As I read the AA FAQ on freebie MCE, it is available only to AA elites on MileSaver. This does not include OW equivalents as those are specifically referred to in sections where OW status counts. As an AA Gold, OP would be able to select MCE if still available at T-24.

Q: Can I purchase the new seat product if I am traveling on an AAdvantage MileSAAver Award ticket or Business Extra PlanAAhead ticket?

A: Elite status members may select Main Cabin Extra seats when traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets. However, Main Cabin Extra is not available for purchase by non-elite customers traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets.

Very disappointed with customer service
 

I had posted earlier about the discrepancy between the published rules on AA.com for MCE on a MileSAAver ticket and the "actual" policy.

From the FAQ for MCE:

Q: Can I purchase the new seat product if I am traveling on an AAdvantage MileSAAver Award ticket or Business Extra PlanAAhead ticket?
A: Elite status members may select Main Cabin Extra seats when traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets. However, Main Cabin Extra is not available for purchase by non-elite customers traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets.

I purchased a ticket with miles in the expectation that I would be able to get an MCE seat according to this published rule. Apparently what is published is not correct and you cannot get MCE on a MileSaaver ticket. After speaking with 3 different agents (2 AAdvantage, one web services) and being told "I'm sorry that you don't understand the policy" (I understand the policy, but that's not what it says for crying out loud!) I was transferred to a supervisor who looked at the webpage with me and agreed that I was completely right and that this was a "huge oversight" and was indeed incorrect. Unfortunately, she said that that there was nothing she could do to override the system and allow me to purchase MCE (or comp it). She said that she would immediately alert webservices to have the website updated to reflect the actual policy. I had now spent 56 minutes on the phone and asked if she could, at the very least, offer a small Customer Service gesture of a few bonus miles for having taken an hour out of my day to inform American of this "huge oversight." She said that she was sorry, there was nothing she could do, and that was the end of the conversation.

Was I being unreasonable? Obviously this was not worth the effort, but I thought after being denied an MCE seat in accordance with the published rules that was staring both me and the supervisor in the face I should at least ask for some nominal recognition of the effort I did put in. 5,000 miles would have made me at least feel like a mildly valued customer.

Since the satisfaction of being correct, and of helping American update it's website, is rather slight, I just thought I'd come here to vent and possibly seek a little consolation :p

(Watch the website be updated in the next few hours. Just know that it's thanks to yours truly!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

What is your AAdvantage elite status?

Gold. It's in my profile. Hence I expected to be able to purchase MCE at a 50% discount

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Is AA claiming that you also cannot get MCE for free on a SAAver award within 24 hours of departure, or are they just saying that you cannot purchase it on a SAAver award?

The people I talked to didn't say anything about 24 hours. They just said I can't get it on a Milesaaver ticket.

With an award ticket , purchase of MCE seating is not permitted. The wording on the website was not adjusted properly when Gold members no longer had complimentary access

If you are entitled to access it for no charge, then you can select it

A gold member can get complimentary access to MCE seating at 24 hours prior to departure , so if you go online at that point, you can select from remaining open seats

The wording issue was something that you had queried here and been accurately informed before calling; why would you expect compensation for an hour that you spent with prior knowledge of the issue?

Because I do not understand why American is not liable, in some form, for the errors it makes (and acknowledges to have made).

Also, the point of this post was to address what I perceived to be a customer service failure, not to question the actual policy itself. That is why I posted it separately and wish that it had not been buried here.

If you had been wanting to cancel based upon inability to get seating and were wanting the redeposit fee waived I could understand that, however I do not see why would expect compensation if you choose to continue travel based on the rules that actually were in place

You have suffered no loss; you haven't purchased something and not been provided it, just not allowed to purchase it

what I was told
 

Hi,

I have Economy MileSAAvers booked for an international trip. Still hoping for Business to open up, as there are very few seats taken. Two weeks ago, an AAdvantage CSR told me that the only way for me to reserve seats in Main Cabin Extra was to have at least Gold Status, which I entertained purchasing with AA Business Extra Points (currently I don't have Status). She then told me that 24 hours prior to my trip all of the seats are released to all passengers and I *may* have a chance at securing those seats if they're still available.

I searched this topic and found this Thread because I wanted to know what the best method of trying to get those seats is: being online and selecting the seats OR calling a representative just before the 24 hour window?

By reading this Thread, it would appear I may have been told inaccurate info. Advice?

Hang up and call again. There sounds like a lot of misinformation there. 1) Gold members cannot book MCE ahead of time, only at the 24 hour point. 2) All MCE seats are not released to "everyone" at 24 hours....

As a member with gold status, you would be able to select the MCE seats ( assuming that they are still available ) for no cost 24 hours before departure. You should, I believe, be able to do this online

MCE doesn't become free to those holding no status at 24 hours before departure

Calling does not give you advantage. You can check right at the 24 hrs mark and if there are any MCE still available, you will see them and then select whatever you want if you have Gold status.

I don't believe that is the case. Also, although I remember when the AA site used to say that, it seems to have been updated.
https://www.aa.com/maincabinextra
Here are the most relevant parts.

Under "Complimentary Access":
In the FAQs:

I've done this within the last week, I booked an AA award using my miles, then called and had my FF number changed to my Dividend Miles # (Gold/OW Sapphire). Within minutes of the change I was able to go in and select MCE seats.

This is not the same situation, but I thought I would post my experience here in case anybody else has the same situation and is looking at this thread:

I booked my family on MileSAAver tickets and me on a revenue ticket, all on the same itinerary. MCE was not showing as available for my family. However, I called AA and they put my family in MCE. The agent said that it was standard practice as long as I was flying the same itinerary.

Just passing this along in case others were not aware.

Changing Seats to Preferred/Main Cabin Extra on Award booking - Not available?
 

Hi all - Just booked an award flight for my daughter and I (US Airways miles on American aircraft) from JFK to Paris to Philadphia.

I had to book it by calling in due to the multiple destinations, and the agent told me to log on to AA to change my seat.

I was interested in purchasing a preferred seat or a Main Cabin Select, however when I log on to AA these seats aren't showing available. I checked the seat chart to confirm that these seats were open for purchase if I did a brand new purchase on their website.

My question is can these seat upgrades be purchased on Award bookings? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Unfortunately, they cannot.

Thanks for such a quick reply. Is it possible to purchase at check in? That is unfortunate for sure.

No.

Per aa.com:

I am AAdvantage Gold and have found that the AA iPhone app will allow me to select Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seats for my upcoming international Saver award ticket at no charge. This is odd since Gold normally needs to pay 50 percent of the normal fee for MCE outside 24 hours departure time. AA.com still does not allow me to select MCE but it recognizes my seat selections from the app. I'm not sure if you have elite status with US but either way, perhaps it is worth a shot to access the itinerary via the app to see if you have a similar experience.

I noticed that the extra leg room was not available when reserving a saver award for a trip to Australia. Because of that restriction, I decided to book on United instead. I couldn't find Business seats but will keep searching on both airlines. I have status with United and the extra leg room on United will help.

I've used MCE on T awards for a while now. Last night I booked an earlier flight to ORD and now MCE is gone. Both agents I talked with says I can not get MCE on a T award. I am a PLT and up to a day ago, had MCE on every segment. I can't find any wording on AA.com saying that I wouldn't get it, shows as complementary. Any recent experience people here have with this?

You may have been lucky, but the answer was posted some time ago.

in the FAQ here: https://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/mainCab...maincabinextra

The purchase of MCE seats not being possible is well known about

if holding platinum status, where MCE seating should be complimentary, this seems like quite a change

the answer in the FAQ of

"However, Main Cabin Extra is not available to customers traveling on an AAdvantage MileSAAver Award ticket."

is in relation to the question

"Can I purchase the new seat product if I am traveling on an AAdvantage MileSAAver Award ticket or Business Extra PlanAAhead ticket?"

I updated the wiki to note that Golds do have (complimentary) access to MCE within 24 hours of departure.

You're right-- Plat should be able to select from MCE section, free of charge, on a -T- award.

I just did a test-booking and had no problem, as a Plat, selecting from MCE section.

Im going blind. I don't see those exact words in that link, that they aren't complementary for Awards.

I do however see this below:
Complimentary Access

AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, AAdvantage® Platinum members and their oneworld® equivalents, as well as Dividend Miles Preferred members* and customers who purchase a full-fare Main Cabin ticket receive complimentary access to Main Cabin Extra seats.

See my post directly above, had no problem just now selecting MCE seats, as a Plat, on a economy milesaver award.

I had the same access up to last night. Every time I call AA, they are saying it's not free anymore, but no wording I can find that says it's not. I will call Advantage tomorrow. Just want a better seat that is open.

You're saying that more than one AAgent has told you this? And was unambiguous in what they said? "No more MCE on awards for Plat"? (or words very close to that affect?)

I just did a dummy booking as well, let me select MCE. So there is something wrong or going on right now in their system.

Called twice, both agents said no free MCE on T awards.

Only thing is; when you say "something wrong or going on right now in their system"-- it seems the humans are giving you the wrong info, the system (direct booking on AA.com) is -not- denying you MCE, I think is what you're saying?

Correct. But my booked flights for this week, won't allow me MCE currently.

Very strange-- bad coincidence that at such time as your acct (or many, or most-- who knows) is having this problem, the human component is also giving incorrect information (including myself at first-- sorry about that!) that reinforces the exact glitch/problem you're having!

HUCA? I recall a weird bug that didn't allow people to choose MCE online right after a schedule (or maybe equipment) change.