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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed with British Airways and think they are really taking the puss now?

27 replies

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 15:43

I am flying for work tomorrow, the client has booked and paid for the flights.

When I went to check in online today I was shocked to see you now have to pay to change the seat they have allocated, £18 per flight!

I thought this only happened on budget airlines, so you can either have a basic experience or pay for add ons, thus keeping the cost down. But BA is not a budget airline, so I don't understand this. The software to change the seat on the website is the same as it was when it was free to change seats. The flights are no cheaper.

I assume I will have to pay the same on the return leg as well. So that's 36 quid I will have to pay out, when I don't particularly even want to go, it's just a work thing which I have to do.

I was allocated a middle seat- I hate flying, especially alone, and feel much less claustrophobic in a window seat.

AIBU to think they are really taking the piss now?

I always feel that I am out of pocket when I travel for work anyway. You have no option but to pay for water, coffee etc because you can't take your own from home. In an expensive country you can end up spending £10 at the airport with no choice in the matter. Unless you go thirsty. It really gets my goat.

OP posts:

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 15:45

Ha ha, taking the puss! Taking the piss, obviously. Autocorrect really hates swearing.

Do fuck off autocorrect.

OP posts:

Floflomo · 26/10/2015 15:45

Ba have been operating like a budget airline for short flights for over a decade. Yabu.

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 15:48

I have never had to pay to change my seat before, unless paying for extra legroom. Only 2 month's ago when I checked in at Heathrow I asked for a window seat and they didn't charge me.

OP posts:

tedhis · 26/10/2015 15:48

They changed it in the summer. If you are on a hand baggage only fare you have to pay to change seats on domestic.

Bullshitbingo · 26/10/2015 15:49

Are you sure? I recently travelled monarch and they had a similar system for online checkin up to 24 hrs before the flight. If you check in online less than 24 hrs beforehand, they just allocate you a seat for free.

Bullshitbingo · 26/10/2015 15:50

Sorry just realised it's the seat allocation that's a problem. Fingers crossed its a quiet flight or you can swap with someone in flight

TinyTear · 26/10/2015 15:51

I claim for airport water when I fly for business

TheFlis12345 · 26/10/2015 15:51

Why don't your company reimburse your food and drink expenses?

Leelu6 · 26/10/2015 15:52

The client must have paid for budget BA flights (i.e. non-refundable, no hold-luggage, no seat changes).

You can take an empty water bottle with you and ask one of the restaurants in duty free to fill it up for you with tap water.

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 15:55

It's not a domestic flight, this must be for all shorthaul then I reckon.

I am going to invoice the client. I have just spent the best part of an hour getting my liquids ready, decanting things into little pots. Fuck 'em they should pay, not me!

OP posts:

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 15:59

They reimburse dinner up to a certain - lowish I think- rate. If I eat less at dinner I can claim water. I am self employed, so they can do what they like to us! I can set it against tax, so in effect the water is 20% cheaper.

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Sansoora · 26/10/2015 16:10

Why cant you say to your clients that I will only accept travel arrangements that include x y and z.?

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 16:19

Well, that is a can of worms. Mainly because I am self employed. If you piss them off, they use someone else. If they don't like you, they remove you from the team. If you get a reputation for being 'difficult' they just take the easy way out and get rid of you.

Years ago, I did stand up to a client, over travel arrangements and work life balance- I had not had an hour to myself in 5 days/evenings of working, travelling,shmoozing. I wanted to go to the gym and was told I couldn't go. When I pushed back I was told that ' work life balance doesn't apply to you'. I didn't go to the gym, but I was never employed by him again!

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LIZS · 26/10/2015 16:20

It is free within 24 hours of the departure time.

AliceTerrapin · 26/10/2015 17:12

Some job making you fly economy. Why would you fly for work if you don't get a decent seat out of it?

Sansoora · 26/10/2015 17:15

That sounds really hard Hoolio and I wish better things for you soon.

AliceTerrapin · 26/10/2015 17:16

Why not just pay a bit to upgrade? If the plane has premium economy it isn't a lot. And if you go club they don't bother about liquids in the security bit.

Pennybun4 · 26/10/2015 17:20

Well i am flying BA tomorrow and had no problem changing my seat for free. Never do, claim it back against tax at the end of the year

Penfold007 · 26/10/2015 17:30

I frequently fly BA and can change my seats for free 24 hours before departure. They send me an email to remind me.

FoodPorn · 26/10/2015 17:41

YANBU. They've pissed me off horribly over the changes to Avios a little while ago. It gets worse and worse.

AdjustableWench · 26/10/2015 17:45

I flew with BA a couple of weeks ago and I was able to change my seat with no charge 24 hours before the flight. You'd have to gamble on the seat you want being available though.

putcustardonit · 26/10/2015 17:57

I always change my seat 23 hrs & 55 minutes before the flight, often get a leg room seat if I'm lucky.
They've pissed me off over Avios too Food

rookiemere · 26/10/2015 18:10

YANBU to be annoyed that BA are charging so much to change a seat - £18 each way is outrageous and way more than the budget airlines charge generally for seat choice.

However YABU to bill it back to the client as I think it will backfire on you. I work for a large financial organisation and expenses are very closely monitored - we have to take the cheapest routing these days and we're meant to park at the long stay car park, even if our trips for a day and we're already up at ridiculous o'clock for the journey and parking in long stay adds an additional half hour to that.

They even refused to pay for mobile internet when I was on a train journey the other week - for £8 they'd have had an additional 6 hours work out of me - instead I read my book

I'd be laughed out of the office if I tried to charge for a seat change. You've got a seat on the plane. I agree middle seats suck, but I wouldn't see it as a chargeable client expense to change that. I'd either pay for it yourself or hope that you get lucky and manage to change at the airport.

fearandloathinginambridge · 26/10/2015 18:31

What do you do for a living that you can't get to the gym for an hour and your client tells you that work life balance doesn't apply to you? I'd look for another job and tell them to fuck off

Original poster

hooliodancer · 26/10/2015 18:38

I do a very niche job as a sort of contractor- don't want to be too specific. He wanted me to have early dinner with HIS client, so the person who paid him. He is also an utter cunt, but that's by the by. My little argument with him lost me a lot of work/money potentially.

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