I'm a sort of white knuckle flyer even at best, so the idea of not being able to get seats (and know that my husband and I will be together!) until last minute is making me miserable. Plus, I'm not real comfortable with computers, so am nervous abt getting seat selection on the website. Here are my questions:
Can someone give me any hints abt using the website so that I can rest easier abt getting seats together?
I'm hoping, too, that folks can advise what seats to aim for. We're on economy class (Phila-Heathrow) and the equipment is a Boeing 777-200/300 (whatever that is)
I'm most appreciative of any help. I do not love flying-- but I sure do love traveling in other respects. Many thanks!

You should check out seatguru.com for specific info on the aircraft

http://tinyurl.com/clxwz

AFAIK, you can't select seats unless you are part the following group:

Gold and Silver Executive Club members, oneworld™ Emerald and Sapphire equivalents, and other passengers on the same booking
FIRST Passengers
Customers holding fully flexible tickets booked in J/C/W/Y booking classes Travelling with infants Customers with additional needs, such as handicaped, needing assistance, etc. (for this you need to call for further information)

It's all right here:

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


If you have a BA Frequent Flyer number you can check in on line 24 hours before the flight and choose your seats then, otherwise it's airport check in so get there early for best available seats.

Good luck and have a great trip!

Thank you both so much for those very helpful responses. I have looked carefully at both sites and hope that I'll be able to manage the on-line seat selection. I'll never be really comfortable on the web, but it makes things a whole lot easier when Fodor friends chime in to help.

You should be able to select seats and do the online check-in 24 hours before the flight even if you don't have a BA FFP. Instead you'll need flight reference number (usually 6 digit alpha-numeric combination). On the BA website, go under Manage My Booking. You'll need the number as well as the last name of the passengers. However, you may want to take note that once you choose the seats online, you will not be allowed to change that when you get to the airport.

Thanks W9London-- that's a curious detail, the one abt not being able to change once seat is selected. The thing I care most about is that my husband and I not be split up. I did look on seatguru and from what I could gather, there didn't seem to be much difference among the seats in economy (world traveler) class. I'd prefer a window seat (so I can lean against it and maybe be more comfortble), but other than that, I don't see how being farther forward or farther back makes much difference. I guess choosing a seat not near the bulkhead might give less chance for crying babies and for busyness at the toliets.
I have a question about Heathrow which I'm going to ask here (and maybe on a separte posting as well). I keep reading horrible things abt that airport: "avoid at all costs," etc. Well, we'll by flying in to Heathrow from the States (and back from Nice through Heathrow), so the reports are making me especially apprehensive. What is so horrendous about that airport? E.g. we're being met by a private car service (to take us to Canterbury), and I'm told that there'll be a sign with our name that they'll be holding "in the arrivals terminal." Is that a wild crazy place? How difficult is it to meet up with someone? In short, I wonder what it might help to know in advance about this terrible airport (best thing would be to learn that it's not so terrible at all).
Thanks, everyone!

I recently flew several segments on British Airways. I could not check in 24 hours in advance online because they had cancelled my flight and rebooked me. So I was concerned about what seat I would get. I was at the airport (MUC) 3 hrs before my first segment (concerned that overbooking from remaining flights would be a problem) and could check in at the machine. There were lots of open seats 3 hrs before my first leg and 12 hours before my second leg LHR to HKG. So, it would have been no problem to get seats together at that time. Returning I checked in online 12 hours in advance of my HKG-LHR segment and again many seats were available.

I cannot recommend seats as I was on the 747 and took the advice for the window seat toward the rear where only 2 seats on the side. It was roomy. But the 777 is different.

Poss, Heathrow is a large very busy airport...with that said, you'll be fine! I fly into Heathrow every three months, Arrivals into terminal 1 is nice, almost as nice as flying into Gatwick. The arrivals hall in terminal 3 can be a bit crazy, just take your time and you'll be sure to find your driver...Good luck poss and have a great time

z

I've never understood the dislike of Heathrow. In fact, I like it better than Gatwick. Every time I see a negative comment, which is never specific, I wonder what I'm missing.

I was very nervous the first time I checked in online, took my time doing it, and it was simple and easy.

Eve: what abt the transfer from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4? People on my other post have been specific abt that not being very fun. Have you done it and had no unpleasantness. (Please say yes!)

Oh, I'm sorry, poss, I haven't done that.

I looked at your other post and the tip by Kay2 was a good one about showing your boarding pass to one the security people if time is short to make the transfer.

Don't hesitate to ask for all the help you need from BA/airport personnel--with a few exceptions that are found everywhere, they are most helpful folk. If you get a grump, try someone else!

I did find this website: http://www.uk-air.net/LHRTransfer.htm

poss,

To follow up on your questions,

1. Heathrow (LHR) is a big airport. Depending on which gate your flight lands, you might have to walk 5-10 minutes.

2. When you arrive from the US, you might expect a rather long-ish queue for immigration (ie passport control). There are many red-eye, long-haul flights that arrive in the mornings.

3. I personally feel the time it takes time for the luggage to appear on the carousel is quite long at LHR. Though this may not be an issue for you as you'll have to wait in the immigration queue. (I go to the Iris scan gate, so usually takes a minute to get to the luggage carousels.)

4. When you come into the arrival hall, you'll see rows of people carrying name plates. It's not that crazy, but you'll have to scan the names. Just to be on a safe side, you might want to keep the car service company's phone number handy.

5. Please note you can carry only ONE hand luggage if you're connecting T1 to T4 on the return leg of your trip. (After all, you WILL be departing out of UK.) Just follow the sign for Flight Connection, go through the security check, get on the connection bus to T4.

Thanks so much for those further replies!

Until very recently, I flew to or connected at Heathrow about once every 4-6 weeks for several years. The reasons it's considered a nightmare are because: a) it's very, very busy, which means the runways and gates are congested and there are often delays at take-off and landing; b) as someone else mentioned, the queue for Immigration can sometimes be quite long (but they know how to run an orderly queue in the UK; nothing like the "free for all" systems you sometimes encounter in France and other countries; c) if you connect at Heathrow (as you will flying from Nice through Heathrow and then back to North America), you will have to clear security again (I'll explain that more below) and the lines for security can be long; and d) the British Airport Authority (which runs Heathrow) was imposing a "one bag" rule for carry-on, which applies even to passengers who are simply connecting at Heathrow (as well as those whose trips originate at Heathrow or involve a domestic connection). One bag means one bag, not one carry-on plus purse, or one carry-on plus laptop, or one carry on plus shopping bag. Just one bag. It drives most business travellers (and many others mad).

As for the security line, if you connect from T4 to T1 or vice-versa, you will do an airside transfer. This means you'll probably walk down a number of very long hallways (count on about 10 minutes walking from the plane you flew in on to the bus loading point. Then you'll take a bus on the "airside" of the terminal (i.e. where the planes land and take off) and will be delivered to the next terminal, at which point you will go through another security checkpoint. The good news is that the only passengers going through this security checkpoint are other travellers who are connecting at Heathrow (not those who are starting their journey at Heathrow). Also, if both your flights are with BA, you should have been able to check your bags all the way through to your final destination and get your boarding passes at the airport in Nice (or print them the night before at your hotel). Also, in comparison with many security checkpoints at US airports, I find the UK security staff relatively civilised and relatively organised in terms of getting people organised and prepared to go through security efficiently.

The bad news is that there are a lot of connecting passengers, and sometimes the lines can be very long.

If you factor in the risk of a delay on landing, you should budget for a connection time of 30 minutes to get off the plane (if you're in Economy, at the back of the plane) and walk to the buses for transit, 20 minutes to wait for a bus and then ride it to the next terminal, 30 minutes to go through security and another 15 minutes to walk to your departure gate. It very likely won't take that long; those estimates are for a bad luck day (but not the absolute worst case scenario).