http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...seat-selection

Rumored rates:

* £10 per person per sector in Euro Traveller and on domestic routes
* £20 per person per sector in Club Europe, World Traveller and World Traveller Plus
* £60 per person per sector in Club World

"Customers in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus will also have the option to pay £50 to secure exit row seats, from ten days prior to departure."

Silver and Gold-level elites and their Oneworld equivalents (Sapphire and Emerald) will still be able to pick seats at the time of booking.

As if BA's seating policy wasn't (IMO) already stoopid, this adds insult. What next - pay for alcohol? (Sound of Wally's jaw dropping.)

If I were over 6 feet 6 inches, I would like this option. I was on a BA flight once in economy, and a very tall man couldn't even sit at his assigned seat because he had such long legs. He was moved to a bulk-head seat. I noticed that Virgin is allowing people to pay extra at check-in time for isle and bulk-head seats.

EasyJet allows people to book a ticket with a higher seat priority if they are willing to pay extra at booking time. This is as close as they get to "First Class," on EasyJet, which is good for Business travelers who want the direct flight.

Many people want these exit row seats and bulkhead seats for themselves but if someone has a physical hardship, there should be a way for them to get the seat, and paying a little more is the best way, IMO.

I know people who go to amusement parks with a wheelchair so they can get to the front of the line faster. Warning, Disney gets suspicious when a different person is in the wheelchair in the afternoon.

I remember being on an American Airlines flight to Europe a long time ago and having the bulk-head seat in economy, and they flight attendant asking me if I would move to another seat to make room for a family with a baby. Since that seat wasn't in business class, I said no.

But if British Airways starts charging for alcohol, there will be riots in the streets! BA has already lost some of its business to Singapore and Emirates airlines so BA needs to do what the competition does.

BTW, how much does it cost these airlines for a small bottle of cheap wine in bulk? Probably less than what Continental is paying for Apple, Orange and Tomato Juice.

I'm flying on Continental Saturday, and I can't pick my seat for one of the four flights yet because so many seats are reserved for Elites, and I'm not elite.

gardyloo, are you saying that OneWorld elites can still pick their seats in advance <u>free of charge</u>?

<i>gardyloo, are you saying that OneWorld elites can still pick their seats in advance free of charge?</i>

Yeah - that's been the case all along. Of course this is just a "leaked" story - we'll see the details when/if BA makes the official announcement.

I see that Qantas is going to begin charging a "Credit Card Usage Fee" when booking airline tickets. I guess the idea is that if you book a airline ticket with a Debit Card, you can't complain to the credit card issuing company when there are problems. Easy Jet and Ryan Air already do this..

Just think how much American Airlines could make. A sandwich is $10.00 and then they could add a credit card usage fee of maybe $6.00.

BA has now added details to its website. A casual read leads me to conclude that they're reaching new heights in creating customer confusion. "The World's Favourite Airline?" Let's watch, shall we?

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_us

>>I remember being on an American Airlines flight to Europe a long time ago and having the bulk-head seat in economy, and they flight attendant asking me if I would move to another seat to make room for a family with a baby. Since that seat wasn't in business class, I said no.<<

I travel often with a small chid, and the most stressful part of the whole process is insuring that either me or my husband can sit by our 2 year old daughter. I don't even expect the three of us to sit together...just as long as one of us is with our daughter. Car seats can only be used in certain seats, children can't be in emergency rows, etc, etc. It almost always works out that someone has to trade seats with us. Even if we book early. Even if we get to the airport early and speak to someone about our seat assignments. It never fails; there's always some sort of problem, and sometimes it isn't apparent until we actually board the aircraft.

Maybe I'm not understanding your story correctly. But if I am, please consider doing a favor for your fellow passengers in the future.

On our flight to Frankfurt from Chicago, there was a family of 4 -- parents and 2 children who had been split up. One parent was with each child but about 8 rows apart.

The plane was set up as 2-3-2 and we had 2 seats on one side. The stewardess asked us if we would mind changing with the father and son several rows back so he could be opposite his wife who was in the middle seats with their other son.

Considering that the child across from us had already been screaming for 10 minutes and we hadn't even taken off yet, we were glad to move.

I'm sure traveling with children is difficult but it isn't always easy for the other passengers either.

Bettyk--I never said it was pleasant to be stuck on a plane while a stranger's child cries, did I? But why would anyone want to make it even more difficult for everyone involved?

I'm always baffled by people who complain about others travelling with children. What would you prefer that we do? Stay home? I put a lot of effort into trying to ensure that my daughter doesn't disturb our fellow passengers. That's why I would LOVE it if for once the three of us could sit together.

And in the situation you're describing, there was at least one parent with each child. There have been times when we've been assigned three seats in three rows...an impossible situation with a toddler.