American Airlines gave our seat assignments away

[Georgie562]

First...why is this in the NCL section? This has NOTHING to do with NCL it is an AA issue. This should be in the "cruise air" section of this message board. There you will find many folks with knowledge of how stuff like this works. Of course, be warned, like flyer talk, you might not get the answer you want to hear.

 

Second...you say there was not an equipment change....there very well could have been. AA flies about 3 different versions of the 777. One has 52 biz seats, one has 45 and the other has 37. The reality is, there probably WAS an equipment change from one version of the 777 to another.

 

You have almost 3 weeks, plenty of time to get this resolved with AA before you travel. Relax, ranting on a cruise massage board will solve nothing, call AA. You are in paid biz (refundable at that) so they are not going to bump (move) you for no reason.

 

This. I understand the need to vent but this has nothing to do with NCL or cruising.

[lcpagejr]

First...why is this in the NCL section? This has NOTHING to do with NCL it is an AA issue. This should be in the "cruise air" section of this message board. There you will find many folks with knowledge of how stuff like this works. Of course, be warned, like flyer talk, you might not get the answer you want to hear.

 

Second...you say there was not an equipment change....there very well could have been. AA flies about 3 different versions of the 777. One has 52 biz seats, one has 45 and the other has 37. Only 1 has a FC section, the others are biz class. Thus if you did actually book FC there might not actually be a FC anymore.. The reality is, there probably WAS an equipment change from one version of the 777 to another.

 

You have almost 3 weeks, plenty of time to get this resolved with AA before you travel. Relax, ranting on a cruise massage board will solve nothing, call AA. You are in paid biz (refundable at that) so they are not going to bump (move) you for no reason.

 

Thats up for the Moderator to decide!! And it is cruise related....its transportation to and from....This board does provide feedback to questions on pre and post cruise transportation to the piers, etc. She is upset and was just looking for some info and maybe past ways this was addressed. And where did you read cruise is in 3 weeks?? I read in a few days????

[ColeThornton]

Thats up for the Moderator to decide!! And it is cruise related....its transportation to and from....This board does provide feedback to questions on pre and post cruise transportation to the piers, etc. She is upset and was just looking for some info and maybe past ways this was addressed. And where did you read cruise is in 3 weeks?? I read in a few days????

 

 

It's really no big deal but it's not NCL related. Questions about transportation to the ports should be on the Departures Forums. Questions about tours and excursions should be on the Port of Call forums. But you are correct, that's the Mod's job.

 

Again, no big deal.

[TruckerDave]

Thats up for the Moderator to decide!! And it is cruise related....its transportation to and from....This board does provide feedback to questions on pre and post cruise transportation to the piers, etc. She is upset and was just looking for some info and maybe past ways this was addressed. And where did you read cruise is in 3 weeks?? I read in a few days????

 

 

You might want to actually read the thread...the OP came back and said the flight in on MARCH 23rd. Today (according to my calculations is Mar 5th.....that is 18 days from today according to my math. :rolleyes:

 

and NO it is NOT cruise related. NCL (or any other cruise line) has NOTHING to do with this topic, it is about an airline.

 

note..I see a mod has moved it to the correct forum.

[frank212]

Same thing happened to me for my March 31, 2018 cruise. The just switch our seats around on both flights coming and going. Told me I should watch my reservation so I know it’s been changed

 

 

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[endless travel]

I apologize to TruckerDave and Cole Thornton if I offended them by posting on the "wrong board". This is the reason I normally do not post on social media or boards like these.

Thank you to everyone else who was kind enough to reply with supportive comments and suggestions. I did speak to an AA supervisor during my telephone call last night. I will move forward in my search for an explanation and resolution with AA. Thank you again to those who shared their own experiences and suggestions.

[gambit57]

Sorry it happened to you. Unfortunately, it's common. As bad a rap as United gets, and that bad rap is totally reserved, AA pulls this kind of crap so often, I whole heartedly think they are easily the worst of the big legacy airlines. On par with the scummy "budget" airlines like Spirit or Ryanair.

 

You've probably mailed the letter already, but for future reference, follow the guide on consumerist.com. They got swallowed up by Consumer Reports (very sketchy in certain categories like Automobiles and Electronics, but good in others), but you can still search the site and find their guide to writing letters to companies. Very good advice. One key tip: don't threaten and definitely don't threaten a lawsuit (even if you actually file one later).

[FlyerTalker]

I guess that the OP neglected to notice (or research) the part where AA specifically says:

 

 

• We make every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed.
  
• We reserve the right to change seats for operational, safety or security reasons.
  

Airline seats are NOT like seats at the theater or a baseball game, where you are buying a specific seat. You are buying a seat within the cabin of your class of service.

 

The way to get your specific seat -- buy the Residence on Etihad, where there is only one per aircraft.

[fbgd]

Seat assignments are not guaranteed.

 

I fly enough AA enough to be a top tier flyer and this has happened to me several times on AA during schedule changes, which can be one or several of the following: timing, equipment change, flight number change...I even had one flight drop from my itinerary altogether the day before travel and so had to call in 4hrs before the flight and get it reinstated.

 

To be honest, the requests for compensation and upgrades are almost laughable for reasons outlined in my first sentence. Pick the seats that are closest together and see if someone will switch onboard, or keep monitoring the seatmap. Some people will rebook (on the day as well using Same Day Change) and seats will open up, also leap on online check-in as soon as it opens as sometimes you'll see different seating options then.

 

Lastly, you can always chance your arm onboard and see if someone will switch onboard. In domestic FC (assuming its narrowbody fleet) there isn't the huge variation in seating options as there is in economy....you either have windows, aisles or bulkhead. Some people won't swap to/from bulkheads and some might not trade an aisle for a window or vice versa. If you do switch you'll want to let the FA know because if you or the swapper have pre-ordered meals they'll want to know. They will come around after boarding has completed or once in the air to confirm your pre-order choice so it could be tackled then but I prefer to be pro-active.

[6rugrats]

Your seat assignment is never guaranteed, and this happens on all airlines. That's why I check my reservations on a regular basis.

IME, this usually happens when there's an equipment or schedule change. If you're seated in F, it can be because your seat has been given to an Air Marshall. If that happened, the airline will never tell you why.

If there aren't any more seats available in F, you can change cabins and get a refund, wait and see if a seat opens up, take the other flight, or cancel with a refund and book with someone else.

Travel is a pain sometimes.

[endless travel]

I guess that the OP neglected to notice (or research) the part where AA specifically says:

 

 

• We make every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed.
  
• We reserve the right to change seats for operational, safety or security reasons.
  

Airline seats are NOT like seats at the theater or a baseball game, where you are buying a specific seat. You are buying a seat within the cabin of your class of service.

 

The way to get your specific seat -- buy the Residence on Etihad, where there is only one per aircraft.

 

I am familiar with the above. I am not a novice flyer. The issue was their failure to provide ANY seat within the cabin of our class of service. More importantly, the issues are the way AA has handled the entire episode.

[fastpitchdad]

I guess that the OP neglected to notice (or research) the part where AA specifically says:

 

 

• We make every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed.
  
• We reserve the right to change seats for operational, safety or security reasons.
  

Airline seats are NOT like seats at the theater or a baseball game, where you are buying a specific seat. You are buying a seat within the cabin of your class of service.

 

The way to get your specific seat -- buy the Residence on Etihad, where there is only one per aircraft.

Except the cabin is guaranteed. She paid for F and they took away the seat and the cabin is now full.

 

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[Globaliser]

Except the cabin is guaranteed. She paid for F and they took away the seat and the cabin is now full.

There's still a pretty good chance that the passenger will fly as booked. They simply don't have a seat allocation at the present time. As the relevant department mantra goes, "It'll clear by departure!"

[welove2cruise*]

We just flew AA for our cruise in February. We booked “basic economy” at a ridiculous price (Charlotte is terrible for prices) but we are Advantage members. We were fine going down as they gave us decent seats but on the return flight they had us separated and put each of us in the middle of the three seats on each side of the plane. The couple in my side of the plane were separated with me in between so thankfully we switched seats and through another nice person who then swapped isle seats with me my DH and I were together. This felt like such a blatant attempt to gauge us into paying for seat assignments. [emoji34]

 

 

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[6rugrats]

I don’t understand your seat complaint. It has nothing to do with OP’s problem. In addition, you chose to book Basic Economy, which clearly states you will be assigned seats at no charge at check-in. No one is “forcing” you to pay for a seat. If you want to chose a specific seat, you have to pay when you book Basic Economy.

Sometimes, you get what you pay for.

[welove2cruise*]

I don’t understand your seat complaint. It has nothing to do with OP’s problem. In addition, you chose to book Basic Economy, which clearly states you will be assigned seats at no charge at check-in. No one is “forcing” you to pay for a seat. If you want to chose a specific seat, you have to pay when you book Basic Economy.

Sometimes, you get what you pay for.

 

 

 

Yes..although this same flight can be booked from a much farther distance for half what I have to pay for basic.

 

 

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[FlyerTalker]

Yes..although this same flight can be booked from a much farther distance for half what I have to pay for basic.

 

Distance means little in regards to airline pricing. It's a matter of market supply and demand between a city pair.

 

Don't want to be at the mercy of someone else picking you a seat....don't buy basic economy. Or don't fly a carrier that offers basic economy. Who put the gun to your head and forced you to pick that class of service?

[welove2cruise*]

Distance means little in regards to airline pricing. It's a matter of market supply and demand between a city pair.

 

 

 

Don't want to be at the mercy of someone else picking you a seat....don't buy basic economy. Or don't fly a carrier that offers basic economy. Who put the gun to your head and forced you to pick that class of service?

 

 

 

Sadly we have been loyal to AA/United for most of our flights for 20 + years before basic economy existed. I agree it is time for us to move on from them.

 

 

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[fastpitchdad]

There's still a pretty good chance that the passenger will fly as booked. They simply don't have a seat allocation at the present time. As the relevant department mantra goes, "It'll clear by departure!"

I agree. I think they will both end up in F on the original flight. I would still be pissed if my paid F seat was taken though (I'd be pissed if my upgrade seat assignment was taken).

 

I am flying ATL-SEA tonight and although my upgrade cleared I am going to end up sitting in back because I tried to save a couple of dollars and booked Mrs Fastpitch on a separate PNR :( .

 

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[6rugrats]

Sadly we have been loyal to AA/United for most of our flights for 20 + years before basic economy existed. I agree it is time for us to move on from them.

Fly the airline you prefer, but no one forced you to book a basic economy fare!

Perhaps consider Southwest.

[FlyerTalker]

I am flying ATL-SEA tonight and although my upgrade cleared I am going to end up sitting in back because I tried to save a couple of dollars and booked Mrs Fastpitch on a separate PNR

 

And Mrs FP might even grab some extras from the F snack basket and drop them off for you in the back....She is, of course, getting your upgrade, right??

[TNcruising02]

I would be very upset if I paid for first class tickets and the airline gave my assigned seat away. Thankfully, I have never had an assigned seat taken from me. One time I was flying AA and the plane arrived at my layover airport early. However, the plane stayed on the tarmac for an hour, even though there were empty boarding stations. This caused me to arrive at my layover flight with only ten minutes to spare. I had first class seats. When I got to the gate, they said that the plane was over booked, so they gave my seats to someone else and the plane was leaving early. It was the last flight out, so I had to stay overnight. Not fun.

 

I usually pay extra for certain seats. I am sorry this happened to you. It sounds very frustrating and makes me hesitant to book with AA.

[fastpitchdad]

And Mrs FP might even grab some extras from the F snack basket and drop them off for you in the back....She is, of course, getting your upgrade, right??

Oh yeah...she offered to sit in back but no way was I falling for that :).

 

It was my fault anyway. I screwed up the tix and couldn't fix it.

 

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[welove2cruise*]

Fly the airline you prefer, but no one forced you to book a basic economy fare!

 

Perhaps consider Southwest.

 

 

 

Oh you are so wise. I must write your sage advise down.. I will pull it out when trying to afford my next flight.

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

F

 

Second...you say there was not an equipment change....there very well could have been. AA flies about 3 different versions of the 777. One has 52 biz seats, one has 45 and the other has 37. Only 1 has a FC section, the others are biz class. Thus if you did actually book FC there might not actually be a FC anymore.. The reality is, there probably WAS an equipment change from one version of the 777 to another.

.

 

A common statement ignoring the details. This particular flight is on the 37 seat premium class. that is full. Back wide open.

 

A sensible inquiry would be to find out, if they are confirmed with the premium class. Without equipment changes, this class is not overbooked. But there could have been an equipment change?