BA seat booking

[Hula Doola]

Just about to book flights for May 2022 (finally found a price that is not too bad! ) and wondering about booking seats for outbound at least. We are 2a 1x13yr and 1x11yr. We hardly ever fly so would prefer to have two window seats for the kids.

Q1. How do I find out what plane this is so I can figure out which windows will have a wing outside, ie no view

Q2 If I wait til 24hrs before flying to avoid the cost of pre booking, realistically how much choice is there likely to be?

Flights are BA LGW-MCO direct May 21st-June 4th

Thanks

[loldis]

You can get your flight numbers from manage my booking, it should also tell you which plane it's currently scheduled on. Based on your dates, it's BA2037/2036 both showing as 777s.

Then you can put your flight number into seatguru to bring up the seat maps. Although they are showing the 4 class config for that flight number, I think that's just the 777 default for BA. It's far more likely to be the Gatwick 3 class config as no first class seats are available on the MCO direct route as far as I'm aware.

Gatwick 3 class seat map: seatguru/airlines/Br..._777-200_4.php

If you go into seat reservations on Manage My Booking, you should be able to get the seat map from BA to make sure it matches up. But to not be over the wing, regardless of the exact config, you'll want to be towards the rear of the plane. So in the second section of economy on a 3 class 777, starts at roughly row 32/33 depending on the exact plane.

Since you'll be towards the back anyway, I would check if the pairs in the last few rows are available to book so you get a bit more space and no one sitting next to you. And I would personally pay for these if so, as they are popular so likely to go well before the 24 hour free selection.

[Hula Doola]

Thanks, really helpful answer 😁 Will look at the links.

The pair seats at the back are v tempting but at £64 extra each it's a bit eye watering!

[loldis]

I've purchased business flights before purely to not have someone sitting next to me. £64 sounds like a bargain by comparison.

This is the downside of BA though, they can look cheaper than other airlines but the seat booking charges can bring the cost of flights up considerably if you're particular about where you want to sit.

[Hula Doola]

[QUOTE=loldis;15126950]I've purchased business flights before purely to not have someone sitting next to me. £64 sounds like a bargain by comparison.

Wow you are keen to have your own space!

£64 x 4 adds up, but not as much as business - I don't think we will be managing that til the kids are gone and we only have 2 tickets to fund 😆

[ScoopsAhoy]

[QUOTE=Hula Doola;15127034]

Originally Posted by loldis

I've purchased business flights before purely to not have someone sitting next to me. £64 sounds like a bargain by comparison.

Wow you are keen to have your own space!

£64 x 4 adds up, but not as much as business - I don't think we will be managing that til the kids are gone and we only have 2 tickets to fund 😆

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Don’t forget the cost on the way back too!
Over £300 it was going to cost us to book 3 seats there and back!

[pdcdad]

You could use avios points to offset the cost of the seats if you have any. You can convert nectar to avios as well.

[duchy]

I think expecting to have any choice of seats at 24 hours travelling at Whitsun is a tad optimistic . The flight will be full.
If you have very young children BA will preallocate your seats a few days before but yours are older so they may not. There is some risk you may be split up and not all be seated together so if sitting together is important to you it’s something to consider.

[Peko]

Assuming the 11yo will still be under 12 at time of travel, BA will preallocate seats for the whole party 3-6 days before each flight. BA doesn’t split parties deliberately, so it’s likely the whole party will be seated together, either in a block of 4 or 3+1 across the aisle, though the seating policy only requires the 11yo to be with an adult as a minimum (even “with” doesn’t have to mean “next to”, but that kind of separation is rare on BA when preallocatimg).

Because BA will seat the party together if possible, the desire for 2 window seats is unlikely to be met by preallocation, so if that is a must, then paying would probably be required (not impossible to find 2 pairs of seats with a window in each pair at check-in, but very far from guaranteed and probably not near each other on the aircraft). The outbound flight is currently scheduled for one of the (normally) LGW-based 3-class 777s, so as posted above, to avoid being over the wing in economy you’d need to sit no further forward than row 32.

I would note that it isn’t yet known when LGW flights will resume even after he US eventually opens to most UK residents, so paying for seats now also has an element of lottery about it (though seat charges paid should be refunded if a change of airport and/or aircraft meant you didn’t get comparable seats).

[jim jehosofat]

Originally Posted by Hula Doola

Q1. How do I find out what plane this is so I can figure out which windows will have a wing outside, ie no view

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Out of interest, what view are you expecting at 35,000 feet?