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

[Bundy Bear]

I was able to select exit row on a AMS-LGW flight in November 227 miles of it and it held. The travel agent booked my brothers ticket on the same flight and the TA had selected exit row as well. My seat 11D held but my brothers didn't, but he was moved from 11F to 11B so at least the exit row part held. I remained in 11D and it seems a BA Gold and his wife somehow trumped my brothers QF Gold status.

I always take seat selection with a grain of salt, select it if available but don't hold your breathe if you have to be moved.

 

[simongr]

BA are renowned seat shifters - I have changed seats back to my selected seat multiple times.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

^Funny that.

Am typing this from the First Lounge before departure.

Checked in online 24 hours before departure and got both the seats I had selected - row 28 (exit row) for SYD-SIN and row 40 (extra leg room) for SIN-LHR. Woohoo!

However when I got to the airport and got issued my boarding passes, I noticed that the SYD-SIN leg seat number had been changed. Boo hiss!

I was prepared to be disappointed, then noticed it was quite a low number - row 13. Checked seatguru. I've been upgraded to Club World for that leg. Niice...!!

 

[ozmille]

^Funny that.

Am typing this from the First Lounge before departure.

Checked in online 24 hours before departure and got both the seats I had selected - row 28 (exit row) for SYD-SIN and row 40 (extra leg room) for SIN-LHR. Woohoo!

However when I got to the airport and got issued my boarding passes, I noticed that the SYD-SIN leg seat number had been changed. Boo hiss!

I was prepared to be disappointed, then noticed it was quite a low number - row 13. Checked seatguru. I've been upgraded to Club World for that leg. Niice...!!

Will be hard to go to the back for the long leg though!

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Will be hard to go to the back for the long leg though!

True that. Only downside I can see of being upgraded to business for long-haul travel (which I've never flown) is that I might get spoiled.

Still, my return journey is on QF10 and have snagged 71D on that flight, so that should act as a "soft landing" back to Economy travel.

 

[atreides]

It would be nice if they could link it all together some how rather than visiting the BA, QF, AY, etc websites individually on a codeshare.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

So it turns out row 13 on BA16 (and that entire mini-cabin) is not Club World (Business) but World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy), which I would have realised had I looked at my boarding pass more closely. SeatGuru must have outdated seat maps. No matter, it's still an upgrade (for which I'm grateful) and, thanks to some shuffling by the customers in the same row I had an empty seat next to me.

Probably just as well, because the disappointment of going from a flat bed seat on the SYD-SIN leg, which would not have been utilised, to going to a normal Economy seat on the SIN-LHR leg, where I do intend to catch some Zs, might have soured my mood just a bit. Better not to have known what the other half travels like.

In other news: the BA/Qantas Singapore lounges have the world's slowest internet connection. Noticed this a few months ago when passing through and thought it might have been an aberration, but it's still true tonight. Amazing, considering how connected Singapore is.