FA permitting a "self upgrade" to MCE/exit row after boarding door closes
 

Flew CLT-SFO the day after US disappeared. Was sitting in 9E and pleased to have 9D unoccupied next to me when the boarding door closed (as the 9D occupant was the one and only gate upgrade into F). However, someone in a middle seat in regular economy gestured to the FA about taking that seat, and she nodded back to him that it was okay to do so. So not only did someone presumably w/o status get to sit in 9D which is now designated as a MCE seat, but he got to use the stowage space under 8D that I had left open for the original 9D passenger (9E is blocked by the entertainment box). So he ended up getting the better deal with floor storage, etc. w/o paying a dime or having status.

Is this the correct policy? That once the boarding door closes, it's a free-for-all as to any unoccupied MCE seats?

Did you mentioned to the FA that some people have paid for MCE seats, only to have others get it for free? Kinda like taking some revenue from AA, which ultimately pays your salary, does not seem fair.

It happens all the time, people move to better seat assignments, heck they even try to get onto BUS/FIR if they could. If it bothered you, you should have said something. The passenger asked and was granted, others take it without asking. You do not say anything, but ask about it on a public forum after the fact.

Seems to me you are more upset at the fact that you still got stuck in the middle. Since you where in MCE, why take a middle seat, seriously I rather take a regular aisle seat as opposed to a middle MCE seat.

Happens all the time . And why not .

Couldn't it have been a MCE eligible pax who was stuck in a Y- seat?

And do you believe the FA was aware of that?

Maybe that's what the pax told the FA -- shows BP with MCE eligible status and asks can I take that open MCE seat -- I believe OP said the 'upgrader' spoke to the FA before moving.

OP did not say such. But perhaps the passenger had previously asked the FA if there were any available MCE seats would it be possible to move. The gesture the OP saw may have been the passenger confirming the ability to move with the FA.

That's why I usually put my stuff on any empty seat next to me.

They are all just coach seats once the door closes ...

Yeah, I've never once heard of an AA FA "protecting" MCE, and assume it's not the policy for them to do so. A big reason for this would be that FAs aren't currently able to upcharge pax who wish to move to MCE (unlike some other carriers).

Yeah, I mean this is just an extension of the "should anyone spread out if there aren't enough unoccupied seats for everyone to spread out" dilemma.

Those statusless heathens!

I think this falls under the doctrine of MYOB. I've switched seats countless times and I don't think anyone has ever cared. In my experience, United seems to be the only major that cares about protecting their economy plus product.

DL is now offering paid "upgrades" from main cabin into C+ as well, so I doubt any self-upgrading would be tolerated without a credit card being involved.

You were way too quick to vilify me here. First, 9E is not a middle seat on pmUS A321. There's no 9F (10F is the "infinite leg room seat"). It's just a pair of seats (9D/E). So no, usually I prefer 9E to 9D so that I'm not being bumped by folks walking the aisle. One of the "perks" of being in a status class is the chance that a seat next to you will go unoccupied given that there are fewer people entitled to it. And on a 5.5-hour flight, it's nice to not be rubbing shoulders with someone.

You say I said nothing about it on the plane but then asked on a public forum. Again, I'm an ex-US flyer and don't know AA's policy about MCE; that's why I'm asking in this thread. I didn't want to raise a fuss about it within earshot of a guy I was going to be sitting next to for the next few hours if in fact it is a free for all after boarding is complete and he was within his right to do so.

On US there was no such upcharge for MCE so the expectations are different, and anyway I was upgraded into F 95% of the time and never actually had an unoccupied seat next to me whenever I was in Y.

Ahh, OK, its been a few years since I've flown DL. I know the last UA flight I took, the 757 was about half full, and all of us peons in economy were concentrated in the aft few rows of economy because the FAs stuck to their guns about not permitting self upgrades.