Seat Blocked [but still available for selection online, why?]
 

EDITED, OUT OF SEQUENCE.

Flying AA 737 ORD-LAX, A low load flight, checked in at the airport just to ask "What's up?"

Took a chance reserving D & F, and AA said E was still empty, and I should ask at the gate if they could block the seat.

I've been AA since 1989, so when a seat was "blocked" it had meaning.

NOTE:

Of course, for most of those years, we never actually saw a seating chart, so who knows what meaning "blocking" had, or really accomplished.

I do vaguely remember reading something on FT about changes to "blocking", so that was in the back of my mind. Is the mechanism to make a seat unavailable, now not available to airport AAgents?

Anyway... blab, blab, blab AC, then the gate.

Bottom line, the seat was always available for someone to take, so my old time interpretation of "blocking" did not apply, although AA continued to say, "It's blocked."

In a practical sense, it was blocked. Because of the low flight load, and isn't that all that mattered?

Sure for some...

Others, like me, that don't have a life, bother people with questions.

In the end, we were the last to board, and got the UG. Yeah. A low load flight. Guess that's why the tickets cost $82.

Appreciate people taking the time to post. Thanks.

==

OP.

AC desk is saying the seat is blocked, showed me the screen, but it's showing available at AA.com.

Would anyone know why?

Thanks.

Who knows? There's insufficient detail in your question. FM? Disabled or companion?

Gate AAgent is saying, in the traditional sense, when the seat is made unavailable, "They don't really do that any more."

When I asked if it's blocked, Gate AAgent said, "Yes, it's open."

To me, that was confusing. Took a lot of words to figure out what was ment. But, their was no doubt the AC AAgent was "misleading", when saying, "It's blocked on my screen."

Guess, "blocked" has taken on a new meaning at AA.

Ops! BTW, thanks for your help. Good morning.

There is a plane (738?) where 4 middle seats just behind the exit row are literally blocked by having a fixed tray in place preventing use. This is done to prevent needing an extra FA (50:1 ratio I believe).

Seat Blocked?
 

Not anymore

Thats odd... I mean I have never, ever, ever seen AA.com with an error

I see what you did there. :D

Crew rest? Need more detail on the flight and equipment please!

Moved to top

I remember some time ago, well long time ago, you get the seat blocked next to you,
unless of course it was a full flight, those days of a true block are gone, but on a lighter note, I have had BA block seats for me on the LHR to BOM flight, and they indeed were
blocked.