Originally Posted by Fornebufox

OP again. It's now departure -44 hours. Y continues to show no seats, and 6/16 F seats show as available. AA seat maps for most of the other TUS-DFW flights into Tues. afternoon look similar (why is this route so popular on Tues?). As this leg feeds into the one daily DFW-CDG flight would my brother, flying intl, have any priority over pax flying only that single leg if it comes to an oversold situation? Problem being that as in intl pax he can't check in online. If I don't succeed in grabbing a seat for him how early should he try to get to the airport?

(this is a pretty interesting lesson in how the planes are filled--except that we'd rather he didn't miss his flight).

Originally Posted by Blumie

Based on posts I've seen on this board, people worry way too much about the inability to pre-book a seat assignment. Although it is the case that not having an advance seat assignment marginally inreases your odds of being involuntarily denied boarding, that happens very, very, very rarely. In addition to the fact that seats are held for airport assignment, between held seats that never are ticketed, people who cancel or change their reservations, and passengers who are happy to volunteer to be bumped, you just don't see that many involuntary bumps. IMHO, having no advance seat assignment is better than having a bad advance seat assignment.