free (regular) economy seat selection
Jul 18, 2019, 2:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: DL
Posts: 196
free (regular) economy seat selection
I usually fly Delta for business and leisure, but for an upcoming trip AA is ~$200 cheaper. The trip will be paid for by the 'client' (a big organization, not an individual person) and I will book it through Amex One. They know my preference of window seats, A side on east bound, F on west bound, and even if they don't select the seat I like, I have no problem of going into my Skymiles and selecting a different window seat for FREE (no status this year). The client doesn't pay for extras, like seat selection, checked bags, etc., but pays for regular economy fare (not Basic), and usually accommodates requests for specific flights, even if they aren't the cheapest option. I would like to save the client $200 by flying AA over Delta, but I'm afraid that without status, I will end up in a middle seat, cause that's all they'll have available for free during booking. I'm claustrophobic and couldn't stand a middle seat for more than 30 minutes! The flight is about 5 weeks out. AA advertises 'free seat selection', but unlike Delta, you can't see which seats would qualify for that and are still available, until AFTER booking? What are my options for obtaining a window seat at the time of booking?
Jul 18, 2019, 2:22 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
I usually fly Delta for business and leisure, but for an upcoming trip AA is ~$200 cheaper. The trip will be paid for by the 'client' (a big organization, not an individual person) and I will book it through Amex One. They know my preference of window seats, A side on east bound, F on west bound, and even if they don't select the seat I like, I have no problem of going into my Skymiles and selecting a different window seat for FREE (no status this year). The client doesn't pay for extras, like seat selection, checked bags, etc., but pays for regular economy fare (not Basic), and usually accommodates requests for specific flights, even if they aren't the cheapest option. I would like to save the client $200 by flying AA over Delta, but I'm afraid that without status, I will end up in a middle seat, cause that's all they'll have available for free during booking. I'm claustrophobic and couldn't stand a middle seat for more than 30 minutes! The flight is about 5 weeks out. AA advertises 'free seat selection', but unlike Delta, you can't see which seats would qualify for that and are still available, until AFTER booking? What are my options for obtaining a window seat at the time of booking?
Jul 18, 2019, 2:36 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: DL
Posts: 196
On one of the legs, there's only one free window seat, and it doesn't recline. At T-24, what kind of seats will open up? 'Preferred' ones, that didn't get selected by elites? If I take that last, non-reclining window seat, could I still switch at T-24? Thanks for your response, I couldn't figure out how to access the seat map prior to reading that!
Jul 18, 2019, 2:39 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,285
On one of the legs, there's only one free window seat, and it doesn't recline. At T-24, what kind of seats will open up? 'Preferred' ones, that didn't get selected by elites? If I take that last, non-reclining window seat, could I still switch at T-24? Thanks for your response, I couldn't figure out how to access the seat map prior to reading that!
May T-24 they open up regular seats towards the end that are only available to elites right now. Also if you ask at check in or at the gate they can switch you to preferred or even MCE if it’s available. Prefered set is the same as regular, it’s just towards the front of the plane