How does American Airlines assign seats?
#16
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,288
A number of travel agencies have arrangements with AA that allow them to get seats normally reserved only for elites for any passenger.
#17
Moderator: New York City and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Natl EC
Posts: 10,855
I have a flight tomorrow to Honolulu so I login early - 24hrs prior now to check in, I try to select my seats and there is only 1 seat showing as available in the entire plane and it's a middle seat Prior to this I could not select a seat as it said "seat cannot be selected prior to check in".
I called AA and asked them why there are no seats showing as available in the entire plan this early out and they told me that I should go to the airport early to swap the seat with a window/aisle because almost all the seat allotments are reserved to be assigned at the airport.
Is this some kind of new system? I have flown AA before and was able to choose from various seats.
What is the point of online checkin if all the seat assignments are done at the airport? I don't understand this logic.
Strangely my return flight already has a window seat assigned, it's only my outbound flight that was in a "Seat unassigned" state. I booked this flight a month and a half in advance so it's not last minute.
I called AA and asked them why there are no seats showing as available in the entire plan this early out and they told me that I should go to the airport early to swap the seat with a window/aisle because almost all the seat allotments are reserved to be assigned at the airport.
Is this some kind of new system? I have flown AA before and was able to choose from various seats.
What is the point of online checkin if all the seat assignments are done at the airport? I don't understand this logic.
Strangely my return flight already has a window seat assigned, it's only my outbound flight that was in a "Seat unassigned" state. I booked this flight a month and a half in advance so it's not last minute.
Welcome to the AA Forum, k374! Please note that both of your recent threads in TravelBuzz have been moved to this forum. This is the correct place to ask questions about AA and I would encourage you to check out the FAQ and other resources at the top of the forum. In addition, the following thread may be of interest to you - it can be found using the Search terms "unassigned seat":
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
/Moderator
#18
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
Programs: AA Plat 2MM, MR Gold, Avis Pref
Posts: 41,109
I don't fly many other airlines except occasionally UA and to try and get a seat assignment on UA is having to give up your first child; as a non-elite it practically for all intents and purposes can't be done. Its bad enough that I paid $50 to get 3P on UA just for seat selection (and free bags)
#19
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Evergreen Park, IL
Posts: 1,384
Wouldn't it be easier if the web page simply stopped letting users try and choose seats when there aren't enough left to meet the 2/3 requirement?
To make things even goofier, there ORD->DFW boarding pass had seats 8D & 8E but according to AA, the DFW->SNA had those seats and no seat assignments for the ORD->DFW leg.
I'll talk to them tonight to see what happened (they leave today - yesterday's flight was canceled).
===========
Well, AA had no idea why their boarding pass showed seats in row 8 for the first leg where the system showed 'no seats selected' on the itinerary. Since it was on their BP they gave them the seats in row 8 and for the second leg the system had them in row 8 (even though they never selected them) so they got those also.
Last edited by OzzyOzzie; Jul 31, 2010 at 4:09 pm Reason: Update
#20
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1
Dont listen to the AA idiots posting
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the <redacted> charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.
Last edited by JDiver; Apr 24, 2013 at 3:39 pm
#21
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Racine, WI/VCE
Programs: AA EXP, MR LT PPE, Arise Mucci des Hommes de Fer
Posts: 1,047
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the bullcrap charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.
#22
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: FLL
Programs: UA 1K, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 824
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the bullcrap charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the bullcrap charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.
Hope you stick around and post some info that we can all use.
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,308
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the bullcrap charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.
#25
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Welcome to Flyertalk - and nothing like sticking your head into the lions' den on your first post. We will now close this post - and we commend you to read the FAQ, the Wiki and the TOS for your education and comfort here.
For now, we will close this thread. /Moderator
(Of course, you should know are not exactly correct, as Southwest "offers" EarlyBird nonrefundable charges so non-elite passengers can board a flight earlier and select the best seats - and US Airways offers "Choice Seats" for purchase. And AA will not be out of business - though they may become part of US Airways with the reverse takeover before the courts and Department of Justice.)
For now, we will close this thread. /Moderator
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Unless there is a compelling reason, avoid bumping threads that are more than two years old. Often the information is out-dated and it clogs the forums, making it difficult to find current threads.
I fly Lufthansa, BA, United, US Air, Swest and more and NO not all of them behave so badly trying to upsell seats for 25 - 40 bucks a pop. US Air has been great at assigning seats based upon preference regardless of elite status. We all know SOuthwest avoids the <redacted> charges of bags and seats. AA is a crappy airline just nickel and diming hence soon to be out of business.