American Airlines' app now lets AAdvantage members set seat preferences and automatically switches them into a better seat if one opens up before departure.
Those insidious mobile phones ought to be banned from all airplanes and schools .
@Lucky are you a slender fellow? Those fixed armrests with tray tables feel restricting. I avoid the bulkhead. Maybe I should also be avoiding all of the lounge food...
I wish they would invest in their website now too. It’s basically the same since 2014
I ABSOLUTELY do not want that. The website kicks out enough weird-and-wonderful bookings that I don't want anyone messing with it.
Would like to understand how it prioritizes requests (eg similar to a waitlist) in the instance there are multiple pax waiting on a preferred seat assignment and one opens up ie 6 people have requested an aisle seat and one opens up; who gets it? What are the criteria for used for determining the priority order?
Was just about to comment this! Like what happens if 75% of the passengers in economy have an automatic preference for window seat on a fully booked flight, and then one suddenly becomes available. Who gets it?
Seems like a good update. Yeah, MCE is often better than not, unless it’s a middle, when you preferred the aisle or middle, even with less legroom. At least they’re trying.
This is only for single-passenger reservations, as you note. So if traveling with a spouse/family... I have the same concern about the "hack". Will depend on the timing of when this is processed - just before or just after the 24 hour window. Likewise for Golds who only get MCE at check-in - if those 2 seats are taken right before the 24-hour period opens up, no MCE for Golds.
The bigger problem is that AA does not have enough MCE as it is. This extends to their new planes as well - the XLR has no MCE that's usable by families (it's all exit row) and the 787-9P is likewise paltry with only 18 MCE seats (6 of which are exit row). AA did announce they will roll out more MCE, but it's unclear on what timeline that will be accomplished.
Not sure why AA is sucking up to DJT, but an executive order for more MCE would be ideal.
Not fair to employees who helped build the airline after 40 years who get the middle seat 80% of the time. No choice for them. They paid the price to have a better seat, most of them at least.
@PM
Employees are allowed to occupy any available seats once Checkin is complete. You know that silly.
And therein lies the problem. The aircraft wouldn't fly and the people who 'built' the airline for 40 years wouldn't have a salary (nor the complimentary seat) if it weren't for the paying customer sitting next to them... so perhaps that paying customer should get the better seat??
Main cabin extra seats are for elite members or standby passengers (revenue and employee travel) .
When I would be on long haul flights in the bulkhead row I would make other seats appear to be occupied during boarding in order to deter poachers from taking those seats. Spreading out a blanket , opening tray tables , placing emergency seat cards on the seats, etc.
Those seats are for elite members or employees otherwise you have to pay $150+ for extra leg room on a 9+ hr flight. The FAs don’t have time to “police” . This new policy is a good service. You don’t want 4 3rd party basic economy passengers helping themselves to $600+ legroom on an overnight flight to Europe.
Bold statement from AA with the choice of an example destination airport in the screenshots - DTJ 🤣
My biggest concern is always their "helpful" app doing something suboptimal (witness the involuntary cancelations on tight connections). Like, how long until someone gets split from their family/traveling party and plopped into a middle seat?
Not thrilled. In the same way that Google map routing took away the traffic-avoidance advantage of those of us who could actually read maps, this will make it harder for those of us who were skilled at the seat game. Personally I can almost always get MCE at booking, then it is a matter of keeping the empty seat next door. This may make for fuller MCE sections by departure time?
it cannot work for EVERYBODY, so it's just another trick to get you using the app. i wonder why.
Wow. Here is an easy one. Let’s see the seat map in real time before and during the flight. United’s Flight Status tab rocks.
Correction - this is rolling out to be available for bookings before and up until 24h before, ie only available until the check-in window opens. NOT as you note in the article only inside 24 hours. This is how it is showing up for me in the app today for a later October booking.
This means that this process will NOT snag the hack seats, unless somehow there's a race condition/timing issue with the 24h closure of this process and the 23h 59m open of the blocked seats.