LarkSFO

You are right - although they all include a 'pre-reserved seat', it does not necessarily mean it is MCE...

"For customers who wish to purchase Main Cabin Extra, prices start at $8 and vary by flight and time of purchase."

http://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/mainCabinExtra.jsp

Here is the MCE info:

Q: When can I purchase these seats?
A: Main Cabin Extra seating is now available on 767-300, 757 and 777-300ER aircraft with the completion of the majority of our planes targeted throughout 2013.

Q: What is the difference between standard Main Cabin seats and Main Cabin Extra seats?
A: Main Cabin Extra will offer you four to six inches more leg room than a standard Main Cabin seat.

Q: If I purchase a Main Cabin Extra seat, do I get priority boarding privileges as well?
A: Yes, Main Cabin Extra seats include priority boarding privileges. All customers who reserved a Main Cabin Extra seat will board along with Group 1 according to our boarding process.

Q: Where can I purchase the new seating product?
A: You can reserve these seats using AA.com (booking, My Trips and check-in), at the airport (SSM), AA Reservations and through travel agencies that use AA's Direct Connect.

Q: How does Main Cabin Extra differ from the Preferred Seats program?
A: Main Cabin Extra seats include additional leg room and priority boarding privileges.

Q: Haven't I been receiving more legroom in a Preferred Seat?
A: You may have experienced more legroom in a seat marketed as a Preferred Seat. Until an entire aircraft type was completely upgraded with Main Cabin Extra, American was offering these seats with more legroom, as Preferred Seats.

Q: How will this program impact my upgrades from Main Cabin to Business Class cabins?
A: We will retain our current Main Cabin to Business Class upgrade policies. Main Cabin Extra will be considered part of the Main Cabin, not a separate cabin.

Q: Can I purchase the new seat product if I am traveling on an AAdvantage MileSAAver Award ticket or Business Extra PlanAAhead ticket?
A: Elite status members may select Main Cabin Extra seats when traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets. However, Main Cabin Extra is not available for purchase by non-elite customers traveling on MileSAAver or PlanAAhead Award tickets.

Q: Can I purchase a Preferred Seat if I am traveling on an AAdvantage AAnytime Award ticket or a Business ExtrAA Anytime Award?
A: Yes. Main Cabin Extra is complimentary to passengers traveling on an AAnytime Award tickets.

Q: Who is eligible for complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats?
A: All customers have access to Main Cabin Extra. Premium customers (AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, oneworld® Emerald, AAdvantage Platinum®, oneworld® Sapphire and full-fare Economy Class customers) have advance complimentary access. As an added benefit, up to eight of their companions traveling in the same reservation will have the same advance complimentary access.

To celebrate the launch of Main Cabin Extra, AAdvantage® Gold members, oneworld® Ruby members and eight of their companions traveling in the same reservation will also receive advance complimentary access to Main Cabin Extra at time of booking for seats reserved through Dec. 31, 2013.

Customers with complimentary access to Main Cabin Extra can select a seat at the time of booking through check-in. As we do today, American will continue to reserve a portion of Main Cabin Extra seats and other desirable seats – namely, Preferred Seats – in the Main Cabin exclusively for all AAdvantage elite customers.

For customers who wish to purchase Main Cabin Extra, prices start at $8 and vary by flight and time of purchase. Seats are available for purchase at booking, check-in or anytime in between.

AdamUK

$299 for 2 peeps on the same itinerary - It was a steal back then for us that flew a couple of times a year from Europe to the US with partner.

mgcsinc

What I was suggesting was that starting to differentiate between E+ domestic and E+ international might be the first step in a move toward a DL-esque policy. Others agree. It's all upthread.

The free spirits are on select flights (which I think is new-ish, anyway?), and UA has more recline in E+ (as UAInsider explained in a recent post).

I did, upthread.

UA Insider

Hi Everyone,

Just a heads up, we've taken the subscriptions off Preview for the moment, while we work through additional testing and code changes in preparation for our broader launch. Thanks again for your feedback thus far as we work to bring back these products.

Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines

spgaston

Note that E+ paid subscriptions did not include exit row access back then.

joshwex90

I thought exit rows weren't considered E+ back then, and was reserved exclusively for GS/1K (and 1P?)

exerda

Thanks for the heads-up; I do hope the bugs get worked out (as there seemed to be many!).



Correct. Exit rows were for 1P, 1K, and GS only. They got lumped into general E+ around the time of the merger.

drewguy

Meanwhile, I'm on a flight next month from PEK where I am only one of about 6 seats selected in E+ while E- has only about 6 middle seats left.

joshwex90

So spgaston, that would explain why E+ subscriptions did not include exit rows last time, but do this time.

I believe they got lumped once CO elites got E+ access, in order to start "standardizing" some sort of product.

nyctravis

Although I'm not a fan of Silvers not getting E+ at booking and think that the Golds are next in line, I've learned to let it go (a bit) as time passes. But it is still rather frustrating when I book a pricey Y/B fare that there isn't an exception to select E+ at booking. Even a GM on DL gets EC on a Y/B, which is exactly the kind of thing to do when you're trying to reach higher revenue/full fare flyers (IMO of course).

LarkSFO

A Y/B fare gets a silver auto upgraded to F, right?

edcho

Only if space is available (any F seat for Y or PN for B). I believe Y upgrades into JN.

nyctravis

Not if F is full, and not on ps (not as much an issue in this case for old config, but more for new config).

LarkSFO

So, yes, I agree that it would make sense to give Silvers E+ at booking when they are in a high fare Economy Fare... (Y / B, even M...)

They can dynamically price things with SHARES, should be able to do this as well...

joshwex90

Also not on international routes