I'm so angry at BA after our long-haul flight with a 5 month old - anyone else?

[townsender]

I've just had the worst flight experience on a long haul return flight with BA, the first with our 5 month old baby.
In both directions, we got moved at checkin from the bulkhead bassinet seats which we had reserved months in advance. On the way out, we both got moved to normal seat positions, and on the way back then my husband got moved, leaving me with the baby and bassinet sitting next to a stranger (and I am still breastfeeding - not fun with limited elbow room). Both times it was people who had paid for extra legroom who got our seats, not other people with infants.
I have complained to BA and asked for an explanation, but just got a load of generic waffle back from their customer service center.
Has anyone else had this experience, or was I just very unlucky to get it twice in a row? I don't think it is BA's official policy to prioritize customers who pay extra for legroom over customers with infants, but in my experience this seems to be the case.

Thanks everyone for your responses.
To be clear, as some folks have said, I did not pay in advance to reserve the seats, as we were traveling with an infant so you are allowed to reserve for free. If I had known it was remotely likely that we could lose our seats to someone who paid, then I would have paid the extra to get the seats. But BA do not give you the option to pay if you have an infant - a 'computer says no' moment.

As an aside, I'd read the bit about the actual carrycot not being guaranteed, and they had nearly run out of those too on the flight back (I got the last one).

I will keep making a fuss. I just want an explanation from someone who can be bothered to actually take my complaint seriously.

And the people who ended up in our seats were not disabled. Totally different situation if they were, I agree.

KLM next time then!

Sorry Op. KLM was the airline we flew with when the kids were little due to where we used to live. I thought they were quite poor in dealing with families and I often experience the same problems you've had with BA. I'd often see single men sitting in the bulkhead seats we failed to get. I assumed they were frequent flyers.

I don't think that wording is remotely unclear.
The OP reserved seats, as she was invited to do, in flying with a baby.

BA need to make it clear if the consider this reservation not a reservation in some way!

I had a bad experience with BA flying back from Florida with DS 7 months. Tricky as just me and baby. I was premium economy with a bassinet seat but air hostess was v unhelpful and did not fetch the bouncer seat when I asked for help left me standing there for 20 mins. I had ds in an ergo carrier to bounce him off to sleep but was not allowed to leave him in it once seat belt signs were on even though I was strapped in. Ds had to be awoken to scream and have a seat belt placed around his waist where it slipped off every time he wriggled. Worst than useless. The baby carrier had him well restrained. I was told it was company policy. It was very difficult to breastfeed as ds as the hard armrests were very uncomfortable and he could not get comfortable lying across me. It would help if they had a breast feeding cushion available for long flights. The bouncer chair they supplied was useless. Even though I fed ds to sleep and placed him in it asleep he woke every time I had to strap him in it which was compulsory at all times. Not a good system

I think that's really shoddy of BA
We fly with them a lot and choose the seats when we book the ticket.
But the bulkhead seats are always blocked out for parents with infants and they only release them 24 before the flight.
So if you reserved those seats, regardless of any payment, then BA should honour them and not sell them off at the last minute at a premium.

Sorry but I always thought it was perfectly clear. the airline will try to accommodate your preference for the bulk head seat but they don't guarantee it. you can request it.

I think you are being a bit unreasonable to expect both of you to be given the seat as that is a bit pfb but I do think that they should have told you that if you definitely wanted it then you needed to pay.

we always pay for the legroom when we can and if I had paid more for this seat than you had, then sorry I wouldn't be moving.

you are going to find all airlines are the same. they cannot promise everyone with a baby flying with them has a bulk head seat for them, their partner (plus any other children) and the baby.

unless you are flying again soon you will find that even by around 1 they are too big for the bassinet. then you are going to find that when they say they will sit parents with children they don't mean both parents with children just one.

if they can charge more for something then they will.

playitagainsally the bulkheads are not always booked out for parents. my DM is disabled and it is for people with special requirements not just people with babies.

As I said, fair enough if you are moved to accomodate someone who is disabled. It's another thing to have been allocated the seats ahead of time for them to subsequently be reallocated to someone who is a frequent flyer or paying extra. Those bulkhead seats are for those with mobility issues because you are close to the emergency door. A baby is unable to walk, therefore has a mobility issue and should be in the bulkhead row or row behind if too many people.

I think you meed to keep complaining. If you were not given the option of paying extra and you are able to reserve those seats then they should not be available to anyone else to pay for over you, its a first come first serve system and therefore if you reserved before someone else paid for the legroom then they shouldnt have been able to pay for extra legroom. Simple. They're your seats.

Ps. Its not pfb to expect to sit next to your partner on a longhaul flight. You need all the help you can get and your partner is the best option!

Move2WY I cant see how the OP wasn't given the option to pay for the seats? so if you have twins aged 3, a partner, you and a baby do you think all of them should be given the bulk head seats free of charge?

what you do is one of you sits in the bulk head with the bassinet, the other in the seat behind and you swop.

It is first come first served for those that pay. then those that don't want to pay are given a priority. having a small baby isn't the same as having a disability is it?

I accept its tricky on a flight with a LO but have never heard of an airline that guarantees both parents, their children and the baby a bulk head seat. you couldn't otherwise you would have to limit the number of babies on a flight.

Actually the small baby is disabled in that they can't walk, feed themselves or use a toilet. They are totally reliant on others. That means they fall under the umbrella of being disabled. We just don't think of it in those terms because they are so small and many of us have babies while few of us have an adult family member who is disabled.

Pressed send too soon!

If you have twins you are normally split between the aisle because of the oxygen masks. The parents still sit 'together'.

For us, we found it easier to not be in bulkhead row seating. Baby sleeps on our tummy and we split meals. Also no hot drinks. We also prefer to fly business but after the debacale with SAS refusing to let me and the DC sit in our paid for seats, we don't want to risk losing the money. We are trying Lufthansa for our next trip.

sorry Want2bSupermum you and I will have to agree to disagree. I don't feel it appropriate to describe a small baby as "disabled". quite a lot of people have children with disabilities and parents/family members. I see your point that a baby is less able but cant agree with calling them disabled.

I think that the OP doesn't have a chance of getting any sort of refund. always worth trying of course and there might be some goodwill money in it but fundamentally if you want the best seats - and the ones with more leg room are highly prized by travellers - then you will be charged.

Keep on making a fuss. Eventually they will pass you on to their Escalated Complaints Department. They just make you work for it.

Fair enough mummy but when they booked their seats the option to pay to secure them should have been offered.

From what I understand from what op has said, if you are flying with an infant then you are UNABLE to pay to reserve bulkhead seats, which disadvantages parents against all other passengers.

I can understand being annoyed at not getting the bassinet seat on the way out but on the way back your husband didn't actually need the bulkhead seat

I don't think anyone should get your reserved seats for any reason, otherwise what is the point in reserving.

When I used to book with my first husband we'd look at the plan of the plane and book accordingly, if we couldn't get an appropriate seat we'd book a different flight. Why should someone else move because he was disabled, we saw that as our responsibility to plan for.

People book seats for all sorts of reasons, once reserved that should be the end of the issue!

I am intrigued to know why you had to travel long haul with a 5 month old? None of my friends would travel long haul with a baby so young.

At first I thought YABU but having read your further explanation then YANBU.

If you thought those were the seats you had reserved and there was no option to pay money for them, then it was fairly shabby of them to move you.

And this is from some one who believes strongly that people should pay if they want to be guaranteed to sit beside their own DC. You didn't have the option of confirming your seats by cash as you weren't given it.

Angelos02 - does it really matter why she was travelling long haul with a 5 month old - I'm not sure that it adds much to the debate ?

I travelled with DD when she was 3 weeks old. I had to take my dad to the hospital for tests. We live 3000 miles away. It's one of the costs of being an expat.

I normally fly home every 3 weeks to make sure my dad is getting the care he needs but won't advocate for. I also take care of his books and keep an eye on what is going on. He broke up with his Gf who kept coming back when he wasn't home and taking things. He thought he was going mad but I had cameras put up and shock of all shocks it was her. It was then me who got the locks changed and codes changed for the gates.

I recently booked flights with BA and noticed that it is not possible to pre pay to reserve the bulkhead seats online at time of booking - they're greyed out (I assume as they hold them for parents with infants or those with increased mobility needs). Sounds like whoever took the op's reservation did not book them in the system so when the seats were made available 24 hours before flight someone else was able to book them. Not acceptable!

Angelo - when your friends post on MN themselves, we'll consider their opinion.

DH's family live on another continent, so we have to fly to see them. Speaking from experience, it's easier flying with a baby then with a young toddler. Dd2 had her first flight at 3 months old, which meant she got to meet her Grandpa, had we waited any longer than that, it wouldn't have been possible, as he's now no longer with us.

OP, I think you're definitely in the right, you would've paid to reserve those seats, but BA didn't give that opportunity. Definitely pursue it.

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts, really useful and interesting debate.
I had a second, very generic reply from BA. I'm not expecting or chasing any kind of refund, more looking for an explanation of why they seemed to go against their own policy (to reserve those seats for people who need it), and to get some clue as to how to avoid it happening again, if I travel with an infant. You've given me some helpful insights on that front, keep the ideas coming if you have them.
I can't face chasing it any further as I think I just need to let the anger go now.
One of your points I really disagree with is to expect to sit next to your husband when traveling with a baby. I was next to the window with not enough headroom to standup straight and so rocking my baby back to sleep was not possible when he woke - I felt really 'trapped' in our little space. My DH came and stood in the aisle whenever he could (so disturbing the people next to him as well) to help out. And the guy next to me was, quite frankly, a piss head bully and I found it pretty uncomfortable breast feeding next to him (and I have bf in public many many times). It was pretty awful.
And lunar, I did exactly that. When I booked the flights, there were 2 different times I could have chosen. One of the flights had no bulkhead seats left (too many infants and disabled people already, I guess), so I booked on the other one. Stupidly thinking that my reserved seat would be honored.
Deep breath.... and now I have that off my chest then I will try and drop the anger!! Thanks for listening folks.

Check in staff get paid commission for any extra legroom / overweight luggage etc that they sell. It is usually a handler and not the airline doing check in, so could have been out of BAs hands.