Not enough unreserved seats

[doningtonphil]

Hello.

We used BA Amex 2-4-1 to book flights to Vancouver on Sunday.

We are flying GLA-LGW-YVR.

We were loathed to pay to reserve seats and up til recently the LGW-YVR leg looked good, with at least 8 seats available to buy and 10 seats unreserved (so in theory, we were the only booked passengers with no reserved seats).
However, there are no only 5 unreserved seats (2 ours, so 3 free seats) but still 7 can be booked!

I take ut this is potential overbooking on BAs part with the assumption some may not turn up.

However, it is worse on the GLA-LGW leg (which had loads of free seats earlier in the week).
If we try to reserve our seats now, there is ONLY 1 AVAILABLE. And it won’t let just one of us reserve a seat.
However seats are still being sold in business on that flight.

What will happen to us? Will we get bumped to economy? If we do, will we be refunded any cash/avios?
Will seats miraculously appear when ‘free reservation’ check in opens 24 hours before the flight?

I hope you can help

Phil

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Don’t rely on seat maps. Or how many tickets BA may still be selling.

BA (and other airlines) don’t make all seats available to select in advance of the fligt.

Sone are restricted to passengers with status. Seats with bassinettes will also not be shown to most passengers.

They block some seats to enable them to accommodate families and those with special needs.

The only seat map that matetrs is the one that is siapled once OLCI opens.

[doningtonphil]

Thanks BA.

So, there will definitely be enough seats in Club GLA-LGW come on line check in tomorrow.

Out of interest, is it possible for just 1 of the booking party to reserve a seat? We tried it but said we both have to.

Of course, it won’t let us reserve the one remaining (for now) bookable seat cos it says we both have to reserve (which we can’t!)

Theoretically, what happens if the cabin is overbooked. Abd there is no first to upgrade to, what can happen? Does it ever hapoen?
Is an reward booking with no status treated as inferior to any other booking?

[SamG]

Neither flight is full and as it stands you could sit in 1DF to London and the middle block of row 4 is vacant too. So unless something changes in the next few hrs you should get seated together at check in when it opens in a couple of hrs

Let us know how it goes !

[doningtonphil]

So. Logged in straight away and allocated 5A and C for GLA-LGW. 1D and F also available but seatguru says they are a little restricted.

Surprisingly, could also check in for LGW-YVR band allocated seats 4F and G.
Strangely still being offered opportunity to pay to chose, and that shows 4D and E available. I think our preference would be E and F.
Question. There us a bassinet showing in front of 4F. Could that be used by someone from elsewhere in the cabin or would 4F need to be booked by the person using the bassinet? I don’t want to risk booking 4F and then end up ‘childminding’ someone’s sprog for 9 hours!

[NorthernLass]

Seat selection should become free at T-24 for your long haul leg. You need to have the bassinet seat to use the bassinet, don’t worry!

Don’t take any notice of SeatGuru, 1 D and 1 F are the best seats in CE! You just have to stow all your hand baggage in the overheads, if that’s an issue.