Originally Posted by
GNRMatt
While there is no guarantee on rogue agents doing what they want, they should not be able to put a person in your extra seat, assuming you buy it the correct way. By this, that means that you call AA and purchase this as an "extra seat", not just buying another seat for a "made up" person that never shows up for the flight.
Thanks! Just before reading your reply I purchased the ticket (incorrectly online for Mr. Empty Seat) but a very helpful customer service rep just fixed it for me, and got a $4.50 tax refund.