Originally Posted by
Often1
First, the DOT IDB rules most certainly apply. It is fine that AA chose the seats which needed to be emptied, but that did not alleviate AA's obligation to follow both DOT rules and its own policy of IDB in a pre-specified order. While I suppose that it is possible that you were among the last to check-in at T-4, that seems odd.
AA's pre-specified order is pretty vague and uses a lot of weasel words like "usually" and "may":
Originally Posted by CoC
American will usually deny boarding based upon check-in time, but we may also consider factors such as severe hardships, fare paid, and status within the AAdvantageŽ program.
Perhaps most or all of the people checking in after the OP had AAdvantage status. These days with the ubiquity of apps, print-at-home, and check-in reminder e-mails at T-24, I don't find it quite so odd that someone checking in at T-4 is among the last to check in.
Originally Posted by
Often1
AA was still obligated to ask for volunteers and its failure to do so was a violation of DOT rules. That won't change your compensation, but you should nonetheless complain because, as you can see, the failure worked a hardship for you when there were likely people who would have been happy to spend the night for a voucher.
Ordinarily I would suggest that you complain to AA. But, AA already told you to complain to DOT. So, you should.
This is key. They should have asked for volunteers.