BA operated flight (QF codeshare) seat allocation not honoured - why?

[Jean Prouvaire]

Apologies if this issue has been posted before.

Last month I flew Sydney-London return via Singapore on a Qantas economy any seat award that I booked about three months prior. The flight was British Airways operated but code-shared with Qantas. (QF319 aka BA016 for the SYD-SIN leg, QF3345 / BA012 for the SIN-LHR leg and QF320 / BA015 for the two return legs.) This booking generated two different booking reference numbers which was confusing, but a search through previous threads on this site revealed that this is common; apparently the Qantas system allocates both a Qantas and a BA reference number to the booking.

A month or two before I departed I selected my seat using (if I recall correctly) the Qantas reference on My Bookings. I was quite excited as I was able to select an exit row for three of the legs and a seat in row 52 (where there are only two adjacent seats) for the fourth. However when I checked in the airport, both at Sydney and at Heathrow, I was allocated a normal economy class seat for each leg.

The experience was a bit disappointing because my expectation was that if the Qantas system allowed you to select a seat, then the seat allocation should have been honoured. I should mention that when I asked the Qantas staff members at the check in counter and then again in the J lounge in Sydney about this (and showed them my allocated seats on My Bookings on my laptop), they were very friendly and tried to help, but without success. The reason they gave is that don't have access into the BA booking system. (They also suggested asking again in SIN, but no luck there either as the flight was quite full.) Similarly, the check-in staff at Heathrow had no explanation either.

I'm guessing that this is a problem caused by the fact that flight was a code share and/or perhaps because my allocated seats were bumped by someone with a higher status, but wanted to find out the whys and wherefores, hence this post.

So... If this had been a Qantas-operated flight instead of a BA code share flight would my allocated seats have been honoured? Does my FF membership tier makes a difference? I was Gold at the time of the booking and the flights... but am about to tick over to Platinum for the first time ever this weekend - huzzah! Next time I book a flight should I ensure that it's on Qantas metal to hold onto the good seats?

 

[cjd600]

for what its worth,I have been in the same situation, but in J class (Qf flight number to LHR,on BA metal), and was able to select my seats,not on Qantas.com.au Manage Your Booking, but on the BA.COM site using the 'alternate' booking ref that is generated (and quoted on Qf site alongside QF booking ref)....

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Ah, good tip for next time - thanks cjd600.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Yes, absolutely. You need to use the BA website to do seat allocation on BA-operated flights. I do this all the time. (But I travel on the BA flight numbers, not sure how easy this is to do if you're booked on the QF codeshare number).

 

[Fantic125]

I had the same issue but reversed with my BA flights last month.

I was able to select my seating using the BA website for SYD-LHR & LHR-FRA return, and used the Qantas website for the ADL-SYD return (BA codeshare), but the preferred seating for the ADL-SYD return flights didn't register.

 

[ozmille]

When you checked in in SYD you checked in at the BA counter so they should have access to the BA system I assume. The lounges I know they don't, same issue in LHR where the BA lounge can't change QF seating. I always book my seats on the operating carrier's website and rarely have problems. When I asked once why I didn't get my seat they said that it is always a seat request it is not a confirmed seat number.

 

[MrJetset]

BA seat selection is cough. Had a AONE5 booked, and despite selecting, and ba.com confirming 1A or 1K on every sector, on several, I kept being moved to 4E. Multiple calls/emails to You First stated that they had fixed it, but the system kept overwriting it. On some flights, there was only 1 other pax in the cabin so I really don't understand it.

I know, supposedly, either 1A or 1K is reserved for BA Gold/Premier, however I have been able to select these for the WP in my family and myself.

 

[mannej]

To be fairly straight to the point, seat allocations are never 100% fully guaranteed.

For the most part they should stick, but (especially with exit seats) there are times that for what ever reasons, the airline in its wisdom has decided to change things around.

As a take home point, don't use the QF website for BA operated flights.

 

[cmon0005]

I had similar problem on a QF codeshare not with BA but with JetAirways (9W).
Booked through Qantas with QF flight number on 9W Metal, the 3-4 times I have used that codeshare and selected my seats on the My Bookings section, at checkin I've always been given another seat and a coughpy seat usually and never the one I selected.
The aircraft was never full and I can see just ordinary people sitting in my original selected seat, (ie. not elderly, or travelling with kids or special assistance from what I could see), so there is no logical reason I could see that I would have lost my seat.

 

[blu]

without OW sapphire+, the BA advanced seat selection charge can be quite noticeable.

 

[Boris spatsky]

Had similar problem with JL codeshare on AA as QF WP. Rang AA Aus line who confirmed my seating, then both flights i was put in the back row of J in the middle seat! Even when i asked at check in, they said that they could not do anything.

OW not very good at honouring partner FFs.

 

[simongr]

I have a basic principle - always use the operating carrier's website for seat selection.

 

[Boris spatsky]

I did that with the AA site and the AA reference. Wouldn't hold the selection. Hence i rang. So it doesn't always work.

 

[etops1]

Sorry to kick along an old thread but I have a similar tale.

I'm flying MEL-HKG-LHR in a week and a half on a QF A333 and a BA 773.
For the BA legs I selected the exit row 37 to LHR and to be different 29C back to HKG on the qantas site. I checked again last week and the system had turfed me out of the exit row into a middle seat :evil:. So I put myself back into row 37 and I check today and there's no seat selected at all. The 29C has held, though.

On ba.com with the other pnr, they want me to pay $80 for an exit row but the original seat I had is greyed out (and so is 29C grr).

I'm QF SG btw though I booked it ages ago without status. I guess some would say exit row is expecting too much from SG status but surely I'd hoped to not get a middle seat!

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Yeah, the major issue I had with my experience was that the Qantas system made it appear that seat selection was available for the flight (which was after all on a QF flight number) and with the good exit row seats at that, thus setting up for disappointment when the allocations were turfed. It would be better if the website made it clear that seat selection was not available for code-shared flights, or - if so - only through the BA site with additional charges payable for exit rows.

 

[serfty]

BA indeed charge their Own Silvers (Sapphire=SG) for exit seat selection.

My advice is to check frequently, using both the BA and QF Amadeus PNR's that may exist.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

I'm flying BA to London next week and was able to select an exit row (28H) through the BA.com website for the SYD-SIN leg at no charge and also an increased legroom seat (40C) for the SIN-LHR leg. These seat allocations are now reflected in the Qantas Manage Bookings system as well.

I'm QF WP. The seats were booked through Expedia, flying BA to London and QF back on a single booking.

Given that BA charges for exit rows I'm not sure if the allocations will stick. I rang BA today about another matter (arrivals lounge access) and asked about the seat allocation. The customer service officer told me that my seats had been confirmed, but she wasn't very knowledgeable (steered me wrong on a couple of other things) so am still a bit worried that at check-in the good seats will have disappeared from under me, as they did last time. We'll see I guess.:-|

 

[serfty]

I believe Exit Row seats are available FOC on BA flights for Emerald passengers.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Ah! You've given me hope!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Sorry to kick along an old thread but I have a similar tale.

I'm flying MEL-HKG-LHR in a week and a half on a QF A333 and a BA 773.
For the BA legs I selected the exit row 37 to LHR and to be different 29C back to HKG on the qantas site.

I checked again last week and the system had turfed me out of the exit row into a middle seat :evil:. So I put myself back into row 37 and I check today and there's no seat selected at all. The 29C has held, though.

On ba.com with the other pnr, they want me to pay $80 for an exit row but the original seat I had is greyed out (and so is 29C grr).

I'm QF SG btw though I booked it ages ago without status. I guess some would say exit row is expecting too much from SG status but surely I'd hoped to not get a middle seat!

I think what is happening is QF is showing you unallocated seats but not what is available to you as an SG/OWS on BA flights.

When you *think* you have a confirmed seat in the exit row on BA does it still show as being available? It could be that your seat request stays as 'pending' instead of being confirmed

I would definitely call the airlines concerned & ask if the seat is actually confirmed or just pending. If it's not it can be rectified on the spot.