I have a e-ticket booked on-line to fly to LHR from Washington Dulles in May. I tryed to make a seat assignment, (even called the help desk after booking on-line) but was told that seat assignments could not be made until 24 hours before the flight. This is also when I can get my boarding pass on-line. I have a economy ticket or as BA calls it "Traveller" ticket.

Has anyone done this and what was the outcome? Does this mean a center seat? Are there any tricks to get a seat assignment now?

Also, any new developments in the carryon issue?

Thanks, Margo

This is BA's new policy - no pre-assigned seats. BA ONLY allows advanced seating for their Silver level elites (or equivalent in the partners) or higher. You can also get advance seating for Bus/First as well.

Economy (traveler) and E+ (Traveler +) do not get seat assignments UNLESS you have a small child with you. So everyone is in the same boat, i.e., no pre-assigned seats.

To get your seat assignment, you have to check-in. This can be done online up to 24 hrs ahead or at the airport. Best to check-in online ahead of time to minimize the chance of a middle seat. You can see what see you are assigned and change if you want. However, once you check in, you can't change seats any more (an agent at the airport may but many seats are gone by then).

BA allows one any weight carry-on as long as it fits in their required dimensions 22x18x10 and one personal item. You must be able to lift your luggage into the overhead by yourself. FA will NOT help. If you can't lift it yourself, CHECK IT IN! This is going TO the UK.

Leaving the UK, you allowed ONLY ONE piece of hand baggage. This includes purses, ruck sucks, etc. If you carry a purse, etc and also want to bring your luggage on board, you must be able to consolidate everything into ONE bag that fits in their 22x18x10 container.

Of course, all liquids & gels have to be in one clear zip 1L bag. They have to be 100 ml (about 3.5oz) or less. You will not be allowed to take any items in LARGER bottles, even if it is partially used. You will have to throw those out at security. This is both directions.

That is why I didn't fly with them on my last trip. I did go with another airline that allowed early seat assignment. Perhaps they will realize that they risk losing business.

I won't fly long haul with any airline where I can't get an advance seat assignment. I would be willing to choose a different travel date rather than put up with a middle seat. All you can do, is check in on line as soon as you are allowed to do so.
Carolena

Margo I have a similar issue with KLM which will not allow me to book seats until 90 days before my departure date. In my case there was really no other decent option to get to my destination. (South Africa)

I am a bit anxious about this situation as well, in particular because I am taking two long back-to-back connecting flights. It appears that there is no way around these situations for the average traveler..just make sure to be on-line the minute that you are allowed to book your seats!

I really don't sweat it - 1/3 of the time my carefully selected seat is changed anyway.

I've found that more and more lines aren't allowing assignd seats for those on discounted tix..

To each their own but if enough business <b>were</b>lost because of not allowing seat assignments at booking you can bet the practice would soon cease.

i'm flying toronto to rome may 2007, and i was able to book seats on toronto to lhr - econonmy. however, i booked way back in august 2006. could not get assigned seats for lhr to rome though.

Just booked a trip from BWI to AMS. Called BA and they said NO seat assignment available till 24 hours before flight. Not sure what that accomplishes, but I don't like it. Otherwise I really like BA.

What about business class seats on BA within Europe (London to Rome)? Last time we couldn't get two seats together, and traveling with an Alzheimer's patient, that would sure be nice.

This is the reason that I dont fly with BA if I can help it, although that for the last leg of my trip, which is Amsterdam, I must fly with this airline from London, because AA does not fly to AMS.
The food in coach is just HORRIBLE..

NeoPatrick - If you are travelling with someone who has Alzheimers, you should fit into BA's &quot;special needs&quot; exception to the seating rule and you can call to ask. As BA charges a fee for tickets booked by phone, though, what you'll want to do is a) confirm by phone that you'll be able to get preassigned seats together; b) then hang up and book on the internet; and then c) call back to arrange seating, once you have a booking reference. The website also says that &quot;fully flexible&quot; J tickets (which would include some but not all Club Europe tickets) would provide for pre-assigned seats.

Actually we are already booked. This is apart of our AA Frequent flyer award. But we haven't reserved seats.

So, if you have a special needs passenger travelling with you, you should be able to reserve seats together by calling BA and explaining the situation.

This change in BA policy re. seat selection is ridiculous. They spend all this money in advertising and then implement a counter-productive policy like this.
I have contacted the customer relations department voicing my displeasure two months ago and only received an acknowledgment of my complaint, no explanation.
As it was a fully automated procedure, I can't fathom the reason for their change. If anything the previous policy encouraged people to book early. Now there is not that same incentive to do so.
I add my name to the list of customers who will book elsewhere next time.

This is another great reason NOT to fly BA.

Increasingly the A in BA stands for arrogance.

Not to mention the new UK airport taxes which are a true slap in the face to international visitors.

Hello,

Add my husband and I to the &quot;disgruntled&quot; BA list! We booked a May 14th flight out of Seattle in Economy Plus, way last October, got assigned seats, next day wanted to change, husband got a new seat assignment, but none for me. So now, I have no idea where I am assigned. Tried calling BA, but &quot;they&quot; all say &quot;they&quot; can do nothing about it, same reason as everyone says they received.

We booked BA because we are going to Ireland first, for a month, then London for a week. We are tired of going through Chicago or San Francisco to get to Ireland and London. But am wondering if we made a smart move with BA!

We shall see.

Helen

If you really want to be confused (and get angry), if you write an email to customer service, here is the reply that becomes available. Now if you read this, it says that seat selection IS available:
Can I get my seat assignment before my flight?
Why can't I get a seat pre-assignment on my flight?
Answer ID 46
Answer
We understand that passengers want to be able to have seat assignments at the same time that their reservations are confirmed.
With this in mind, we have implemented an enhanced seating policy making a proportion of seats available in most classes of service for pre-assignment on a first-come, first-served basis (this includes our World Traveller cabin).
• Travel agents and our own Telephone Sales staff have equal access to all pre-assigned seating.
• Preference is shown to those customers who are members of our Executive Club frequent traveller programme.
• We will also do our best, subject to availability, to accommodate any passengers who are traveling with infants or young children or who have a certified medical condition requiring a medical escort.
• Pre-seating in Euro Traveller is not available on any route at anytime (Euro Traveller is our European leisure product).
• Pre-seating is not available in emergency exit rows as Airport staff are required by law to actually see the people given emergency exit seats to ensure that they can assist in an emergency.
• All British Airways mainline flights offer pre-seating in FIRST, Club World, Club Europe, World Traveller Plus, World Traveller and certain UK domestic flights.
• Pre-seating is available on the following UK domestic flights for Premier, Gold or Silver Executive Club members only (or oneworld equivalent cardholders), Disabled passengers* (Effective 1 September 2005), or any passenger travelling on fully flexible fares:
London Heathrow and Gatwick to/from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester.
*Disabled passengers are defined as those who:
Are accompanied by an Assistance Dog.
Have a fused or immobilised leg.
Are Blind.
Are Deaf.
Require a wheelchair as unable to manage steps.
Important: Pre-seating is not available on any flight due to depart within 24hours - from this point pre-seating control is handled by the airport of departure.
Any customers wanting to pre-assign themselves seats at this point will have to do so as part of our Online Check-in functionality - details of which can be found if you click here.
Pre-seating is also not available on any flight operated by an aircraft with less than 100 seats.
As a point of information, a number of seats are blocked for special reasons. As per above, airport staff are required by law to actually see the people given emergency exit seats to ensure that they can assist in an emergency. Therefore, these seats can only be assigned on departure. Bulkhead seats are held for passengers travelling with infants requiring bassinets.
Of course, if any of these types of seats are still available when you check in, we will be glad to assign them to you upon request. We needed to limit our advance seating in order to relieve problems experienced at our airport check-in desks. The new arrangements will provide greater availability of seats on day of departure for those requiring special attention, such as families with children, groups or elderly passengers.
British Airways has enhanced its website to allow you to add seat requests on ba.com, as relevant to your journey, through Manage My Booking.
To access Manage My Booking please click here, you will need your six character booking reference.
Or contact your local British Airways office to try to pre-assign a seat. A list of telephone numbers can be found if you click here . To view examples of our on-board seating plans, please click here.
Please note: Effective 1 September 2005, passengers requiring a wheelchair will no longer be permitted to sit on the upper deck. British Airways will endeavour to re-seat any passengers who require a wheelchair if they have been allocated a seat on the upper deck prior to 1 September 2005.


This was copied from BA.com TODAY.