seat assignment on british airways

Choosing your seat

We recommend that you reserve your seat as early as possible to get the one you want and to avoid sitting separately from your family or friends.

You may be able to reserve seats for free or have to pay, depending on your circumstances. The easiest way to check is using Manage My Booking .

How do I choose my seat?

Executive Club membership card on a mobile phone.

It's easy to do, either at the time of booking your flight or afterwards through Manage My Booking.

If you have an existing booking, follow these simple steps:

Is it free or extra?

Whether seat selection is free or extra depends on a number of factors, including the type of ticket you purchase, your class of travel and your personal circumstances.

On hand baggage only (Basic) fares, choosing your seat is always extra. For all other flights, if you fall into one of the following groups, choosing your seat may be free.

If you have a booking, the easiest way to check if it’s free or extra is in Manage My Booking. Follow the instructions above to choose your seat and we will tell you whether you have to pay or not.

Travelling in First

Seats in our First cabin are always free to reserve from the time of booking.

Executive Club Members

Members of the Executive Club and other one world frequent flyers are able to reserve seats at different stages, depending on their tier.

Flexible and semi-flexible tickets

Tickets with increased flexibility allow you to make certain changes to the date and time of your flight. They also include free seat selection:

You choose your flexibility when you buy your flights. If you’re not sure what type of ticket you have, you can follow the instructions under ' How to reserve your seat ' and we'll tell you whether you have to pay or not.

Make sure your family sits together

To get the best choice of seats and make sure your family sits together , it’s best to reserve your seats in advance, for which you might have to pay.

If you don’t reserve your seats in advance , we’ll do our best to seat your family together a few days before your flight departs. However, the seat selection may be limited at that time and your seats may be split across different rows or the aisle. We will make sure each child under 12 years sits next to an adult from your booking but children over 12 years are booked as an adult in our system and may sit separately.

Seats are free when you travel with an infant , (under 2 years) who won't be travelling in a seat of their own. You can choose a seat for you and everyone in your booking, free of charge, as soon as you've made your booking (except for bookings of over 9 people ).

Disability assistance

There's no charge for reserving your seat if you have a specific seating requirement because of your disability. In most cases, you can select your seat using Manage My Booking but sometimes you may need to contact us, e.g. for some types of developmental impairment.

This is what you need to do:

Find out about disability assistance

Groups of more than nine people

When you travel as a group, we’ll allocate your seats free of charge. While we will try to seat your group together, we cannot always guarantee it, particularly if your group travel is split across separate bookings. To ensure your group is seated together, or if you would like specific seats, you can pay to reserve your seats in advance (for groups booked in the UK and Ireland only). Please contact us for more information.

Choosing your seat at check-in

Businessman in hotel room using his mobile phone.

If you haven’t already chosen your seat, you can do so when you check in, from 24 hours before departure.

This is free except on Basic (hand baggage only) fares, although your choice may be limited and a fee may still apply to exit row seats on long haul flights.

If you are travelling on a Basic fare, we’ll allocate you a seat at check-in and you can choose an alternative seat for a fee.

Changes and refunds

You can claim a refund for a seat which you’ve paid to reserve, if we are unable to offer you that seat or a suitable alternative, when you board your flight.

The reason for this is that there may be an aircraft change for operational, safety or security reasons, even after you have boarded the aircraft, so we cannot guarantee your reserved seat.

How much will it cost?

Bulkhead seats are usually reserved for people with infants (under 2) as this is where the fold-down cot tables are positioned, so you may not be able to reserve these if you are not travelling with an infant.

View seat maps

Premium economy

Business class

Did you know?

Nervous flyers

If you sit near the centre of the plane, you don't feel the effects of turbulence as much.

Turbulence is quite normal during a flight, but it can leave some people feeling anxious, so choose your seat early near the centre of the plane and rest assured that you'll have a more comfortable flight.

Choose your seat using Manage My Booking

Flying with Confidence

Does the thought of getting on an aircraft leave you in a cold sweat? Have you been putting off a holiday abroad because you don't want to fly? Or are you scared of flying, but you don't know why? The Flying with Confidence course can help you come to terms with all these fears, so you can make the first step towards your long awaited trip of a lifetime.

Find out more about the Flying with Confidence course

Should You Pay for Seat Assignment on British Airways?

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page .

While you may be accustomed to paying for your preferred seat on low-cost airlines like EasyJet , if you have paid thousands of pounds or points for a business class seat on a full-service airline, you might expect to be able to sit anywhere available without having to reach in to your pocket even further.

But British Airways is unique in that it charges for seat assignment on all flights, on all aircraft in most classes. That’s right, even on £4,000+ business class seats to the likes of Singapore and Sydney.

The airline is fairly unique in taking this approach, and it is irritating to many passengers. When booking, you should consider if the additional cost is worth it to you, as you may have already spent a significant amount of money on the ticket.

First of all, remember that if you have Bronze, Silver or Gold status with Executive Club, the loyalty programme of British Airways, you can select seats for yourself and anyone on your booking on British Airways-operated flights as follows:

For all other passengers, you can select any remaining seats for free during the online check-in process 24 hours in advance, with the exception of hand-baggage only fares in Euro Traveller and World Traveller who will be allocated a seat at random by British Airways.

Let’s have a look at each fare class and the price to select seats in advance if you don’t hold the necessary status, per passenger, per flight.

Euro Traveller — From £7

In economy on short-haul European flights, most are only a few hours in length at most. It is up to you whether you value sitting close to the front or in an exit row. If you tend to nap or listen to music or watch movies for most of the time on flights like these, you may not care too much about which row you are seated in.

Exit row seats are a good investment if you are tall enough that you struggle to fit into a regular economy seat.

Club Europe — £14

All short-haul business class seats are virtually identical — you’ll have the same amount of legroom and there will be a blocked seat next to you. If you really value an aisle seat over a window seat or vice versa it can make sense to pay, but if you’re not fussed, it’s unlikely to be a significantly different experience if you wait until check-in to select a seat for free.

British Airways Club Europe (Photo by Nicky Kelvin / The Points Guy)

World Traveller — From £20, Exit Row £50

Some long-haul flights on British Airways to the likes of Asia and South America can be 12+ hours in length, so it can make sense to choose a preferred seat, especially for exit rows that will have significantly more legroom. Although you’ll want to note the cost of selecting a standard seat for flights of this length will be significantly more than the base price of £20.

For shorter hops like the Middle East or East Coast USA, especially if the flights are overnight and you plan to sleep the whole journey, remember that all standard seats will have the same width and legroom, so it may not make sense to pay for one standard seat over the other.

You can read our detailed TPG UK guide to the best World Traveller seats on British Airways here .

World Traveller Plus — £18, Exit Rows £50

Having just come off a BA WTP flight to Dubai earlier this week, most WTP seats are identical and I don’t see the value of paying for seat assignments unless you were a group of four who wanted to snag a middle block of four without the chance of being separated. It’s worth noting that BA will do what it can to keep families seated together whether they pay for seat selection or not. As a solo traveller I would have been happy with any seat in the small cabin.

Also with exit row seats, remember you will have much more legroom in premium economy than economy, so the additional legroom of an exit row will not be as needed or as noticeable as in economy.

You can read our detailed TPG UK guide to the best World Traveller Plus seats on British Airways here .

Club World — £62

This is the real sweet spot for paying for seat selection and it can really make sense in British Airways business class. This is because there is a HUGE difference in the various seats in BA’s unusual Club World cabins.

If you are a solo traveller, it’s smart to pay for some of the best window seats in Club World even though the seat selection price does seem steep at first. This is because some of these seats have both incredible privacy and the closest to direct aisle access you’ll find in this class on this airline. This is especially valuable for long-haul flights, as the price is fixed regardless of flight length.

You can read our detailed TPG UK guide to the best Club World seats on British Airways here .

First — Free

Thankfully, for the most expensive seats on British Airways, seat selection is free from the time of booking. There’s not a huge variation in different first seats across the different aircraft types, although if you are travelling with someone else or want a window seat, it’s best to select your seats at the time of booking.

You can read our detailed TPG UK guide to the best first seats on British Airways here .

Featured image courtesy of British Airways.

Oops! Did you mean...

Sign-up Successful!

Welcome to The Points Guy!

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which The Points Guy UK receives compensation. This compensation helps pay the costs associated with running our website, and does not result in any additional fees to you. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.

Editorial Note: The Points Guy UK is independent; the opinions published here are always those of the reviewer, who has final editorial approval. The information, including card rates, product pricing and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review – please check product pages for the most current information.

British Airways Seat Maps

Traveler photos (1)

British Airways flies 0 versions of .

Please choose the correct version from the list:

SeatGuru was created to help travelers choose the best seats and in-flight amenities.

London Air Travel

London's airlines, airports and routes.

British Airways’ Seating Policy Explained

Our guide to selecting a seat on British Airways operated flights and when you can select a seat for free or for a charge.

London Air Travel » British Airways » British Airways’ Seating Policy Explained

If there’s one subject that can cause more angst before a flight than anything else, it’s seating.

Once upon a time, seat selection was largely confined expressing a preference for a window or an aisle seat. If you were lucky at the check-in desk you might score an exit row.

With the proliferation of online seat maps and third party reviews, it’s now fruitful ground for airlines to harvest revenue. Some passengers can live in blissful ignorance about where they will be seated. Others can’t bear it.

This is an attempt to explain BA’s seating policy. The whole subject is worthy of a PhD thesis. It is based on BA’s own published seating policy, as well as personal experience, anecdote, and a degree of suppoistion.

Quick Links

BA’s seat selection policy in context

It’s complicated to explain. This because the policy is a patchwork that has been progressively modified for more than ten years according to changing, and often conflicting, priorities:

a) To encourage the use of online check-in before getting to the airport b) To reward/incentivise Silver & Gold members of the BA Executive Club c) To raise revenue from seat selecton fees d) To create a new tier of “basic” economy fares with relatively limited options

Why do airlines charge for seating?

Put simply, extra revenue.

It is the “sweet spot” of ancillary revenues for airlines. Bar the initial IT expense, it costs nothing for airlines to provide. All those extra fees go straight to the bottom line.

BA’s policy in very simple terms..

Silver and Gold Executive Club card holders can choose a seat for free at the time of booking. However, some seats are restricted to Gold card holders until 72 hours before departure or when online check-in opens 24 hours before departure.

Bronze Executive Club card holders can choose a seat for free 7 days before departure.

Blue Executive Club card holders and non-members can choose a seat for free when online check-in opens if you have not already paid for a seat. The main exceptions are “basic” economy fares where, unless you are prepared to pay for a seat, it will be allocated for you.

Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers also benefit from the above privileges.

On long-haul flights prices start from around £20 one way in World Traveller. Here is an example seat map for BA flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK to show indicative pricing:

Example pricing in World Traveller - London Heathrow - New York JFK

You can check/change your seat at any time using the Manage My booking tool on ba.com. Unlike many North American airlines BA does not offer previews of seat maps before selecting flights. However, if you are required to pay for a seat you should be able to see the seat map before completing your booking.

There are a also lot of nuances according to ticket type and cabin:

First Class

All passengers travelling in First Class can reserve a seat for free at the time of booking.

However, seats 1A and 1K are blocked for Gold cardholders until 72 hours before departure.

One thing unique to BA is that it does charge (from more than £60 one way) for seat assignments in its Club World long-haul business class cabin.

Whilst this has long been seen as egregious gouging, BA has got away with this for nearly ten years, so it is unlikely to change soon.

Club Europe / EuroTraveller

BA uses convertible seating in its short-haul business class Club Europe to allow it to match the size of the cabin to demand.

The exact number of rows in Club Europe is determined 72 hours before departure, so the seat maps for both Club Europe and EuroTraveller will change at this time.

Corporate Agreements

If your employer has a corporate agreement with BA it is possible that when booking through your corporate travel agent you may benefit from enhanced seating privileges such as free seat selection at booking regardless of frequent flyer status.

Flexible Fares

Flexible fares offer enhanced seat selection privileges.

Fully flexible fares which carry names such as “Flexible Economy” allow free seat selection at the time of booking. Semi-flexible fares on short-haul routes which carry names such as “Economy Plus” allow free seat selection 48 hours before departure.

“Basic” Fares

“Basic Economy” short-haul and long-haul fares have restricted seat selection privileges.

Unless you choose to pay for a seat, this will be selected for you by the airline. This does not apply to Bronze, Silver and Gold card holders.

Exit Row Seats

Gold card holders can select exit row seats at the time of booking.

These seats are also available for purchase in advance at the time of booking. Silver and Bronze card holders can only select these seats for free when online check-in opens.

If you are travelling with an infant (under 2 years), you should be able to choose a seat for free at the time of booking.

Otherwise, if you haven’t already reserved a seat in advance, BA should endeavour to seat your family together at around 72 hours before departure. The only assurance BA provides is that children under 12 years will be seated next to an adult in the booking. There is detailed guidance for families on ba.com

Bassinet Seats

Bassinet seats are blocked for families.

These should become available to select at around 72 hours before departure. When online check-in opens these seats are available for all to select.

Passengers with disabilities / medical conditions

Passengers with specific seating requirements because of a disability can reserve a seat for free in advance.

It is strongly recommended that any arrangements for assistance such as transport to and from the aircraft gate are made well in advance. Full details on assistance for passengers with disabilities is on ba.com

If you have a medical condition such as a leg in a half or full plaster cast you will need to check with BA in advance as its ability to accommodate passengers varies by cabin. In some cabins you may be required to purchase an extra seat to elevate your leg after take-off as the airline will not allow injured legs in the aisle.

From experience, passengers with a leg in a plaster cast may be upgraded on board the aircraft. However, this is solely within the discretion of the senior crew member and may happen before take-off or later in the flight after the first meal service.

Extra Seats

Although not widely publicised you can purchase an extra seat for comfort.

You need to do this by phone. The cost will be your fare (before taxes), subject to a minimum charge of £40 on short-haul and £300 on long-haul.

Passngers travelling on the same flight under different bookings

For Gold card holders BA offers a facility known as “Total Complete Party”.

This allows a Gold card holder to link their booking to a separate booking by another passenger in the same cabin so that all passengers can benefit from free seat selection. You have to call BA to do this.

Seat Blocking

There is no official published policy on seat-blocking.

However, anecdotally it does happen. Some seats on short-haul aircraft such as Row 1 in Club Europe and possibly some front row seats in EuroTraveller may be blocked for selection by Gold cardholders. This does not necessarily mean they won’t be occupied in flight.

Should I pay for a seat?

This is obviously subjective.

For short-haul, it probably isn’t worth it. For long-haul, it probably is, for the benefit of certainty and not having to think about it again.

One key thing to bear in mind is that the number of passengers eligible to choose a seat for free in advance of check-in will vary widely by route.

A “trunk” route like London Heathrow – New York JFK will have a high proportion of Silver and Gold Executive Club card holders (and American Airlines equivalents) eligible for a free seat assignment, particularly in Club World. Also, not all passengers check-in online at the same time. Connecting passengers will be able to select seats for all flights in their booking, many hours before passengers travelling direct.

Selecting a seat during online check-in

If you want to change your seat when checking in online, be very careful to avoid a “fat finger” mistake and complete the check-in process without changing your seat – it’s easier to do it on a computer rather than your smartphone. Once you have retrieved your boarding pass you cannot change your seat online.

BA changing your seat

BA can and will change your seat before departure.

The most likely reason is a change of aircraft or a known issue with your seat that cannot be fixed before departure.

From experience, BA will proactively notify you by e-mail of a seat change more than 48 hours before departure. If your seat is changed less than 48 hours before departure by the airport, you won’t be proactively notified. However, the new seat will show in the BA app on your smartphone.

Share this story:

Share on Tumblr

2 thoughts on “British Airways’ Seating Policy Explained”

We welcome any thoughts and comments below: Cancel reply

Forgot password

Why It Makes Sense For British Airways To Charge For Seat Assignments

While many airlines charge for advance seat assignments in economy nowadays, one of British Airways’ most egregious policies is that they also charge for seat assignments in business class .

It’s crazy that you can pay $10,000+ for a business class ticket and then be asked to shell out further cash just to select a seat. The cost to assign seats in British Airways business class in advance is as follows:

As you can see, those are starting prices. In other words, seat assignments on many longhaul flights will run you $100+ each way.

I find that policy to be ridiculous, but at the same time having recently flown British Airways’ longhaul business class, I can see one benefit to these fees.

What I’ve realized is that the quality of seats in British Airways’ longhaul business class is wildly variable . Window seats are so much better than aisle seats, and of course better than the center seats. Most of British Airways’ longhaul fleet features eight seats per row in business class, which is obscene.

When you have a window seat you at least have some privacy, in the sense that the divider goes up after takeoff and then you’re in your own cocoon. The seat and sleeping space is extremely narrow, though.

But at least you can sleep in full privacy. It’s still a bit awkward, since either the flight attendants will have to serve you over the divider, or otherwise come around near the ottoman, neither of which is ideal. But the impracticality of being served in a window seat is a small price to pay for the added privacy.

Meanwhile if you’re in an aisle seat you’ll feel completely exposed. You don’t even have a proper armrest on the aisle side, and there’s no divider around your head to give you any sense of privacy.

Like, there’s truly no privacy whatsoever.

Worst of all are the center seats. I can’t even imagine being seated in them with a stranger, as you have about as much shoulder space as in economy.

In theory I suppose that seems practical if you’re traveling with someone, but really it’s not. The combination of window and aisle seats are actually good for people traveling together, as you’re basically facing one another. This is ideal if you’re traveling with someone, and super awkward during takeoff and landing if you’re seated across from a stranger.

None of which is to suggest that I support British Airways charging for seat assignments in business class. Rather I think Ford made a good observation an hour into out British Airways flight — “I can’t believe they charge the same for all these seats, because the window seats are so much better.”

They charge the same for all seats, and you can guess which seats are first to get booked up…

While first come first serve makes sense on one hand, keep in mind that those typically booking in advance also get the lowest fares. Those paying the highest fares are getting the least desirable seats. Which is ultimately fine, but there’s something about it which doesn’t seem like the “perfect” system.

Bottom line

While I find British Airways’ policy of charging for seat assignments in business class to be borderline insulting, I did find there to be a huge difference in quality between seats. The window seats on British Airways are actually quite nice, while the aisle seats have no privacy, and the middle seats are sort of laughable.

I suppose by charging for seats they’re at least creating some barrier to all the good seats being booked up earlier. While many companies will pay for business class, lots of people don’t want to personally shell out for the cost of a seat assignment.

Anyone else have a huge preference for the window seats in Club World over the aisle and center seats?

I think it’s ridiculous and gouging customers for BA to charge for seats in business class. Strictly a money grab and I didn’t think the seats were even that great. The airlines are out of control and I wish I didn’t have to use them.

I don't really care if they offer prices different for each seat, but I'm travelling with my wife and 4 kids; which will change $10,000 to add $2,000 to just pick seats so we sit together???? . I don't want to select better seats, but I have to pay that so we can sit with our kids... 6 seats is hard to get together if everybody with some tier status can pick random seats before we get there. For a family with kids this is not a luxury to ask to sit together, it's BA begging (or rather scamming) for money. Or maybe they just don't want family's to use their service.

I had booked today but now will cancel, will book with other airline that offers free seat selection. Honestly, this wasted my afternoon.

This is still true in 2021! I just booked a flight to Paris that returns through London. Outbound is on American Airlines, I was able to get seat assignments, as you'd expect when you're paying business class prices, whereas British charges for advanced assignments. It's an odd price at that. It's enough that I'll always choose another airline if possible from now on, just on principle, but at 5-10% per seat, that won't offset the...

So their product sucks and is inconsistent so passengers have to pay? How much did they pay you to write this garbage?

I called because I'm flying Business Class to London and I came to know that I could not select my wife & my seat for the flight. The first person who responded told me that they could not do anything as it was Company Policy. I said if i'm going to select my seat just 24 hours before the flight departs, it was highly likely that my wife and I would not get seats together. He said that was possible. I was about to hang up when he said he was transferring me to his Team Leader. So i got connected to the Team Leader who I asked if she was resolving the issue or giving me the same answer that I was given earlier. She said that the answer was the same and she could do nothing about it. I then told her if there was no change in the response then why transfer the call and waste my time to hear the same spiel again? I was then told that she would put in a request for me for the cabin crew to seat us together but there were no guarantees and that I had to request for joint seating for my wife and me when boarding the aircraft. I was thoroughly disappointed by then and asked her if British Airways expects it's Business Class passengers to go around with a begging bowl pleading for joint seating with the Cabin Crew. I am aghast as to what depths British Airways will go to to make Business Class travel so customer unfriendly just so that the airline can see it's cash registers clanging with the additional fees they levy for the seats. So while I'm fairly disappointed with the Customer Care centre personnel I am thoroughly disappointed with the uncalled for seat levy for Business Class customers. This is the last time me and my family will fly British Airways.

I learned today that my expensive business class seats require even more $$$ to reserve a specific seat. This will be my first and last trip on BA until they are purchased by a large US based airline (probably soon given their crappy financial performance of late).

Traditionally people booking early got a better choice of seats and early booking was in the interests of the airline. My recent experience of the seat reservation process (24 hours before the flight) was that the website broke down. A nominal charge for reserving seats might be reasonable but charging an extra £40 each way for premium economy (£2,000) is wrong. The plane was filthy and the food terrible. BA have become a budget service...

Airlines should NOT charge extra for any seat if a passenger picks it. People that travel in groups have a RIGHT to fly together and pick their seats without any additional fee in the same class.

These corporate scum that approved this idea should be executed but first watch their loved ones(if they have any) get brutally exterminated first just to see them howl and scream.

Donald Trump 2016

This article is incorrect. If you are paying $10,000 for a business class seat on BA the seat selection will be free as they do not charge the seat selection fee on their more expensive flexible tickets. See here quoted from British Airways website:

Flexible fares, including Fully Flex, Plus Flex and Business UK allow you to reserve seats for free from the time of booking. Semi-flexible fares, including Semi-flex and Plus allow you...

Flexible fares, including Fully Flex, Plus Flex and Business UK allow you to reserve seats for free from the time of booking. Semi-flexible fares, including Semi-flex and Plus allow you to reserve seats for free from 48 hours before departure.

BA Club Class seating, especially window, while providing privacy, is really a poor design. In fact I would go as far as to say it is a safety risk as well. Getting in and out of the area is difficult (how it got past saftey regulations for passengers emergency evacuation is beyond me.

If the passenger sitting in Aisle has his/her foot rest down or is asleep then getting out of the little cubby...

If the passenger sitting in Aisle has his/her foot rest down or is asleep then getting out of the little cubby is very awkward to say the least. In an emergency people will not put their foot rests up they will just get off. I would definitly say that if you are elderly then avoid the window seat in BA club class.

I just booked BA JFK-LHR in Club and was not at all pleased to be quoted $125.00 each way to pick a seat! How did I get around it? I called BA back within 24 hours and changed my outbound flight to AA at no additional cost. I figured that since it was a 777-300, there would be no such thing as a bad seat if I waited till check-in to confirm a seat assignment. Well, after the booking was confirmed the BA agent told me that since it was AA I could pick my seat now for free! I'm set in 3J :) It has been a while since I've flown BA and wanted to try it so will keep the return. It is also on 777. I am fully prepared to pay for a seat assignment. Any suggestions?

Anyone who flies on BA and pays the ripoff surcharges is a moron. Also, the ripoff air duties to depart from UK.

"one of British Airways’ most egregious policies is that they also charge for seat assignments in business class"

adjective 1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant:

Seems a perfect use of the word to me. :)

Anyone who actually does enough paid flying (not just freeloading on rewards) to be OW sapphire or above gets free choice of seating in club world at the time of booking. If you don't, then BA are kind enough to give you the option to book a seat whenever you like in exchange for a small fee relative to the savings you are probably making by travelling with BA. If you are still too tight to do this then you can take your chances at check-in!

First choice: Windows. We try to get two windows when we fly as a couple.

Second choice (as a couple): the two middle seats. Don't shoot it down until you try it. Gives you a large private space. Very easy to get access to the aisle. You do not need to ask the person in the aisle to get up, you can easily step over their footrest unless you are physically impaired or maybe...

Third: aisle. As Ben says no privacy

Fourth: middle as a single. This is debatable with the aisle as at least in the middle no one is bumping you throughout the flight.

Firstly, I do believe that when you're paying for a Club Class seat, seat assignment should be included at time of booking. As it isn't I usually pay, but what I object to is having my seat re-assigned without any notification from BA. And this isn't because the plane configuration has changed. Twice this has happened to me, so I always check my booking every few days to make sure it hasn't happened again. If...

Unfortunately I am one of those crazy people who pay to fly business and usually pay for the seat too. This is due in no small part to the fact that from London there are only 2 carriers who fly direct to where I work, and the fact of those 2, only BA serves alcohol and has a bed on the overnight flight. (I work in Saudi) I agree about window seats, it's my seat of choice. As I book so early I get one every time, but resent paying £2000+ for flights and then paying for the seat. Flying home in 2 weeks, First Class this time. That takes me to BA Gold. Hopefully this means that paying for seat reservation is one of those things that's behind me!

My wife and I flew LHR-SEA in Club World on a 777 in the middle pair, and we loved it. Observations:

-The seat cushions are well-padded. I noticed it immediately upon sitting down.

-The seat pan was angled comfortably back, unlike seats in Y which are parallel with the floor. All in all a very comfortable seat.

-Regarding the 8-across: this is because you get the ENTIRE bed length as your seat pitch: not just...

-Regarding the 8-across: this is because you get the ENTIRE bed length as your seat pitch: not just down to your knees, forcing you to stuff your feet and legs into a confining, uncomfortable cubbyhole (like on Delta and AA). I for one do NOT love the reverse-herringbone seat - It's so TIGHT! We flew Delta SEA-AMS on a 333 and I could not sleep one bit with my legs stuffed into that awful cubbyhole. My initial impression upon reaching our seats was, "Wow, this is very little legroom for business!" The panel containing your IFE screen and said foot cubby is right in front of you, and you've got this bulky console (for the legs of your neighbor behind you) rising up to one side, which turns your bed into a narrow canyon when in lie-flat, further restricting the movement of your arms and legs. On BA, you can sleep on your side, stretch your legs out and bend your knees - so comfortable.

-We didn't pay for seat reservations. We waited until 24 hours before check-in, knowing we wanted a middle pair, and aware that only 4 seats remained unreserved in the J cabin: 2 pair of center seats together.

-We loved the private cabin-feel of the middle seats. With the dividers up, it was cozy and completely private. I was concerned about seat width prior to the flight, but we had no issues, finding it to be perfect. Obviously, I would not want to sit here next to a stranger. I don't believe BA intended that when they designed these seats.

-Service was typical BA "bare minimum" but food and drink were plentiful and enjoyable. There were little missteps like the timing being off between our aisles, making it difficult for us to dine together, forgetting a drink order, forgetting to bring chocolates down one aisle (but not the other) etc. but nothing so... egregious so as to spoil the experience.

-Enjoyed the BA lounges in Geneva and at LHR. We even managed to get massages at the Elemis Spa, which I hear is quite a feat for lowly CW passengers who can only reserve for the spa same-day!

-Love the TATL nonstop right to our hometown of Seattle. Love the smooth ride on the 773. Don't love the fuel surcharges. The good far outweighs the bad, and it's definitely a product we will fly again.

I had award travel in First on BA from Orly-Heathrow-Seattle...Because there is no first class from Orly to Heathrow, I had to shell out more bucks to pick my seats....I was not too amused, however, I flew on the fateful day in Paris and I was very happy to have had BA fly me home....First class on BA was amazing...and the lounge is the best thing I have seen. I have flown previously in first from BA and it has always been exceptional....However that business class flight out of Paris was the pits...I would not have wanted to spend miles on that...On the other hand, they both beat the business class seats I had on AA from Seattle to Rome....Now that was the real pits....could not even plug my own headset in....No TV, barely any entertainment, crappy food, long flight not made any better by the crew personnel..

It's a shame, because BA use to be one of the leaders until Willie Walsh rolled into town a decade again and quickly set EasyJet as the benchmark to beat in the premium cabins. "We are better than EasyJet" should be their global slogan...while showing their J seat. Even third world carriers have better J class seats now.

The fact is that LHR is the European premium gateway and commands the highest yields (dumb, but...

The fact is that LHR is the European premium gateway and commands the highest yields (dumb, but true). They know there are enough people who will take their crap product over changing planes in Europe or the MidEast, and over the Atlantic the carriers are still not at their best, BUT getting there. Plus many older Brits are snobs when it comes to flying foreign carriers, so that is in their favor... for now until that generation is in the ground.

Premium Econ makes them the most money per square foot, so they invest in that.

DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR A BETTER CW CABIN.

What they trotted out on the 787-9 in First (basically an AA, CX J seat) again, for F ...what on earth do you think will go in J when the new seat comes out. They could surprise us, and they better since their partner airlines AA and Finnair offer much superior new products. IB is not bad I hear.

Every blog see's similar comments to the above when talking about BA's Club World. It's a global disgrace!!!!!

BA, you need to put in the same seat as your OneWorld partners and call it a day!! Many decades of goodwill are going down the toilet and the newer generations are NOT the snobs and will fly the foreign carriers.

Once they did the companion pass bait and switch I backed off and as they have made more changes I am very happy that BA is in my rear view mirror...............damn colonists..............

Realistically, given that most people don't pay for advance seat selection, are decent window seats available 24 hours out (where you don't have to pay to pick them)? Not sure I would fly them given your last post about the flight attendant, but if I had to...

You can't compare with the Jetblue's case. You are arguing that a customer who booked in advance at low fare shouldn't be given priority to a lastminute purchaser at much higher price. You are implying higher revenue is always more important to the airlines, but that's not always the case. Having an advanced reservation for revenue and load prediction is quite valuable info to the airline. There's a reason why airlines discount their tickets early...

Wow, you bf Ford is so ensightful. Has Audi said anything yet. I'd love to hear from Porsche too

It seems there's a lot of things here not to love. Charging pax for seat assignments is offensive at best Doing so for C class is just terrible. As to the configuration, anything less than 22" wide seating in business class on any airline is suboptimal no matter what. Maybe you could do a post on better products at low prices, particularly with the upcoming award mAAssacre.

The seat density is 20-30% greater than the cirrus seat, not double like a 2-4-2 vs 1-2-1 implies. That's because they have fewer rows in the same amount of space. I'm bored of hearing the 8 across argument as its not an accurate reflection of the area per seat, and it does a disservice to you blog readers who just pile on.

Anyone with OWE or OWS status doesn't pay for a seat assignment, and...

Anyone with OWE or OWS status doesn't pay for a seat assignment, and neither does anyone with a $10,000 full fare ticket, it's just the status-less on a discount ticket that want an advance seat. Even OWR get to pick a seat seven days in advance. Regardless, it leaves better seats longer for status passengers.

BA offers more nonstop TATL routes than any other airline, and offer the only nonstop from my home airport. I'd rather spend more time on a BA seat than on a domestic F seat.

While BA F is certainly better than CW, I actually prefer 62A/K or 64A/K over the cirrus seat. I find both the BA CW seats and the cirrus seats in AA/US/CX uncomfortable enough though that I bring my own bedding. If I cannot get 62AK or 64AK I'll usually book in first.

There are two scenarios where the lower deck middle seat pair is ok: very empty flights when a pair of seats is really nice (had this to/from India), or when flying with a family and you choose a block of 4 seats. My wife and I actually like the middle pair when flying together, if it's the last row in the cabin, though you can usually only reserve that pair in advance if flying with a baby.

If you have BA bronze you can select your seat for free 72 hours before the flight, which I have found is usually enough time to snag one of the better business class seats. With silver membership, you get free seat assignment when you book.

Most BA long-haul flights are still on a 747, and then I always choose the upper deck, where there are no center seats, and it is much quieter than downstairs....

Most BA long-haul flights are still on a 747, and then I always choose the upper deck, where there are no center seats, and it is much quieter than downstairs. To me being in the "bubble" is a must.

The "two together" centre seats only work for a couple, and BA do seem to allocate those to couples anyway, which you can change for free within 24 hours, if anything better is available.

More generally, BA first and business class needs to be re-vamped. It was a superior product when first introduced (15 years ago?) and was much better than United and American. But time has not smiled on BA and at this point I'd rather fly (LHR-LAX) on Virgin or Air New Zealand, both of which have just one premium cabin - the Business/First concept.

@James K. I believe that the British airways club seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration on the 787. Having flown club on a BA 787, I would recommend an aisle and window as you and your travel companion could sit facing one another and thus dine together.

Hmmmm? "Ridiculous?" "Absurd?" "Insulting?" There's a lot of words that can be applied to BA's decision to charge for seat selection in J. None of them mask the fact that they have an variable and inferior product, and they have decided to monetize the deficiencies in this way. It sounds like a DL move, only they haven't said that they did it "because their customers asked for it."

Sorry it doesn't "make sense" that they're...

Sorry it doesn't "make sense" that they're charging for seat selection. In this case I can't agree with your logic. The scariest part of it all is that if we take this logic and extend it, the airlines will start pricing every single seat on the plane differently based on demand with the worst seat being priced inline with current pricing and surcharges tacked on for Good-Better-Best-BetterThanBest locations after that.

@mkcol 2.5" might just as well not exist. You're paying several times more for the product and you barely get any more side space than in economy?

That's premium economy width at best. It's ridiculous. I'd like to also point out SQ J is almost twice the width - 34".

Thanks Lucky. I wanted to burn the rest of my BA miles and booked business class PHX to LHR for my husband and I next April. I balked at paying for advance seat assignments. After reading your post, I reluctantly coughed up $260 so we could travel window/ aisle. This is too long a flight to suffer a middle seat. I find it amusing that they also charge for advance seating on the LHR...

How in the world would a $100 fee be a barrier to people shelling out thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands of miles plus hundreds of dollars in bogus fees) for a flight?

And I agree with the poster above that you truly have no concept of what really qualifies as "egregious".

@ Eric -- Yet most people don't assign seats in advance, so how would you explain that? You think people just don't care about what seats they get, or...?

FWIW IME BA hands out free seat reservations to their corporate customers in Business and usually in Economy as well. So it's not really a policy they're applying uniformly. Just to people without corporate pull.

It's simple. With the ripoff fuel surcharges, NEVER fly on BA........or AA to LHR.

There is no doubt that the middle eastern A380 based biz product far exceeds legacy European and US hard product.

That BA charges for biz seat assignment is indeed egregious, even though it does not apply to their Silver & Gold elite. Just a crazy piece of penny pinching dreamt up by their accountants no doubt.

As egregious - while we are using that word - is that BA have withdrawn complimentary seat assignment to...

As egregious - while we are using that word - is that BA have withdrawn complimentary seat assignment to Silver & Gold who book their hand luggage only fares.

Overall, BA are steadily dismantling their premium products to see how low they can go and still get people to pay. They seem to be making more efforts towards Premium Economy than biz.

Very sad, since their original flat bed was a true deal breaker.

Just flew the Long Haul from LHR to San Diego with BA...What a joke! Never again, and NEVER would I pay extra in business class for one of their seats...ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH it....Food was average at best.....more like cattle car food, reheated and just served on china plates. As you mentioned, even the window seats are tight and cramped....Even Delta's configuration in business, although it's not a direct flight is Far Superior, and I would...

Lucky: "Worst of all are the center seats. I can’t even imagine being seated in them with a stranger, as you have about as much shoulder space as in economy."

Well don't be an idiot dear by selecting a seat there when travelling solo, if having any sort of interaction with a stranger isn't your bag. I've had some fascinating conversations with complete strangers. I've also had some fantastic flights with my husband in those middle pair of seats - when you're in there with the dividers up then you're in a lovely little cocoon for 2, just like the window seat is a cocoon for 1.

BTW - CW seats are 20" & 3rd World Traveller is 17.5" wide but who knows, maybe a further 2.5" is nothing for you.

Don't forget, we both have an opinion - it doesn't make either of us right, no matter how many page views you get.

@ @mkcol -- And absolutely respect your opinion, and am happy there are others who like the seats. More seats for all of us that way!

British Airways only charges for seat selection in advance of check in (usually 24hrs before the flight). When you check in its free for everyone (except on intra Europe cabin baggage only fares). You only pay if you want to pick your seat in before then unless you have status in which case it's free (Silver and above)

Stopped flying BA after the fuel surcharges...

I'm a AA Elite and flew an ancient 767 from LHR to BWI in Club World. The hard product awful. But that's another story.

If folks switch out their Executive Club number and are a One World Sapphire or higher in another program, there is no fee pick a seat. Works like a charm.

I'm not convinced you actually know how to use "egregious" properly.

Rule 1-never fly BA

Rule 2- see Rule 1

So, when the BA sale happened, Delta matched. Suddenly, the charge to pick the seat became the deciding factor. Delta from BNA to FRA through ATL with free seat assignments on an A330? A no brainer. Sorry BA. See ya.

Ultimately it think BA needs a cabin retrofit. Bigger and better IFE Screens in Y, Better Seats and service in J, Fully enclosed suite in F with better service and food , New lounges and maybe wifi. But charging 10k+ for this product is an insult. How i wish they could see this considering they're my favourite airline.

I certainly understand the logic of charging for seat assignments on award or comp biz tickets. However on revenue tickets this is as you said "insulting". I'm even OK with reserving certain better seats, but an across the board fee is stupid. BA needs to change this policy.

I should note that when I, an AA Plat, purchased an I fare during the fantastic October sale, I was able to get a seat assignment, by brothers and parents not so much.

Seems that Spirit-style "a la carte" pricing has made it to BA C. But, given that my status provides so many a la carte items free, I am not impacted. Indeed, I am best off in a world where base fares are $1, but breathing air (free to elites) otherwise costs $10,000. An absurd example, of course, but giving me a la carte items free and reaching into non-statused co-passengers wallets to keep the plane otherwise in the air is pretty nice.

Won't fly them for business - employer won't pay for reservations and I don't have enough EC points to make it free (catch 22 that).

Additionally I will actively seek out certain aircraft dependent on carrier to get the right seats (herringbone FTW - no staggered layouts if I can help it).

Food aside - Europe to US is currently a toss up between AA and DL - the former for the new 777 and the latter for the new A333...

There's a certain logic here, but most people don't realize just how bad the seating is in British Airways Club World compared to the better international business products, or how some seats are so much worse than others.

Ironically British Airways was once a pioneer in business class seating, they led the way fully flat in business. They've just gotten left so far behind.

Ultimately I don't think they charge for business class seat assignments...

Ultimately I don't think they charge for business class seat assignments when paying less than full fare because their seats are so bad. You've got a great plausible explanation for the policy. I just don't think that's actually the real reason. ;)

Truth is I actually never minded BA's rear-facing last-generation fully flat Club World seats. Narrow, sure, with no storage space but really not that bad and a small cabin.

Now though would you rather fly American or BA between the US and Heathrow? Unquestionably AA, except on the handful of flights still operating with older angled business class. And having a preference for AA's inflight product really says something.

I'm taking my wife to London for her birthday as a surprise next year and booked us into business on a 787-8. Now you've got me wondering which seats I want for us. I was assuming two middles, but that does look tight. And as for window/aisle, since she prefers the aisle that might be unfortunate for her. Hmmmm

I can't believe anyone would actually pay for ANY of those seats. This looks like pure garbage. I'd much rather fly a US carrier's biz class, they're pretty good nowadays.

Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe.

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

March 1, 2023

February 28, 2023

February 26, 2023

British Airways Review – Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees & More

Travel /

British Airways Boeing 777 300 Club Suite seat 9K with glass of Champagne

We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertising partners. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. Terms apply to offers below. See our Advertiser Disclosure for more details.

British Airways flies from 16 U.K. airports and is a long-standing airline, having celebrated its 100th birthday in 2019.

If you’re looking to take advantage of British Airways’ expansive route network, then everything you need to know about this international carrier, from baggage fees to inflight amenities, is detailed below.

Table of contents

Frequent Flyer Program

Short-haul flights (european flights), long-haul flights, baggage fees, other fees and add-ons, refreshments onboard, avoid paying baggage and excess fees by using these credit cards, euro traveller (short-haul economy), world traveller (long-haul economy), world traveller plus (long-haul premium economy), club europe (short-haul business class), club world (long-haul business class), club world london city (lcy-jfk business class), most common complaints, consumer rankings, ratings, etc., safety and performance, charity partnership, final thoughts.

Table of Contents

Airline: British Airways

Alliance: Oneworld

Category: United Kingdom’s flag carrier and international airline

Frequent Flyer Program: British Airways’ Executive Club

Tagline: “ To fly. To serve.”

About/Mission Statement: “We are fully committed to helping each and every one of our customers enjoy the best possible experience, wherever you might be travelling.”

Main Hub: London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

Destinations: 200 destinations across 80 countries

British Airways’ Executive Club rewards members with Avios points when flying with the airline itself and with Oneworld alliance partner airlines.

The more you fly, the more Avios you earn; Avios can be redeemed for reward flights and will also go towards your membership tier status. This gives members additional benefits such as free seat selection, priority boarding, access to lounges, and bonus point earnings.

Apart from flying, there are also other ways of earning Avios , including shopping , chauffeur services, hotel bookings, and financial management.

It’s even possible to pool multiple reward accounts into a household account with family members, and by signing up, you can claim Avios on any flights 3 months prior to membership.

Hot Tip: Once you’ve started earning Avios, check out our article on the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios for max value .

Ticketing Options

British Airways (BA) has a selection of fare options, whether you’re traveling on a short-haul flight or long-haul flight. The different fare options are:

British Airways offers an economy and business class on its short-haul flights.

Euro Traveller (Short-Haul Economy Class)

When flying Euro Traveller, you will have the choice of 3 fare types. The benefits for each fare type are:

When flying Club Europe, you receive the following benefits:

British Airways offers 4 cabin classes when flying on a BA long-haul flight:

World Traveller (Long-Haul Economy Class)

When flying World Traveller, you have the choice of 2 fare types. The benefits for each fare type are:

When flying World Traveller Plus, you receive the following benefits:

When flying Club World, you receive:

First (Long-Haul Premier Class)

Baggage and Other Fees/Add-Ons

British Airways’ baggage policy is pretty straightforward for checked-bag allowance. However, its excess baggage policy is less straightforward, with costs dependent on where you’re flying to and from.

Carry-On Allowance

Passengers can bring a personal item and 1 standard carry-on piece for free.

Lap Infant Carry-On Policy

1 cabin bag is permitted for infant necessities required during the flight.

Stroller Check Policy

One collapsible stroller per child can be checked at the gate for free. If the stroller meets the maximum dimensions of 46 x 15 x 15 inches (117 x 38 x 38 cm) when collapsed, then the stroller can be checked at the gate and collected from the arrival gate immediately after disembarking.

Strollers that exceed these dimensions will need to be collected at the baggage carousel.

Passengers traveling with a child may also bring an additional item, such as a car seat or travel cot. Infants under 2 are permitted to bring 1 piece of checked luggage with the same size and weight restrictions as the ticketed adult’s bag. This does not apply to passengers traveling on a Basic Economy fare.

Checked Baggage Allowance

The number of checked bags that is permitted is based on the fare class you’re flying:

*2 checked bags included for economy flights to/from Ghana, Kenya, Japan, and Nigeria, connecting between India and U.S./Bermuda/Canada, and connecting from Saudi Arabia to U.S./Bermuda/Canada

Additional/Excess Baggage Fees

Excess baggage fees start at $46, depending on the departure airport, destination, cabin class, and where the fee is paid.

Booking With Call Center: $13

Free for British Airways Executive Club Gold Members booking a reward flight

Booking at Airport Ticket Office: $25

Change Fee: Free (online); $25 (phone); $35 (at an airport ticket office). A ticket change fee may also be charged depending on your fare type. This ranges from $0 to $275 and will be displayed at the time of booking. Any fare differences would also be payable.

Change Fee for Reward Flight Bookings: $55 (free for British Airways Executive Club Gold Priority members)

Same-Day Change: Free for domestic short-haul flights; fees for international tickets depends on route and fare class. Same-day changes can be made up to 1 hour before departure. Unfortunately, same-day changes are not permitted if you have a flight connection or are traveling on a long-haul flight.

Cancellation : Free (online); $25 (phone); $35 (at an airport ticket office); $55 for reward flight cancellations (free for British Airways Executive Club Gold Priority bookings)

Seat Selection

Unaccompanied Minor : Accompanied service was discontinued, so adult fare would be charged for minors, 14 years-of-age or over, who will be traveling alone.

Transporting a Pet: Pets are not permitted to be transported in a carry-on.

Note: Buy on board, prepay, and preorder services are temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Where meals are included in your ticket, these are served in an enclosed box to reduce interaction between passengers and cabin crew.

For short-haul flights, food and beverages can be purchased on board. Sweet and savory snacks, fresh food, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks are available to purchase either with a credit card or even with Avios points:

For long-haul flights departing London Heathrow, a complimentary meal is provided. You can also opt to upgrade your meal to BA’s exclusive online menu. There are 6 meals to choose from, ranging in price from £15 to £18 (~$20.10 to ~$24.12).

Many travel rewards cards , like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® card come with an annual airline credit that can be used to offset baggage fees.

Cardholders of the British Airways Visa Signature® Card also have 2 ways to offset their baggage fees:

Inflight Inclusions, Amenities, and Seat Specs

Amenities Include:

Amenities include:

Hot Tip: Ready to redeem Avios and enhance your inflight experience? See our guide on how to upgrade to business or first class on British Airways flights !

British Airways has a fleet of over 260 planes made up of 12 aircraft types, making BA’s fleet one of the most modern fleets in the world. The fleet of Boeing 747, known as “The Queen of the Skies,” was retired in July 2020.

We’ve included seating specs below for some of its most common planes, but you can view the full fleet here .

British Airways Customer Satisfaction

British Airways’ customer satisfaction has sadly tailed off in recent years, with stiff competition from low-cost carriers for its short-haul routes and competitively-priced Middle East airlines for long-haul flights.

Historically hailed as the “World’s Favorite Airline,” this doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, with customers taking to social media to voice their disappointment. These complaints are widespread and varied, covering lost baggage, poor customer service, decreased value, delays, and refund issues. Passengers have also voiced that BA seems to be unresponsive to comments on its social media channels, which simply causes more frustration.

Customers were not pleased with the 2017 changes to stop offering free food on short-haul flights. However, BA has formed a partnership with the much-loved British retailer, Marks & Spencer, to try to offset the displeasure of paying for food by offering such a reputable brand for purchase.

There is some good news on the horizon! BA is working through several aircraft refurbishments, and with the retirement of the older Boeing 747s, it looks like it is taking note of customer complaints about tired and outdated aircraft.

No official statistics can be found on the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority website .

Skytrax Ranking : 4 of 5 Star Airline

Skytrax Customer Rating : 5 of 10

Tripadvisor Airline Review Rating : 3.5 of 5 (averaged from over 54,000 reviews)

Kayak Customer Rating: 7.3 of 10 (averaged from over 22,000 reviews)

AirHelp.com Overall Rating: 7.54 of 10 (quality of amenities, on-time performance, and claim processing)

British Airways has a 7 of 7 safety record, as awarded by AirlineRatings.com . This rating takes into account whether the airline has an IATA Operational Safety Audit Certification, in addition to government and crash records combined with information from the world’s aviation governing body.

In 2010, British Airways partnered with Comic Relief to establish the Flying Start program that collects unwanted currency from customers and donates it to many Comic Relief projects around the world. To date, the project has raised over £24 million (~$32 million).

BA also donates to disaster relief projects and flies volunteers and aid workers to relief locations on chartered flights.

With its extensive route offering, preferred time slots at major airports, and professionalism, BA is still many passenger’s choice of airline. Greater competition across its route network has kept BA’s prices from soaring sky-high, with ongoing price wars between BA and Virgin Atlantic, in particular on transatlantic routes.

Now also heavily competing with low-cost carriers in the European market, BA has taken a risk changing up its business model when it had such an established reputation, and although it is striving to regain that respect, it’s not changing quickly enough for customers.

Even with the customer dissatisfaction, we acknowledge that BA offers great routes internationally, including its popular London-JFK route among business travelers, with many additional connecting short-haul flights to all major European cities.

Frequently asked questions

What is the baggage allowance for british airways.

For detailed information about excess baggage fees, check out our dedicated article on British Airways baggage fees and tips to cover the expenses .

Please confirm that you're not a robot.

Sending feedback...

Your feedback has been sent. Thank you!

We take your comments very seriously as they really help us to improve the site.

If you'd like to add a comment to this article and share your valuable feedback and opinions, please click here to leave your comment.

We really appreciate it! - Alex & Erin

An error occurred please try again later

About Amar Hussain

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

Cannot tell you how disappointed I am in this airline. Absolutely no better than budget airlines but cost a fortune.

Avoid this airline, very bad customer service, typical British ego, it appears that they are still in the colonial aera.

I recently flew from PMI-LGW and return – The first time back to England, and my first flights for 17 years

Neither Wizz Air or EasyJet were practical due to unfavourable flight times and charging more than the flights were worth for luggage.

British Airways had good flight times, low prices and very reasonable (€18 per flight for 23kg) luggage charges – At €126 return, BA were the best AND most economical option.

Both flights were on time, the aircraft were spotlessly clean, at 6’4” tall, the black leather seats were comfortable and the legroom was adequate. The cabin crew on both flights were polite, friendly and professional.

The food and drinks available were good quality and fairly reasonably priced – I had the Meat Ploughmans and IPA beer (€10 +/- total) on both flights.

I have flown more than 80 times in the past 50 years with various airlines on various propeller and jet powered aircraft, including one helicopter transfer between Gatwick and Heathrow.

Flying was a different experience ‘back in the day’, and nostalgia aside…

British Airways are the best airline I’ve flown with

Any thoughts or questions? Comment below! Cancel reply

Email needed if you'd like comment updates. It will NOT be published.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with.

How to Avoid Paying Airline Seat Fees

See recent posts by Peter Thornton

Sit Anywhere on the Plane for Free

Just as restaurants may ask for an extra fee if you want a special side dish or concert venues may charge more for specific seats rather than general admission, most airlines do charge extra if you want to pick a certain seat. I know this isn’t how it used to be, but Basic Economy is here to stay and this is just simply how the industry has evolved. The good news is that airfares are still historically low and, if you are diligent and don’t need all the frills of yesteryear, you can fly super cheap and sit anywhere (read somewhere) on the plane for free.

Don’t Be Fooled Into Paying to Choose a Seat

Airlines want you to pay extra to choose a seat — even middle seats. This is one reason airlines are able to sell tickets for pennies or across oceans for only a couple hundred dollars. The airlines are making big profits from ancillary fees and do everything possible to keep the actual airfare lower than the competition. As consumers of air travel, we need to be careful to only pay for what we want and not get fooled into paying more than we intend. In my opinion, the seat fee is one of the easiest airline fees to avoid.

It can be confusing when going through the booking steps and you may not even realize an extra seat fee was added by the time you get to the final payment screen. Even if an airline’s website makes it appear that you have to pay extra for a seat, you are never required to choose a specific seat and can always opt to decline seat selection in lieu of a FREE seat assignment during check-in.

Related: Passenger Etiquette: The Basic Rules of the Armrest

Watch for pop-ups and automatic add-ons.

The biggest culprits in trying to force seat selection fees are ultra-low-cost carriers like Allegiant, Frontier, and Spirit. None of the fares sold by these airlines include seat selection, but there are certain bundles you can add on, which would include seat assignments. Some legacy airlines have simply made seat selection unavailable for Basic Economy fares and require that you purchase a standard or Main Cabin Economy ticket in order to choose a seat in advance.

Below, I’ll go over specifics on what to look for during the seat selection step when booking on the larger U.S. carriers. These same tactics can be used for international carriers. Just remember, you are never required to pay an extra seat fee.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Alaska Airlines

Flying Alaska Airlines is one of the easiest ways to avoid a seat fee, because even Alaska’s version of Basic Economy, the “Saver” fare, includes limited free seat assignments at the back of the plane. When choosing seats on the seat map, scroll to the bottom to find seats marked with a “S” for Saver fare seats. Seats shown in a dark blue color are for passengers purchasing a “Main” class fare only so you’ll have to upgrade to that type of fare to choose those seats in advance. If you’re buying a Saver fare and don’t like the choice of seats, simply click on “Skip Seats” and you’ll be assigned seats for free during check-in, which may include seats towards the front of the plane.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Allegiant Airlines

When the seat selection screen appears on Allegiant’s website, it doesn’t even indicate that there are fees associated with choosing a seat. However, if you do click on a certain seat, a pop-up will appear telling you the price and you’ll have to confirm that you agree. To bypass this and avoid paying a fee, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Continue”. You’ll have to do this for both flights if you are booking a roundtrip. Another pop-up will appear warning that you haven’t chosen a seat and asking if it’s ok. Just click “Yes, Continue” and be on your way without caving in to Allegiant’s fear of separation anxiety tactics.

Related: The 10 Best Underseat Carry-On Bags for Basic Economy

How to avoid seat fees on american airlines.

American Airlines does not necessarily try to trick you into paying a seat fee when booking. Its Basic Economy fares do not allow advanced seat selection for domestic or short-haul international flights, and therefore, you simply won’t be shown a seat map when booking a Basic Economy ticket. For transatlantic flights, Basic Economy fares do allow you to choose specific seats during booking for a fee, but prices are clearly displayed on the seat map. To avoid a fee, just click on the small text that reads “skip seats for all flights” and your seats will be assigned for free upon check-in. And if you avoid Basic Economy entirely, you’ll be able to choose seats in advance for any flight when booking a Main Cabin Economy ticket.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Delta

Delta sells Basic Economy tickets in more markets than any other airline. And while some aspects of Delta’s Basic Economy differ depending on the destination, advanced seat assignments are simply not allowed for any Basic Economy ticket on Delta. Of course, Delta doesn’t want to actually sell its Basic Economy fares. Anytime you select a basic fare, you’ll get a pop-up asking if you’d like to move to Main Cabin Economy fare, which includes seat selection. If you don’t want to pay more, just click on the checkbox that you accept restrictions and then click on the small “Continue with Basic Economy” text to avoid the upcharge. Seats will be assigned for free after check-in.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Frontier Airlines

Frontier doesn’t really try to mask the fact that you’ll pay to choose a seat. You’ll see prices listed for each seat directly on the seat map. To avoid a fee, scroll to the bottom and click on the green “Continue” button without choosing a seat. A pop-up will then appear and you’ll have to click on the small print “No Thanks, I’ll take whatever.” link to actually continue.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines now offers a Basic Economy fare. While it’s currently limited to only a few routes between the U.S. mainland and Honolulu, Hawaiian’s “Main Cabin Basic” fare is likely to spread throughout its network eventually. This type of fare does not allow advanced seat assignments but you’ll always be asked to confirm your selection when booking a “Main Cabin Basic” fare. And not just once — a second pop-up appears during the booking process asking “Want to choose your seats?” To avoid the upcharge for a “Main Cabin” ticket, just click “No thanks” and you’ll be able to select seats during check-in.

Related: How to Choose the Best Seat on a Plane

How to avoid seat fees on jetblue.

JetBlue was the latest airline to implement a Basic Economy fare, which it calls " Basic Blue ". This fare requires a fee to choose a specific seat in advance. Be careful, because prices are not listed on the seat map itself. Instead, a price will pop-up when you hover over a seat and are also listed to the left of the seat map. To avoid this fee, simply scroll to the bottom of the seat selection page and look for the text that reads "skip seat selection for now". Click on that link and you'll have the chance to choose a seat from what's still available when you check-in starting 24 hours before departure. If you decide to purchase JetBlue's classic "Blue" fare, advanced seat assignments are included.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Southwest Airlines

Southwest doesn’t assign seats on any of its flights so you won’t ever pay a seat fee, per say, when flying Southwest. However, it does give the option to add EarlyBird automatic check-in for a fee, which would give you an earlier boarding position and a better choice of seat. Alternatively, set an alarm on your phone to check-in exactly 24 hours before your flight and get a decent boarding position for free.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is very clear and upfront that you’ll be paying a fee to choose a seat. There are prices for each seat on its seat map, but you don’t have to click on any of them. Look for the small print text that says “continue without seats” and click that link to avoid any seat fees. Of course, a pop-up will then appear inducing blatant FOMO (Fear Of Middle Overtone). Just click on the smaller “continue without seats” text again and you can continue without adding any cost to your cheap flight.

Related: Finally! Middle Seats Will Soon Be Larger on Some Airlines

How to avoid seat fees on sun country airlines.

Sun Country is also very upfront with its fees on the seat map. All seats will have a price listed, but it isn’t very clear on this page that you don’t actually need to choose a seat. To avoid a fee, just scroll to the bottom of the page (without clicking on a seat) and click the orange “continue” button. A pop-up will appear saying that your seat selection is not complete. Simply click on the white “continue without all seats” button to finish booking without adding any extra fees.

sun-country-airlines-seat-selection-pop-up

How to Avoid Seat Fees on United Airlines

United’s Basic Economy fare is the most restrictive of the U.S. legacy carriers, but it does allow advanced seat assignments — for a fee. Since prices are not listed on the seat map until you hover over or select a seat, it can be pretty easy to whisk through this step and add fees to your booking that you did not wish to add. To avoid any extra fees, just click on the grey “Continue to payment” button without choosing any seats. Free seat assignments will be given after check-in. Of course, if you purchase a standard Economy ticket, you’ll be able to choose standard seats for free during booking.

Related: A New Look at Basic Economy for Transatlantic International Travel

There’s a good chance you can sit together without paying a fee.

happy-couple-seated-on-plane-with-coffee

Choosing to leave seat assignments up to chance is more nerve-racking when you’re traveling with family and friends and want to sit next to each other. While it’s never guaranteed you’ll get seats together, don’t assume that a free seat assignment at check-in will doom you to be separated in middle seats throughout the cabin. Sure, it could happen, but in my experience, and hearing from several others, couples and families are usually still seated together when seats are assigned by the airline for free.

For better odds, I would recommend checking in as early as possible. And if you don’t end up sitting next to your travel companion, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll still get to your destination at the same time and might even enjoy the time to yourself in-flight.

Of course, traveling with small children is a different story and many parents would like to ensure that they will be sitting next to minor children onboard. The Families Flying Together Act calls for any child under the age of 13 to be seated with parents or guardians for no extra charge, but this doesn’t seem to be a concrete law.

To ensure small children are seated next to an adult, the Department of Transportation suggests contacting the airline directly after booking and discussing your situation. Arrive at the airport early and work with the agents to accommodate your family. Airline agents will do everything possible to seat young children next to a family member.

Book Your Ticket at the Airport

The internet has made booking flights extremely convenient and some airlines have decided to charge a fee for that convenience. I recently booked flights on Frontier and Spirit for a friend and I, in person, at the airport in order to save each airline’s hefty online booking fee. To my surprise, we were also assigned seats next to each other for free at the time of booking. I assumed our seats would be randomly assigned at check-in and never asked for specific seats. But, sure enough, we were given adjacent seats on both flights and even got Frontier’s extra legroom seats assigned for free.

This is not a given, but if you are courteous and friendly with the agent when booking a flight at the airport, you may just find yourself getting free seat assignments in advance. I haven’t tried this with any legacy carriers, but since a human agent has the ability to override the system, you’ll probably have a better chance of getting seats assigned next to each other for free when booking at the airport. I wouldn’t assume that this will happen, but if it’s convenient for you to book at the airport, it’s worth a shot.

Related: How to Avoid Online Booking Fees on Airline Tickets

Stay on top of breaking sales, fare drops, and more! Follow us on Twitter at @Airfarewatchdog . And make sure to sign up for FREE airfare alerts to be notified when prices drop.

Featured image: Have a nice day Photo / Shutterstock

Should I Get Travel Insurance?

JetBlue's Big Winter Sale—Ends Tomorrow!

How Not to Embarrass Yourself in the TSA Line

$99 First-Class Ticket Sale on Breeze Airways

6 Travel Predictions for 2022

Get Low Fares & Money Saving Tips

See only the best flight deals we find each day

Congratulations, you have successfully subscribed!

BA Seats Map (British Airways)

British Airways 777 Seat Map

British Airways A380 (A380-800) Seating Chart

Overview of british airways.

Using fleet size and volume of passengers as metrics, British Airways sits comfortably in second place among UK-based carriers after EasyJet. With many comfortable aircraft cabins and a British Airways seat selection that differs depending on the plane and destination, there’s little to complain about when flying with British Airways.

In 1974, the British government established the British Airways Board to oversee the operations of the two nationalized airline corporations, British European Airways and British Overseas Airways Corporation. It also included regional airlines, Northeast Airlines and Cambrian Airways. The merging of these companies on 31st March 1974 brought about British Airways.

The creation of the International Airlines Group (IAG) — a holding company headquartered in Madrid, Spain — came through the merger between British Airways and Iberia in January 2011. Going by the group’s revenue, it is the largest airline group worldwide.

Until 2008, British Airways carried the most passengers of any airline in the world. This achievement is because the airline has the largest fleet, the most international flights, and the most international destinations of any airline based in the United Kingdom. On the British Airways Premium Economy seat and other seat options, passengers are assured of a comfortable flight experience.

British Airways Seating Assignment Options

Below are the short-haul seat options at British Airways.

Economy class

The Economy Class of British Airways is known as Euro Traveller. This cabin is available for all short-haul flights within the UK and Europe.

Typically, Airbus A320s are used for flights departing from Heathrow and Gatwick airports. According to the British Airways seat map, the seat pitch of the Economy cabin depends on the type of plane and the location of the seat. The pitch angle can range anywhere from 29 inches to 34 inches.

You can purchase Tom Kerridge-made meals through the in-flight buy-on-board service available on all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick.

Business class

There is the Club Europe Business Class seating for people flying long distances. You can enjoy free meals and use of business lounges at most airports if you fly in the British Airways business class seating.

As is customary with Airbus aircraft, the middle seat is always empty. On remodeled airplanes, the middle seats in this cabin fold out to reveal a cocktail table. On flights that last a few hours or more, passengers on the British Airways Business Class seats are offered comfort items like pillows and blankets.

Mid-haul and long haul

The following are the British Airways seats available for its mid-haul and long-haul flights.

First class

First Class British Airways seats are on some Boeing 777-200ERs and all Airbus A380s, Boeing 787-9/10s, and Boeing 777-300ERs. Depending on the plane model, there could be as many as fourteen separate bedrooms.

On board the cabin, there are beds of 6 feet by 6 feet and 15 inches television sets. The bed and television sets ensure that passengers are comfortable while enjoying their favorite program.

You can find the exclusive British Airways «Galleries First» lounges in some airports. Pre-flight meals with waiter service and more private space are available in the elite «Concorde Room» lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York JFK airports.

The Club World British Airways seating is available on all B777 and B787 Boeing aircraft, Airbus A380s, and some A321s Airbus. This cabin is the Business Class compartment of the mid-haul and long-haul of British Airways and has bigger seats with more legroom.

Seats in the center and by the windows in the Club World cabins of wide-body aircraft face backward, unlike the Business Class seats British Airways offers on short-distance flights. Along with Etihad Airlines, American Airlines, Qatar Airlines, and United United Airlines, British Airways is one of the five carriers facing backward; these seats are in the Club World cabin. The seats in this cabin can be folded completely flat, making for a comfortable bed.

World Traveller Plus

All British Airways long-haul planes feature the premium economy class section, World Traveller Plus. This long-haul and mid-haul Premium Economy seats British Airways has more spacious and comfortable seats due to its more spacious legroom, larger in-flight entertainment screens on most aircraft, a footrest, and power outlets. In addition to the improved main dish in the British Airways premium Economy seats, guests can enjoy a free «World Traveller» bar.

World Traveller

Economy class on long- and medium-haul flights is known as World Traveller. Entertainment systems and free snacks, beverages, bedding, and pillows are available for each passenger. All A321, A350, A380, B777, and B787 planes feature in-seat video-on-demand systems.

Every row of the Airbus A350, A380, Boeing 787-9, B777-300ER, and remodeled B777-200ER, features AC and USB power outlets. The power outlets on the cabin are compatible with US and UK plugs.

How to Select a Seat on the Seat Map British Airways

You can choose the most suitable Economy Class, Business Class, or Premium Economy British Airways seat when you book your flight or afterward through the Airways’ Manage My Booking portal. Depending on the situation, you may have to pay to select your seats or do so for free. The steps are outlined below:

The Airline offers assistance to ensure your seat with your family if you don’t reserve seats on time, but at that point, nothing is guaranteed. It is best to ensure that your entire family sits together and gets the best seat selection. However, picking the most suitable seats in advance increases your chances of that happening.

When traveling with fragile or expensive items like paintings, artifacts, or musical instruments, you can purchase an additional ticket to guarantee that the seat next to you is unoccupied. Also, you can buy the seat next to you if you want extra comfort.

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

British Airways vs. American Airlines: The Best Carrier for Your Next Trip

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

British Airways and American Airlines are two of the largest airlines in the world — and that dominance is pronounced on flights between the United States and Europe. But which airline should you consider for your next flight across the Atlantic? Let's look at British Airways versus American Airlines to see which airline you should choose.

Where they’re based and where they fly

Winner: american airlines.

For U.S.-based travelers, American is the clear choice when comparing route maps. While British Airways can be an excellent option if you're flying to London from one of the many cities that British Airways serves, American Airlines provides a broad reach throughout the U.S. and flies directly to plenty of international destinations.

British Airways

London-based British Airways currently flies to over 200 destinations across the globe. There's just one catch: when flying internationally, you'll usually need to connect in London to get where you want to go.

British Airways currently serves 26 airports across the U.S. — ranging from Atlanta to Washington D.C. But, you'll need to start at one of these airports to fly solely on British Airways. If you don't live in one of these cities, you can likely connect to a British Airways flight on American Airlines. But that will add yet another stop on the way to your destination.

American Airlines

American Airlines currently serves around 350 destinations in 50 countries. Although American is based in Dallas-Fort Worth, American hubs stretch across the U.S.:

American Airlines only flies directly to London from 11 U.S. airports, lagging behind British Airways. However, American serves a total of 14 European destinations nonstop. That means you can potentially eliminate the need to connect to get where you want to go. Even if you need to connect, domestic U.S. connections on American are easier than transiting through London.

Travel credit card availability

Not surprisingly, U.S.-based American Airlines wins this category. British Airways offers just one credit card option. Meanwhile, American Airlines offers a wide range of personal and small business cards — several of which make NerdWallet's list of the top airline credit cards on the market.

Americans only have access to one British Airways credit card, but at least it's a good one. The British Airways Visa Signature® Card offers a 10% discount on British Airways flights originating in the U.S. when booked through the website provided in the welcome materials, statement credits for reward flights and the ability to spend toward a Travel Together Ticket.

Best of all is the sign-up bonus for eligible new British Airways Visa Signature® Card holders: Earn up to 100,000 Avios. Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening and earn an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months of account opening.

Travelers have a plethora of American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards from which to choose. These range from a no annual fee card to a $450 annual fee card that includes an Admirals Club lounge membership. Here are some of the credit card options, along with their annual fees and sign-up bonus offers:

American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card ( $0 annual fee). Earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles and receive a $50 statement credit after making $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® ( $0 intro for the first year, then $99 ). Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after you spend $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening .

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ( $450 annual fee). Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® ( $0 intro for the first year, then $99 ). Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.

AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® ( $99 annual fee). Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Airline loyalty programs

Although the British Airways Executive Club has some niche sweet spots, the American Airlines AAdvantage program is superior in several ways.

First, American continues to publish an award chart while British Airways hid its award chart years ago. The AAdvantage award chart prices flights by region, while British Airways award pricing is a sum of the Avios needed for each flight segment. Perhaps most importantly, American Airlines AAdvantage miles are much more valuable than British Airways Avios, according to NerdWallet analysis.

British Airways Executive Club awards Avios — its mileage currency — based on the distance of the flight and the cabin in which you booked. Under this system, your earnings are the same no matter how much you paid for the flight. That’s a score for fans of cheap flights.

NerdWallet estimates British Airways Avios to be worth just 0.8 cent per Avios in economy and 1.9 cents per Avios in business class. That puts British Airways on the lower end of the spectrum compared to the other airline loyalty programs that we tested.

However, taking advantage of Executive Club sweet spots can potentially get a much higher value. British Airways' sweet spots include:

Flying to the Caribbean for as few as 7,500 Avios each way .

Booking nonstop domestic flights on American Airlines .

Flying to Hawaii for as few as 26,000 Avios round trip .

Upgrading with Avios .

British Airways Oneworld multi-carrier awards .

American Airlines utilizes a revenue-based loyalty program. Members earn 5 miles per dollar spent on tickets (before taxes and fees), with AAdvantage elite members earning a bonus on top of that. However, flying is far from the only way to earn AAdvantage miles. We've found a whopping 34 ways to earn AAdvantage miles .

American’s award chart is filled with plenty of value, both on American Airlines and its long list of Oneworld alliance and non-alliance partners .

NerdWallet's analysis found that American Airlines AAdvantage miles are worth 1.5 cents per mile for economy redemptions. These figures put the value of American miles in the above average camp compared to of all airlines that we analyzed (which sat at 1.3 cents). It also represents a significant premium over the value of British Airways Avios.

» Learn more: Travel loyalty program reviews

British Airways add-on fees can quickly increase your travel costs. Even on standard economy fares, you'll need to pay to choose a seat up until 24 hours before departure. In addition, British Airways is the only airline in the Oneworld alliance that doesn't honor Oneworld elite checked baggage allowance on all tickets. And British Airways is only waiving change fees through September 2022.

Comparatively, American Airlines' policies seem downright generous.

Checked bag fees: To find your checked bag allowance and fees, you need to use British Airways' baggage allowance calculator . Transatlantic fares generally include a free checked bag — except on basic economy fares where you'll need to pay up to $75. Even Oneworld top-tier elites don't get a complimentary checked bag on basic economy fares.

Seat assignment fees: British Airways frustratingly charges passengers for selecting a seat up until 24 hours before departure. The only exceptions are for passengers with elite status, who booked flexible fares or who booked first class.

Change fees: British Airways is waiving change fees for flights through Sept. 30, 2022, through its flexible booking policy. So you can change your dates or routes as many times as needed and only pay the fare difference.

Checked bag fees: American publishes a chart of checked bag fees by region. You'll pay $30 for the first checked bag on domestic flights. The first checked bag is free on standard economy fares for flights across the Atlantic, but you'll have to pay $75 if you’re flying basic economy.

Seat assignment fees: American Airlines passengers can select a standard seat for no charge, except when booking basic economy fares . If you want to sit together, basic economy passengers can choose a seat at booking for a fee. This fee is waived for elite members.

Change fees: When originating in North or South America, American Airlines flights are freely changeable for all domestic and short-haul international flights and particular long-haul international flights, as long as you don't book basic economy fares.

» Learn more: How to avoid common airline fees

In-flight experience

Winner: british airways.

American swept every category so far. But, if you're solely focused on the in-flight experience, British Airways is the clear winner. From friendly and professional staff to free booze in economy, you may enjoy your flight more when flying on British Airways.

On its long-haul international fleet, British Airways has taken strides over the past few years to install new economy, premium economy and business class seats — each with larger in-flight entertainment screens and better onboard amenities. Even in economy, British Airways serves excellent food and an extensive menu of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. So yes, you can even get a gin and tonic in economy.

With that said, British Airways operates an entirely different model for intra-Europe flights. As British Airways competes with low-cost carriers on these routes, legroom is tight, and amenities are non-existent, while free drinks are limited to water.

American Airlines also invested in its "hard product" — installing new premium economy seats and excellent lie-flat seats in Flagship First and Flagship Business . However, that's where the investment stalled. As a result, American still struggles to provide consistently good onboard service and quality meals.

The bottom line

In the competition between British Airways versus American Airlines, there’s a clear winner: American Airlines. American Airlines provides a much more extensive route for U.S.-based flyers, additional credit card options, more valuable miles and lower fees. The only bright spot for British Airways is its superior in-flight experience — but only on long-haul flights.

The information related to CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Choosing seats- American Airlines flight operated by British - Air Travel Forum

Choosing seats- American Airlines flight operated by British

When booking, it says to contact British Airways for a seat assignment. Does anyone know if they will honor the terms with AA? The type of fare we're booking includes seats. Since it's being operated under a different airlines do we no longer get seat choices?

However I'd also price the flight on BA's website; it will probably be the same price (or maybe even cheaper) and you won't have to go through the rigmarole of getting the BA locator; you'll have it right from the outset.

It's more expensive through BA, at least $100 more per person.

“It's more expensive through BA, at least $100 more per person.“

BA does not charge for seat choice in Business (Club world)

Post 8 - yes it does.

“BA does not charge for seat choice in Business (Club world)”

If you have the appropriate BA or Oneworld status then this may be true, also for flexible bookings.

Seats in any cabin can also be selected free of charge from between 24-48 hours before departure depending on ticket type and destination. Excludes economy basic fares.

If I don't want to pay to choose my seats what makes you think I am going to pay for business class? haha! But thank you for the suggestion.

I didn't mean for that to sound snarky! I was just teasing.

Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

British Airways seating guide

To help you pick the best seat on your next British Airways flight we have commissioned exclusive seat maps for BA’s long haul fleet.

Each article looks at the best seats on each aircraft across all cabins – First, Club World (business class), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy).

Note that you may have to pay for seat selection. This article looks at who can gets free seat selection on British Airways .

You can choose your seats in ‘Manage My Booking’ on the BA website here .

What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-9?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 787-9 aircraft. It is part of a new series of Head for Points British Airways seat guides. We have been working through .....

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 787-9 aircraft. It is part of a new .....

16 Aug 2020 16 August 2020 by Rhys Jones

What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-8?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 787-8 aircraft. This is part of a new series of Head for Points British Airways seat guides. We will run a new .....

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 787-8 aircraft. This is part of a new .....

23 Jul 2020 23 July 2020 by Rhys Jones

What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 747?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 747 aircraft. This is part of a series of Head for Points British Airways seat guides. Unfortunately, you will no longer be .....

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways Boeing 747 aircraft. This is part of a .....

12 Jul 2020 12 July 2020 by Rhys Jones

What are the best seats on a British Airways A380?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways A380 aircraft. British Airways has 12 Airbus A380 aircraft. The superjumbo is the largest aircraft in BA’s fleet and the largest .....

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways A380 aircraft. British Airways has 12 Airbus .....

1 Jul 2020 1 July 2020 by Rhys Jones

What are the best seats on a British Airways A350?

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways A350-1000. Today, we are launching a new series of Head for Points British Airways seat guides. These use exclusive seat plans .....

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways A350-1000. Today, we are launching a new .....

28 Jun 2020 28 June 2020 by Rhys Jones

New to Head for Points?

Welcome! We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums .

Win 1 million Avios when you apply for a Barclaycard Avios credit card by 2nd April. Exclusive to HfP readers.

Latest Forum Posts

Get 30,000 points with American Express Platinum

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

GET £10 CASHBACK WHEN YOU SPEND £150 ON CURRENSEA

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details .

SME? Earn points worth 10,500 Avios with Capital On Tap

10,000 Avios with Capital on Tap Mastercard

Get 20,000 bonus points and your first year free with American Express Gold

Sign up for our daily or weekly emails

Get the latest news and offers in your inbox.

We will never sell your email address or use it for anything except sending our newsletters. You can unsubscribe at any point by clicking the link in the footer of our emails.

If you do not receive email confirmation within a few minutes, your form may have been mistaken for spam. Please email hello [at] headforpoints.com and we will add you manually.

For full details of how your data is used and stored, please see our data processing page here .

Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here .

Main content

I flew roundtrip to Europe on 4 flights in basic economy for under $300 and beat the most limiting fare at its own game just by asking

Just when we thought that flying in economy couldn't get any worse, airlines gave us basic economy.

Basic economy is not its own physical subsection of the economy cabin, but rather its own fare class that greatly restricts what you can do with the ticket and the amenities you receive. Once onboard the aircraft, there's really no difference between a basic economy and regular economy flyers, though the buildup is usually the most stressful.

Often, for no good reason.

After finding a flight to Copenhagen from New York over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend for $284, I immediately went to book what I thought was a killer deal. The flight times were great, the airlines were well-known full-service carriers, and I didn't see any negatives — at first.

When I got the booking page, however, alarms went off and I was immediately given the warning that this wasn't a normal ticket. It was a basic economy fare and I am essentially the worst person in the world if I book it.

Ok — that last part didn't actually happen. But it did feel like I was being hit with scare tactics to get me to pay over $100 more for a regular economy fare that I didn't really need.

Despite flying on four flights in basic economy, I managed not only to survive but thrive against all odds.

Here's how I did it.

My basic economy journey started when I went to go book my flights to Copenhagen and was hit with this warning from American Airlines, almost as if saying "enter at your own risk."

I wouldn't be able to check a bag…

Choose my seat in advance...

Or change my flight for any reason.

I'd also be condemned to the last boarding group on every single flight.

All these factors would definitely affect my travel experience but I figured that the absolute worst thing that could happen was getting a middle seat on a few flights and I could deal with that. So I booked it.

And away I went to Copenhagen for the weekend.

My journey would involve four flights, flying from New York to Copenhagen via Helsinki on Finnair and back home to New York via London on British Airways.

My first step was to conquer the overnight flight from New York to Helsinki as it would be the most stressful of the journey.

The first flight of an international journey sets the stage for the entire trip and I needed a good seat to ensure I'd get some rest on the flight as I had a long day of sightseeing ahead.

With my basic economy fare, my seat would be assigned at check-in.

So I set an alarm to remind me when to check in online so I could have first pick at the seat map.

The plan worked and I got a window seat in the middle of the plane. Off to a good start!

Then, when it came time to pack, I only packed the essentials so I'd meet Finnair's carry-on bag limit. I also wore my heavy coat instead of packing it to keep the weight down.

When I got to the airport, I could've breezed right to the gate with my mobile boarding pass with a primo seat assignment in hand.

But then I remembered the old adage: "If you don't ask, you don't get." So I went to the counter to try and double my luck to get a seat with nobody next to me so I could stretch out.

To my surprise, not only did the check-in agent move to a semi-empty row, but also offered to block the seat next to me. At this point, I was ahead of the game and feeling good about the flight.

I was also offered the opportunity to check my bag for free, which was also expressly prohibited in the basic economy rules. All because I asked for a better seat.

That was flight number one conquered.

My next flight was from Helsinki to Copenhagen, a flight quick enough that I wouldn't have cared much where I sat but I still tried to get the best seat. When I checked in for my first flight, I was assigned an aisle seat in the back for the second leg, which was fine by me.

However, it didn't stop me checking one last time before boarding if any seats opened up closer at the check-in kiosk at Helsinki Airport.

Lo and behold, an entire row in the front of the plane had opened and I was able to move there no problem via the machine.

The seat was in row four, meaning I'd be off the plane in no time once we landed and have first dibs on snacks and drinks. Not too shabby for basic economy.

Flight two was complete.

After a whirlwind weekend in Copenhagen, it was time to run through the fire again for what would be a near 12-hour journey home via London on British Airways.

When I checked in, I was assigned aisle seats on both flights, which I couldn't change without paying a fee. I considered it a win.

At this point, I could relax knowing I wouldn't have to spend 8 hours in darkness in a middle seat while flying on an iconic aircraft such as the 747. That didn't mean I still wasn't going to try for better.

When I got to the gate at Copenhagen Airport, I asked the agent if any window seats were open.

To my surprise, the agent offered me an exit row window seat with the middle seat open. I was now 3-0 in this basic economy racket.

The seat had extra legroom and gave me room to stretch out. It was a great flight to London but now, it was time for the last flight of the trip.

It was time to fly from London to New York on British Airways' Boeing 747, one of the airline's busiest routes on one of its most iconic aircraft.

I was assigned one of the last rows and near the toilets, but the flight was near sold out, so I knew my odds wouldn't be that good of getting anything better. That didn't stop me asking, though, so I brought my ticket to the gate and kindly asked: "Are there any closer seats available?"

The next thing I knew, I had a window seat in the third row of economy. Winner winner, chicken dinner.

I boarded the plane with a smile. After only paying $280, I had gotten some of the best seats on all the aircraft I flew on, defeating basic economy at its own game by simply asking questions.

While going 4-0 was a great achievement, the final seat upgrade also proved instrumental as it allowed me to get off of the plane in time to catch the early train home, saving me 30 minutes in travel.

I learned that even though airlines will try to scare you into paying more for a basic economy fare, all it takes is pre-planning, diligence, and asking simple questions to help beat the system.

I flew two airlines, each with their own style of basic economy, and was able to get more than I could've hoped for simply by checking in exactly 24 hours in advance and asking airport staff if there was anything better available.

I also learned that humans want to help other humans, regardless of what ticket they hold, and your best bet is to always ask.

Get the latest Boeing stock price here.

IMAGES

What are the best seats on a British Airways Boeing 787-8?
Should You Pay For Seat Assignment on British Airways?
Important: Check Your British Airways Seat Assignments
British Airways Economy SEA-LHR
8 Photos British Airways Premium Economy Seat Assignment And Review
British Airways Quietly Changes How It Charges For Business Class Seat Selection

VIDEO

Leaf spring seat post
WIN 20230108 11 38 15 Pro

COMMENTS

Choosing your seat
British Airways has the sole discretion to determine whether you meet the requirements to sit in an exit row seat. If you do not meet the requirements, you will be assigned an alternative seat. The additional amount paid for an exit row seat will be forfeited and will not be refunded.
Seating
Get an idea of each plane's seating layout for each travel class and aircraft type before you choose your seat. Seat maps Changes and refunds All you need to know about changing your seat and when you can claim a refund for a seat you paid for. Seating changes and refunds Comfort aids and devices
Choosing your seat
Twin seats are available on selected longer international flights in World Traveller starting from £30/€36/$45 per seat. Standard seats on our UK Domestic and European flights in Euro Traveller start from £7/€8/$11, and longer international flights in World Traveller from £20/€24/$30.
Should You Pay For Seat Assignment on British Airways?
But British Airways is unique in that it charges for seat assignment on all flights, on all aircraft in most classes. That's right, even on £4,000+ business class seats to the likes of Singapore and Sydney. The airline is fairly unique in taking this approach, and it is irritating to many passengers.
Does British Airways charge for seat selection?
Word Traveller (economy long haul) - standard £20, twin seats £30, exit row £50 World Traveller Plus (premium economy long haul) - £18, exit row £50 Club Europe (business class short haul) - £14 Club World (business class long haul) - £62 First - seat selection is always free at time of booking In reality, these prices are "available from" prices.
SeatGuru Seat Map British Airways
For your next British Airways flight, use this seating chart to get the most comfortable seats, legroom, and recline on . SeatGuru Seat Map British Airways Seat Maps Airlines Cheap Flights Comparison Charts Short-haul Economy Class Short-haul First/Business Class Long-haul Economy Class Premium Economy Class Long-haul Business Class
British Airways' Seating Policy Explained
The most likely reason is a change of aircraft or a known issue with your seat that cannot be fixed before departure. From experience, BA will proactively notify you by e-mail of a seat change more than 48 hours before departure. If your seat is changed less than 48 hours before departure by the airport, you won't be proactively notified.
British Airways. Free seat selection? Is it BS?
The seat availability and assignment on BA is fairly complex as they use Theoretical Seating which is supposed to make it easier for high status passengers to get the best seats. How it works in practice isn't always entirely clear (although if you're really interested there's a long thread on the Flyertalk forum discussing it).
The Guide to British Airways Fees
BA seat selection Unless you booked a basic economy, you can choose your seat for free when you check in for your flight. If you want to select your seats sooner, you'll have to pay a fee...
Why It Makes Sense For British Airways To Charge For Seat Assignments
The cost to assign seats in British Airways business class in advance is as follows: Seats in European short-haul Club Europe cabin start from £20/€24/$30 On longer international flights, seats in Club World cabin start from £55/€66/$83 As you can see, those are starting prices.
British Airways Review: Seats, Amenities, Service [& More]
Standard Seats: starting at $27. Exit Row Seats: starting at $75. Club Europe and Club World: Club Europe: starting at $21. Club World: starting at $93. Unaccompanied Minor: Accompanied service was discontinued, so adult fare would be charged for minors, 14 years-of-age or over, who will be traveling alone.
How to Avoid Seat Selection Fees (2021)
To avoid a fee, just scroll to the bottom of the page (without clicking on a seat) and click the orange "continue" button. A pop-up will appear saying that your seat selection is not complete. Simply click on the white "continue without all seats" button to finish booking without adding any extra fees.
British Airways Seat Selection Guide
Using fleet size and volume of passengers as metrics, British Airways sits comfortably in second place among UK-based carriers after EasyJet. With many comfortable aircraft cabins and a British Airways seat selection that differs depending on the plane and destination, there's little to complain about when flying with British Airways.
British Airways and Seating Assignments
86 reviews. 209 helpful votes. 1. Re: British Airways and Seating Assignments. 11 years ago. Save. You can pay for early seat selection on BA - do a search on this forum, there are many threads already discussing this. If you, you can select seats 24 hours before the flight. Report inappropriate content.
British Airways vs. American Airlines
Seat assignment fees: British Airways frustratingly charges passengers for selecting a seat up until 24 hours before departure. The only exceptions are for passengers with elite status, who booked ...
Choosing seats- American Airlines flight operated by British
If you book through AA, you will need to get the BA record locator from AA (it might be on the e-ticket confirmation or you might need to phone AA) and then go to BA's website and use the "manage my booking" function there. That will give you the option to pay for reserved seats.
What is best seat on each British Airways plane?
Each article looks at the best seats on each aircraft across all cabins - First, Club World (business class), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy). Note that you may have to pay for seat selection. This article looks at who can gets free seat selection on British Airways. You can choose your seats in 'Manage ...
I Beat Basic Economy at Its Own Game on British Airways, Finnair
A window seat on a British Airways Boeing 747. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider I learned that even though airlines will try to scare you into paying more for a basic economy fare, all it takes is ...