BA- Online check in - seat booking error.

BennyC · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:23

I used BA online check in this day to make sure that myself, my girlfriend and her 6ft8 brother and her not so tall sister had good seats and plenty of leg room for our flight.

My g/f and I were on one booking and her sister and brother on two other separate bookings. So I had 3 tabs open and picked all the seats in green on each tab so we could be together. Upon 'continue' the booking system threw up some errors and told me to check in again.

So I did to find that some of these seats were no longer available. Her sister had been allocated to seat 18K which was miles away! and the boarding pass apparently printed. The rest of us were still to pick our seats. We were left with the two seats behind the row we initially wanted to have to ourselves.

I informed my g/f who called me in tears as she has a very bad fear of flying, and also the exits of a plane, thinking she was having to sit on her own I cleared this up with her that we would be sat together but that her sister, for the moment will be on her larry.

The option to move her sisters seat was unavailable as the pass had been printed, it hadn't, nothing in my printer tray.

Their customer services were unhelpful commenting that it can not be changed except for in person at the check in desk tomorrow as the boarding pass has been generated and printed, which it was not!

Has anybody had problems with the BA check in system before being absolutely ****? Hopefully the person on the isle with us won't mind moving to a window seat much further forward.

Bit of a nightmare!

BennyC

Basher · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:25

BennyC said:
Their customer services were unhelpful commenting that it can not be changed except for in person at the check in desk tomorrow ...

Why can't you just do this?

PapaLazaru · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:28

Basher said:
Why can't you just do this?

Obvious comment is obvious.

Basher · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:29

PapaLazaru said:
Obvious comment is obvious.

God that really gets on my ****.

Anyway, this is what I normally do. Get there nice and early and have a friendly chat at check-in

iamtheoneneo · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:30

it doesnt matter about the online, rarely have I ever boarded a plane with the same seats that I started with before I got to the airport.
Im glad im not on that plane with your mrs though lmao, If she thinks shes scared of flying now she should get in a 2 seater Cessna with me, it will make her think the big planes are invincible.

BennyC · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:31

Basher said:
Why can't you just do this?

Because these seats may very well be taken?

PapaLazaru · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:34

BennyC said:
Because these seats may very well be taken?

How long is the flight? Just draw straws (apart from you gf) and the loser can sit by themselves.

Basher · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:35

BennyC said:
Because these seats may very well be taken?

Seriously, go there together, talk to the check-in girl and you'll almost certainly get seats together. Play up the scared of flying stuff and you'll be fine. They often move people around anyway.

BennyC · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:36

PapaLazaru said:
How long is the flight? Just draw straws (apart from you gf) and the loser can sit by themselves.

7-9 hours to Florida?

I said if her sister is really bothered I will sit there between the take off and landing so I can sit with the g/f to reassure her we aren't going to burst in to flames and melt in to puddles of flesh.

PapaLazaru · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:40

BennyC said:
7-9 hours to Florida?

Ok fair enough that is a long flight. I would just turn up early and have a chat. The flight will not be full and there will be spare seats I am sure of it.

On most long haul flights they keep banks of empty seats at the rear so you could all just pile up there after take-off it is what I usually do.

Smit · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:44

The problem was more than likely because you had multiple tabs open with multiple "signed in accounts" (multiple bookings).

Diesel · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:47

Tell your GF to be rational and that there is just as much chance of the plane crashing into the sea whether she is sat by you or not.

Cosimo · 2 Dec 2011 at 15:57

Diesel said:
Tell your GF to be rational and that there is just as much chance of the plane crashing into the sea whether she is sat by you or not.

Rationality and fear of flying are mutually exclusive.

cheechm · 2 Dec 2011 at 16:08

Probably had something to do with having it open in 3 tabs. Cookies got confused.

A2Z · 2 Dec 2011 at 16:20

cheechm said:
Probably had something to do with having it open in 3 tabs. Cookies got confused.

Indeed, I mean why would you do them all at the same time? Just seems common sense to do it one at a time so nothing like this happens, just go in to the check in desk tomorrow...like they already told you...lol

FeFiDoh · 2 Dec 2011 at 18:15

Is it easy enough to get moved seats? I booked a flight and then 2-3 weeks later a friend decided they wanted to come and booked a flight also.

We won't be sat near each other at the moment but would like to obviously. If we just talk to them at check in, they can sort it?

cheechm · 2 Dec 2011 at 18:19

FeFiDoh said:
Is it easy enough to get moved seats? I booked a flight and then 2-3 weeks later a friend decided they wanted to come and booked a flight also.

We won't be sat near each other at the moment but would like to obviously. If we just talk to them at check in, they can sort it?

Depends which airline. If you're on BA I think you can either pay to choose & therefore guarantee your seat now, otherwise 24hrs before you can choose your seat for free (although that isn't guaranteed).

Strife212 · 2 Dec 2011 at 18:21

I informed my g/f who called me in tears as she has a very bad fear of flying, and also the exits of a plane,

The survival rate of plane crashes is highest near the doors.

wildman · 2 Dec 2011 at 19:40

FeFiDoh said:
Is it easy enough to get moved seats? I booked a flight and then 2-3 weeks later a friend decided they wanted to come and booked a flight also.

We won't be sat near each other at the moment but would like to obviously. If we just talk to them at check in, they can sort it?

yes and no. If the flight is not full and or you rock up to the airport as early as technically allowed and you have a nice assistant you might strike it lucky. If the flight is full then your chances are zero and you would have to rely on the goodwill of other passengers to move.

I make around 20 + flights a year for work, and I have yet to come across good will by other passengers tbh. 9/10 when they are approached by cabin staff to ask them if they would consider swapping to let people sit together the answer is quite simply no thanks.