Charges for seat selection

Welcome to the new world of airlines...they charge for everything. The fare just gets you a seat--and that's it. Everything else is an extra charge. BTW, many European airlines don't let you choose seats until 24 hours before flight or when you get to the airport.

Debi, I've always waited until 24 hours before and paid nothing. BA charges for advance seat selection. They don't charge for seat selection at check-in. I've been lucky in that I have always gotten an aisle seat. I suspect that there are many people like me who also don't want to pay extra and thus seats are generally available.

I agree with you though that I think the charge is ridiculous.

I too would be a little upset at paying that to select what might be a typical seat; however I have no issue with airlines pricing "select" seats such as exit rows, bulkheads, and similar seats that people clamor after; keeps my seat a little cheaper.

I hope for that you did get an exit row!

Laura,
When I went to make my seat selections, they had a very limited amount left! We are 3 traveling together and would really like to sit together.
This 35 days out too! Oh well, what can we do?

We are a family of four traveling together (daughters 18 and 22) and I made the same choice as you did, Debi. I paid to select seats (for the trans-Atlantic flights only) to be ensured of having seats together. A little peace of mind was worth the cost, at least to us. Besides, for the return journey we will be on a train in Italy when the 24-hour check-in time opens up, so I wouldn't be able to select seats until much later, probably getting nothing together.

I agree Lola, peace of mind is good and I really hate sitting in a middle on a 11 hour flight!

One alternate is to fly on a different airline that doesn't charge for seat assignments so long as you come out ahead on the ticket pricing.

When I've traveled with someone else it's just not that important to me to sit right next to them. I mean, you're on the same plane. And there's always the possibility that someone might move by one seat or another so that you could sit together. Even for a long flight, I wouldn't pay extra to select seats solely for the purpose of sitting together. Of course if you were traveling with small children it would be a different story.

I'd have to agree with the above post -- personally, it makes absolutely no sense to me to pay extra just to sit next to whomever I'm traveling with unless it's a small child. Especially 90$ a person! That money would be much, much better spent on any other part of your trip.

I love my family members and want to enjoy the flight with them---it is part of the whole trip experience Our daughters don't much like sitting next to strangers. We have FF tickets so they only cost the fuel surcharge. The trip is a graduation present for them, and the extra cost of the selected seats is pretty small in the context of the whole trip.

Of course not everyone would make the same choice, but I'm confortable with my choice and hope Debi is comfortable with hers. We could wish all we want that BA didn't do it this way, but that ain't gonna change the situation.

I love my family members, too, but when I fly to Europe I try to spend most of the trip sleeping, anyway. (We usually get seated together, in any event, because the tickets are bought together and we check in together, as early as possible.) I'd prefer to spend my money on a special meal or activity even if it meant that I sat across the aisle or up a row from my travel partner.

Sit together,, heck I sometimes don't even fly together,, really, unless we are talking about kids,, I have no need to be right beside travelling companion.. we sleep on the long flights, and on the short ones ,, well, its no big deal.

I would pay no more then 10-20 dollars for seat selection and I wouldn't pay for each of four legs, thats too much togetherness for me anyways,LOL

I haven't faced this yet (haven't flown British) but would gladly pay to sit with my husband or other family member. Especially if I'm going to sleep. I was fondled once during sleep on a flight, and it was really creepy. The flight was full and I couldn't ask to move. I never want that to happen again.

My wife and I got transferred to BA from NWA for a flight from Europe to Seattle.
Not only did we have to go thru Heathrow, which I said I would never do again after 2 terrible experiences there, but then BA puts my wife and I on different planes to fly from London to Seattle. NEVER AGAIN BA. PS: I do want to sit next to my wife on LONG flights. I just made seat assignments on Air France and NWA and it did not cost me a thing, granting that they are not exit rows, bulkhead, or isle seats. We prefer to sit at the window in the 2 seat side of the plane until I hit the Powerball and sit up front.

Why did NW transfer you to a BA flight?

Short flights I have no problem not sitting next to
my family but a long flight when I will sleep much of it, I don't want to be next to a stranger.
As for someone changing seats with you, I wouldn't count on it. I was on a flight to South Africa and I couldn't get anyone to change seats with me so that I could sit next to my 6 year old daughter!