Tljax

My mistake, you are correct about the seats, we are now in 4L and 5L. Aircraft is still a B772

Tljax

It was more because of the dishonesty from two different customer service agents who originally claimed that is was because of equipment change. After proven incorrect they then stated that seats were cancelled at a later date for operational reasons.

dkc192

With all due respect, this does not add up. As of spring 2018, there were no AA 767s (or any long-haul planes physically capable of flying FCO-ORD, for that matter) with angled seats up front.

chicago747

We just flew DFW-HNL in F this weekend and had one of our seats moved. We were center seats in row 5 and two weeks before departure our 5D was moved to 5L. We booked and selected seats in August. Like the OP we had a schedule change along the way but our seats stayed the same. I figured FAM as AA phone agent wouldn't say why.

At the gate I asked the GA, and she seemed perplexed. She offered to page the occupant of 5D and he was willing to switch. It all worked out in the end. Sitting across the aisle wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it was nice to be able to talk to each other.

Lord Bowdon

This is not an isolated incident. I flew LAX-HKG last year, booking MCE (when it was 9 across on a 773) as a Platinum member, 6 months in advance of the flight date. Due to a change in flight time of my connecting flight three months later, I was notified of the schedule change, but when I viewed my seats, found they had moved me to the back of the plane in a regular Main Cabin seat (10 across). It took quite a long time speaking with the Platinum desk for them to move be back to MCE. My suspicion is that because the upgrade was a loyalty bonus, they thought they could resell the MCE for a higher fee without me noticing until it was too late.

The HKG experience only added to my annoyance from two previous transatlantic flights where what was advertised as 777 or 787 at time of booking became a 767 or worse, 757 transatlantic by the time of the flight. (happened to me LHR-DFW and ORD-MAN).

I now check existing reservations every two weeks - time wasting, but 4 inches of legroom makes a difference on a 10 hour flight.

C17PSGR

Well ... I spent a lot of work time in Hawaii for a 3-4 stretch with trips monthly, and usually going for HNL-DFW.

There are a certainly a lot of couples but definitely not 80-90 percent in the front. Lots of people in the front who are EXP's and traveling for work.

bse118

Huh?

MCE is not an upgrade, nor is it a "bonus." its a published benefit of the AA program at booking for Plat and above.

All 77W have 10-abreast seating in MCE, post conversion to add Premium Economy.

halls120

Last week I flew ATL-STR on DL. Flight was packed, and late in the boarding, an older couple came down the aisle looking for their seats. They were both in middle seats. Husband exerted a great deal of effort trying to get aisle seat holders to move so he could sit next to his wife. We all declined. Wife sat next to me. To my surprise, she was extremely cordial. By the time the flight was over, I could see why. Her husband talked almost nonstop, while she watched a movie and then slept.

mvoight

DId you actually get into a 9 seat MCE row on the 77W last year?
I doubt AA moved you out of MCE to sell the MCE seat. If that was the case, why would they do it in your case and not for the many other MCE seats that people book? That and the 'lying" issue. What benefit would it be for the agent to lie?

AAdamE

So this EXACT same thing happened to me last week. I was seated in J on a 788, in 6 & 7 L. I did not want to be in the mini cabin so I was checking seats daily to see if anything changed. All of the sudden my partner and I were placed in 5 A and L, and someone else somehow got seated in 7L. They tried to tell me it was an equipment change but thats not true, it was a 788 the whole time. When I got on the plane, several people wanted to change seats and I ended up in 6 & 7 L. I did not interact with the person who got my original seat but what is FAMing?

enpremiere

FAM = Federal Air Marshal (an apparatus that represents an extremely judicial use of tax dollars to provide a crucial service with air marshals that conduct themselves most professionally at all times)

Use in sentences:

• "****. I was just FAM'ed and lost my seat assignment under the auspice of national security."
• "Don't FAM me. I like 1A on my 77W."

You will never be actually told that you've been FAM'ed but you'll know if you have a phantom seat assignment change and are provided with an answer such as "for operational reasons" by agents. From what I have seen, this is usually related to premium cabins since there is a preference to sit up front with a view of the cockpit.

diaspora04

OP's story is a good illustration of why folks that book long in advance should check their reservations continuously (within reason) to avoid surprises. Almost every time we book 330 or so days in advance to grab U or C inventory, there is an AC change that frustrates our seat strategy.

JDiver

This is also useful be ause of the possibilities of equipment change, as AA doesn’t handle those. And on the AA 737-800, seating numbers begin with row 3, whereas the MAX 8 and retrofitted project Oasis 737-800s begin with row 1.

AAdamE

Ah that makes sense, but they were seated in between two galleys with no great view of the cockpit so I suspect it was a CK.

reeg2

This is a dumb thing to burn your AAdvantage card over, in my opinion.

I'm plenty happy to just be on the same plane with my wife and it's not like we spend much time talking during the flight. In fact, there's not much worse than folks who talk nonstop, loud enough to be heard over the NC Bose headsets.