservation on top. Still I guess the cost of the duct tape has to be recovered somehow.

[AMcWhirter]

I agree. That was the point I made in my Ask Alex reply. I thought that was still the case with BA but apparently it’s not.

[AllOverTheGaff]

Here we go again.

So, it is entirely fair that you, on a reward seat having paid zero to the airline can choose your seat but I, paying a considerable amount to the airline cannot.

Reserving your seat in a premium cabin, when you’ve paid a premium fare should be inclusive, something every other airline recognises. I paid the £80.00 as the other option of waiting at JFK meant a day in Manhattan where I would have been over £80.00 just to get to and from the airport.

The above being said, I shan’t engage further on this thread as I know it’ll be dragged down to a “BA is great and here’s 1000 reasons why”, but just wanted you to know I feel duly fleeced, robbed and mugged.

[AMcWhirter]

Yes, Tim, that was what BA told me, ie to say that the reader’s parents were a “special needs” case. But what a bother to go through, just to get two seats together.

Not sure if it’s still the case today, but when I last checked with SIA even Y passengers (with no status with SIA) could reserve a seat free of charge at the time of booking online. This is an invaluable service because SIA only flies long-haul from the UK.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

From Experience SIA do offer free seating in advance, through they open very little of it up – often only middle seats being free. When I’ve had families travel I’ve called up and sometimes been helped and had seats allocated. Other times I’ve been told to wait until check in opens (48 hours before with them). But I don’t think they’d split them up.

The airlines who I know charge on longhaul economy are BA & Qantas (without status). Off the top of my head I can’t think of any other carrier at the moment who charges on longhaul for any class of travel. Quite a few now charge for seats the furthest forward in economy if you want to have these – but seats at the back of economy are still free.

Edited to add – with SIA they are frustating as the availability on the seat map on Galileo can vary from that they offer if I go to “Manage My Booking” online (for economy). Not sure why their should be a difference. Sometimes there is nothing to allocate via either method.

[AMcWhirter]

Thanks for the SIA update, Tim. It’s about two or three years since I last checked with SIA and at that time the choicest window seats could be blocked off at the time of booking. By “choicest” I mean those few rows of Y class seating on the A380’s upper deck. But, as you know, most SIN-LHR A380 flights are now operated by the newer A380s where all Y class is located downstairs.

[IanFromHKG]

I agree with SM. it is entirely unnecessary to pay. All you have to do is book a premium seat on a truly full-service long-haul carrier. Or, indeed, virtually any long-haul carrier, full-service or otherwise. But not BA, of course, who will happily charge you thousands of pounds for your seat and then charge you again to choose which of their seats they will deign to let you use…

[WeeTravels]

SimonS1 +1

Made me giggle.

I personally find no similarities between the posting styles of S&M & VK. Their totally different people.

NB I’ve set a trap that’d be irresistible to the real VK.

[Bucksnet]

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-There,-Their-and-They’re

[WeeTravels]

Thanks Bucksnet. You ruined my trap. You deserve an A*.

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