Do you agree with British Airways charging to book a seat in advance?

British Airways has announced it is charging customers if they want to choose a seat more than 24 hours before their flight.

Clients who want to choose an aisle, window or exit seat will have to pay between £10 and £60. Sounds like BA is starting to go down the way of the no-frills airlines by adding extra charges on to the basic fare.

Do you think this is a fair charge? Do you think many customers will pay up to select a seat?

BA have finally lost the plot. 

Well if I hadn't known it was September, I would have put a bet on it being April 1st.  This idea is plain stupid, this is one charge too many.  Everyone should refuse to pay it or even better book another airline.  If you have paid a couple of thousand pounds to take your family on a club class holiday you simply should not be expected to pay to sit together. - Stupid Stupid Stupid. 

Its time BA realised there product is nothing special. - After my recent experience of BA Club Class, I really wouldn't recommend it to clients.  This is the start of a slippery slope, what next charges to use the loo on BA aswell. !!  Its time the whole travel industry stood up and was counted saying enough is enough and this should stop here and now. 

If these charges go ahead, I will simply recommend to clients that they travel with an alternative, believe me there out there and generally offer a better of level of service than the so called "Worlds Favourite Airline" , which will probably be known as the "worlds biggest rip off "

Also I have just started a facebook petition against the charges - why not join on  Say NO to BA Seat Reservation Charges

Thanks Nick - for everyone else, here's a link to the group:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Say-NO-to-BA-Seat-Reservation-Charges/138219749731?ref=mf

Have BA and Mr Walsh not heard of marketing and having a USP ? if they had surely they would be picking up the consumer backlash to charges levied by so called low cost airlines and aggressively marketing the BA advantages but no this is to obvious instead they have gone down the route of the competition and alienated their existing loyal customers and prospective new one's , naive or just out of touch with their consumer ?

I travel frequently long haul and normally with BA but nalshot in the future an aisle seat is crucial to me but don't see why I need to pay for the privelege and what exactly does my exec card give me if seat preference is now excluded,Emirates here I come.

Did you know customers/agents have to phone BA to make the seat reservation? It's not available online yet.

 http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/ba-advance-seat-selection-an-offline-proposition

I am assuming that it is a premium line telephone number. BA is our national carrier but I am with customers on this one. Too many charges, especially in adestructive downturn is asking for trouble. I do not agree that the customers will have to pay to sit together in the first place. Add it in the fare price and be competitive. This way the customer will not bear a grudge. Increased market share for BA. I think not.

Some of the holiday charter airlines have been charging for pre-book seats for many years now when I worked as a rep it was one of the things i was set targets againist and I sold it very well in Italy, Spain and greece. I usually was to sell about 10-20 a week and roughly about  upto 100 a week about 80% of my guests pre-booked, you could do it in uk/ireland as well before you went to resort.

I understand Charter flights, im a little unsure of schedules doing it as alot of flights dont always go out full, maybe yes on premium flights which may have a long flight yes but other flights no

I cant agree with BA highly enough. They need to make a profit, and if it means moving to more charges, then I am afraid that is where the industry is going to go. Look at Domestic flights in the states where nearly all of the mainstream airlines don't include baggage and can charge up to $40 per sector! Good on BA for being so brave!