Originally Posted by
lds89
AA changed procedures during the upgrading a few months back. You likely have a seat preference in your online profile (mine is "aisle"). If at upgrade, there are no aisles available, they do not assign you (whereas before they would've assigned you into the window). Your upgrade certainly has gone through, there are just no available aisle seats. If there's any preference to a window seat; I'd grab the one you want and then just monitor to see if an aisle opens up. You can switch later. If you do not assign a seat, you'll get anything available at check-in
Good to know - I do indeed have an aisle seat preference. They ended up upgrading a bunch of pax from J to F, and then from Y to J. If I had gotten to the gate 45 minutes before the flight I probably could have gotten an aisle seat, but the window was just fine. I'm agile/limber/strong enough to climb over my fully reclined seatmate without waking him or her. I would rather not, but it wasn't a big deal.