First class/first leg on regional jet
 

I live in a small upstate city with only small regional jet service. I frequently fly first class domestic but obviously the first and last leg does not have first class service. However I am forced to pay for better seats on the regional jet (In front, on the aisle). It is not a lot-9-19 dollars (each way). But I feel as if when paying first class these seats should be open to me. Am I doing it wrong?

What airline are you flying on ?

Delta

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I doubt that you are being "forced" to pay for F on the Y-only segment. If the first & last segments are Y-only at the time of booking, you are likely being sold a fare basis which contemplates Y-only.

Take a look at the fare basis line on your e-ticket receipt and you will likely see some form of Economy fare for the first & last.

I think OP means that if F isn't available on a flight he should at least get preferred seats for free (Row 1/2/exit).

That makes no sense. If he paid for a Y seat and is not eligible for free preferred seats, I can't imagine why DL would comp him.

I could see the point that it would be a reasonable concept for DL to add. Just like F later in the journey gets the extra bags on the first non-F leg.

That said, they don't, so OP is out of luck.

OP, I'm a tad confused. the system currently DOES let you select C+ for free (and preferred too) when you buy FC if it's an a/c w/ only a Y configuration so that should be available to you. If, however, C+ is already booked and all the seats are taken then, No, I do no think they should "boot" a passenger to allow you to sit in one of those seats. Those pax who have previously selected those seats booked before you did and they used some instrument to "buy" those seats as well - whether it's w cash, miles, a credit card perk, or as a result of their loyalty but in any event they've beat you to the punch and should not be booted from their seat, if that's what you were suggesting.

Just to clarify, I pay full first class fare, not using points or status to get first class. When I select my seats for the first (and last) leg on the small regional jet there are PLENTY of open seats in the front of the plane. I am FORCED to pay to select the seats in the front. I would understand if the plane was full. It's not. It's not gonna break my bank to pay the extra but it seems like I should not have to.

ah, thanks for clarifying and yes, I wholeheartedly agree that you should not have to pay add'l for those seats. I've never had that happen to me before, if I book FC and the RJ's only have Y, I have gotten to select those seats for free, never had to pay anything add'l and it's ludicrous that you would have to. DL needs to fix that..

I'd call DL and ask them to put you in one of the preferred seats. I have status so I have never encountered this problem but you should be able to select preferred seats (exit rows, etc) with a paid FC ticket.

Thanks everyone, I will call next time.

Are you buying a first class thru fare - a single fare from origin to destination - or are you buying two or more fare components since F isn't available on the RJs? This may be route-specific (based on published fares in the market), and why a few people are surprised at your difficulty.

According to your profile you are also a PM, so you would get those seats anyway, which is why you likely have never been asked to pay additional. OP is getting a different experience due to (likely) non-status which is why he is being asked to pay for preferred seats. System probably looks at fare basis, sees it is economy for the Y-only leg, then sees no status so asks for the fee.