Tintin

Yes! Completely agree. When I started flying AA in 2006, I had no status, but it was a pleasure. Before I used to fly Northwest. Delta acquired Northwest and I moved to AA because AA was the most highly regarded airlines in the US at that time. I also agree about Elite benefits. Airlines don't like the elites. They think elites pay the least price for luxury service. We do buy Economy tickets and upgrade it. Use high-end loungers, pre-order foods, etc. etc. These are the services US airlines don't want to provide. That is why AA require $60,000 spend to acquire CK status. Yes, I know this, and I expect it to get worse in foreseeable future. Hotels are doing the same thing as well. Thanks.

WindowSeatFlyer

I wonder what he would have done if the SWU hadn’t cleared and he was still back in the class he booked...

fotographer

You know what really bothers me also.. is the way that AA hands out elite status challenges to what seems almost anyone that has taken a flight on AA . throw us a bone, once in a while
first you reduce the SWU with no improvement in actually being able to use them
then you had a dollar amount to qualify, again with no added benefit..
then of course you have people like me, that get sucked in to trying to qualify for status, so that I can enjoy the benefits on other OW airlines (way better treatment then AA)

wetrat0

Yes, this post seems to be misplaced from the "what's the least substantive thing you can complain about" thread. The OP is willing to give up on AA status over a change in seats from one lie-flat, aisle-access J seat to a different lie-flat, aisle access J seat, when the only reason OP is in J to begin with is his/her AA status.

Obviously each of us has our own seating preferences but being a FT reader should be sufficient to understand that seat assignments are not guaranteed and to understand that given the timing and OP's seat location it's 100% an air marshal situation. Nothing AA can do about it and yes, it's insane to demand reaccom to BA in this situation (moreso given that OP has upgraded using an AA instrument, which isn't valid on BA).

formeraa

By the way, there is no "seat assignment department". I'm sure the supervisor was just taking the time to see if there were any other available options suitable for the poster.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

As noted some seat re-assignments are out of AA's control. A FAM, a child that needs to be seated with at least one parent/legal guardian or someone that is a caregiver to another. In that situation it's a sole traveler that is going to be re-seated. Yes it sucks but AA (and no other airline) doesn't guarantee seat assignments. AA cannot manufacturer a window or aisle seat out of thin air if seats are taken.

ijgordon

Well, they could bump out a "lower priority" customer from a preferred window seat and give it to the OP. Priority would need to be defined w/r/t elite status and ticket type (paid, upgrade, award), but there's nothing inherently preventing them from applying whatever policy they use for involuntary downgrades to involuntary seating changes, or defining a new policy. Additionally, many airlines reserve the most desirable seats -- even in First and Business class -- for elites (e.g., CX, BA, and LX off the top of my head). If AA were to designate all solo window seats in J/F as "preferred" there's a reasonable chance Tintin would have been able to change to another available window seat.
Don't get me wrong, it certainly seems like s/he's cutting his/her nose off to spite his/her face, but it's not like there's nothing that can be done.

WindowSeatFlyer

While the poster may have benefitted from such a policy this time, it may end up working against him some other time when a CK wants his seat, or someone purchasing a C class ticket wants the seat he got via an SWU.Absolutely.

redtop43

Curiously, it just occurred to me that I've never had a middle seat in J in AA's 1-2-1 configs. I book window but even when I've been upgraded I've always had a window. (Not counting a couple I got back around 2013 between PHL and CLT.)

But I can't imagine flipping out that I got a center-aisle seat, especially on a red-eye where you can't even look out the window and see anything.

I recently got upgraded to 1A on an A332, got the last J seat, taking a wild guess it was held back until the end as a FAM hold but when it became clear it wasn't going to be used for that purpose, I got it. (It was a 4-hour flight so crew rest wasn't an issue.)

It's one thing to go from MCE to a middle seat in the back. It's another to go from a J seat with aisle access to another with aisle access, when there's nothing to look out of the window and see.

I vote for the OP to go to DL. One less EXP to compete with me for upgrades.

ijgordon

Well, EXP status should probably keep him near the top of the pecking order; there will almost always be someone lower-priority to screw over!
I never meant to suggest this could be done on the whim of a higher-priority customer. This was specifically to address how irregular seating operations (IRSOPS?) could theoretically be handled.

lookitsapianist

Please don’t switch to Delta. We don’t need more customers who throw tantrums like this.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Seat re-assignments likely never see a human hand. The computer has an adult and child ticketed in F and it's been programmed to make sure they are seated together. Unfortunately (and I do this for a living) you can only get so detailed with automated workflows. So the system seeks a sole flyer (possibly upgraded not a paid ticket) and makes the changes and only human intervention could consider a multitude of factors in the seat change. No airline is going to have people sitting around all day doing seat changes.

Most of the time if the flyer catches the seat change early enough they can find a desirable alternative. Other times it's going to be I wanted a window but got an aisle. In 20 years of flying AA this has happened to me maybe twice.

Whiskey_bravo

So just to confirm, someone is upset about being moved from one business class seat to another business class seat, all of which have aisle access? And the OP was in business using a SWU? Just making sure I understand this.

lookitsapianist

I think you missed the part where they turned down the offer of miles because that wasn’t a good enough resolution for this nightmare, but yes, you’ve pretty much got the gist.

Whiskey_bravo

Wow, ok. I have to admit I was hoping I was confused.