Originally Posted by
MauiTigerShark
If that's the rule (and I have no reason to disbelieve you) then it is a bad one. There shouldn't be a single occasion (at least not one I can think of) where a paying pax (standby or not - he/she still paid) doesn't get their choice of seat and/or upgrade over non-revs. Non-revs should get seat allocations after all paying pax have been accommodated.
Note: I'm not suggesting that a crew/crew member, flying to meet another flight on which he/she is working, should lose their seat to a standby pax - only their choice of seat. Non-revs should always come second to pax who share the plane with them.
Unfortunately the unions have written these kind of STUPID rules into their contracts. They will cry & whine how concenered they are about passengers until it affects them & their perks.
Also complaining about quality of seats between a Paying PAX & a Non-Rev is kinda hard. How many hours does AA need to spend playing musical chairs etc to make sure everyone has the best seat they want & may be ENTITLED to. Or do they work to get as many people onboard & out ONTIME.