Oops. I'm sorry. I just realised I ranted about something and I made a mistake. I think it's possible that you can't "choose a seat" and then stop without checking in, because the second to last step says "confirm seats and check in now". You likely will have been provisionally allocated a seat when you go on to ba.com at T-24. If you don't like this seat, you can look at the seat map and see if there is something better. You can move to another seat if you find something better. The one thing I'm not sure of is whether that move (to a better but not ideal) seat will "stick" if stop at that point and choose not to "confirm seats and check in now". I haven't had this problem in the past because I get to choose my seats on booking without confirming them. You can try it, but just be sure to refrain from clicking on the button "confirm seats and check in now" if you really, really dislike your seats.

You can find the website demo by looking at the information section on ba.com and looking for the menu option "At the airport" and then "Checking in at ba.com" on the left hand side.

<i>I'll drop BA in a heartbeat if it retains this stupid seating policy. (I've heard rumours, though, that it is wavering.)</i>

Well, on Flyertalk today, some results from that wavering were revealed. BA expanded the seat selection options...

...for Gold level elites.

Now Golds can select seats for non-elites traveling with them, even if on separate PNRs.

That's it. Whoop-dee-do.

Well, that's good news for me, provided that I can hang onto Gold past Sept 2009. But really, I continue to believe it's a stupid policy that is going to drive away a lot of loyal, BA travellers who don't want to cough up for business class fares.

Gold and Silver Executive Club members, oneworld™ Emerald and Sapphire equivalents, and other passengers on the same booking can choose seats anytime...as of today!

The extra perk for Golds, however, is that they can get seats assigned for travelling companions travelling on a different booking. (This often happens, e.g. Gold card holder on a paid fare and companion on a reward booking.)

BA really do look as though they are trying to shoot harm their own business.

On top of the high UK departure tax (I know they cannot do anything about this, but I am sure it is a major negative to overseas visitors and the airlines fying out of Schipol, CDG and Frankfurt must all benefit at BA's expense), they have this customer unfriendly seat allocation as well as the utterly stupid &quot;one check in bag&quot; rule.

The latter really irritates me. I used to travel sensibly with a 22 inch carry on, plus a moderate size suitcase. If I had a good trip, and bought plenty, then I could always add another cheap bag.

Now I have to travel with the biggest possible bag &quot;Just in case&quot; - as well as coping with the petty UK airport carry on allowances.

The more I deal with BA, the more I like Virgin Atlantic.

To be fair, the one bag rule isn't BA's, it's the British Airport Authority's (and that affects Virgin, too).

BA's CHECKED baggage allowance is 3 bags for First and Club Word, and 2 checked bags for WTP and WT not to exceed 51 pounds each, plus 1 only carry-on bag.

BA's baggage allowance varies according to your destination. For those of us in the cheap seats, not flying to North or South America, the allowance is one bag weighing up to 51lbs.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...c/en_gb#europe

To clarify, the &quot;one bag&quot; rule I was referring to was the &quot;one carry-on&quot; rule, which is a British Airports Authority rule. The checked baggage policy, as jody and others have pointed out, is a BA rule.

whenever i fly, my pocketbook is not considered part of the carry on luggage. has that changed? i usually carry my pocketbook and then have another bag. i'm a bit worried that at heathrow my pocketbook will be considered one carry on bag. anybody have any insight?

Your pocketbook will be counted as a carryon. Buy a bag that it will fit into.

Gardyloo is right. The British Airports Authority characterises your pocketbook, purse, plastic bag, whatever = one carry-on, so make sure it fits into your larger carry-on.

BA allows us 2 bags each so what I am doing is taking 3 small suitcases that fit into 3 large suitcases. At the airport I will take out the small suitcases &amp; at the other end put them back in the large suitcases. That way we have our weight limit in each case plus will only have 3 cases to pull around.

johngerard:

Or you could just pack less :)

I don't understand Johngerad's logic.

What are you going to do with the 3 larger suitcases when you take the smaller ones out?

Are the smaller bags the cabin bags and you are going to check the others. If so what are you going to do on the return leg when you are allowed 1 cabin bag per person

&quot;BA allows us 2 bags each so what I am doing is taking 3 small suitcases that fit into 3 large suitcases. At the airport I will take out the small suitcases &amp; at the other end put them back in the large suitcases. That way we have our weight limit in each case plus will only have 3 cases to pull around.&quot;

Much as I try, I can't work this out. How many people is this for - 3 ? Are you saying you will each check in 1 small full suitcase &amp; 1 large empty suitcase ? Why ?

I thought this thread had moved on to the weight limit for baggage - jody refers.
My point was that I can easily pull a 40kg suitcase but baggage handlers can't. By putting a suitcase inside a large suitcase gives me less luggage to cart around before &amp; after the flight. The baggage handler is happy &amp; so am I.

So you have a partially filled large suitcase into which you put a smaller suitcase. Then when you get to the airport you take out the smaller case and check both bags.

You'd have problems with most low costs airlines plus BA once outside the US as you only get one free checked bag with you paying for any additional ones - plus of course the weight limit is far lower. Your 40kg bags would cost you &pound;10 for the 2nd bag plus &pound;137.50 excess baggage weight on Ryanair for example

I just returned from London to Dulles last Friday on BA. It is true that one can make seat assignments 24 hours prior to flying. Just go to ba.com at that time (or after) and it will say something like &quot;seating is open&quot;. You put in your ticket locator number and then you will be shown what seats are available. You click on what you want and going to London there were many seats available. Coming back from Edinburgh-London-Dulles, I had to go to an internet cafe to log on and it was much later, like 12 hours before the flight and there were still aisle seats available. Going on line like this also gives you your boarding pass so that at the airport you just need to go to &quot;baggage drop&quot; bypassing the checkin line.

It seems that BA had already assigned me a window seat but I couldn't know that until I log on and then I could change it to an aisle seat.

Now this whole thing gave me much &quot;heart burn&quot; thinking that I would be seated in the middle seat but that did not happen either time. So if possible, you should try to go on-line.

Think of this--at least BA still gives free wine and cocktails on transAtlantic flights, unlike United and maybe other US airlines.

Margo

OK....I admit, it's late, and I'm tired. I still don't get the logic of putting 3 smaller cases inside the larger ones. The only thing I can think is that he's planning to purchase quite a lot of things to fill the empty cases for the trip back home. Go figure.....

3 adults 1 child
baggage limit 2 bags per person,
weight limit 23kg per bag
3 fully filled small suitcases - 23kg that fit inside 3 large half filled - 23kg suitcases.
3 suitcases to bring (with 3 bags inside) are much easier to carry than 6 bags especially if I would have to carry 4 of them..
Hope that clears up the confusion, sorry I didn't explain this too well before.

So you personally will be carrying 2 x 46kg cases ?!? =:-O

Is this humanly possible ? And what on earth are you taking ??

Even when I used to use an absolutely enormas case, I never got it up above c.30kg.

1 small case (= 23kg) fits in large case that has been half filled to 23kg. Last year we had 3 x 30kg going but 4 x 30kg plus 1 case at 45kg coming back. I expect this year will be about 3 x 30kg going plus 3 x 40(=6 x 20) returning. The limitation on hand luggage last year at security check in forced us to put more into the cases. Plus my daughter had bought quite a few shoes &amp; bags &amp; clothes....

I just can't imagine that amount of luggage. Is this for a summer or a winter holiday ?

I don't pack light, wouldn't dream of trying to take carry on only, take heavy things like an iron and lots of books - but we still don't get above 20-25kg each.

We had 1 week New York &amp; 2 weeks circuit of Cape Cod, Boston, Hanover NH, Lee MA. Some was self catering. We had to pack for all weathers &amp; as a few stops were 1 or 2 nights we did not expect to get laundry cleaned before moving on. Also if you have 2 children (daughter was 18) they require more clothes.
On top of the luggage there was the presents &amp; mementos - we only expected to go to USA once so wanted to get everything we could (e.g. 3 jars of real maple syrup, 1 US postbox, Statue of Liberty).
Delta allowed 32kg each so returning we had excess to pay but only because the take on hand luggage was restricted.
BA allows 2 x 23kg each so we have 184kg limit for our return this year.

john - sounds like a good plan

caroline - Since airlines have limits that exceed your magic 25 kg, I guess other people beside John take this amount. You know it is not &quot;evil&quot; to have a couple of 23 kg bags per person.
summer or winter? or spring or fall which we find always requires more clothes.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, just that it seems an unimaginable amount to me. We are shortly off to Italy for 3 weeks &amp; will take the same cases we've had for a few years now, which seem to hold just the right amount for us - which always happens to come in at 20-25kg each. If they weren't big enough I'd have no problem using bigger cases, but that size seems right for us.

I guess we'd need more for a winter holiday but can't imagine taking double.

Not entirely on-topic, but just a little note that BA have announced another increase (&pound;5) in fuel surcharge each way on longhaul flights as of next Wednesday. Now totals &pound;43 each way on 9+hr flights.

to get back to my original question, has everybody who's flown to heathrow recently had to wait 24 hours before to select seats? has anybody been able to select them further in advance, like a few days or a few weeks? are monday night flights usually less full than other nights because that's the night we're flying. how many hours before the flight to heathrow have you gotten to jfk airport in n.y.c.? is 2 hours enough time? thanks, in advance, for your help.

&lt;&lt;to get back to my original question, has everybody who's flown to heathrow recently had to wait 24 hours before to select seats? has anybody been able to select them further in advance, like a few days or a few weeks?&gt;&gt;

I think a number of posters have answered that question quite extensively.

Unless you have club status or are flying full fare business or flying first or have a disability... 24 hours prior it is

i guess i was just &quot;dreaming&quot; that things had changed and one could obtain a seat with a little less anxiety. i still wonder about how full flights are and if monday night is a &quot;slow&quot; night...

putch29: I wouldn't get too worked up about it. I am someone who does not get on a plane unless she gets an aisle seat (claustrophobia), at least in Economy. Because of BAEC status, I haven't had to deal with its stupid new seating policy, but I have flown half a dozen times in the last year with other airlines (including several mid-range flights of 4 hours or more) where I couldn't choose seats until 24 hours before. I haven't yet had a problem getting an aisle seat, although on one flight my husband and I couldn't sit beside or across from each other (but we both got aisle seats). I think that if you log on to check in at T-24 (and I've done it as late as T-10), you shouldn't have a problem, although you might not get the perfect pair across from each other.