diver858

I have been on AS flights with empty exit rows where kettles from the back of the bus self-upgrade during flight, FA comes by to provide an exit row safety briefing.

UA is at the opposite end of the spectrum - FAs closely protect Y+ seats.

pinniped

I'm okay with that too. I've been on flights where FAs would allow a little bit of MCE/E+/EC upgrading where whole empty rows were involved, or where an FA would bring someone up to an aisle with an empty middle.

But...these people today didn't ask the FA. They just *did it*, right at the start of the safety demo when it would have been awkward for the FA to get involved. Plus, I have to wonder if the FA wasn't influenced by recent events such as the one on United where an FA evicted two self-upgraders and it made the news (a couple days after UA3411). So the desire to avoid conflict probably took priority...especially since it was pretty evident that I, the person in the window seat, was mildly annoyed as opposed to completely outraged.

Anyway, I'm curious as to whether AA actually has this "open seating after the door closes" policy, knowing that UA, DL, and most others do not.

JonNYC

They do not.

Strikes me highly possible.

TheSkyGuy

Once the door is closed, as long as you don't move cabins, any seat is fair game.

JonNYC

Even moving from regular economy seats into MCE seats as in this case?

If so, I most definitely stand corrected, I was told that any seat that would require payment from the passenger in question could not, technically, be moved into, I thought.

TigerWolf

Realize that the FAs need to follow company policy and could be fired for upgrading someone because the seat was empty. As you indicated you had paid for the upgrade. Have you contacted the airline and notified them and asked for a refund of the additional amount you paid for the up-graded seat?

JonNYC

Uhhhhhh...

TigerWolf

No it's not.

TigerWolf

How would you feel if you had paid for the upgrade and then others were just allowed to move (and probably bought the cheapest ticket).

Dave Noble

It isn't an upgrade, it is still the economy cabin

I don't see it any different to any other seat purchase within a cabin. If it was a passenger relocating from say, an economy cabin to a premium economy cabin, that would be very different

I am not aware of AA prohibiting passengers from changing seats within a cabin ; it it does, then that is different and all passengers should stay in assigned seats regardless

TigerWolf

I think a blocked seat does show up. I am at the top level on United and (on very few flights) have even had the seat next to me in business class international blocked. On boarding an FA always mentions that if the seat is needed for a legitimate customer it may be used. I have no problem if someone is seated there but it is nice to have the empty seat there.

pinniped

I didn't actually pay anything for the seat. I'm Gold, so I selected it during the OLCI process. I have not written a letter to AA. Had I been on Gogo *during* the flight, I might have because I was annoyed. But now, the outrage has passed and it doesn't seem worth the trouble just to have a bot send me a form letter back.

I'll admit this is how I've typically felt when it comes to a barebones MCE/E+ product. If I'm in 10F, I don't care if someone slips up from the back to 10D. I'm mostly irritated that these selfish passengers violated what I think most of us here would consider basic etiquette: you only go snag empties when you can do it without bothering people already seated. (Which generally means you don't go poaching in pairs unless there are whole empty rows.)

But it is interesting to learn that AA seems to have a very different take on MCE than UA does on E+.

cynicAAl

has the official policy changed recently ? The last dozen or so times I've seen someone from the crowded back of the bus move forward to an MCE seat, the FA promptly has them move back to their original seat. Even if the person offers to pay for the "upgrade", the FA states that they have no mechanism to accept payment, so they need to go back to their ticketed seat.

JonNYC

I'm trying to remember the details myself, but, could -swear- I remember being told that was the official policy on Y-> MCE self-upgraders (with an acknowledgment that FA's are but in a very difficult position trying to enforce same and would never be admonished for not enforcing it.)

Can't find anything on it, and, as you say, I guess it's changed, seemingly.

rjw242

Could also just be one of the many FAs who doesn't give a damn, just like we've seen for years.