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chris_k

Last Easter we were flying from Heathrow to Los Angeles at Easter. I had used BA miles to book the trip, going out economy and flying back business. I had chosen seats in both directions, and wanted upstairs seats on the 747 on the way back.

I tried to check in the day before, as a BA Blue member, but found you can't check in online with children. I fortunately printed off the seats that I had pre-booked.

After arriving at Heathrow we were told casually to come back 30 minutes before the plane was meant to take off. After enquiring what they meant they told me the plane was overbooked and we might not fly. I asked who they had given our seats to - and they denied that we had prebooked seats. I was concerned that they would just say that these were requests. After the check-in person denied pre-booking I produced a print off with our seat numbers. I then asked for the duty manager who arrived and confirmed one computer showed our reserved seats and the check-in did not. We were offered almost £1900 not to fly to the next day, but I wanted to get to California. After a constructive discussion with the Duty Manager he assured he would do the best he could for us and gave us his direct dial telephone number, and £20 of vouchers to get some food. I told him I did not expect that others on the plane would be upgraded on the plane but rather we would should be upgraded, even though we were travelling with our 5 year old daughter.

When we went to customer services half an hour before the flight I phoned the duty manager, but he was not at his desk. He then arrived about 2 minutes later and asked us to come with them. After being removed from the crowd who were irate about being bumped off the plane he told us he had managed to get us 2 seats together in world traveller plus together and one seat behind. We took him up on the offer. When we got to the gate they told us that they now had 3 seats together in WT+. The duty manager also put a note on our booking in case there were problems on the way home.

The moral of this story: if you pre-book seats print out your confirmation and take it with you. Also ensure you ask for what you want if there is a problem.

The only downside was we were promised a call from BA on our return to explain how this occured. This has never happened.

FUNKYDADDIO

Hi all,

Flying Bangkok to London later this year. It is a 13 hour flight direct. What do you lot think would be better. Waiting to 24 hours before check in and then trying to get good seats by checking in online or booking seats now via manage my booking in BA?? I am going to be on the way home from my honeymoon and was going to try for an upgrade at the airoport but this thread has put me off that especially with BA!! Can get two seats together in a row of two at the back at the moment which may not be too bad? Also does anyone know if you can use 24 prior to flying check in at Bangkok airport??

All help greatly appreciated!!

The daddio!

bettyr

I don't know anything about long haul flights but I fly to London quite regularly from Edinburgh to see my famly and I don't care what seats I get as it's a short journey but I find the seats at the back of the plane very noisy.

elisebutt65

Moral is possibly don't fly with BA long haul???

I use them to go to Europe but for long haul I fly with United. 2004 we got free tickets to anywhere for being voluntarily bumped - onto the next flight which was an hour away - lol

Used those tickets last year to go to California in Economy Plus and asked for an upgrade to Business and we got it!!! Lovely flight. Then on the way back we were asked again if we wanted to be bumped. It would have meant going via JFK then onto LHR in Business but unfortunately had to be back for the kids that day so had to turn it down

If you're a Mileage Plus member then you always get the Economy Plus seats as well, so thats a bonus.

pin

FUNKYDADDIO wrote:

Hi all,

Flying Bangkok to London later this year. It is a 13 hour flight direct. What do you lot think would be better. Waiting to 24 hours before check in and then trying to get good seats by checking in online or booking seats now via manage my booking in BA?? I am going to be on the way home from my honeymoon and was going to try for an upgrade at the airoport but this thread has put me off that especially with BA!! Can get two seats together in a row of two at the back at the moment which may not be too bad? Also does anyone know if you can use 24 prior to flying check in at Bangkok airport??

All help greatly appreciated!!

The daddio!

You can online check in 24 hours in advance from Bangkok, however problem is online check in is often prone to crashes!! Have a look at seatguru and seatexpert for info on seats.

littlereddevil

It's never 13 hours to Bangkok

littlereddevil

The 2 seats on their own are better as n one is sitting beside you.Every other seat someone is beside you. Ba will never upgrade you from economy to business only economy to traveller plus then they upgrade traveller plus to business

FUNKYDADDIO

It is amazing but yes it is 12 hours 15mins from Bangkok to London!!
Any one else any views on the whole "noisy" back of the plane theory??
I would have thought that a 747 would have been noisier around the wing seats??
Anyone know if you can use online check in at Bangkok with BA?
Cheers!!

littlereddevil

But only 11 hours going to bangkok

littlereddevil

The only problem at the back is you get people queuing for the toilet but I still prefer it to having somone sitting nest to me. On the way to Bangkok this year I had someone next to me with a bottle of bacardi in his bag who continued to drink all the way there and trying to yap to me nonstop. the stewardess told him to stop talking to me but never said anything about his bottle which was clearly on view. if you don't pick the back choose 2 in the middle row then you can get out to the toilet without bothering anyone or anyone bothering you. The 3 at the window is a pain. Either you bother someone or someone bothers you getting out