I am looking to book an open jaw trip--Portland to Edinburgh (change planes in Chicago and London) and Shannon back to Portland. I found an itinerary that works and can book it through American, British Air or US Air (which has merged with American but at this point still operates its own reservation system). No matter which airline issues the ticket, the flights to Chicago and London are operated by American, London to Edinburgh by British Air and Shannon back to Portland (changing planes in Philadelphia) by US Air. I'm wondering how seat assignments work in this scenario. I understand that British Air doesn't do free seat assignments until 24 hours before departure but American and US Air allow seat assignments on all but the British Air flights. Does this mean that if I book through British Air (definitely cheaper than the other two) all of the decent seats will be taken by passengers booking through the other two airlines? Or is each airline allocated a certain number of seats?
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
From what I understand regarding luggage limits, the operating airline sets the process for the passenger, regardless of which airline sells the ticket. I am assuming it's the same for seating, but I could be wrong. If no one posts correct information, call customer service and ask.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
I do know that BA uses charging for seat assignments as a revenue enhancer on their flights. And you pay for each flight separately, so even on a connecting flight with both legs operated by BA, you'd pay twice for choosing seats in advance.
I'm with Zoe, call them and ask. If that doesn't get you the answer, try a travel agent, who should be able to get you the BA price and book seats of the non-BA flights.
Posted by
Chicago
792 posts
I have had a few experiences with booking through AA and flying on BA for part of the itinerary. Those legs of the journey followed the BA rules, so I had to pay to reserve a seat ahead of time. I would assume the reverse is true-if you book on BA, the AA and US Airways flights would follow their airline protocols. So you would be able to book your seat ahead of time. But best to call the airline.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5457 posts
What you need is the record locator for each airline, then you can do the seat assignments online on the site of the actual carrier. AA, BA, & US are all on different reservation systems. If you book with BA look up your flight on https://www.checkmytrip.com with the BA reference and this will list the references for the others