FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - MVPG flying on AA, trying to change seats
Old Sep 10, 2012, 2:13 pm
  #4  
steadyASshegoes
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS 75k, SPG Plat, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 394
Originally Posted by izzik
I just booked a flight on alaskaair.com (marketed by AS, operated by AA) and added my AS MVP # at time of booking. Tried to select exit rows but could only see the standard seating on AA.com/Alaskaair.com (No preferred or Preferred+ showing). Called AA and they said the same thing about me "booking through an outside agency", whatever that means. With my AS MVP #, AA was going to charge me to select exit rows.

Even weirder, the AA agent removes my AS # and adds my AA Gold #.. still couldn't select exit row for me w/o some kind of charge.. again, due to "outside agency booking" nonsense. Went online and selected the exit row seats myself after that.

What kind of partnership is this??
I run into this problem constantly, it is extremely annoying. For whatever silly reason, AA has decided to charge people a fee to assign a seat, unless you book through American Airlines. The fee applies for Alaska and even American elites when calling a res agent. For me, the solution is asking my travel agent to select my seat on every single reservation, which is silly. It is definitely an AA problem, not an Alaska problem. I never have this problem on Delta, where I am able to select preferred seats immediately after entering my AS MP# in the reservation.

Frankly I think American's policy is idiotic, since as you pointed out, booking the flight through alaskaair.com counts as an "outside agency". But AA isn't in bankruptcy because they know how to run a business well, are they?
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