AA Main Cabin Extra Misrepresented
Dec 17, 2013, 10:46 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
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AA Main Cabin Extra Misrepresented
When is "More Legroom" less legroom? When it's in AA Main Cabin Extra.
We flew an AA 767 JFK - SFO last month. Not having status, I paid to upgrade to Main Cabin Extra with "up to six inches of additional legroom to stretch out and relax" on this six hour flight.
Does this look like stretching out and relaxing?
Neither of us could straighten our legs - a 5'9" man or a 5'2" woman.
AA declined my request for a refund of the $156 I paid for "More Legroom."
Don't tell me I should have expected this from a bulkhead seat. Seatguru said "may have extra legroom" and AA promised it.
We flew an AA 767 JFK - SFO last month. Not having status, I paid to upgrade to Main Cabin Extra with "up to six inches of additional legroom to stretch out and relax" on this six hour flight.
Does this look like stretching out and relaxing?
Neither of us could straighten our legs - a 5'9" man or a 5'2" woman.
AA declined my request for a refund of the $156 I paid for "More Legroom."
Don't tell me I should have expected this from a bulkhead seat. Seatguru said "may have extra legroom" and AA promised it.
Dec 18, 2013, 12:28 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Bulkhead seats are a major gamble if you're not familiar with the aircraft and can't find actual traveler reports on them. Unfortunately Seatgurus line is a generic one there. More often than not though I've seen bulkhead seats more restrictive on the legs than normal seats.
Dec 18, 2013, 3:18 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Therefore, yes, you should have expected this, no sympathy at all.
Dec 18, 2013, 3:47 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2009
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AA Main Cabin Extra Misrepresented
More legroom products these days no longer mean stretch out and relax . That is what first class means. The previous comments are correct, you need to know the aircraft seat configurations ahead of time OR buy onboard. Seat guru is for the birds, look at seat maps on the respective airline's website.
Dec 18, 2013, 5:18 am
#5
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
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As this topic is specific to one airline, let's move this to the pre-merger AA forum for further discussion. Thanks! 
/JY1024, TravelBuzz and AAdvantage co-moderator
/JY1024, TravelBuzz and AAdvantage co-moderator
Dec 18, 2013, 6:27 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2002
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It's a mixed blessing here. Maybe you don't get the full extra legroom you would if there was a seat in front of you. But you also eliminate the opportunity for someone to recline into your space. A little less legroom than other MCE seats (but definitely more than the standard coach seat) but you could actually use a laptop without the far that the person in front of you would come flying back without warning.
Dec 18, 2013, 6:31 am
#7
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You got Row 20ed. That's an exit row in name only and a terrible, terrible row. In this day of amazing information available online always always ALWAYS do your research. There's lots of ink dedicated to how bad Row 20 on the 763 is. I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way 
Dec 18, 2013, 7:19 am
#8
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That's why AA advertises, "up to 6"". SeatGuru isn't AA. Bottom line is that there are people who will pay extra to sit in a given seat with 2 others in a 3-seat row, while others don't pay extra and get three seats across.
Fundamental problem with US carriers is that people don't want to pay the full tab for whatever perk it is. Neither MCE on AA, E+ on UA nor EC on DL are premium economy products which include a better seat, more room and an improved soft product.
Fundamental problem with US carriers is that people don't want to pay the full tab for whatever perk it is. Neither MCE on AA, E+ on UA nor EC on DL are premium economy products which include a better seat, more room and an improved soft product.
Dec 18, 2013, 7:31 am
#9
Original Poster
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Thanks for the comments.
AA also advertises "More Legroom," which was untrue here.
I did my research and did not expect or want a bulkhead seat.
I relied on the aa.com website, both the seatmap and the page about Main Cabin Advantage.
Should I have known Row 20 was a bulkhead seat from this?
Edit: These are the wrong seatmaps. Apparently I was on a 763. I thought I was on a 762 so grabbed these seatmaps trying to reconstruct. Sorry for the error.
AA also advertises "More Legroom," which was untrue here.
I did my research and did not expect or want a bulkhead seat.
I relied on the aa.com website, both the seatmap and the page about Main Cabin Advantage.
Should I have known Row 20 was a bulkhead seat from this?
Edit: These are the wrong seatmaps. Apparently I was on a 763. I thought I was on a 762 so grabbed these seatmaps trying to reconstruct. Sorry for the error.
Last edited by bilofsky; Dec 19, 2013 at 9:10 am Reason: Correct error
Dec 18, 2013, 7:42 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 199
Thanks for the comments.
AA also advertises "More Legroom," which was untrue here.
I did my research and did not expect or want a bulkhead seat.
I relied on the aa.com website, both the seatmap and the page about Main Cabin Advantage.
Should I have known Row 20 was a bulkhead seat from this?
AA also advertises "More Legroom," which was untrue here.
I did my research and did not expect or want a bulkhead seat.
I relied on the aa.com website, both the seatmap and the page about Main Cabin Advantage.
Should I have known Row 20 was a bulkhead seat from this?
Dec 18, 2013, 8:03 am
#11
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https://www.google.com/#q=american+a...ow+20&safe=off
If you would have spent 20 seconds googling, you would have seen that row 20 is a bulkhead. Clearly your "research" didn't include this basic and often first step. Its also mentioned on seat expert as well as being problematic along with a number of other sites (including FT)
Beyond that, Row20 does indeed have more legroom than non MCE based seats... while not as much as some of the other MCE offering... its certainly better than your knees in the back of someone in front of you.
If you would have spent 20 seconds googling, you would have seen that row 20 is a bulkhead. Clearly your "research" didn't include this basic and often first step. Its also mentioned on seat expert as well as being problematic along with a number of other sites (including FT)
Beyond that, Row20 does indeed have more legroom than non MCE based seats... while not as much as some of the other MCE offering... its certainly better than your knees in the back of someone in front of you.
Dec 18, 2013, 8:08 am
#12
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I'm going to sympathize more with you than most here. However, based solely on your picture, if you were in regular coach seats the back of the next seat would be very close to your 5'9" knees (my height as well). So yeah, you have some more room there.
And no, from those two seat maps I don't see how you can be expected to know it's a bulkhead. Not everyone knows or has the time to know the minutiae of where the errors are in aa.com or seatguru. I sure didn't know and I've been flying AA a long time, just not usually the 762. I also try not to be in back but that's a different subject!
And no, from those two seat maps I don't see how you can be expected to know it's a bulkhead. Not everyone knows or has the time to know the minutiae of where the errors are in aa.com or seatguru. I sure didn't know and I've been flying AA a long time, just not usually the 762. I also try not to be in back but that's a different subject!
Dec 18, 2013, 8:30 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2012
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I'm a lil confused.. You went on a 767-200 correct? With those planes there is no MCE, and according to the link you gave, the green stars on AA website represents "preferred seats", which if you have no status, you will have to pay extra anyway.. MCE seats are usually colored orange..
You did pay for MCE for a flight that was probably supposed to be on a 763 and then most likely your aircraft was substituted with a 762.
As there definitely is no MCE on the 762s it should not have been sold to you in the first place - contact AA again about a refund.
You may get only a few bucks back, though: Row 20 on the 762 is classified as "preferred" and sold for $59 so you're due to be refunded the $38 difference between MCE (which you paid for but didn't get) and "preferred" (which you did get).
Dec 18, 2013, 8:30 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Sympathize also, but blukhead seats even in AA's domestic F can be uncomfortable. I avoid bulkhead row 3 AB on the MD80's and bulkhead on the domestic 757's have limited legroom. I'm only 5'8" and find them very uncomfortable.
Dec 18, 2013, 8:36 am
#15
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When you purchase a ticket on AA.com and use their seat map to aid you in making your choice, you should get what is shown [exit row, mce, preferred, bulkhead etc.]. A flyer should NOT be required to do any searching on external sources (SEATGURU, FT for example). Did the OP get what he saw and paid extra for should be the determining factor?
[EXIT rows on all planes should have more leg room, since that is needed in an emergency.]
[EXIT rows on all planes should have more leg room, since that is needed in an emergency.]