kylometers

On 3 recent AA flights I've booked, I've noticed a very interesting trend - every single non-premium window/aisle seat is taken at the time I book the ticket and try to choose my seat. So if I want something other than a middle seat, presumably I'll have to pay for one of the "premium" ones. The first time this was simply weird. The second time it was suspicious. The third time, it's a conspiracy (IMO). What are the odds that from rows 18 back there are no 2 people that wish to sit together and that EVERYONE wants either a window or aisle?

When I logged in this morning to check-in, low and behold, a great multitude of free aisle and window seats magically appeared.

My suspicion is that AA is intentionally blocking free aisle/window seats at the time of booking to get people to pay extra for "premium" seats (I put "premium" in quotes b/c I'm not even talking about extra legroom seats...just the same old seat closer to the front of the plane that AA likes to attach a pricing premium to).

Has anyone else noticed this? I loathe AA with the fire of a thousand suns already, but this (somehow) seems like an all new low.

deeruck

Yes. That's exactly what they're doing. It's not at all unusual. As someone who buys tickets close to the departure date, I appreciate that there is usually still an aisle or window available, even if it's behind the wing.

DenverBrian

Well, off you go to UA then. Where they do the same thing. Or DL. Where they do the same thing. <shrugs>

The era of airlines without a 100% monetization framework is over.

bse118

Not new. Not a conspiracy. Not even particularly noteworthy.

Plenty of airlines, in the US and abroad, charge non-elites for any seat selection prior to 24 hours before departure. Fares are (in the aggregate) cheap - so airlines look for revenue adds where ever they can.

wetrat0

The odds are pretty good actually. I usually travel alone. When I go with my wife, I don't like the middle and neither does she. On a short flight we go aisle and aisle, on a long flight we sometimes pick aisle and window and hope the middle doesn't fill.

Put it another way: I know I'll be able to get a middle seat anytime, so why would I bother to pre-book it for any reason?

There are two things going on:
1. AA blocks certain "desirable" seats for elites only (different from paid premium seats). This is nice if you are an elite who books at the last minute. Any that are not taken by elites are released at T-24.
2. On the day before departure there is always a lot of movement. In particular, Gold elites can pick MCE seats free at T-24 (they have to pay prior). At the same time, some upgrades to F are also processed prior to departure. As a Gold, I always log in at T-24 and 90% of the time I change my seat. Thus, you would possibly be able to select the seat I vacated at T-24.

It's not a conspiracy, and it's actually not primarily about getting you to spend money (it's about taking something away from you so that elites feel like they are getting a benefit).

wetrat0

OP sounds like he/she would like Southwest. They don't ever charge for a seat assignment.

ijgordon

No, AA is much worse in this regard.

nrr

CONSPIRACY

PS: To lend credence to a Conspiracy, when I search "ALL AIRLINES" on GOOGLE FLIGHTS, for many routes (particularly between JFK and LAS) AA, UA, DL often have the same price. [In the CAB days, the airlines DID have the same pricing, they competed on service, like lobster salad with lunch ORD-LGA on UA in Y]

Austin787

UA does not designate any Y seat as "preferred". DL only designates a few rows (usually the exit rows) as "preferred", and not near the extent as USdbaAA.

QueenOfCoach

Easy answer. Buy tickets on some other airline.

captaink

Not my experience- Delta will designate most everything between Comfort+ and the exit rows as preferred (except the non-reclining, no extra-legroom rows ahead of the exit)

UA has allocated roughly 1/3 of their Y cabin for Economy Plus, so heavy leisure routes that are 50-60% full in Y can easily show only middle seats available.

zoned_post_meridiem

Pretty high, probably. Couples/people flying together often book window and aisle in the hopes that the middle seat won't get booked. And if it does get booked, and they want to sit together, the person in the middle seat will almost always agree to shift over to aisle or window instead.

dtremit

I actually think OP may be on to something -- though I suspect it's a bug (or possibly a GDS limitation), not a conspiracy. When you are browsing flights, the seat map on the flight selection screen often shows fewer empty seats than when you actually get to seat selection.

I almost didn't take a flight last week because no aisles were available, but the timing worked too well for me to pass it up. I am PLT and was logged in at the time. When I actually got to the seat selection screen, there were a number of aisle seats available that had not appeared in the initial browse. I believe they were "premium" non-MCE seats, though I'm not entirely certain that was the case for all of them.

I don't have a problem with AA charging whatever they want for whatever seats they want to charge for -- but it would be nice if they would display them consistently. I am not always looking at seat maps on the AA website, nor am I always logged in (another pet peeve).

azepine00

+1. This is very aa specific. And its been going on for some time. Call their bluff and wait until later when they do open seats.
Particularly stressful for families who need at least a pair of seats together.

ijgordon

I can't help but wonder how much business they're losing because people look at the seat map and see only middle seats available, even a couple months in advance. Seat availability certainly impacts my own purchasing decisions, within some pricing tolerance. Does keeping the last-minute elites happy ultimately make up for that?