N1120A

Actually, a FAM is much more likely to be several weeks out than 3-4 days out.

Wouldn't complain? Only paid for J? Payment exists beyond cash, you know.

No. I upgraded to F using something I earned in consideration for flying AA in excess of 150k EQMs last year.

They do it for CKs.

JonNYC

With great respect, you don't actually seem to have all the facts yourself in terms of FAM issues and CK issues.

I'd personally suggest you drop it, you have no real grievance here.

kb9522

Hardly. The fares you paid in the past were for those fares only. Loyalty programs are not in place to reward the customer, they're there to increase revenue for the carrier.

I'm at a loss for words as to how one can possibly delude themselves into thinking that the carrier upgrading a passenger at no cost to them (the passenger) is somehow the same as the passenger compensating the airline. That sort of mentality tells me that no answer you get here is going to be acceptable to you. Maybe you should request a callback from Doug Parker so you can explain to him who you are... clearly he doesn't know.

Often1

1. It doesn't matter whether it's a FAM or a buddy of some senior executive at AA who used some juice to get this done. It is entirely within AA's discretion to do so. The contract agreed to be OP makes this crystal clear.

2. It doesn't matter whether 2A is as good as 1A, it's not the issue and it stings. But, it's life.

3. There is no compensation for a seat move. If OP wants to file a whine with AA after his return, it is possible --- but unlikely --- that AA will toss him a couple of miles.

Dallas49er

Now you have it from the wisest of the wise, while the rest of us danced around it.

Sincerely hoping you have a great flight!

DWFI

I'm just going to go ahead and say that there's a 75%+ chance this is FAM. Likely not a coincidence that it involves 1A, the seat with the best view of the cockpit entry on the aircraft.

As the poster above mentioned, CK is not some magical unicorn that can kick people out of seats, except for in limited circumstances. Especially not in the F cabin.

AAExecPlatFlier

👍👍👍

Catbert10

I've been FAM'd before. The CSR agents have a canned 'non-response' response which makes it fairly clear what happened. And I've been moved before and didn't get that canned response. Because I didn't get the canned response, I was pretty sure it wasn't a FAM and I was right. It was AA trying to seat a family.

Treating passengers like cargo that can be moved around willy-nilly without asking first is bad customer service. Treat us like people and we'll typically do the right thing. But don't treat us like self-loading cargo.

JonNYC

Right. Upgraded from business to first, in advance, but the "self loading cargo" catchpraise gets rolled out

This whole thing is so ridiculous.

weero

Which attempt would that be in this case? Let alone every attempt...

If it was a glitch or a service thing, AA should rectify it.

Catbert10

Reasonable people can reasonably disagree as to the importance of something like this. Obviously a lot of people don't care; obviously a lot of people do. But demonstrably, actions like this cause customer dissatisfaction. The OP (an EXP) was moved without their knowledge; the OP is unhappy. QED.

Just because airlines can do something doesn't mean they should.

JonNYC

Nein. If you accept the OP's theory (and you certainly shouldn't,) then another, far more profitable, customer was made more satisfied by getting their preferred seat. And that person, under this theory, actually paid for their first class seat. Clearing all SWU's at gate/day of travel would be preferable? Problem solved right there, no more disgruntled upgraders with indomitable seating preferences.

"Just because airlines can do something doesn't mean they should."

That's deep.

Stripe

You should be able to get some compensation. On a paid F ticket booked several months in advance, I had selected a pair of non-bulkhead seats on a CRJ-700 from ORD to DTW. In fact, the only pair of non-bulkhead F seats on that plane. While we were walking to the gate my seat switched from the aisle in row 2 to the window in row 1. My wife's seat did not change. Neither of the GAs claimed any knowledge of the switch and said they could do nothing. One can never be sure, of course, but the passenger in my old seat was almost certainly not a FAM. (Do FAMs even fly on such flights?). I tried to quiz the passenger about when and how she got the seat assigned but she wouldn't respond or even look up from her phone.

Mine was a far shorter flight than LAX-LHR and I'm not one of these "I have to sit next to my wife" people but, like you, I was annoyed in principle by the randomness of the change and the unwillingness of any agent to explain or resolve the situation. I complained via AA.com and got an apology and 5,000 miles, although I would have been happier with zero miles and an explanation of what really happened.

JonNYC

I applaud them for that, frankly.

PurdueFlyer

Last year, I bought a one-way ticket home from thanksgiving in W (Comfort+, Economy Plus, MCE, whatever you want to call it). Reserved a bulkhead window. Checked in an hour prior to departure as I was pulling up to the airport. Still had the same seat. Down at the gate, went to board, and new BP spits out, still a window in W, but a few rows back. No more bulkhead. I'm stewing, even though its only a 90-minute flight.

Next day, after discussion with a friend employed there who has RES access, we determined the root cause of the seat change. FAM? nope. Customer with disability? Nope. Just a family of 3, booked in 3 separate PNRs, same last name, no-status Y class passengers. They were op-up'd, basically to get 3 seats together. If the agent had approached me and said "Mr, PurdueFlyer, we are trying to accommodate a group, would you be willing to take a window in the same cabin further back?" OF COURSE I WOULD SAY YES! I have no problem with that. My gripe was that the agent was treating the extra "W" seats as a commodity to solve her other problems on the flight, which was not oversold, and I wasn't asked about my willingness to change. I agree with the above poster, the "randomness" is annoying.

But ultimately ... drumroll ...

That.

I entered into a contract of carriage with the carrier to transport me between ABC and XYZ, and that's what I got. Seat assignments are not guaranteed. End of story.