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Hi all, Looking for a consensus on whether to pay to reserve your seats in business or not.
I’m using a companion voucher on a flight from LHR to Miami in May. I was bronze but that’s just dropped to blue, so I can only reserve at time of check in.
What do most people do?
It’s only me and my wife travelling, so do most people book or just reserve at time of check in. If we are not placed together it won’t be a deal breaker but just wondering what others do and whether BA would sit you together if on the same booking.
I’ve read HFP recent article on seats, etc but can’t find anything specific to this question, although appreciate it’s probably been asked a few times before.
Also upstairs or downstairs on the A380.
So in summary reserve now at extra cost or wait until 24 hrs and better up or downstairs. It’s not about cost but more point of principle although I’m sure that won’t matter.
Thanks all and all comments appreciated.
I can’t tell you what most people do, and I cheerfully pay for seating on EasyJet or even BA short haul, but there’s no way I’ll pay the charges BA want to levy on long-haul business seats.
I have Silver for now — so free choice of seats — but with zero TPs and more than half the year gone I’ll be faced with taking pot luck on future redemptions.
I recently paid for the last row in CW on a 12 hr flight. Don’t really fancy climbing over/ being climbed over by others.
I have never paid, have been blue and always booked dot on when check in opens. My parents have always been seated together as they are always on the same booking. They are often put in the middle in the old business style, we usually do have some alternative choices available but it isn’t going to be the best of the best. We usually found seat option that works for us, we try to ensure we climb over each other rather than strangers, elderly parents can be not very steady and we don’t want to hurt others climbing out.
If you want to both have the window seat which is a bit more private and close together that might be a bit difficult as I don’t think those seats are paired together in the system so you won’t be given those by default, you could get one window and one aisle thou.
If you pay guaranteeing window seats on the A380’s upper deck, you’ll experience something good which will become a preference that may cost you more on future flights.
If you are already pleased you’re in CW, save the money for Joe’s Stone Crabs or similar.
Personal choice I’m afraid. My own personal opinion is that upper deck, forward cabin, is better than lower deck and I expect that any status holders will choose those first. The (and the seating robots) are likely to keep you together but of course it is not guaranteed if the cabin is full and everyone else has an option to select seats first.
It sounds like it is not a deal breaker so unless you want to guarantee seats together, or seats upstairs, you can probably get away with leaving it. Even then, bear in mind that paying for a seat doesn’t actually guarantee it as they will still move you for ‘operational reasons’ including aircraft swaps, crew rest and random seat unserviceabilities. Although, in those cases, you should get your seat fee refunded.
As Mrs Froggee keeps telling me, everyone is different.
For a day flight in club world, I would not pay.
For a night flight, I would consider paying for a window seat as I find the quality of sleep in the aisle seats is poor. But as a couple you’ll most likely end up being put in a middle pair on the lower deck. Sleep quality is fine there.
As for Upstairs, Downstairs. It really makes very little difference other than if you haven’t experienced the toilets upstairs at the front of an A380 it is something worth marvelling at. You’ll never want to make peepee anywhere else on a plane again.
So maybe have a look at the Seat map in the way back. But if you want to sit next to each other you’ll effectively have to pay for a naff seat as (in my view) the best seats (direct access window) tend to be next to the worst seats (aisle by curtain) so be very clear what you both want.
Assuming you aren’t puppy dog spouses that hold hands all the time, if paying I’d want direct aisle access window seats on either side of the plane!
Sorry to highjack this thread but have a related question. What is the BA policy on seat allocation for children? We are a family of 5 (three children ages 5, 3, 3), flying club Europe this summer. Would have flown economy but no availability. Seat reservations are ludicrously expensive, over £100 for the family.
Is there really a chance BA would just scatter our very young kids if we don’t pay for seats??
Ie Ryanair’s policy is that if you pay for the adult reservation the kids’ is free, which is sensible.
Highly unlikely that they will scatter you, though with 3 kids one of them might be sitting next to a stranger because of the blocked middle seat.
If you don’t want to pay, check your booking about a week before you fly and BA Will probably have allocated your seats.
In the worst case scenario I would expect other pax would be willing to move rather than sit next to someone else’s small child! Apart from row 1 all CE seats are of a muchness so it’s not like giving up one’s exit row in economy or anything.The BA policy on this is here:
“If you don’t choose your seats in advance, we’ll do our best to seat your family together a few days before your flight departs. However, the seat selection may be limited at that time and your seats may be split across different rows or the aisle. We’ll make sure each child under 12 years sits next to an adult from your booking but children over 12 years are booked as an adult in our system and may sit separately.”
So it would be you on one row, aisle, with a kid in aisle next to you and another in your window seat, and your partner behind or in front with a kid next to them.
In our case (only two kids though), if for whatever reason a system SNAFU has taken place, when we get to check in we just say “oi you’ve put our tiny kids on their own” and they sort it out; happened twice over the years.
Sorry to highjack this thread but have a related question. What is the BA policy on seat allocation for children? We are a family of 5 (three children ages 5, 3, 3), flying club Europe this summer. Would have flown economy but no availability. Seat reservations are ludicrously expensive, over £100 for the family.
Is there really a chance BA would just scatter our very young kids if we don’t pay for seats??
Ie Ryanair’s policy is that if you pay for the adult reservation the kids’ is free, which is sensible.
BA probably will seat you together but the CAA requirement isn’t actually to put you next to each other but near each other, so can be in front/behind or across an aisle. In CE you can expect, depending on the route, to find a lot of solo pax with status choosing windows or aisles so that it isn’t necessarily that easy for BA to give you a perfect seating arrangement for five, even if they wanted to and anyway five is a difficult number in a 2-2 cabin arrangement.
Thank you that is v helpful.
Yes I understand that 5 is awkward in a 2-2 cabin. Ideally I think we’d be in a AC+AC+D type pattern on two consecutive rows. But I guess hard to guarantee. As mentioned economy is easier for our number- and I would happily downgrade but no Avios availability….
Thank you that is v helpful.
Yes I understand that 5 is awkward in a 2-2 cabin. Ideally I think we’d be in a AC+AC+D type pattern on two consecutive rows. But I guess hard to guarantee. As mentioned economy is easier for our number- and I would happily downgrade but no Avios availability….
Let them know your preference, if they moved the curtain forward by one row, it’d be a win-win.
Thanks everyone and great to hear everyone’s personal opinions. All comments really appreciated.
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