NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- British Airways is to introduce changes to the way air travelers select and book their seats from Dec. 5, 2006. The new guidelines are designed to simplify the process of choosing a seat and give all customers more transparency and control of the seating options available on their flight.
The changes are integral to the airline's plan to improve the check-in and airport experience for customers ahead of its move into London Heathrow's Terminal 5 in 2008.
For the majority of air travelers, checking in at the airline's website, ba.com, will become the best way to secure the best seat.
Customers departing on flights from Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006, will have substantially more seats available to choose from at the time of check-in. All seats on the aircraft that have not been pre-assigned will be offered for a customer to select.
To secure their seat of choice, the airline recommends that customers check-in on ba.com from 24 hours before their flight departs. The earlier a customer checks-in, the greater choice of seats they will have. Once a seat has been chosen it will not be changed, subject only to rare operational requirements.
To make more seats available at the time of check-in, the airline is reducing the number of seats that are pre-assigned. This option will be limited to specific groups of travelers; for example, families with young children, First class flyers, Gold and Silver Executive Club members and those holding fully flexible tickets across all cabins.
The airline remains committed to offering seat selection free of charge for all its customers.
Robin Hayes, British Airways' Executive Vice President Americas, said: "We recognize that our customers want to choose where they sit on the aircraft during their flight and we want to give people the control to make this selection themselves during the check-in process.
"With the popularity of online check-in growing, we have seen an opportunity to improve our global seating procedures and provide customers with a simple, clear and dynamic way to choose the best seat available.
"By checking in, selecting their seat, and printing their boarding pass online, customers can arrive at the airport with peace of mind that they know where they'll be seated on board and have their boarding pass already in-hand."
To assist air travelers in choosing a seat, the airline has improved its aircraft seat maps on ba.com, which display up to the minute seat availability for each flight. The seat maps will now display emergency exit seats and highlight the position of the toilets, infant cots and the crew galley areas.
Customers traveling with infants (aged under two years) will be able to book their seat when they purchase their ticket and those traveling with children aged between two and eleven inclusive will be allocated seats together up to three days before departure. Unaccompanied minors also will be pre-assigned a seat for their journey.
Gold and Silver Executive Club members, First class customers and those holding fully flexible tickets will be able to book their seat at the time of purchase and change their seating choice up until they check-in and print their boarding pass.
Full details of the new seating policy are available by visiting the airline's website, www.ba.com/seating.
The British Airways logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1862