Programs: oneworld emerald (AA EXP 8MM), SPG life plat, HY plat, Esselunga Fėdaty Card
Posts: 9,417
Quote:
Originally Posted by iflyuaaa
Let's be honest. The preferred seat is bogus. There is nothing you get that imho is worthwhile. if you want a real "preferred" seat, you have to fly UA and get 5 extra inches of legroom. To me, that is worth it.
While I completely agree that UA has a far, far, far, far etc. better Y product for full fare/elites than AA, that doesn't make AA's program "bogus". Because of this program you can buy a ticket at the last minute (therefore expensive) and still have a chance of a decent seat; without this program, you would for sure be relegated to the middle last row as all the other seats had already been taken by people on advance purchase tickets (therefore cheaper).
I prefer a seat toward the front, where the ride is smoother and I can deplane more quickly. I prefer a window or aisle seat. I prefer they hold these seats for elites over the Plumbers who book their annual vacation 11 months in advance. That is why these are preferred seats.
Perhaps the next time you have a leak in your water system and your kitchen floods, the first plumber you call, says, "you should have booked me 11 months in advance"!!!!
Programs: AA EXP, 1 MM, AC, HH Diamond, Marriott Silver, Hertz 5*
Posts: 4,015
Quote:
Originally Posted by larrywilmot747
Perhaps the next time you have a leak in your water system and your kitchen floods, the first plumber you call, says, "you should have booked me 11 months in advance"!!!!
Your problem with plumbers is????
Cheers Larry. (Not a plumber by the way)
Perhaps ijgordon's reference to Plumbers (note that it was capitalized in his post) refers to a family of infrequent flyers and not an occupation. They are also known around these parts as Kettles.
On the LAX and SFO JFK routes (767-200) its always interesting to see row 23 marked at preferred seat. I suppose been able to see (or smell) when the lavatory is free should be considered a preferred benefit .
I wish the system knew the elites and could save the seat next to them as the last seats to fill up. now that would be a real advantage to me. I was sitting in one of those preferred seats last week with another "preferred" flyer next to me while most of the middle seats in the non-preferred seats were empty.
I think the preferred seat thing at AA is no different than at US, NW/DL, or anyone else who charges extra for the ability to make a seat reservation near the front of the plane without any other tangible benefit.
Location: DFW; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA GLD 1.5MM; IHG Plat, Marriott Silver; OMNIPat
Posts: 10,063
Has anyone else noticed a recent change in the amount of seats that are held as "Preferred"? What I'm used to seeing on the narrowbody midcons that make up most of my flying are the exit rows, plus maybe 2-3 rows of aisle/windows near the front.
Well, I just booked an MD80 flight for my girlfriend. It's a non-holiday Thursday evening midcon, a busy time but not exceptional. On the seatmap, aisle seats all the way back thru row 23 (2 rows behind the exits) are preferred; window seats are blocked back thru row 17. In all, 25 seats are currently blocked, and that doesn't count the preferred seats that are occupied.
The return on Sunday night looks a lot more like what I'm used to, with only rows 10 & 11 blocked, aisles open in 16 and windows in 15.
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Has anyone else noticed a recent change in the amount of seats that are held as "Preferred"? What I'm used to seeing on the narrowbody midcons that make up most of my flying are the exit rows, plus maybe 2-3 rows of aisle/windows near the front.
Well, I just booked an MD80 flight for my girlfriend. It's a non-holiday Thursday evening midcon, a busy time but not exceptional. On the seatmap, aisle seats all the way back thru row 23 (2 rows behind the exits) are preferred; window seats are blocked back thru row 17. In all, 25 seats are currently blocked, and that doesn't count the preferred seats that are occupied.
The return on Sunday night looks a lot more like what I'm used to, with only rows 10 & 11 blocked, aisles open in 16 and windows in 15.
The number of preferred seats varies by day/flight, even on the same aircraft type.
Programs: AA EXP (1.3 MM), HH Diamond, PC Plat, SPG Plat, Kimpton InTouch, UA, Delta, Amtrak
Posts: 384
Quote:
Originally Posted by larrywilmot747
At the start of the year I was "plastic" with no prefered seating, and it was grim, the choice of seats I had sometimes, I was pretty glad to get Gold. (However, don't choose 20J on a TATL 767, it may be exit row, but I would prefer the middle of a back row of 5 on a 777 than sit in that one again. Nowhere for feet, and no recline, = 8 hours of misery.)
Cheers Larry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDX-PLT
As seatguru or seatexpert would have told you.
+1. The suckitude of seat 20J is right there in red and black.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KD5MDK
One other advantage of seats father forward is on the MD80 the power ports aren't on every row in the back of the plane.
Another benefit: much quieter (as far as engine noise is concerned) in the front of the bus.
Programs: US Chairman, SPG PLT, Marriott PLT, and most of the airline programs
Posts: 1,087
I have noticed this as well. Seems just to be random seats, with the exception of domestic 777s where business class is preferred seating.
My only guess would be that they hold seats for elites just so that there is a seat left to be assigned in case of full/close to full flights. Anyone have any better ideas?
Programs: Aadvantage Gold 1MM, BA Blue again :-(, Hilton Silver
Posts: 632
Quote:
Originally Posted by doctor15
I have noticed this as well. Seems just to be random seats, with the exception of domestic 777s where business class is preferred seating.
Not just American, I booked flights at the weekend with Air Canada, a long way ahead so almost no other seats taken on the flights, these two seats were auto-allocated way at the back of the planes.
Generally speaking, the preferred seats are the front 1/2, aisle and window. Since AA doesn't charge extra for them, I don't have a beef with them designating the immediately forward of the exit row seats as preferred because on shorter flights I am willing to take those seats vs sitting in the back... so in that sense they are preferred!
Programs: oneworld emerald (AA EXP 8MM), SPG life plat, HY plat, Esselunga Fėdaty Card
Posts: 9,417
It looks like the 738 seat maps loaded in advance are for the old 28-row configuration, where row 13 is an exit row and therefore premium.
If the problem persist once they switch to loading the 30-row configuration as the default, then I agree there's a problem (IIRC row 13 is indeed marked as undesirable in that configuration).
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