Should I book with BA or AA?

[JulesAyr]

Hi, we are doing a multi city trip next year. Prices with BA and AA are identical and are for same flights except one. If I book through AA I get a better time for one flight. Most of the flights are BA flights. So is there any downside/benefit to booking AA or BA? If we book AA can we book our seats for free on BA plane or just on the AA planes? We are bronze BA members and can book seats 7 days out with BA - can we still do that on a BA flight if booked through AA?

Sorry for lots of questions but got myself confused by it all!

Thanks in advance

Jules

[scouser]

Originally Posted by JulesAyr

Hi, we are doing a multi city trip next year. Prices with BA and AA are identical and are for same flights except one. If I book through AA I get a better time for one flight. Most of the flights are BA flights. So is there any downside/benefit to booking AA or BA? If we book AA can we book our seats for free on BA plane or just on the AA planes? We are bronze BA members and can book seats 7 days out with BA - can we still do that on a BA flight if booked through AA?

Sorry for lots of questions but got myself confused by it all!

Thanks in advance

Jules

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I booked my flights on ba website but apart from the man-lhr leg all other flights are with AA... one plus is that you get free seat selection if you book main cabin seats and not economy light, the ba website transfers you to AA site to book your seats, I booked a holiday through ba so it included bags hence the main cabin.

[Tinkerbell]

I fly a lot with BA my only issue is there persistent strike threats, which I find unsettling. But that could simply be my perception

[Guest]

I bang on about it a lot on here so sorry if I go off again, but I find BA customise your trip very flexible. I always do one car flights and a hotel. You can adjust flights until you have solely AA flights should you wish. Add in one night in a hotel and it can sometimes bring the prices down further as it then links to the baholidays flight options rather than B A flights database with sometimes different date buckets.

AA do either flight and car, or flight and hotel. There is no custo.use option to the same extent. So although we fly AA we tend to book BA.

The hotels are particularly good for city stopovers. But you can do Heathrow the night before and I have also done London two months afterward. Or RPR for a one nighter in the middle.

But if you don't have all three you won't get sent to the BA holidays database.

[Guest]

PS seat booking is dependant on the carrier. If seats free in AA they are free if booked with BA and visa versa. If BA seats are payable then they are payable through the AA system too. Just use your flight appropriate locator number to book.

Just to note though that handluggage is dependant on the carrier and you should aim for the smallest allowance on both flights. AA allowance is lower than BA. BA domestic flights in USA are normally operated by AA so you end up with the smaller allowance anyway.

[JulesAyr]

I’ve been a big advocate of booking through BA holidays for years and often end up with cheaper prices that way.

Am I best to book AA flights through BA site then so I get free seat selection? Only problem is that one of the AA flights I want isn’t showing up on the BA site.

Jules

[Guest]

Seat selection is carrier based so it doesn't matter who you book through.

Is the flight that isn't showing an aa or a BA flight? If you cannot find it by double checking on matrix or Momondo I suspect it means that whichever carrier it had updated it's schedule and not told the others. So if AA flight showing on matrix then BA site is likely to be wrong and visa versa.

If you are ba exec club members try giving them a call to book. I find them very good at finding additional flexibilities. But the calls are often long and sometimes not cheap !

I also book cheapest as I tend to book quite far out as i know that internal domestic flights change a lot so I often book, wait for it to change then adjust my routing / timing for free to something I like better for free. Risky approach though so can only do it if prepared to take to one you booked 😂

Have a lovely trip !

[JulesAyr]

It’s an AA flight that shows on AA site but not BA. Will go check Matrix

[JulesAyr]

Flights show on Matrix and AA just not BA.

[pretty_lucky]

Just booked Feb flights through AA after Google flights search for BA/AA flights. Once the flights were "ticketed" there was a link for BA seat selection.

Never booked AA before so have nothing to compare it to, but the seat allocation at time of booking was only £8/£10 each for cheapest (£8 were all next to £10 seats).

Was only on here to see if I could get info about seats on outward leg BA flight 777-200 before selecting those too.

It's a good day in our house today, so far!