tommybananas

Was booked ORD-CLT-MSY last week. Booked ticket for me and my 7-year-old son on same reservation. Selected 2 seats in economy next to each other, aisle and middle. Checked in on mobile app 24 hours before flight. Received digital boarding passes with correct selected seats. Arrived at airport, went to Admirals Club. Sitting there for a while, decided to see if better seats opened up (I am Plat Pro and was hoping for 2 nice MCE seats together to appear). Noticed that I was moved from 12D to something much farther back, while my 7-year-old son in 12E was left alone in his original seat, now between 2 strangers. Went to desk agent at Admirals Club (a lovely and helpful and sympathetic person). She was shocked and tried to help. First looked other computer and offered me 2 seats together at back of plane, middle and window. No thanks, I want my original seat (I have boarding pass) next to my son. She calls someone and tells me the "automated system" moved me so a guy arriving from Doha could sit up there in my seat. She said it was a system called "CKI" but she had no idea what it was. She called several departments, they also said it was an automatic system called "CKI" and they could not do anything for me except offer me 2 seats together at the back of the plane, middle and window. Note - I will not fly if I do not have an aisle seat, it's just me, but still...

Eventually she put me and my son in 2 seats, albeit not together, in MCE (which is free for me and not exactly a "gift" as I could have picked those the day or week before if I wanted, but I did not because they were not together). She told me to talk to the agent at the gate to see what he could do.

Now I've spent 30-45 minutes stressed out with a scared 7-year-old, instead of enjoying the very expensive Admirals Club membership I recently paid for. I fly American about 20 times a year. I will be Ex Plat any day now. This was a TERRIBLE experience and I am appalled that they would do this to me and my little boy. And before anyone asks, no there were no IRROPS that might have caused a change of planes - same plane as before.

I wrote to AA via their online web form complaint submission process but I doubt I will ever get an acceptable response. The whole thing made me sick and ruined my day.

Does anyone know ... this thing called "CKI" is all about?

Antarius

Just a guess, CKI - Concierge Key Invitee?

I would have taken the seats in the back. That solves the separation issue, regardless how the situation came about. I did the same thing with my SO's nephews; AA mechanical delay in LHR caused us to miss our onward flight and get downgraded to coach and separated. Got the 2 kids together and took a seat in the last row on the plane where I could see them.

enviroian

Probably a Concierge Key member took that seat.

enviroian

This.

End of story.

JJeffrey

That is a crappy situation for sure, AA doesn't typically just boot pax from seat assignments even to accommodate top tier CK members, so something was definitely off with this as the AC agent alluded to.

That said, at the end of the day we're talking about a 1.5 hr. domestic flight here where seats together were still available even after the snafu. Fly long enough and sometimes just stuff happens, don't take it personally, I for sure wouldn't let something like this completely stress you out or make your little boy "scared" or completely ruin your day.

WeekendTraveler

I think that your complaint is valid. AA should update its IT so that parents and children aren’t separated.

The point of an Admirals Club membership is in part to have someone competent handling these types of issues. Imagine dealing with it in the general ticketing line.

jordyn

Yeah, AA should be able to split you up from your traveling companion, give you no choice but to take a worse seat, and you should just take it! End of story.

Or maybe they should have just done the obvious thing and moved OP to their original seat and move the new person to the back of the plane or into the apparently available MCE seat? But why would we want to apply common sense when we can act like the person getting screwed over is the problem?

enviroian

Look, I know OP got stiffed by AA no doubt about that. What I'm saying is you need to choose your battles. They are together (most important and not being together is a no-go) and who knows flight was probably zeroed out anyway so battling with a flight attendant who most likely isn't going to budge and most likely OP wasn't going to get 2 seats back in MCE together anyway so what difference does it make?

777lover

This is a proposed new DOT rule.

fdog

I must confess, I, too, am intensely curious: what can lead to me being removed from a paid seat? (barring aircraft change)

CK that wants it?
Corporate exec that wants it?
Shena?
Anyone with more rolling LP's than me?



All the best, James

fdog

More to the OP's issue, I did find this:

Search | Dev Studio (sabre.com)

Fascinating. Not sure which option applies.

All the best, James

JJeffrey

Good research

GIven what happened I'd say it was most likely a broken seat.

PDXPremier

I would have asked if another flight was available with two seats together.... preferably ORD-MSY so you don't have to double your travel time going through CLT. If you cleared into F, the system will automatically separate you if there are not two seats together...did you remove yourself from the upgrade list before the trip?
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Dave Noble

There were 2 seats together on the flight that the OP was on - his preference for an aisle seat however trumped sitting together. The OP was offered 2 seats near the back of the aeroplane, but chose to sit apart in seats within the MCE section. Is such a voluntary change to a non stop flight permitted?

It does seem poor that the system would separate a child from the accompanying adult assuming thatt they were together in one reservvation

PDXPremier

I don't think it's officially permitted but when the OP was involuntarily moved, an Admirals Club agent could likely make it happen as a customer service gesture....it never hurts to ask.