Didn't follow my own advice, booked BA, regretting it already!

[par47]

Several times in these forums I've said "dont book BA, overpriced, poor legroom, Thai and EVA are better"!!!

 

Well, it was time to book my next trip and BA has a sale on.... cheapest of the direct carriers and nice departure times so thought I'd give them a shot.

 

Booking made, went to reserve my seat online like I usually do with EVA for free....

 

BA charge!

 

£23!!

 

Each way!!!!

 

£46 to reserve a seat!!! WTF??? This is the most outrageous rip-off I've ever seen by an airline. Makes Ryan Air look positively charitable.

 

Friggin unbelievable.

 

I say it again.... NEVER fly British Airways!!!!!!!!

[FROST MEDIC999]

5555 unless you got status and fly biz

 

Best bet fuck the booking fee for seat selection just check in early ask for exit row seat on door entry slots and hopefully if you able bodied you should get one

 

Ghosty

[socrates]

You can cancel and get a full refund within 24 hours if that helps

[brownmanc]

Several times in these forums I've said "dont book BA, overpriced, poor legroom, Thai and EVA are better"!!!

 

Well, it was time to book my next trip and BA has a sale on.... cheapest of the direct carriers and nice departure times so thought I'd give them a shot.

 

Booking made, went to reserve my seat online like I usually do with EVA for free....

 

BA charge!

 

£23!!

 

Each way!!!!

 

£46 to reserve a seat!!! WTF??? This is the most outrageous rip-off I've ever seen by an airline. Makes Ryan Air look positively charitable.

 

Friggin unbelievable.

 

I say it again.... NEVER fly British Airways!!!!!!!!

 

Despite the extra £46 were BA still cheaper then EVA/THAI ???

[jaynewcastle]

BA used to have free seat booking, in the 24hrs before you fly.  Is this no longer the case ?

[Scuba+]

I just booked emirates Glasgow to Bangkok, £524, best price I've seen, everything included

[blindbeggar]

is still free to book seat 24hrs before flying but chances are the best seats have gone by then.....

BA = BLOODY AWFUL

[lgiow87]

I just flew in with Lufthansa. Seat reservation charge per flight was 1500 BHT per flight. Since it takes me two flights to get to my destination in Europe and then two more flight to get back to thailand, the total charge for booked seats on all the flights was 4500 BHT. Surely for that price I booked the exit row. The guy who sat down next to me at the exit row and got that seat for free during check in was moved away shortly after departure because someone else paid the fee for that seat. It seems to me like this is becoming standard practice and I am fine with that. I better pay the 30 EUR but make sure I sit in an exit row. But I agree with you that is is funny how up sale tactics invented by discounter airlines are being implemented by the big guys as well.

[par47]

5555 unless you got status and fly biz

 

Best bet fuck the booking fee for seat selection just check in early ask for exit row seat on door entry slots and hopefully if you able bodied you should get one

 

Ghosty

Biz class?! I wish! Unfortunatley cannot afford that and havent used BA since 1996 (first LoS trip ever!) so no status.

I've been given the door seat on other trips several times so maybe I look like someone who's good at opening doors!! So i'll try my charms at the BA check-in..... maybe get lucky.

 

 

You can cancel and get a full refund within 24 hours if that helps

Yes, but then would have to pay more for EVA so cant win. I did consider it though, just for the principle.

 

BA used to have free seat booking, in the 24hrs before you fly.  Is this no longer the case ?

Yes, but by then all the good seat will be gone, I fear.

 

I just booked emirates Glasgow to Bangkok, £524, best price I've seen, everything included

Agreed, good price but I prefer to fly direct.

 

Well I calmed down a little now. it was just the shock of being charged so much for something I expect to be free. As long as I dont end up piggy-in-the middle of two strangers I'll be (relatively) happy.

 

 Cheers!

[Rainsberger]

Well I'm glad i booked Eithad Airways free seat selection and fare £484.

London Heathrow -Abu Dhabi -Bangkok and return.

[The Sperminator]

What i fly Thai on line check in 24 hours before depature,get to LHR self check in always get the seat i want no queing no fees.

Only have hand luggage so straight  through security show my boarding pass at the entrance to the depature lounge never see anyone at the checkin area no need.

[JonnyR]

Everybody knows that the most sought after seats on BA are the ones with extra legroom, located at the Exit rows, and also the twin seats. 

You cannot book the exit row seats straight away, which are €32 I believe to book. They appear as unavailable if you were to try to book your seat in advance.

 

If you have Bronze membership and upwards on their Frequent Flyer programme, you can prebook your seat 7 days before the flight. 

 

If you are on the first rung of the ladder - Blue Member - like me you have to wait until 24 hrs before flight time to see if any of the exit row seats are still available.

 

I'd gladly pay the extra €32 to book them now.

 

With Etihad it costs to be prebook the exit rows also. And considering that there is a stopover in Abu Dhabi, thats 4 charges for those extra leg room seats. Which I did last Christmas.

 

Looking at the seating plan for my Sept flight it looks like seat 24D is a crew member seat that they use only on take off and landing, so I'm thinking that 23D could be an option, in that you can recline as far as you can, and not inconvenience the person behind you, because the crew member won't be there. Anyone can confirm my theory?

[THAJEC]

BA  Emirates economy cattle class 445 English pound PRG-BKG-PRG via Dubai.

[Beerburgerbonk]

If it was a choice of only flying BA direct to LOS from the UK or paying more and flying with other airlines with protracted stopovers I would chose the latter.

 

BA are crap, Thai are overpriced, EVA are the only way to go direct in cattle class.

 

Maybe BA business class etc is better but most of us have not got the money for that or just don't want to spend it for 11 or so hours on a flying bus.

 

The destination is why we fly not the carrier - just make the best of it is my view and BA are not in my line of sight.

[lordarunotai]

BA are shit, I have thought that for many years, and this just reinforces my opinion. Many decent airlines let you reserve your seat at time of booking, and make subsequent changes to your selection for no additional charge.

[Bennyhill]

SKYTRAX: The World's Top Airlines in 2014

 

BA has climbed from 27th place in 2013 to 17th in 2104 so they must have improved in some way.

[par47]

SKYTRAX: The World's Top Airlines in 2014

 

BA has climbed from 27th place in 2013 to 17th in 2104 so they must have improved in some way.

Well I dont know how. I've also been watching the departure times:

 

2014-07-30

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMME) 15:40 BST 17:09 09:15 ICT Landed 10:18

2014-07-29

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMU) 15:40 BST 16:06 09:15 ICT Landed 09:12

2014-07-28

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMT) 15:40 BST 16:52 09:15 ICT Landed 10:02

2014-07-27

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMA) 15:40 BST 16:48 09:15 ICT Landed 09:51

2014-07-26

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMF) 15:40 BST 19:04 09:15 ICT Landed 12:09

2014-07-25

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMME) 15:40 BST 17:11 09:15 ICT Landed 10:16

2014-07-24

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMT) 15:40 BST 16:06 09:15 ICT Landed 09:17

2014-07-23

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMB) 15:40 BST 18:33 09:15 ICT Landed 11:40

2014-07-22

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMD) 15:40 BST 16:09 09:15 ICT Landed 09:26

2014-07-21

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMF) 15:40 BST 16:13 09:15 ICT Landed 09:18

2014-07-20

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMC) 15:40 BST 16:19 09:15 ICT Landed 09:18

2014-07-19

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMME) 15:40 BST 16:12 09:15 ICT Landed 09:06

2014-07-18

London (LHR) Bangkok (BKK) B772 (GYMMB) 15:40 BST 18:33 09:15 ICT Landed 11:28

 

The 2nd time is the actual departure time. The best they have managed in the last month is 26 minutes late. The worst is 3hours 24 minutes. They have NEVER left on time. Is this not fraud? (data from flightradar24.com).

 

PS It will be fun when I book the airport taxi... what time do you want the taxi? Well I dunno, sometime between 9 and 12:30, its hard to tell, its BA!!!!!

[chelseafan]

BA's business class isn't too bad though I dont like the rear-facing seats. The problem with BA is that they are severly overpriced. I always travel business to LOS and  by far the best airline for biz is Oman Air. They really know how to look after their customers and nothing is too much for the stewardesses. Travelled with them a few years ago for £1500, whilst BA was circa £2500. Sadly Oman's prices have risen substantially.

 

Anyhow cashed in on my Virgin airmiles and travelling to Hong Kong for £950 return then Emirates first class to BKK for £650, the cool part is that Emirates have a shower on the plane!!

[Bennyhill]

Booked my next trip on Emirates first class Oslo-Dubai-BKK R/T and priced at GBP 2.900.

Finds this to be an amazing price as the whole trip is in private suites.

Business class would be GBP 1.500.

[misteregg]

I have flown BA a few times and found them very good. Direct lights, good seats and excellent food in economy.

If you booked with them direct and not through an agent, you can get a full refund.

Phil

[par47]

I worry too much, I'm sure BA will be fine :)

 

Hope you're right about the food, last time I was on EVA and the food was awful.

[JJMT]

Yeah malaysian airlines charge to choose a seat if you book direct also. Ended up booking with Expedia saved some $$ even and they let me give a seat preference ( window)

 

winning

[momomo]

just to be fair/rational and put the BA seat reservation fee into context:

 

- many airlines now do this to varying prices of which I consider BA to be about in the middle.

 

- before introducing this fee you did not have the option to reserve any seats before 24h before take-off i.e. at check-in (unless you had status). It is still the case that you can reserve seats for free from 24h before at check in so the only thing they changed is that they now offer the option to reserve seats before that time for a fee. In effect not making it more expensive but introducing a voluntary option for you to pay if you want it earlier.

 

I was schocked as well when I saw it first but if you think about it logically it's not an actual rip-off. Granted, people with money might buy the best seats early now but in the past you had the same problem when everyone and their horse tried to get exit seats the minute check-in opened.

[chelseafan]

Are you sure,? most airlines I've used do not charge to book a seat, Emirates, Virgin, Etihad, Oman, EVA etc.

Like you, I was shocked when I saw BA charged a fee especially when I had just paid £1500 for a seat!

[momomo]

just edited it to "many airlines" as I realise I don't know all airlines' policies so can't say "majority". But they become more as it seems to be lucrative. Lufthansa, Canadian, Philippine Delta and American spring to mind.

My main point was really the second part, i.e. that it is not that you suddenly have to pay for something that was free before but that an expensive option was introduced additionally to the 24h free selection option. However, I think the exit/bulkhead seats might be only available for cash, even 24h before. Not quite sure though as I have some status and can reserve at booking.

Anyways, not saying that I think it's great, it's awful, especially if you travel with family and want/need to sit together.