Selecting seats on JAL when booked as AA codeshare

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Jun 11, 2017, 8:32 am by garkman
Can Seats Be Preassigned?
If your flight is marketed as AA, but on JL metal (i.e. "AA 8499 Operated by Japan Airlines"), the following apply based upon the fare code or booking code for your flight segments:
N - Seats may only be selected at checkin/airport
O - Seats may only be selected at checkin/airport (Confirmed with AA 6/11/17)
Others - Probably can preassign, but please modify this wiki if not
AA Award tickets on JL metal - DO allow seat assignments.
**When inputting a flight number that is a single digit (such as flight 1 from HND-SFO), you must add a leading '0' (zero) when looking up your flight. Failure to do this will result in an error that they can't find your PNR.

If you try to call AA on these fares and select seats, even as an EXP, the agent will be unable to view the seatmap and select seats for you. Your reservation will simply display "--" as the seat selection. Oftentimes these codeshare tickets do not allow JL checkin at T-72 hours, so you may not be able to actually get seats until the airport. You can try online checkin with JL here: http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/boarding/quic/

You may find more information here:
Flights from US to Japan
Flights from US to Other Asian Destinations
==========
Info added on 15th Sept. 2019. As a one world Sapphire, you can select the following business class window seats
From row 5 on the 767, 787 and 772 (excludes rows 1-4 window seats)
From main cabin on the 777W (excludes whole of mini cabin)

As a non-status passenger (or Ruby member), you can only select the following business class window seats
From second row onward of second cabin on the 767, 787 and 772 (excludes all of the forward cabin window seats and first/exit row of main cabin)
From second row onward of main cabin on the 777W (excludes whole of mini cabin and first/exit row of main cabin)

As a OWE, you have unlimited access.
==========
Which Booking Code Am I In?

If you have not viewed your fare at booking, you can follow the below steps to check your booking code:
1. Visit AA.com and open your itinerary
2. Visit the URL https://www.aa.com/reservation/print...raryReceipt.do
3. Your booking code should appear for each flight

BN2B , Dec 22, 2009 5:59 pm

Is there a number I can call for JAL to pick my seats reserved for a flight on JAL I booked through AA? Is there a web based way to do this? AA said they could not assign a seat for that leg of the flight on JAL. I am sure this is old hat for many of you but I have never done this.

Thanks

bp888 , Dec 22, 2009 6:35 pm

Call JAL's toll-free number at 1 (800) 525-6453.

Or online. First you need to get the JAL PNR from AA for your itinerary. Then head over to JAL's American Region website. Click on View My Reservations and enter these info: JAL PNR, Flight number, Date of boarding, Family Name, Given Name. Voila!

(I don't know if you need to be oneworld elite to be able to do the above.)

Antipode , Dec 22, 2009 8:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by BN2B

I recently had an AA issued OW ticket with a few segments on JL. AA was able to assign seats on one flight but not on the rest. IIRC, the issue is that on international flights they can assign seats ~6 months out, and on domestic they can only do it ~2 months out. I asked for the JL confirmation number, and at 2 months out, I went to the JAL website and was able to assign myself a seat. I imagine AA would have been able to do it at that time had I called them instead.

Ross0 , Feb 28, 2011 1:05 pm

I'm flying on AA codeshare flights operated by JAL (NRT-BKK-NRT) in 4 weeks and am looking to get seat assignments. AA said they were unable to assign seats. I have my JL reservation number, but for some reason when I enter it at the JAL website it only brings up the AA flights to/from NRT and not the intra-Asia flights. Anyone have a solution?

Thanks,

JALPak , Feb 28, 2011 3:12 pm

Ambassador: Japan Airlines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Call JAL

Ross0 , Feb 28, 2011 8:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JALPak

Call JAL

Strange. JAL says I can't reserve until T-72 hours at which point I should check-in online.

A follow up call to AA EXP desk allowed me to confirm a seat on the return, but not the outbound.

Lots of misinformation floating around...

JALPak , Feb 28, 2011 10:26 pm

Ambassador: Japan Airlines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

There are some booking classes on JAL that won't allow you to pre-select a seat. N fare on your outbound ticket I guess? And something like K on your inbound?

Ross0 , Mar 2, 2011 10:30 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JALPak

There are some booking classes on JAL that won't allow you to pre-select a seat. N fare on your outbound ticket I guess? And something like K on your inbound?

Yup -- booked in N on the outbound and V on the return on the AA codeshares.

JALPak , Mar 2, 2011 3:04 pm

Ambassador: Japan Airlines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

Yup -- booked in N on the outbound and V on the return on the AA codeshares.

That's why you can't preselect seats on outbound.

#10

Ross0 , Mar 2, 2011 3:33 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JALPak

That's why you can't preselect seats on outbound.

Thanks. Do you know if the T-72 hour mark for being able to preselect seats online is accurate?

If so, is it 72 hours before the first segment in the reservation (this is the case on AA operated flights on the same itinerary) or is it 72 hours before the departure time of the JAL flight?

#11

JALPak , Mar 2, 2011 5:23 pm

Ambassador: Japan Airlines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross0

T-72 of your JAL flight's scheduled departure time on JAL website.

But when is your flight? They are planning to integrate the OLCI system as part of the JBV. You might be able to do that on AA's website at an earlier time later. But I am not 100% sure.

#12

dw210 , Mar 6, 2011 8:33 pm

Great info. I've had this same issue and couldn't figure out why I was unable to select seats online. My mystery is solved

#13

tkelvin69 , Apr 25, 2011 8:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw210

Great info. I've had this same issue and couldn't figure out why I was unable to select seats online. My mystery is solved

Mystery not so much solved. Res. booked at aa.com with AA codeshare/JL operated segment NRT-HAN. At the JL site can see my AA flights and it does show the JL NRT-HAN when I put in the JL PNR but comes to "no flight to check-in" when using the web check-in. N class at less than 72 hours.

#14

tkelvin69 , May 4, 2011 3:04 am

I didn't see this in any other posts so will share my experience. I was unable to check-in for the NRT-HAN segment for an AA code-share JL operated flight. On the return (SGN-NRT) I went to the AA.com site to see if I could print the AA boarding passes. At the check-in button it directed me to the JL site where I could select seats and print my BP. Not sure if this is something new but I've never been able to issue a JL BP on an AA codeshare.

BTW - didn't do much good other than seat selection for SGN as passport control would not allow entry without a JL stamp. Counter opens 3 hours before departure and I arrived early on a domestic flight. Online BP did nothing of value for a domestic to international connection in Vietnam.

#15

BlissWorld , Jul 17, 2012 3:12 pm

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Bumping to see if this is still the case.

Are you still not able to select seats on JL operated flight but booked with AA coded/marketed flights?

N Class will not allow to select seats? Is this JL's N or AA's N class? If JL, what does it map to AA's booking class?

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