BA now charging for seat selection

[Chucklehead]

I hadn't heard anything about this, so perhaps you haven't either..

BA are now charging to select anything other than your allocated seat when checking in during the previously free 24 hour window. I flew on the 27th and 28th December with no charge to change (albeit I was business class) and today (in economy) charges are £2-15 to change!!

I thought there wasn't much more they could do to mirror their low cost peers, but it seems I was wrong.

[phil-sti]

Virgin do the same now.

[MightyBadger]

First world problems.

[Chucklehead]

MightyBadger said:

First world problems.

Strange response on a forum that is pretty much universally discussing "first world problems".

[jonsp]

I can see that sitting by an exit would presumably give more legroom - and speedier exit if things went pear shaped. Buy why the difference between the £2 and £11 exit seats?

[SunsetZed]

Interesting. I was just managing my booking to add info for a flight I'm taking next week and it still says I can choose my seat for free 24 hours before flying, I wonder if I will be able to or not.

[Trash_panda]

Wait till you find out that you don't get free hot food and drink either and what you get given instead, going to be life changing for you mixing it up in peasant class...

[Chucklehead]

I fly economy/premium economy a lot more than I do business class! I don't think this is a business Vs economy change, I think it's 2023 Vs 2024. I had another economy flight on the 28th December that didn't charge me to change...

[Rough101]

I think if you add a bag or just don’t buy the cheapest ticket you still get a selection.

[AndyAudi]

Chucklehead said:

I hadn't heard anything about this, so perhaps you haven't either..

BA are now charging to select anything other than your allocated seat when checking in during the previously free 24 hour window. I flew on the 27th and 28th December with no charge to change (albeit I was business class) and today (in economy) charges are £2-15 to change!!

I thought there wasn't much more they could do to mirror their low cost peers, but it seems I was wrong.

You won’t be flying in Economy, you’ll be in economy basic….

Economy plus can switch their seats.

[LTEcactus]

Chucklehead said:

I hadn't heard anything about this, so perhaps you haven't either..

BA are now charging to select anything other than your allocated seat when checking in during the previously free 24 hour window. I flew on the 27th and 28th December with no charge to change (albeit I was business class) and today (in economy) charges are £2-15 to change!!

I thought there wasn't much more they could do to mirror their low cost peers, but it seems I was wrong.

Are you traveling with a basic Economy ticket?
Or do you have checked luggage included?

[Mercdriver]

Blame Ryanair, all the other carriers are now following the Ryanair business model.

I am old enough to remember when air travel was a pleasure, yep, that old.

BA are just as bad as the rest now, favourite airline, ha-ha

[Chucklehead]

All my documentation says "economy" but maybe they don't call out economy basic, so it seems plausible. Not sure about checked bags as I almost never check a bag.

[ecs]

They even charge for seat selection in business class!

[captain_cynic]

Mercdriver said:

Blame Ryanair, all the other carriers are now following the Ryanair business model.

I am old enough to remember when air travel was a pleasure, yep, that old.

BA are just as bad as the rest now, favourite airline, ha-ha

Not that old... I can still remember when seat selection was expected to be included.

[Mercdriver]

Heathrow to Edinburgh in the 90’s, British midland and BA competing, drink and three course meal served within the fifty minute flight, yes fifty minutes not seventy five like now.

And clotted cream and scones in afternoon

[Super Sonic]

Why not just sit in your allocated seat?

[captain_cynic]

Super Sonic said:

Why not just sit in your allocated seat?

Because I don't want to get stuck in the middle seat of a BA A320 between someone who hasn't bathed in a year and someone else doing the chicken dance.

[ffc]

I think they've been doing this for a while if you have no tier point status. I had to pay on trips to Portugal and the Carribean last year to suit family groups. One trip in economy the other in PE.

[valiant]

Yeah, we just paid a small fortune to get the seats we want with BA.

There is the aforementioned free seat allocation 24 hrs previous and looking online they tend to group you together rather than Ryanair’s deliberate separating groups but it’s not guaranteed and it is a case of “Do you feel lucky, punk?”.