American Airlines question

[serene56]

To book it gives me Basic Economy or Main cabin.   Main Cabin allows me to pick a seat.   But its also 75.00 more per person.

If I book the basic -  can i go back in and pay for the seat.-   I dont care about the rest of the stuff the Main cabin gives me.    75.00 times 5 is a lot of money

[1025cruise]

You might want to ask on the cruise air forum.

[cmalagngl]

Read the restrictions on basic economy on the American Airlines website.  You would be the last to board so the five of you would not be sitting together.  No overhead luggage allowed, whatever you bring on must fit under the seat in front of you.  That is all I can remember.  If cost is of the most importance then it is the most inexpensive way to fly.  The airlines site though is the only place you will get the definitive answer to what "basic economy" means.

[Palmetto Pilot]

Book main cabin. 

[M2LR]

Assuming the rules haven't changed you will only have an option to buy seats 48 hrs prior if you get basic, otherwise they are free at check in. Is it important that you guys all sit together? I pay more for main cabin since I like knowing that we can all sit together as a family since that is just easier with two small kids. They do try and sit together families but there is no guarantee that one parent won't get seated with all the kids while another is all the way across the plane. Also if the flight is oversold I like to know I already have my seats secured.

[msmayor]

Basic economy is brutally restrictive.  

 

I've seen folks in that group unable to get seats until checking in at the gate.  Basic economy DOES not get the option for a carry-on plus a personal item (this is a change), but in all the AA flights I've taken no one in those boarding groups has ever been able to actually carry on their overhead bag - it is always gate-checked.

 

You have zero options at all to make any changes to your flights, even for the $200 fee.  Never refundable.  

 

Even at $75 x 5, I'd pay just for the added flexibility it offers.

[jerrya72]

Have you tried fly2fun (I think that's what it's called) with Carnival?  I was able to pick my seats when I booked and can change flights up until final payment. Also it was cheaper than the basic economy price I found at American Airlines or other travel sites.

[coevan]

3 hours ago, cmalagngl said:

No overhead luggage allowed

 

 

it's allowed, it's just charged for like Spirit

[Flymia]

31 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

it's allowed, it's just charged for like Spirit

No its not. AA basic gives the same carry on luggage as anyone else. Its just you are last to board so likely won't have any space to store it. 

 

You're paying $75/person to board earlier (but not early) pick a seat, and have the honor to change your ticket for a $200 fee if needed. I am not sure about picking seats before check-in. I have tried to avoid AA at all cost ever since Basic Economy was added. 

[slidergirl]

I just went to the AA site to look at the carryon deal and found right at the top of the Basic Economy page:

 

Special notice

Customers flying Basic Economy are now allowed 1 free carry-on (in addition to a personal item) to all destinations.

 

Under seating, it states that "the system" will be able to see that you have a family and will "do it's best" to seat a child next to an adult, but not the entire family together.  

 

Basic Economy fares have shown that not everyone is willing to pick an airline/flight just because it is the cheapest - we have limits...

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On 12/27/2019 at 11:59 AM, Flymia said:

No its not. AA basic gives the same carry on luggage as anyone else. Its just you are last to board so likely won't have any space to store it. 

 

I flew on American for my Inspiration cruise, so I can confirm: they DO allow you to take carry on for free.  (United is the one that charges for carry-ons.)  I'm not sure if it affected me or not, since the only "carry-on" I had was an overstuffed backpack, which I managed to just barely fit under the seat in front of me.  The overhead compartments, which were open at the time of boarding, already looked pretty full, although there was room for my backpack.

Edited December 28, 2019 by LandlockedCruiser01

[pms4104]

Once you read all the Basic Economy restrictions, including reaccommodatikn in the event of irreg ops, $75x5 won't be so scary.

[cruisegus]

On 12/27/2019 at 8:17 AM, msmayor said:

Basic economy is brutally restrictive.  

 

I've seen folks in that group unable to get seats until checking in at the gate.  Basic economy DOES not get the option for a carry-on plus a personal item (this is a change), but in all the AA flights I've taken no one in those boarding groups has ever been able to actually carry on their overhead bag - it is always gate-checked.

if you have a carry-on bag in "Basic Economy" and it gets gate checked expect to be charged the same fee as if you had a checked bag at the counter. (for other fares if you elect to gate check a bag there is no fee)

 

Also and most importantly, if the flight has a forced "Bump" and I have seen it happen, lowest fare get forced first.

[zdcatc12]

19 hours ago, cruisegus said:

if you have a carry-on bag in "Basic Economy" and it gets gate checked expect to be charged the same fee as if you had a checked bag at the counter. (for other fares if you elect to gate check a bag there is no fee)

Also and most importantly, if the flight has a forced "Bump" and I have seen it happen, lowest fare get forced first.

Do you have first hand knowledge of this happening? I have never heard of this happening on any airline. Because a legal carry-on is a legal carry-on, regardless of fare class booked.

 

 Not so sure being first to be "Bumped" would be so bad, unless you absolutely needed to get somewhere at a specific time. After all. if you are delayed 1-2 hours, you would get double your fare back, up to $675 and if over two hours, you would get 4 times your fare back, up to $1350. I would take that every time, especially since these bumps require pay back in cash, not a voucher or gift card.

Edited December 31, 2019 by zdcatc12
Additional quote

[cruisegus]

2 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

Do you have first hand knowledge of this happening? I have never heard of this happening on any airline. Because a legal carry-on is a legal carry-on, regardless of fare class booked.

I am not talking about your "Personal item" which must fit under the seat in front of you.  I am talking about an actual carry on bag that would normally go into the overhead.  If you are "Basic Economy" on AA you will also have boarding group 9 and they will not let you bring a cary on with you unless all your bag fits under the seat.  If you have a bag that must be gate check they will charge you that fee right at the gate.

[cruisegus]

3 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

 Not so sure being first to be "Bumped" would be so bad, unless you absolutely needed to get somewhere at a specific time. After all. if you are delayed 1-2 hours, you would get double your fare back, up to $675 and if over two hours, you would get 4 times your fare back, up to $1350. I would take that every time, especially since these bumps require pay back in cash, not a voucher or gift card.

The fare back only is the price of a one way flight.  None of that extra money helps you if you are on a flights with multiple legs and you will therefore miss your connection.  Busy times of the year if it happens you could wait days for a flight.  Does it happen often, definitely not, but if you really do need to be somewhere it may not be worth the aggravation. 

 

I have seen voluntary requests offer as much as $1000 for a seat for what was only a $650 round trip fare, but if you really want to get home on a Friday after being gone all week for the 3rd week in a row knowing you fly out again early Monday I have never succumbed to that temptation, even when I have told myself next time I will.

[zdcatc12]

30 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

I am not talking about your "Personal item" which must fit under the seat in front of you.  I am talking about an actual carry on bag that would normally go into the overhead.  If you are "Basic Economy" on AA you will also have boarding group 9 and they will not let you bring a cary on with you unless all your bag fits under the seat.  If you have a bag that must be gate check they will charge you that fee right at the gate.

 Not sure where you are getting this misinformation from. Yes, when AA introduced basic economy it was a personal item only, as UA still does. However, in the last year or so, AA now allows a carry-on in addition to a personal item even with a basic economy ticket.

 From the AA website: Customers flying Basic Economy are now allowed 1 free carry-on (in addition to a personal item) to all destinations.

[zdcatc12]

23 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

The fare back only is the price of a one way flight.  None of that extra money helps you if you are on a flights with multiple legs and you will therefore miss your connection.  Busy times of the year if it happens you could wait days for a flight.  Does it happen often, definitely not, but if you really do need to be somewhere it may not be worth the aggravation. 

 

I have seen voluntary requests offer as much as $1000 for a seat for what was only a $650 round trip fare, but if you really want to get home on a Friday after being gone all week for the 3rd week in a row knowing you fly out again early Monday I have never succumbed to that temptation, even when I have told myself next time I will.

AA has an involuntary bumping rate of .38 per 10000 passengers, so basically 1 out of every 30000. I'll take those odds. And I don't have first-hand experience like you, but I'm pretty sure if it happened, you would not wait days for a flight. I'm pretty sure they would put you ahead of people whose flights got cancelled, etc.

 

 Also, with voluntary bumping, I have never accepted that without already knowing what flight I was going to be on after the bump. Again, I do not have first-hand knowledge like you, but I am pretty sure that no one has given up their seat not knowing when they would get to where they were going. Of course, I guess something out of the airlines control could happen to delay your new flight, but pretty sure that doesn't happen a lot.

[msmayor]

3 hours ago, cruisegus said:

I am not talking about your "Personal item" which must fit under the seat in front of you.  I am talking about an actual carry on bag that would normally go into the overhead.  If you are "Basic Economy" on AA you will also have boarding group 9 and they will not let you bring a cary on with you unless all your bag fits under the seat.  If you have a bag that must be gate check they will charge you that fee right at the gate.

 

This is old information.

 

Basic Economy is now permitted one personal item AND one carry on, just like any other passenger.  The chances of that carry on actually being brought on board, though, is slim...almost every single AA flight I've taken has required passengers in the last couple of boarding groups to gate-check.  

 

No one is charged a fee for gate-checking.

[FlyerTalker]

When in doubt, one could go to the actual webpage on the AA website with details on Basic Economy.

 

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/experience/seats/basic-economy.jsp

 

 

[sumiandkage]

7 hours ago, cruisegus said:

 

I have seen voluntary requests offer as much as $1000 for a seat for what was only a $650 round trip fare, but if you really want to get home on a Friday after being gone all week for the 3rd week in a row knowing you fly out again early Monday I have never succumbed to that temptation, even when I have told myself next time I will.

 

I've seen Delta go as high as $2500 semi-cash (in the form of an American Express gift card as one of the options) for an Atlanta to London overbooking situation. Post- Dr. Dao, the Big Four US carriers can offer some pretty huge incentives to keep denied boardings voluntary rather than involuntary. 

 

And yes, that offer came with an explanation of what the new flight would be as well as food and hotel vouchers to cover your expenses durign the delay. 

Edited January 1, 2020 by sumiandkage

[FlyerTalker]

7 hours ago, cruisegus said:

The fare back only is the price of a one way flight.  None of that extra money helps you if you are on a flights with multiple legs and you will therefore miss your connection.  Busy times of the year if it happens you could wait days for a flight.  Does it happen often, definitely not, but if you really do need to be somewhere it may not be worth the aggravation.

 

I have absolutely NO idea where you are getting this wacky information.   But if you think that somehow the actual fare construction (which includes connections) is somehow ignored, please let me know what I might find that in writing.

[sumiandkage]

1 minute ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

I have absolutely NO idea where you are getting this wacky information.   But if you think that somehow the actual fare construction (which includes connections) is somehow ignored, please let me know what I might find that in writing.

 

My very first VDB voucher came back in the 1980s on a group youth trip to West Germany. (The travel agency issuing/selling the tickets had screwed up sending the correct information to the airline, resulting in a really oversold flight) Even back then, it was phrased as 'we will give each of you an $800 travel voucher for American Airlines if you let us rebook you on an American flight to Manchester, England followed by a British Airways flight to Dusseldorf rather than the non-stop Dusseldorf flight. You will get in four hours later than your original flight. Are you kids okay with that?' 

[waterbug123]

On 12/27/2019 at 8:20 AM, serene56 said:

To book it gives me Basic Economy or Main cabin.   Main Cabin allows me to pick a seat.   But its also 75.00 more per person.

If I book the basic -  can i go back in and pay for the seat.-   I dont care about the rest of the stuff the Main cabin gives me.    75.00 times 5 is a lot of money

 

All I will say is that if that party of 5 includes children, and those children cannot/will not sit without a parent beside them, do NOT book basic economy.  There is little to no chance you'll be able to get seats together, and it isn't the airline's job to make sure you do, nor should it be expected that other pax will move in order to allow you to sit together.  Basic economy practically guarantees you won't sit together so if that's a requirement, don't book it. 

[serene56]

On 12/31/2019 at 10:46 PM, FlyerTalker said:

When in doubt, one could go to the actual webpage on the AA website with details on Basic Economy.

 

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/experience/seats/basic-economy.jsp

 

 

thank you for the link