Air Deviation Question

[Paulchili]

Yep - here is your correction: we are actually flying BA from LAX to LHR and then from CPH to LHR to LAX. Not only were our seats assigned to us (for free - and I have no special status with BA) - we only had to pay the $350 air deviation. .

 

I am glad you got your seats with BA without status or paying extra. I am not sure how that was accomplished as these are the rules for seating reservations on BA (copied from BA website):

 

 

Where would you like to sit?

Reserve your seat for free during check-in

Once check-in opens, from 24 hours before departure, everybody can choose their seat for free, although your choice may be limited.

Choose your seat in advance for more choice

Whether you want extra legroom or to sit together as a group, you can reserve your seat in advance. It's easy to do, either at the time of booking your flight or afterwards by using Manage My Booking. When you make your seat choice online, we will tell you whether you have to pay or not.

You can pay for seating if you are travelling on any flight operated by British Airways, BA CityFlyer, our franchise partner airlines or a British Airways flight operated by American Airlines.

 

Paid seating terms and conditions

Some people can reserve their seats for free

Executive Club membership cards. Executive Club Members plus companions

Choose your seats free of charge for everyone in the same booking if you

are a:

•Blue Member - from 24 hours before departure, when check-in opens

•Bronze Member - from 7 days before travel, except exit row seats and on British Airways flights only

•Silver Member - from time of booking, except exit row seats

•Gold Member - from the time of booking

[Travelcat2]

Yep - here is your correction: we are actually flying BA from LAX to LHR and then from CPH to LHR to LAX. Not only were our seats assigned to us (for free - and I have no special status with BA) - we only had to pay the $350 air deviation. Had the BA flight on the day we picked out to leave (and the day we picked out to return) been higher than the contract fare then we would have had to pay the difference. Fortunately that was not the case. Paying the $350 was a bargain as we also took advantage of Oceania's promotion of the $99 upgrade to Premier Economy.

 

Our experience has been the same as you have described. We deviate (on Regent) all the time and frequently fly BA. Seats are always assigned for us. Immediately after booking (approximately 270 days out), we go into the website and change our seats. There is no cost since we already have assigned seats. On Air Canada we needed to call in order to change seats while Lufthansa works the same as BA.

 

P.S. hondorner: Love your avetar;)

[tanny18]

I am glad you got your seats with BA without status or paying extra. I am not sure how that was accomplished as these are the rules for seating reservations on BA (copied from BA website):

 

 

Where would you like to sit?

Reserve your seat for free during check-in

Once check-in opens, from 24 hours before departure, everybody can choose their seat for free, although your choice may be limited.

Choose your seat in advance for more choice

Whether you want extra legroom or to sit together as a group, you can reserve your seat in advance. It's easy to do, either at the time of booking your flight or afterwards by using Manage My Booking. When you make your seat choice online, we will tell you whether you have to pay or not.

You can pay for seating if you are travelling on any flight operated by British Airways, BA CityFlyer, our franchise partner airlines or a British Airways flight operated by American Airlines.

 

Paid seating terms and conditions

Some people can reserve their seats for free

Executive Club membership cards. Executive Club Members plus companions

Choose your seats free of charge for everyone in the same booking if you

are a:

•Blue Member - from 24 hours before departure, when check-in opens

•Bronze Member - from 7 days before travel, except exit row seats and on British Airways flights only

•Silver Member - from time of booking, except exit row seats

•Gold Member - from the time of booking

 

Paul, I too was able to get seats when I booked on BA with air deviation. Even took advantage of the $99 special for prem. eco seats. And we have gotten our seats way in advance two separate times. I think when you book thru Oceania WITH air deviation, you can get your seats. I have never had to wait - that's one of the reasons I either book on my own or thru air deviation and since we have free air deviation, it's a no brainer. Arlene

[Paulchili]

Paul, I too was able to get seats when I booked on BA with air deviation. Even took advantage of the $99 special for prem. eco seats. And we have gotten our seats way in advance two separate times. I think when you book thru Oceania WITH air deviation, you can get your seats. I have never had to wait - that's one of the reasons I either book on my own or thru air deviation and since we have free air deviation, it's a no brainer. Arlene

 

Arlene,

Thanks for that info - good to know for everyone that this is the case :)

palermo22, Travelcat2 - I stand corrected.

Paul

[robbie21]

Our experience has been the same as you have described. We deviate (on Regent) all the time and frequently fly BA. Seats are always assigned for us. Immediately after booking (approximately 270 days out), we go into the website and change our seats. There is no cost since we already have assigned seats. On Air Canada we needed to call in order to change seats while Lufthansa works the same as BA.

 

P.S. hondorner: Love your avetar;)

 

We have had exactly the same experience as Travercat2 with BA and others. No problem and no cost (unless you want to upgrade).

[hondorner]

...P.S. hondorner: Love your avetar;)

Jackie, flattery will get you everywhere -- except that I might need a new, larger hat...

 

...The reason for the hat is that I bought some good clippers and cut off most of my hair, in preparation for the World Cruise next year. I'm too cheap to pay for shipboard haircuts, and was worried I might not find a decent barber in Madagascar or Mali...now I can cut it myself. Of course, I didn't have a whole lot of hair to start :rolleyes:

Edited May 14, 2014 by hondorner

[pinotlover]

For those not travelling during the special promotion, getting an upgrade to Premium Economy is not always simple. If you want P.E., and take O air, you have to negotiate it with O. You cannot call the airlines and upgrade later. The airlines will redirect you to O's air, who will redirect you to your TA, to start the process. On some flights, the only option becomes waiting until check in and upgrading then with the airlines. If you have O's booking code, don't be shocked by how much the upgrade becomes. :eek: As an example, last summer the cost to upgrade to PE, at check in, from our O ticket, on Scandanavian was ~ $700 for one long haul (Stockholm to Newark) segment. It was ~ $200 for someone with a regular economy ticket.

 

Another warning on using O air, P.E. may well sell out before O will book it. We are on a Quantas flight, next February, and P.E. was completely sold out on those flights well before O's 270 day period hit.We booked a cruise, to Europe last summer, about six, months out and P.E. was sold out on all the flights we checked. We paid the deviation to get early and late departure along with being able to pick out a window aisle seat on the plane. We meet several cruisers on our plane that got the middle section in economy for the long haul over the pond!:eek: I have heard several people going over for cruises this summer that have said the $99 upgrades sounded nice, but when they tried to book them, they found the airlines had no such seats available, long gone. So it becomes the luck of the draw.

 

My recommendation is to look at the available flights and decide what is best for you and your needs.