First goes out with empty seat, multiple people on upgrade list.
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 18
First goes out with empty seat, multiple people on upgrade list.
How often have people seen first go out with an empty seat despite multiple people on the upgrade list? Flew on AA3748 from ORD-MSP yesterday and despite multiple people on the upgrade list, 7 or 8 if I recall correctly, we departed with an empty seat in first class.
Seat map showed one seat open, asked GA who claimed 'first had boarded full'. Even so I waited until the all groups/all rows announcement and then boarded. I sat near the front of Y and could clearly see an open seat in the first row. More than a little annoying...
Update: Some of the AA insiders here on FT confirmed the seat was not occupied and was functioning.
Seat map showed one seat open, asked GA who claimed 'first had boarded full'. Even so I waited until the all groups/all rows announcement and then boarded. I sat near the front of Y and could clearly see an open seat in the first row. More than a little annoying...
Update: Some of the AA insiders here on FT confirmed the seat was not occupied and was functioning.
Last edited by newgrad071; Feb 18, 2011 at 10:43 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,526
I once saw a case that I thought was that. Ended up being a short person in that seat.
Cheers.
Cheers.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DFW, ORD, IND
Programs: AMEX PL, Avis First, AA GLD
Posts: 249
That has happened to me as well. Made me quite upset, it was an MD80 flight DFW-IND. I always get my upgrade on the IND-DFW trip but never on the way back.
#4
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Slackerville, FL USA
Posts: 1,844
I have never seen an agent not process an upgrade if someone was supposed to get one and if a seat was not broken. I have experienced a zillion people who get on and tell me 20 times they are next on the list and where they are sitting, as though the upgrade list and seating chart are a mysterious secret. Those are usually the people who are 20th on the list.
FYI to all, that's annoying behavior and sets you apart from the word go. It puts you up there with the guy who puts his hat in an empty overhead bin and freaks out if you try to move it.
#5
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA PLT, AA 1MM, Marriott GLD
Posts: 473
I have never seen an agent not process an upgrade if someone was supposed to get one and if a seat was not broken.
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 10,967
Perhaps the seat was INOP.
Or perhaps the GA behind on paperwork and didn't have time to process an additional upgrade before needing to close the door.
Or perhaps the GA was too lazy to process the upgrade.
Anything is possible.
Or perhaps the GA behind on paperwork and didn't have time to process an additional upgrade before needing to close the door.
Or perhaps the GA was too lazy to process the upgrade.
Anything is possible.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 18
I'd give myself a 95% confidence interval that the seat was not occupied by a person. My first thought was maintenance issue too, but it looked to be fine shape on my way out. The flight is under an hour, I just complained last week to AA so I'm going to let it slide (don't want to lose any eagles ). Also I am not 100% positive there wasn't a good reason for it.
#8
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Not quite the same situation, but I recall being on ORD-LAX where Y was oversold and they were asking for volunteers, but F left with an empty seat (actually, may have been two).
#9
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Plat
Posts: 699
I don't know what is more surprising, AA would rather payout a voucher than op-up people, or that ORD-LAX didn't have enough elites requesting upgrades to fill F.
#10
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Not only don't I understand them not oping people up, I don't understand why some paying F customers weren't also requesting protection on this flight since it was slated to leave before ours once the delay was factored in.
But I really didn't care since my flight had been F2 A1 P1 for days and I cleared into F on the new one .
#11
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: FLL / MIA
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 58
I'd give myself a 95% confidence interval that the seat was not occupied by a person. My first thought was maintenance issue too, but it looked to be fine shape on my way out. The flight is under an hour, I just complained last week to AA so I'm going to let it slide (don't want to lose any eagles ). Also I am not 100% positive there wasn't a good reason for it.
#12
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
I'm going to pull out and wave my bull$hit flag; a 777 or 767 would not be operating this route, and if the seat was inoperable it would have been clearly marked as such (I've seen this), otherwise what's to prevent someone in an aisle seat from deciding they'd like to move to a window and all of a sudden having the bottom of the seat fall out from under them.
#13
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Programs: My opinions are not those of AA or any affiliates of AMR Corp.
Posts: 2,096
Flew on AA3748 from ORD-MSP yesterday and despite multiple people on the upgrade list, 7 or 8 if I recall correctly, we departed with an empty seat in first class.
Seat map showed one seat open, asked GA who claimed 'first had boarded full'. Even so I waited until the all groups/all rows announcement and then boarded. I sat near the front of Y and could clearly see an open seat in the first row. More than a little annoying...
Seat map showed one seat open, asked GA who claimed 'first had boarded full'. Even so I waited until the all groups/all rows announcement and then boarded. I sat near the front of Y and could clearly see an open seat in the first row. More than a little annoying...
#14
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Plat
Posts: 699
They most definitely do not fly 767s or 777s from ORD-MSP, I wish.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
That happens and it also happens that the seat is placarded in the log book and they are unable to fix it so they are unable to sell it.
I have never seen an agent not process an upgrade if someone was supposed to get one and if a seat was not broken. I have experienced a zillion people who get on and tell me 20 times they are next on the list and where they are sitting, as though the upgrade list and seating chart are a mysterious secret. Those are usually the people who are 20th on the list.
FYI to all, that's annoying behavior and sets you apart from the word go. It puts you up there with the guy who puts his hat in an empty overhead bin and freaks out if you try to move it.
I have never seen an agent not process an upgrade if someone was supposed to get one and if a seat was not broken. I have experienced a zillion people who get on and tell me 20 times they are next on the list and where they are sitting, as though the upgrade list and seating chart are a mysterious secret. Those are usually the people who are 20th on the list.
FYI to all, that's annoying behavior and sets you apart from the word go. It puts you up there with the guy who puts his hat in an empty overhead bin and freaks out if you try to move it.