Hi, I have a bit of a strange issue. Just booked an AA issued ticket - DEL-JFK (on AA) on the outward leg and DFW-DOH-BOM (on Qatar) on the return leg, in business class, on Expedia. Seat allocations for DEL-JFK and DOH-BOM went thru without a problem. However, as DFW-DOH is marketed as an AA codeshare on Qatar metal, Expedia said I had to call the airline directly for a seat booking.

Called Qatar Airways and was told I had to pay $95 for a seat booking which I found ridiculous. They said that since it was a discounted Biz fare in I, I would have to pay. I then called AA and the story got even weirder. The AA rep told me that yes, I would have to pay but only $50, and it was an Expedia service fee, nothing to do with Qatar! I then called Expedia who denied charging any such fee and said this was a problem arising from the codeshare. The Expedia rep then talked offline with Qatar and came back to say she had spoken to them and asked for seat 3A for me and it should be sorted out in 72 hours.

At this point, if I do not hear back in 72 hours, I'll just call AA and pay the $50. It sucks to pay for a seat in Biz but its also a 15 hour flight in Qsuites and I'd like one of the solo seats up front. Just seems so strange to get no less than three different stories on why I can't seem to get a seat allocation, or what the fees are! Qatar experts- has this happened to you? And what's the next step?