“The last bastion of decent airline customer service begins its inexorable slide towards Ryan-ism.” So writes reader Hamish in response to British Airways’ announcement that they’ll be charging a fee for advanced seat reservation, beginning October 7. If you want to book an aisle, window, or God forbid, emergency exit seat, it’ll cost you. For ANY seat, not just the most desirable ones.
The rates vary by class and distance: £10 per person for European economy, £20 on long-haul economy or short flights in business class, emergency exit row will cost £50 (bookable between 10 and four days before departure), and £60 for long haul trips in business class. No charge for first-class cabins on three-class aircraft.
This isn’t just the “preferred seating” reservation charge that many US airlines offer. It’s indeed more in line with a discount carrier like Spirit or Easyjet.
Mind you, British Airways hasn’t been very friendly in the realm of seating assignments for some time. Back in 2006, I posted about how they limited the window when you could select seats to 24 hour hours before the flight. The new policy opens that window, but at a price.
In the LA Times’ blog, Jane Engle calls out the British Airways PR spin on the fee:
Here’s how British Airways described the new fees in their e-mail to agents: “Effective Oct. 7, 2009, your British Airways customers will have more control over their seating, with our new paid seating option.” I kid you not.
That’s not far from the same language they used in 2006: The ban at the time (of all seat pre-reservations) was “designed to simplify the process of choosing a seat and give all customers more transparency and control of the seating options available on their flight.” Simpler for whom?
British Airways tried to piss on you and tell you it was raining in 2006, and they’re doing it again now. Lufthansa is looking better and better.
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September 25th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
gawd, i hope continental doesn’t get any grand ideas!!
September 25th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I am going to immediately shift to Virgin Atlantic.. Willie Walsh has gone bananas!! I just hope other airlines dont get this great idea..
September 25th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Such steps by premium airlines are inevitable when all consumers look at it is the cheapest air fare price without considing the value of extras.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I am generally a Star Alliance flyer and haven’t been on a BA aircraft in a few years. But they can rest assured that “enhancements” like this will drive me to a competitor… ANY competitor as long as I have a choice.
I have no problems with paying for services that ultimately have a cost associated with it. Luggage fees make sense. Heck, even US Airways’ $2 for a soda was fine with me — hotels don’t give me free soda when I rent a room, so where’s the constitutional right for a free soda when buying an airplane seat coming from? But this move is different. BA has to assign a seat to you, and giving you a choice doesn’t cost them a cent (penny?). If they want to charge a higher fee for nicer seats, fine. But charging for what essentially amounts to knowing that you’ll sit with your travel companion is ridiculous.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:01 am
I can understand doing this for short-haul flights where RyanAir, easyJet, etc. are the competition. But for long-haul flights, passengers who travel more than once and have any sort of budget are going to catch on and pick a competitor who hasn’t restricted seat reservations over BA.
And charging any business class customers to reserve their seats is just plain madness.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I can understand charging a seat selection fee in connection with the most deeply discounted coach tickets, but if BA is going to charge an extra fee to passengers buying full fare coach tickets, or even more bizarrely, full fare business class tickets, I think their executives should really go back on their medication.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Pommies have lost the plot, again…. what are these wankers thinking, let’s hope they don’t stop supplying soap in the bathrooms….actually… do the Poms know what soap is?
September 28th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Dear Robdub
Please keep your petty-minded xenophobia off these pages – thanks.
Hamish
September 28th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Thanks, Hamish, for calling out Robdub’s comment in my absence.
Robdub, that kind of namecalling adds nothing to the discussion. No more, please.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
If you’re looking for my fellow passengers andI to go to another airline, you going about it the right way. I log on and reserve seats my seat over the Internet. There is no cost to BA. This is just a cash grab. On top of that, CDN$ 15 is a total joke!! I have four persons flying, isn’t that enough money for BA. I fly all the time, and I have only ever paid for seat selection before. I was insulted then at $ 5. I’m outraged at $ 15! So now you’ve got four more cusyomers who will not fly BA again – ever!
January 31st, 2010 at 2:47 pm
[...] Mark Ashley of Upgrade : Travel Better opens his blog post about the changes with a quote from reader Hamish “The last bastion of decent airline customer service begins its inexorable slide towards Ryan-ism.” [...]
March 24th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I suppose it’s a scramble to inch back some money – if 100 passengers pay GBP 20 each per flight and if they have 500 flights per day it means 85 million pds with which they could give the pay increases the strikers are asking for probably. But it is a sure way to alienate people. A family of 5 (kids etc) will be straddled all over the plane if they dont pay up. I just paid actually and I did it in spite of myself.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
I just paid for reserved seats for myself and companion on transatlantic flight. I paid it so so very begrudgingly so. I really thought so much more of BA, they had always been my favorite when I could afford to fly them transatlantic. This makes me question their operational stability, if even top tier BA is charging for the opportunity to reserve your seats, where does that leave all the other airlines? This too after I paid the $399 taxes per ticket for flying into LHR from IAD. Boo on you BA.
I had been considering switching away from my Oneworld alliance with AA to Star Alliance, but had always held back because I loved BA so. This is the tipping point for me. United, here I come!
Sara
February 9th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I booked ahead assuming I would be able to get seat assignments at that time. I was wrong. As my husband and I are seniors it was hard enough to come up with the higher than ever prices for the tickets. We like to know that we have seat assignments, as a security blanket if you will. If I had known we could not get assignments at this time I would have gone with another airline. Now the onus is on us, and we are not very adept at the computer or the new technology. Please hear this plea and go back to “normal operations”
Thank you
October 25th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
I also booked ahead SFO-LHR, splurging on business class to get a flat bed. I was shocked to find that I could not reserve our seats without paying $180 for the ‘privilege’. I definitely would not have taken BA had I known this. I will be searching for another flat bed seat for our 3 flights/yr. to Paris.