Constructive advice appreciated!


I booked a vacation flight but used miles for some of it and am wondering how I screwed it up.

MBJ>CLT>PWM using miles for my BF’s flights then credit card for mine a few weeks after due to a change in plans.
Called AA to get our reservations linked up. Was thinking in case anything happened but also thought it could help him get my status (plat pro) and upgrades with me.
Agent confirmed all of that and got our seats next to eachother in the bulkhead row and confirmed we’d be sitting together.

fast forward to our departure and we go to board the plane and see that I’m upgraded and he isn’t. No link.
Boarded with him and asked the lady assigned 5A (bulkhead) if she would mind sitting in 4A first class instead… I took 5B and happily fell asleep next to my partner.

arriving in CLT I immediately went to the lounge agents and asked what we could do since something got ....ed up. Spent an hour standing at the counter there waiting for them to figure it out.

I had booked us 9A/B, but I got upgraded to 3C.
At this point I could care less about the potential upgrades but just wanted to sit with my partner (pillow purposes).

I gave up and went to the gate agent and explained my situation and asked if she could check if the person next to my boyfriend might want to trade seats. She said that wasn’t allowed and that if I didn’t want to use my first class upgrade seat then they’d reassign me to a different seat and give that seat to the next person on the waiting list.

I kinda get that like I shouldn't be able to assign my seat to someone but at the same time its never an issue when I give up my seat for a service member or tall or elderly person.

I guess I needed to be more subtle?


sorry this was so long
tldr I got upgraded and didn’t get to sit next to my boyfriend and got ....ed over more and annoyed after. Rant