BA no seats available in World Traveller +

[sandancer]

We are flying to Miami later this week for a cruise. Last weekend we were contacted by BA with an offer for a paid upgrade to WT+. We decided to go ahead paid the upgrade fee and also wanted to book seats. There are no seats a available to book and BA are not accepting phone calls at the moment. Anyone have any advice? 

[Globaliser]

First, don't panic.

 

Second, are you on BA207 on 19 February? If so, then every WT+ seat is currently occupied, so there's nothing that the call centre could do for you now anyway. But BA is still prepared to take 6 more reservations in WT+ at present. So there will be some jiggling around between now and departure. I expect many people who've paid for WT+ will be pleased with where they end up sitting.

[fbgd]

BA charge for seat assignments in WT+ unless you have Bronze status or above (at this stage as you're within 7 days). Is it that there are no free seats or that the cabin is full and not allowing you to preassign even at a charge? 

 

If you are able to provide the date/flight number a few of us have access to sources that can provide more information. 

[sandancer]

41 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

First, don't panic.

 

Second, are you on BA207 on 19 February? If so, then every WT+ seat is currently occupied, so there's nothing that the call centre could do for you now anyway. But BA is still prepared to take 6 more reservations in WT+ at present. So there will be some jiggling around between now and departure. I expect many people who've paid for WT+ will be pleased with where they end up sitting.

No, it’s the 20th. I just want to be sitting next to my DH. I’m not exactly a confident flyer and the idea of sitting apart on a 10 hour flight doesn’t appeal. If there are some seats available when check in opens and we are not sitting together, should I just grab any 2 seats and hope we may be moved (not upgraded, just moved) to 2 seats together. Just a lowly blue member I’m afraid. Thanks for the advice. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by sandancer
Correction

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, sandancer said:

If there are some seats available when check in opens and we are not sitting together, should I just grab any 2 seats and hope we may be moved (not upgraded, just moved) to 2 seats together.

 

At present, the following seats are not occupied: 11K, 12DEF, 13EF, 15DEF and 15K. However, the seating module that controls seat pre-allocation during the last 72 hours before departure is blocking most of those to public view, and the only seat that isn't blocked is 13E on its own, which may be why you're not being shown anything. But given that number of unoccupied seats and on the presumption that you're both on the same booking, the system ought to try to make sure that you are offered a pair when check-in opens.

 

On the assumption that you will be checking bags, my advice would be to check-in online at the earliest opportunity but NOT to print or download or save your boarding passes. This is particularly important if you don't like the seats you're able to get at first. If you don't get a boarding pass, you may be able to go back to the seat map to change your seat later if something better opens up. However, once you've printed/downloaded/saved your boarding pass, you will lose that ability. You're going to have to stop to drop your bags anyway, so there's no real advantage to printing/downloading/saving your boarding pass.

 

If by that stage you still don't have seats together, it'll be worth asking a check-in agent whether there's anything that can be done. And the last resort, of course, is to ask the cabin crew for help. But I think you'd be unlucky to get as far as having to do that.

[sandancer]

Thanks for your help.  I’ll be online the minute check in opens. 

[klfrodo]

2 hours ago, sandancer said:

Thanks for your help.  I’ll be online the minute check in opens. 

I can't imagine that there is a scenario where if you are not assigned seating together, that one of your fellow passengers won't move to allow a couple to seat together.

The only time I won't do this is if I've paid for an upgrade to premium and someone asks me to swap for a non premium, or if the person asking me to swap is moving me to a middle seat in economy. Even them, it's a maybe depending on length of flight and other circumstances.

[sandancer]

Happy to report that we are all checked in and seated together. Thank you for your great advice. 

[wowzz]

On 2/18/2020 at 11:52 PM, klfrodo said:

I've paid for an upgrade to premium and someone asks me to swap for a non premium

I think you are getting confused between so called Premium seats in the economy cabin, which are offered by some US airlines, and Premium Economy, which is a totally separate cabin, with larger seats, more legroom, better food etc. No one in economy is going to ask to swap seats with you, in the same way as no one in e economy would ask to change seats with someone travelling in Club. 

[Globaliser]

22 hours ago, sandancer said:

Happy to report that we are all checked in and seated together.

 

A nice aircraft today, by the looks of things (G-CIVE). Enjoy the flight and the cruise!

[klfrodo]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

I think you are getting confused between so called Premium seats in the economy cabin, which are offered by some US airlines, and Premium Economy, which is a totally separate cabin, with larger seats, more legroom, better food etc. No one in economy is going to ask to swap seats with you, in the same way as no one in e economy would ask to change seats with someone travelling in Club. 

Why would you say no one would ask me to do that when in fact it has.

NRT to SFO. Someone asked me to swap seats so they could sit with their friend. I had paid for Premium Economy and their seats were in regular economy.

 

I accept your apology

[Globaliser]

14 hours ago, klfrodo said:

NRT to SFO.

 

Which airline was this? I'm surprised that someone would have the cheek to go into a completely different cabin altogether and directly ask someone to downgrade themselves.

[wowzz]

15 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Why would you say no one would ask me to do that when in fact it has.

NRT to SFO. Someone asked me to swap seats so they could sit with their friend. I had paid for Premium Economy and their seats were in regular economy.

 

I accept your apology

If your ego requires it, yes, I apologise. But, like Globaliser, I have never seen, or indeed could imagine, that anyone would have the gall to ask to switch seats with somebody in a totally different cabin. 

[FlyerTalker]

Lots of people with that much gall.  I envy Globaliser and Wowzz for leading lives where they don't come across those folks.  (Maybe it's being around traditional English manners??)

Edited February 25, 2020 by FlyerTalker

[Globaliser]

8 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Maybe it's being around traditional English manners??

 

Maybe. Or maybe those who might think of asking are deterred by the short, sharp and impolite response that they'd get if they did ask something like that. I suspect that those in premium economy are not only very aware that they are in a different cabin but very aware of just how much they have paid to be there (much more than the small uplift for extra legroom seats within the same cabin on some airlines). There are plenty of potential victims in the same cabin as the person doing the asking.