BA to offer seat selection - at a cost of course!

[Katys Grandad]

BA have announced that for £20 per seat, you will soon be able to select your seat in World Traveler or WT+ at the time of booking rather than at online check-in 24 hours before the flight. If you want an exit row, that will cost you £50. This happens on 7 October which, by coincidence ([msnwink]) is the date they will start charging for a second checked bag on booking.

Given that most transatlantic carriers allow pre-selection free, this just looks like another sign of BA abandoning it's 'Full Service' status and becoming another low cost carrier. Shame really.

[Jill]

We have flights already booked for next May with BA and will be waiting until check in to get seats as we have no intention of paying an additional £20 to chose in advance. Bet the small print says we might still change your seat in certain cases

[Katys Grandad]

I suppose the worry might be that some people (not me!) will be prepared to pay and by 24 hours before the choice might be limited especially for a large family group.

[FraserLynn]

Are we sure about this extra bag charge, I'm still holding our for further proof[msnwink]

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by FraserLynn
Are we sure about this extra bag charge, I'm still holding our for further proof[msnwink][/quote]

[ShirleyD]

You are still free to choose your seat 24 hours before departure for no charge with BA.

Frequent card holders and those who pay the fully flexible fares can still choose their seat at time of booking.

It just allows those who have paid lower fares to have the same options for a charge and a chance for BA to gain more revenue at the same time.

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
Frequent card holders and those who pay the fully flexible fares can still choose their seat at time of booking.[/quote]Only partly true - Silver cardholders and full fare passengers can't select exit rows for free from 7 October and of course the new ability of everybody else to select seats for payment effectively diminishes the value of status.

If you are able to pay for Club, seat assignment will now cost £60 per segment. Must be the only major airline where there is a charge for that.

[ellie]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
Frequent card holders and those who pay the fully flexible fares can still choose their seat at time of booking.[/quote]Only partly true - Silver cardholders and full fare passengers can't select exit rows for free from 7 October and of course the new ability of everybody else to select seats for payment effectively diminishes the value of status.

If you are able to pay for Club, seat assignment will now cost £60 per segment. Must be the only major airline where there is a charge for that.
[/quote]

Well, it only takes one for the rest to follow!

Wonder how soon they will be charging for the use of the toilets - or did Ryanair abandon that idea and decide to sell corks instead.....[msnwink]

[ShirleyD]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
Frequent card holders and those who pay the fully flexible fares can still choose their seat at time of booking.[/quote]Only partly true - Silver cardholders and full fare passengers can't select exit rows for free from 7 October and of course the new ability of everybody else to select seats for payment effectively diminishes the value of status.

If you are able to pay for Club, seat assignment will now cost £60 per segment. Must be the only major airline where there is a charge for that.[/quote]Yes silver cards and full fare passengers do loose out on the exit row choice for free, but in reality, these seats were not always available for selection anyway.

Virgin have been charging economy passengers for this 'extra' for sometime....

Ever boarded a plane and looked with envy at the person who bagged the Exit Row Seat? Well now it could be you!

* Stretch out with no-one in front.

* Exit Row Seats available from £50 on the day of travel, from the check in desk. All seats are subject to availability.

Up until now, only full fare club passengers (and card holders) could choose their club seat in advance. Always a little contoversal I agree, but when we are talking several thousand pounds difference in fares on some routes, I can understand why they don't want those buying the advance cheaper non flexible fares getting the first choice of seats.

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
Frequent card holders and those who pay the fully flexible fares can still choose their seat at time of booking.[/quote]Only partly true - Silver cardholders and full fare passengers can't select exit rows for free from 7 October and of course the new ability of everybody else to select seats for payment effectively diminishes the value of status.

If you are able to pay for Club, seat assignment will now cost £60 per segment. Must be the only major airline where there is a charge for that.[/quote]Yes silver cards and full fare passengers do loose out on the exit row choice for free, but in reality, these seats were not always available for selection anyway.

Virgin have been charging economy passengers for this 'extra' for sometime....

Ever boarded a plane and looked with envy at the person who bagged the Exit Row Seat? Well now it could be you!

* Stretch out with no-one in front.

* Exit Row Seats available from £50 on the day of travel, from the check in desk. All seats are subject to availability.

Up until now, only full fare club passengers (and card holders) could choose their club seat in advance. Always a little contoversal I agree, but when we are talking several thousand pounds difference in fares on some routes, I can understand why they don't want those buying the advance cheaper non flexible fares getting the first choice of seats.[/quote]I'm sure we could debate this all week Shirley and still hold opposing views but there are so many qualifications to this.

Firstly, exit row seats are only available for purchase 10 days before the flight and even that's taken away 4 days before departure. Gold card holders are the only people who can select them outside those times and that is a clear downgrading for Silver cardholders.

And, as somebody has already predicted, BA retain the right to move you even when you've paid. if it's to what BA call a 'suitable alternative' then no refund is payable. I can see some arguments over that one. If you can convince BA that they haven't given you the suitable alternative, it doesn't happen automatically - you have to apply for it within 14 days!!! So that means anybody travelling to Florida has to do that during their holiday.

Finally, a non-status passenger who pays thousands of pounds for a Club ticket and has a 2 segment return trip now has to pay £240 on top to pre-select their seats. Even then, BA can move you to 1 of their 'suitable alternatives'. As far as I'm aware, that doesn't happen on any other airline (except perhaps Ryanair!!)

As it happens, none of this affects me personally because I have top-tier status but I do feel very sorry for others being placed in this position.