BA seat assignments

Is British Airways discouraging business these days? Besides being among airlines offering the least space between seats, they also have implemented a policy forbidding selection of seats until 24 hours before travel. My wife and I tried for an upgrade, but none were available on our particular flight from Amsterdam to London to Miami scheduled for May 11, 2007.

Since we will be on tour the day before leaving Amsterdam, without access to telephones or computers, my six-foot-three frame will probably have to be stuck someplace other than an aisle seat.

Granted, our situation has resulted in nothing more than a rankling inconvenience, but consider this. When I contacted the Visa Signature (888/877-1021, www.visaconcierge.com) travel concierge department to see if it could help, they told me that even they could make no headway. In fact, they currently had a couple with children and a nanny booked for a flight and could not be guaranteed that the children would be seated with one of the parents or the nanny.

This, to me, shows more than arrogance and a lack of concern for their passengers. It borders on British Air’s self-destruction. We cannot select an airline other than B.A. at this time, but if we have a choice we will not in the future choose B.A.

THOMAS E. WALKER

Dallas, TX

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to British Airways and received the following e-mail, dated April 23.

Mr. Walker certainly has/had the choice to upgrade in Club Europe for his flight to London from Amsterdam and also on his flight to Miami from London, both on May 11. I’ve just checked availability on both flights for May 11, 2007 — Club Europe is wide open, and there is premium economy and business-class seat availability to Miami. I assume he won’t upgrade to first class. We offer 42-day-advance-purchase business-class seats across the Atlantic; he needs to look online or consult his travel agent, who should be aware of these offers that provide business-class reductions of over 50%.

Following is the press release from last fall describing the seat policy:

NEW WAY TO BOOK YOUR SEAT — British Airways is to introduce changes to the way air travellers select and book their seats from December 5, 2006. The new guidelines are designed to simplify the process of choosing a seat and give all customers more transparency and control of the seating options available on their flight.

The best way to secure the seat of choice will be by using the on-line check-in facility on www.ba.com from 24 hours before the flight departs. The earlier a customer checks in, the greater choice of seats they will have. Once a seat has been chosen it will not be changed, subject only to rare operational requirements.

Customers departing on flights from December 5 will have substantially more seats available to choose from at the time of check-in. All seats on the aircraft that have not been preassigned will be offered for a customer to select.

To make more seats available at the time of check-in, the airline is reducing the number of seats that can be preassigned. This option will be limited to specific groups of travelers, for example, families with young children, First class flyers, Gold and Silver Executive Club members and those holding fully flexible tickets across all cabins.

The airline remains committed to offering seat selection free of charge for all its customers.

Tiffany Hall, head of Marketing and Distribution, said, “. . . By checking in, selecting their seat and printing their boarding pass on-line, customers can arrive at the airport with peace of mind that they can proceed straight to the boarding gate with no need to queue to check in.”

To assist air travelers in choosing a seat, the airline has improved its aircraft seat maps on www.ba.com, which display up-to-the-minute seat availability for each flight. The maps will now display emergency exit seats and highlight the position of the toilets, infant cots and the crew galley areas.

Customers traveling with infants (aged under two years) will be able to book their seat when they purchase their ticket, and those traveling with children aged between two and 11 inclusive will be allocated seats together up to three days before departure. Unaccompanied minors will also be preassigned a seat for their journey.

Gold and Silver Executive Club members, First class customers and those holding fully flexible tickets will be able to book their seat at the time of purchase and change their choice up until they check in and print their boarding pass.

Also, here’s the priority for seating:

Prebooking of seats will be limited to certain groups of travelers:

  1. Families with young children (2-11)
  2. Passengers with infants (under 2)
  3. Premier, Gold and Silver cardholders
  4. Corporate dealt customers
  5. FIRST customers
  6. Customers holding fully flexible tickets (J, W and Y class)
  7. Large specialized groups, e.g., school trips.

Our seat pitch is 31/32 inches on the B747-400 for the London-Miami route — exactly the same pitch on long-haul flights as our competitors on comparable aircraft and routes. If Mr. Walker does require additional room and comfort, there is no problem; he can simply purchase a premium seat.

JOHN LAMPL, Vice President Communications, The Americas, British Airways, 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Heights, NY 11370

ITN sent to Mr. Walker a copy of British Air’s reply. He responded, “I appreciate Mr. Lampl’s comments, although I was told by the agents I contacted twice by phone that no upgrades were available and that they did not have access to seat assignments. I would gladly have upgraded to the next class up had I been given that opportunity.

“I must say that I did get wheelchair assistance from them from Amsterdam to London, and — after trying unsuccessfully by phone (our Dutch friend called) and online the evening before — at the B.A. desk at Schiphol Airport I was able to make our seat reservations after we had returned from a tour of Den Hague on the evening of the 10th before our flying out on the 11th.”