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My wife and two children are planning a holiday to the Maldives during the Easter holidays in 2027. I’m confident about using Hilton Honors points for the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, but securing four Club World seats from London Heathrow (LHR) presents a challenge.
I will have two British Airways Companion Vouchers—one in my wife’s account and one in mine—prior to booking. Following Head for Points’ advice, I plan to call BA at 00:00 GMT (1:00 AM BST) 355 days before our desired departure date, aiming for Easter 2027.
My questions are:
Midnight Calls to the US: Has anyone had recent success calling BA’s US contact centre at midnight UK time (which is 7:00 PM Eastern) to secure four Club World seats? I’m particularly interested in whether this approach has been effective during peak times.
Multiple Attempts: If the first call doesn’t result in securing the desired seats, is it advisable to try again the following night, or is there a risk that the seats might be taken by then?
International Calling Apps: Given the time difference, I’m considering using an international calling app to contact the US centre at a low cost. Has anyone used such apps successfully for this purpose?
I appreciate any insights or experiences fellow forum members can share regarding these strategies.
With Skype gone, Viber is your best friend for international calls. £5 goes a long way there!
With Skype gone, Viber is your best friend for international calls. £5 goes a long way there!
Thanks, ill give ‘Viber’ a whirl; never used it before.
If you don’t get your seats when you call, they will definitely be gone by the following night (though of course the next set will be released at that point.) You should be attempting to book online if you’re not through to an agent and the seats held by the release time …
…which may be 1 am or midnight depending on when you call. Between the clocks changing in October and March, the release time will revert to midnight, so factor that in. Ideally you need your wife to be present and ready to book from her account simultaneously if you don’t get through on the phone. You can’t do this as one booking so you’ll need to ask the agent to hold all 4 seats.
Also factor in that currently MLE drops to 3 departures per week in the summer, which may well be the case for 2027, and will probably affect your return strategy (you may need a plan B).
It’s 6 months until these seats are released so you have plenty of time to plan!
If you don’t get your seats when you call, they will definitely be gone by the following night (though of course the next set will be released at that point.) You should be attempting to book online if you’re not through to an agent and the seats held by the release time …
…which may be 1 am or midnight depending on when you call. The night after the clocks change in March, the release time will revert to midnight, so factor that in. Ideally you need your wife to be present and ready to book from her account simultaneously if you don’t get through on the phone. You can’t do this as one booking so you’ll need to ask the agent to hold all 4 seats.
Also factor in that currently MLE drops to 3 departures per week in the summer, which may well be the case for 2027, and will probably affect your return strategy (you may need a plan B).
Thanks @NorthernLass
Indeed on the planning front, I like to know how ill approach it and the risks and pitfalls, so the advice is somewhat invaluable in my mind.
Ringing dates currently looking at:
Outbound flight call: Midnight UK time 30 March 2026
Return flight call: Midnight UK time 11 April 2026Sorry for the confusion on the topic of ringing by the second night, my terminology was poor, I was meaning phoning back the second night to book the corresponding date in 355 days time, cognisant of the fact the previous nights flights will have gone.
I have checked and it would be 1am, as the correspodning date would be into UK summer time thankfully so a midnight call as opposed to 1AM I believe?
ignore the 1am comments, it appears midnight for my booking window
No I think both of those will be 1 am calls, we’ll be in BST from 28/3/27. What are your school holiday dates? Easter weekend falls at the end of March in 2027 but some schools have a fixed spring holiday nowadays as opposed to moving it around with the dates of Easter.
ah ok, thanks for the clarification it was boggling my mind about the time differences. Easter 2027 for North Yorkshire are scheduled from Monday, 22 March 2027 to Friday, 2 April 2027, so ideally look at booking Saturday or Sunday at the beginning of the holiday period (20th/21st March)
Are you planning to connect from MAN or NCL? Probably less stressful than driving or public transport to LHR.
One of the perks of my job is reimbursed fuel so we tend to drive to LHR to be honest, often staying the night before at an hotel if an early flight.It can be a relatively straight forward journey if we stay away from the inner parts of the M25 and travel at a reaonsable hour.
Domestic connections are free on BA and you can still stay at LHR the night before, this is what we usually do. After a 6-hour drive to LGW last year I’m sticking to the usual plan!
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