American Airlines charging a seat assignment fee.

[ppony]

Fire your agent! Honestly if she said that she should be fired! The TA is suppose to know what is going on not be CLUELESS! Why pay for clueless? you did all thw work here and she gets paid? REALLY?

actually......
She actually was fired in a layoff at AAA. I never said anything to her after the whole "thing" but I felt bad that she had been paid off. Still, she should have known better.

 

[ppony]

Being "bumped" (involuntarily denied boarding) because of not having seat assignments is a non-issue. On leisure routes, involuntarily denied boarding is very rare because there are plenty of passengers eager to accept tickets on a later flight in return for airline vouchers.

I don't know about that. In the last year the last 2 trips I have taken, we had significant delays in boarding the plane because they couldn't get enough volunteers because of oversold flights. The kept announcing that we wouldn't board until we had enough volunteers because of the situation. Almost all of my flights in the last 2 years have been oversold. I feel bad for the gate employees, they get royally chewed for something beyond their control.

 

[kaytieeldr]

but this is the first time that an Airline has told us that if we don't have seat assignments for a flight, we could call 12 hours in advance and pay $24 ($26+ after taxes) for the seat assignments.

THIS is what sounds funky to so many of us. The twelve hours, the high charge for seats then (not now), and now the tax.

Have you tried calling back to talk to a different agent yet, or are you taking this one interaction as gospel?

 

[hookedonears]

THIS is what sounds funky to so many of us. The twelve hours, the high charge for seats then (not now), and now the tax.

Have you tried calling back to talk to a different agent yet, or are you taking this one interaction as gospel?

Yes, as a matter of fact I just did. The agent didn't acknowledge the 12 hour thing, I said it to her twice and she didn't acknowledge it. She just kept saying over and over, just keep checking back to see if seats might become available, or you can wait until 24 hours before and purchase preferred seats (if available) at an undisclosed price. Having to buy preferred seats is just as bad as the other, or worse.

 

[Lewisc]

Parents and two 16 year olds? What's the problem? Why not just assume by the time you bought your tickets the only seats available were scattered? That's what happened. More or less.

Assume there are a limited number of seats which are available at the gate. I'd think the GA would give them families with younger kids.

Assume you get lucky and get seats together. No assume the FA asks for volunteers to move so a family with young kids can sit together. Would your kids volunteer to move?

It sounds like the fee you're being quoted is some kind of unposted policy that gives you preferred seats before they're offered to other passengers, at a lower price.

 

[hookedonears]

Parents and two 16 year olds? What's the problem? Why not just assume by the time you bought your tickets the only seats available were scattered? That's what happened. More or less.

Assume there are a limited number of seats which are available at the gate. I'd think the GA would give them families with younger kids.

Assume you get lucky and get seats together. No assume the FA asks for volunteers to move so a family with young kids can sit together. Would your kids volunteer to move?

It sounds like the fee you're being quoted is some kind of unposted policy that gives you preferred seats before they're offered to other passengers, at a lower price.

If we're scattered, no big deal. I know the girls want to sit together, but if we can't get that to work, at least we would be on the plane. I would just like to know that we have seats prior to 24 hours before our flight. The last agent I talked to, said preferred seats would be available 24 hours in advance an a market price. I ask her to estimate that market price, and she said she couldn't. So we bought our tickets, with no seat assignment and if between now and 24 hours before our flight, if no seat assignments become available, we're going to have to buy our seats at a market price.

 

[bumbershoot]

I get this alot with business travel, since those are often booked about 30 days from travel....'seat will be assigned at check in or at airport'....I've always had someplace to sit on the plane.

That is DH's business travel experience. And it was mine and my son's as well on our last flight. When we booked, one flight said that it would be assigned at the airport. Instead, when I checked in at 24 hours, which is a habit I got into with SW and I do it o matter who I'm flying with, it had seats there for us. And then I was able t MOVE ur assignments online. This was not possible at all just two weeks before, but at 24 hours out, it was!

I wouldnt worry about this at all. If no seats pop ip before then, check in at 24 hours, see what happens. If no seats then, either wait until you are at the airport or, if you would like, upgrade your seats!

If there are non-preferred seats available any time before your flight date you should be able to select them at no charge whether it's today, 12 days out or 12 hours out. It appears that there may be no non-preferred seats available at this time. If you can't select one in advance, one will eventually be assigned to you--although it could be after you are at the gate--at no charge unless the flight is oversold, which is a whole different issue. ...............

So, unless the flight is oversold you eventually will get a seat assigned somewhere on the plane at no additional charge and it could even wind up being a Preferred seat. If you want more control over the process and location, and/or access to more desirable seats, you can choose to pay for a Preferred seat starting 24 hours before your flight. You will not be forced to pay for a seat assignment as long as there are seats available to assign, although I can see how you may feel that AA essentially isn't giving you much of a choice. At best, the whole thing was poorly explained.

I agree with all of that. Especially the last sentence.

 

[ironz]

If we're scattered, no big deal. I know the girls want to sit together, but if we can't get that to work, at least we would be on the plane. I would just like to know that we have seats prior to 24 hours before our flight. The last agent I talked to, said preferred seats would be available 24 hours in advance an a market price. I ask her to estimate that market price, and she said she couldn't. So we bought our tickets, with no seat assignment and if between now and 24 hours before our flight, if no seat assignments become available, we're going to have to buy our seats at a market price.

The reality is...you are NOT going to have assigned seats unless something opens up between now and your trip. That is something you will have to deal with at this point in time. It's unfortunate, but that is your current reality.

At 72 or 24 hours...and I stand by my first post on this thread to start trying at 72 hours, as that is when the higher level elites start getting upgraded....you can check again.

I do not believe that you will be FORCED to pay for a preferred seat. I agree that would be a cruddy business model, and I have never experienced that, in 6 years of work travel and flying 26 or so weeks a year. I do believe that you will be given an option at that point, but since you have confirmed tickets (though not seats), it's not like they're going to stick you in the baggage hold. I do think you and your kids will be split up, most likely.

The fact that they told you 24 hours on the more recent phone call tells me that the first agent you spoke to gave you bad information. I am glad you called back. I still wonder if you shouldn't try another agent or a supervisor and ensure that you will not be forced to buy preferred.

If I think about it, I'll ask a hypothetical question at the airport when I fly next and get back to you.

 

[hookedonears]

The reality is...you are NOT going to have assigned seats unless something opens up between now and your trip. That is something you will have to deal with at this point in time. It's unfortunate, but that is your current reality.

At 72 or 24 hours...and I stand by my first post on this thread to start trying at 72 hours, as that is when the higher level elites start getting upgraded....you can check again.

I do not believe that you will be FORCED to pay for a preferred seat. I agree that would be a cruddy business model, and I have never experienced that, in 6 years of work travel and flying 26 or so weeks a year. I do believe that you will be given an option at that point, but since you have confirmed tickets (though not seats), it's not like they're going to stick you in the baggage hold. I do think you and your kids will be split up, most likely.

The fact that they told you 24 hours on the more recent phone call tells me that the first agent you spoke to gave you bad information. I am glad you called back. I still wonder if you shouldn't try another agent or a supervisor and ensure that you will not be forced to buy preferred.

If I think about it, I'll ask a hypothetical question at the airport when I fly next and get back to you.

I have a hard time believing that seats won't open up between now and then. If for some reason they don't, because of a large group, or we just miss the boat, and the plane becomes over booked, they will offer seats at the gate when we check in. Unfortunately, we will be coming from another city, so getting to the gate early is out of the question. At that point, (24 hours in advance) we will buy preferred seats because we're not going to take that chance.

 

[soxfan11901]

I have a hard time believing that seats won't open up between now and then. If for some reason they don't, because of a large group, or we just miss the boat, and the plane becomes over booked, they will offer seats at the gate when we check in. Unfortunately, we will be coming from another city, so getting to the gate early is out of the question. At that point, (24 hours in advance) we will buy preferred seats because we're not going to take that chance.

If you don't get anything ahead of time, ask at the ticket counter of your original departure city. I used to work as a ticket counter agent and we were always able to assign seats on day of departure for the connecting flights.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

When you look at AA's seating chart for our flight, No seat assignments are available period, unless your talking paying to be bumped to first class, buisness is not available, Perferred seating is NOT AVAILABLE PERIOD

In reality, there are unassigned seats on your AA flight. You just can't see them. And you are not eligible to be assigned to them at this time.

When you look at the seat map for your flight, all seats may look assigned. But the reality is that AA doesn't indicate which seats are actually assigned, which seats will not released until the day of the flight, and which seats are not available to you for assignment (such exit rows and other Preferred or Preferred Plus seats), but which are available to elite-level AAdvantage frequent flyers and full-fare coach passengers.

You will eventually get seat assignments (possibly not until you get to the airport). And American Airlines will not charge you for them.

If you used a travel agency instead of booking directly through We can only get to the gate as soon as our origination flight gets there. We don't care if we sit together, well maybe our daughter and her friend does (16 yrs old), but my wife and I don't care where we sit as long as we get on the plane.[/QUOTE]

It seems that you have connecting flights and that the seat issue is with the second segment. Am I correct?

You will get your boarding passes for both flight segments at the first airport. Although you can try get better seats at the gate at the connecting airport, success is unlikely when flights are full.

It seems your main concern is being involuntarily denied boarding. As others and I have noted in this thread, that's very unlikely. Involuntarily bumps on AA are rare to begin with and even more rare on leisure routes. If you are involuntarily denied boarding, you get cash compensation, mandated by the Government. The amounts below from "Fly Rights - Aviation Consumer Protection Division" at [url]http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm are PER PASSENGER, not per family:

Involuntary bumping

DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:

* If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.

* If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $650 maximum.

* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1300 maximum).

 

[SuzanneSLO]

The AA website seems incredibly clear: "If there are no seats available or you choose not to select a seat, you will receive an automatically-assigned seat at no charge at check-in as early as 24 hours before departure"

So when you check in, either online up to 24 hours before your first flight or when you get to the airport for your first flight, you will get a seat assignment. There is no additional charge. -- Suzanne

 

[MAH4546]

The title of this thread is factually wrong and misleading. American Airlines does not charge a seat assignment fee. American Airlines does, however, charge a fee to select seats that are otherwise reserved for high-fare and elite passengers. If the only seats left on the plane are in this section, then you can either pay for the elite seats or be assigned seats, possibly in the elite section, for free.

You wouldn't know if preferred seating is available on your flight. Unless ou are elite, all preferred seats show up as blocked when you view a seat map. If an elite views the same seat map, the unassigned preferred seats will show as available.

 

[mom2brooke76]

According to the following article (from a couple of months ago), American is changing their preferred seating that they charge for to include window, aisle and exit row:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/cont...011/08/25/paying_for_seat_selection_on_a.html

 

[ppony]

The title of this thread is factually wrong and misleading. American Airlines does not charge a seat assignment fee. American Airlines does, however, charge a fee to select seats that are otherwise reserved for high-fare and elite passengers. If the only seats left on the plane are in this section, then you can either pay for the elite seats or be assigned seats, possibly in the elite section, for free.

You wouldn't know if preferred seating is available on your flight. Unless ou are elite, all preferred seats show up as blocked when you view a seat map. If an elite views the same seat map, the unassigned preferred seats will show as available.

I don't know what class of airplanes AA uses primarily, but the few carriers I fly from MN both have seating rows that are 3 and 3. Those airlines charge seating fees for all but the middle seats of each and every row. So, for those planes, that makes it almost 3/4 of the seats that are left to non-"elite". I think its fair to say that planes that have less than 1/3 of their seats allocated to the general masses do, indeed, deserve having it said that they charge seat assignment fees since it is about 75+% of the seating the offer. IMO, that title isn't a stretch if that's the case. But again, I'm not aware of ho exactly AA does it, but I can tell you Delta and SunCountry do. I'm blanking out ATM how many Frontier had allocated to fee-based seats since I have flown them only once since they bought MidWest who was friggin AWESOME!

 

[aubriee]

Deleted

 

[hookedonears]

I don't know what class of airplanes AA uses primarily, but the few carriers I fly from MN both have seating rows that are 3 and 3. Those airlines charge seating fees for all but the middle seats of each and every row. So, for those planes, that makes it almost 3/4 of the seats that are left to non-"elite". I think its fair to say that planes that have less than 1/3 of their seats allocated to the general masses do, indeed, deserve having it said that they charge seat assignment fees since it is about 75+% of the seating the offer. IMO, that title isn't a stretch if that's the case. But again, I'm not aware of ho exactly AA does it, but I can tell you Delta and SunCountry do. I'm blanking out ATM how many Frontier had allocated to fee-based seats since I have flown them only once since they bought MidWest who was friggin AWESOME!

Yes, it was misleading. Theoretically, however if AA does not release seats between now and 24 hours before our flight, and we're forced to go to the gate to get our seats assigned, we will not wait. We will pay for preferred seats 24 hours in advance. Of course, this is all theoretically, but having the gall to require you to buy preferred seats, IF you don't want to take the chance and wait until get to the gate is appalling to me.

This is a major snow skiing destination, and my guess is that the groups dept. at AA is holding a whole lot of space for a large group, that eventually (maybe 30 days in advance, don't know the policy) will either have to be purchased or released.

 

[hookedonears]

If you don't get anything ahead of time, ask at the ticket counter of your original departure city. I used to work as a ticket counter agent and we were always able to assign seats on day of departure for the connecting flights.

That's a good idea, thanks.

 

[hookedonears]

The reality is...you are NOT going to have assigned seats unless something opens up between now and your trip. That is something you will have to deal with at this point in time. It's unfortunate, but that is your current reality.

At 72 or 24 hours...and I stand by my first post on this thread to start trying at 72 hours, as that is when the higher level elites start getting upgraded....you can check again.

I do not believe that you will be FORCED to pay for a preferred seat. I agree that would be a cruddy business model, and I have never experienced that, in 6 years of work travel and flying 26 or so weeks a year. I do believe that you will be given an option at that point, but since you have confirmed tickets (though not seats), it's not like they're going to stick you in the baggage hold. I do think you and your kids will be split up, most likely.

The fact that they told you 24 hours on the more recent phone call tells me that the first agent you spoke to gave you bad information. I am glad you called back. I still wonder if you shouldn't try another agent or a supervisor and ensure that you will not be forced to buy preferred.

If I think about it, I'll ask a hypothetical question at the airport when I fly next and get back to you.

We will be checking every day. If they haven't released the seats before then, the 72 hour thing is more than likely going to be a reality.

 

[ppony]

Considering the OP said that hey charged for "seat assignments" and given that is probably true for the majority of the seats if they do it how several other airlines do it, I'm willing to not mince words and give them credit.