BA’s pick-and-pay seats
LONDON – British Airways will allow customers to choose their seats more than 24 hours in advance – but there’s a catch.
The airline will charge a fee for a service.
Those who choose their seats in the 24 hours before their flight will not be charged but they will have to take what seats are left.
The new BA option is the latest example of legacy carriers pinching revenue-raising initiatives from low-cost carriers like Ryanair.
BA will charge economy travelers GBP10 each for selecting their preferred seats up to 24 hours before departure on domestic flights or flights within Europe.
Travellers flying short-haul business within Europe or long-haul economy trips will be charged GBP20 each, and those traveling long-haul business will be charged GBP60.
Seats in the emergency exit rows will cost GBP50 and can be selected only from 10 days to four days before departure.
BA is the first major European airline to offer the extra-cost service to all passengers and the first worldwide for business customers.
BA continues to allow frequent flyers with top-tier gold and silver membership to select seats at the time of booking for free, but silver cardholders will be charged for emergency exit rows.
German rival Lufthansa AG said it doesn’t charge passengers for advanced seat selections and has no plans to introduce that option.
Other revenue-raising moves by BA include reducing its free baggage allowance from October 7 and seeking advertisers for its web site and boarding passes.
Ian Jarrett
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