Frustrating Seat Selections
Mar 31, 2018, 5:26 am
#46
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW-In Plano & CDG-In the 11th
Programs: DL Diamond, AA revenue negative, Bonvoy Titanium +, Avis likes me
Posts: 3,209
Perhaps in this case, unfamiliarity breeds expectations.
YMMV
Mar 31, 2018, 7:37 am
#47
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
Mar 31, 2018, 10:36 am
#48
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SAN
Programs: AA CK, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 839
I realize that families want, and in many cases, need to be seated together. Back in the bad old days of air travel, the airlines prioritized families ahead of all other passengers, including couples and solo passengers. As a result, solo business passengers and couples (who were split up) were severely disadvantaged for seating on routes, especially to places like Orlando, and it was considered poor form for a solo passenger to complain about being placed in a middle seat in the back of the cabin. On the vast majority of my flights as a solo passenger back then, I was never given a seat assignment until boarding with the predictable bad outcome. I can’t imagine the sh*t storm that would ensue today if passengers with reserved seats, in any section, were moved to accommodate a family block of seats.
Mar 31, 2018, 12:02 pm
#49
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
I realize that families want, and in many cases, need to be seated together. Back in the bad old days of air travel, the airlines prioritized families ahead of all other passengers, including couples and solo passengers. As a result, solo business passengers and couples (who were split up) were severely disadvantaged for seating on routes, especially to places like Orlando, and it was considered poor form for a solo passenger to complain about being placed in a middle seat in the back of the cabin. On the vast majority of my flights as a solo passenger back then, I was never given a seat assignment until boarding with the predictable bad outcome. I can’t imagine the sh*t storm that would ensue today if passengers with reserved seats, in any section, were moved to accommodate a family block of seats.
Mar 31, 2018, 8:38 pm
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Back to UA, missing DL; Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,498
... booked my tickets to Maui back on Feb 11th. When I booked my tickets there were not any "Free" seats on any of the 4 legs (there were a few singles scattered throughout the plane), there were however plenty of "Preferred & Main Cabin Extra" seats for purchase. I booked Main Cabin Economy (NOT BASIC ECONOMY). I decided to wait until 24 hour prior to see if anything would open up. It did not, I was forced to purchase 4 seats on 4 legs, most in MCE because that was all that was left. Also, on both of my long legs I overheard and saw on the plane MANY (not an exaggeration) families and groups talking about how nobody was seated together. That would have been us if we did not pay. This was a $1133.78 lesson. That comes to $271/person round trip to select seats. Yes, it was a little more costly because we bought MCE. However, there weren't 4 "preferred" seats together. Here was our itinerary:
Outbound: Sat, Mar 17
OKC-DFW AA2653 MD80
DFW-OGG AA7 777
Inbound: Fri, Mar 23
OGG-DFW AA6 777 (red eye)
DFW-OKC AA2443 MD80
Today I did a little self education to prevent the same mistake. I looked at the same type of trip 4 months from now. OKC-OGG, leave Sat, Jul 21 and return Sat, Jul 28th, 4 people traveling. What did I find? The exact same scenario (with the exception of one of the MD80 flights has Free seats). The other aggravating thing is that you don't know the cost of the "Preferred or Main Cabin Extra" seats until you put in all your passenger information. So the money value isn't given to you until right before you enter your credit card information. This particular scenario our tickets would cost $1570 rt per person. We would have spent an additional $165 rt per person to get seats sitting together (adding a total of $660 to our trip). Just like my actual trip we were 'forced' into purchasing MCE seats because nothing else was available. Just like I learned on my trip, you cannot just wait until check-in 24 hours prior and be given seats for free together. I saw many people split up (including pairs of 2 being split). Now I know that is a major tourist route with many families. It probably isn't always that way. But the fact is that it was on my trip, and if I repeated that trip in the summer I'd get the same result.
So... I continued my self education further.
I went to Delta, searched the same future trip, looked at the seats. First thing I noticed is Delta's flight was way more expensive. $1696 rt per person. However, all 6 legs (yes, only 3-leg trips OKC-OGG on Delta) had plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of free seats for selection. Even more interesting is when I entered all my passenger info, I selected the "preferred seats" to see what they cost. They were "Free". I don't know why, I am not a elite member at all. I wasn't even logged into a Delta account as I was browsing. It may be because I was "Main Cabin" and not "Basic Economy". I don't know why.
I then went ahead and searched United. What I found on United was a fair of $1376 rt per person with 2-legs each way. All 4 of United's flights had PLENTY of "free" seat selections. Also, on United the "preferred seat" things isn't even a thing. They only have Economy Plus and Economy.
So what exactly did I learn? I learned to look at the seat my before clicking Go. I learned how to find what seats will cost me if they cost me. If I actually did my future flight what I would have learned is I had 3 options. 1) AA at $1725 (including fees to purchase tickets) 2) Delta at $1696 and 3) United at $1376. United would of been the no brainer. I won't say I will never fly American again. If they have the correct flights for the correct price (including actually researching seats and adding them to the fare) then I would fly them. However, if they are close to the correct flights and prices, I will easily go to another carrier after how they aggressively charge their seat prices. Shame on American, Shame on Me.
Outbound: Sat, Mar 17
OKC-DFW AA2653 MD80
DFW-OGG AA7 777
Inbound: Fri, Mar 23
OGG-DFW AA6 777 (red eye)
DFW-OKC AA2443 MD80
Today I did a little self education to prevent the same mistake. I looked at the same type of trip 4 months from now. OKC-OGG, leave Sat, Jul 21 and return Sat, Jul 28th, 4 people traveling. What did I find? The exact same scenario (with the exception of one of the MD80 flights has Free seats). The other aggravating thing is that you don't know the cost of the "Preferred or Main Cabin Extra" seats until you put in all your passenger information. So the money value isn't given to you until right before you enter your credit card information. This particular scenario our tickets would cost $1570 rt per person. We would have spent an additional $165 rt per person to get seats sitting together (adding a total of $660 to our trip). Just like my actual trip we were 'forced' into purchasing MCE seats because nothing else was available. Just like I learned on my trip, you cannot just wait until check-in 24 hours prior and be given seats for free together. I saw many people split up (including pairs of 2 being split). Now I know that is a major tourist route with many families. It probably isn't always that way. But the fact is that it was on my trip, and if I repeated that trip in the summer I'd get the same result.
So... I continued my self education further.
I went to Delta, searched the same future trip, looked at the seats. First thing I noticed is Delta's flight was way more expensive. $1696 rt per person. However, all 6 legs (yes, only 3-leg trips OKC-OGG on Delta) had plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of free seats for selection. Even more interesting is when I entered all my passenger info, I selected the "preferred seats" to see what they cost. They were "Free". I don't know why, I am not a elite member at all. I wasn't even logged into a Delta account as I was browsing. It may be because I was "Main Cabin" and not "Basic Economy". I don't know why.
I then went ahead and searched United. What I found on United was a fair of $1376 rt per person with 2-legs each way. All 4 of United's flights had PLENTY of "free" seat selections. Also, on United the "preferred seat" things isn't even a thing. They only have Economy Plus and Economy.
So what exactly did I learn? I learned to look at the seat my before clicking Go. I learned how to find what seats will cost me if they cost me. If I actually did my future flight what I would have learned is I had 3 options. 1) AA at $1725 (including fees to purchase tickets) 2) Delta at $1696 and 3) United at $1376. United would of been the no brainer. I won't say I will never fly American again. If they have the correct flights for the correct price (including actually researching seats and adding them to the fare) then I would fly them. However, if they are close to the correct flights and prices, I will easily go to another carrier after how they aggressively charge their seat prices. Shame on American, Shame on Me.
Apr 12, 2019, 8:00 am
#51
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
And when an airline calls itself a major airline, you'd expect it to also make available a decent amount of free seats to select, like other manor airlines Delta and United.
Apr 12, 2019, 8:33 am
#52
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 152
Families and peole who have a life don't have time to keep track of all the nickel and dime strategies AA puts into place every X weeks.
And when an airline calls itself a major airline, you'd expect it to also make available a decent amount of free seats to select, like other manor airlines Delta and United.
Apr 12, 2019, 9:20 am
#53
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
Passenger is mot flying for free. Passenger paid for a main cabin ticket which advertises seat selection included.
Apr 12, 2019, 10:21 am
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Marriott Platinum Elite; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 201
There is is no doubt why Southwest is doing so well is such a competitive industry. They are easy to figure out.
Apr 12, 2019, 11:21 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,848
Not sure why the resurrection of a year old thread here, but I think AA is rather shameless in moving so much of the cabin into 'preferred seating', especially on these sort of select long-hauls. I remember buying tickets for CDG on a 767 a full half year in advance not that long ago, and with nearly every aisle seat marked 'preferred' until the last few rows, it was already at that time nearly impossible to get just two seats together without paying some upcharge. With 787s, you have a good chunk of the 3x3x3 cabin where the middle three are MCE, the the outer three have every aisle and window seat marked preferred. And, what is really insulting I think, is that the 'preferred seats' are nearly always empty until gate control time when no doubt they are just filling them up with BE flyers. It's not like the public values them anywhere near what AA asks for them (no wonder AA is talking about coupons for non-elite members to get some 'preferred' seats for free)
Additionally, you can easily spend $10K on a few trips a year as a family -- a spend worthy of Plat-pro status, but since status is only based on individual-level EQDs, everyone is sub-gold and you get not benefits despite spending a chunk of your won money on AA.
Additionally, you can easily spend $10K on a few trips a year as a family -- a spend worthy of Plat-pro status, but since status is only based on individual-level EQDs, everyone is sub-gold and you get not benefits despite spending a chunk of your won money on AA.
Apr 12, 2019, 12:32 pm
#56
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
Families and peole who have a life don't have time to keep track of all the nickel and dime strategies AA puts into place every X weeks.
And when an airline calls itself a major airline, you'd expect it to also make available a decent amount of free seats to select, like other manor airlines Delta and United.
Apr 12, 2019, 12:51 pm
#57
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
They are not. Other than WN (to a certain extent) every airline now monetizes most of the a/c. Usually if you book in advance and are traveling alone or even with another person it's not an issue but for a family it's either pay up or sit separately. This is what low fares has brought us.
Apr 12, 2019, 1:58 pm
#58
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,124
They offer a significantly higher percentage of seats for free selection. AA was always my second choice airline after AS, but I haven't flown them in over a year becasue of this. On eight out of nine trips AA had a reasonable schedule at a resanoble price, but I booked on UA or DL, becasue of the seat issue.
Apr 12, 2019, 2:44 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,245
They offer a significantly higher percentage of seats for free selection. AA was always my second choice airline after AS, but I haven't flown them in over a year becasue of this. On eight out of nine trips AA had a reasonable schedule at a resanoble price, but I booked on UA or DL, becasue of the seat issue.
Apr 12, 2019, 2:55 pm
#60
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAdvantage EXP | United Silver | HH Diamond | Bonvoy Platinum | Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 718
They offer a significantly higher percentage of seats for free selection. AA was always my second choice airline after AS, but I haven't flown them in over a year becasue of this. On eight out of nine trips AA had a reasonable schedule at a resanoble price, but I booked on UA or DL, becasue of the seat issue.