American Airlines Seat Selection

[JohnK]

I have a Qantas Oneworld award for travel in August/September and it includes 5 AA flights. I pre-allocated seats for these flights back in March/April.

Last week I look on CheckMyTrip and notice that some of my allocated seats have changed. I called AA in Brisbane and managed to get some of the seats back but not all of them.

I have a look on my CheckMyTrip today and the allocated seats have changed again. This is ridiculous. Apparently they were changed by the travel agent yesterday. This is a QF Oneworld award and there is no travel agent involved.

14B, 26F (was 14A and no longer available)
12C, 25F (was 12D and no longer available)
4B (was 4A and no longer available), 14A (was 1A)
14B, 26F (was 14A and no longer available)
4A (was 2A), 9C (was 1A).

If somebody thinks this is funny I do not see the funny side of it. Why provide a facility and then change pre-allocated seats without informing the passenger? Is this what sort of treatment I should expect from AA as a Oneworld Emerald?

 

[notzac]

Hi John,

On the handful of AA flights I've had, I've never had my requested seat allocations changed on me (either when travelling alone or when travelling with non-status pax). I appreciate this probably doesn't help you right now, but it's not a common occurence IME. I hope everything works out for you!

 

[serfty]

Look up you booking on www.checkmytrip.com .

Then get the AA sabre booking reference (look just under "your flight selection" for "Airline confirmation number(s): American Airlines ...").

Use this with https://www.aa.com/aa/reservation/viewReservationsAccess.do to select seats online. (Select "Continue Without Logging In" if asked.)

The seats shown may vary from those shown on Qantas.com and c/m/t - the seats shown on aa.com for AA flights are generally the ones you get.

 

[JohnK]

The booking on AA agrees with what is displaying on CheckM<yTrip. When I check AA online I cannot get the original seats back so when I called AA even they could not get my original seats back.so i ended up getting new seats allocated further back in the cabin.

I can understand the first change to allocated seats being a mistake but the second time is simply unexplainable. AA feels that a Oneworld Emerald sitting 10 rows back in WHY is classed as "preferred seating". As this does not happen to anyone else I am going to assume that my wretched luck with seat allocations has carried over to AA as well.

 

[v8Statesman]

I am going to assume that my wretched luck with seat allocations has carried over to AA as well.

Maybe there are hidden levels inside OWE and QF have tarred you with th "bad seat" brush

 

[auriga]

I imagine I would be a bit cranky too, if my preselected seats were changed for unknown reasons.

 

[JohnK]

Maybe there are hidden levels inside OWE and QF have tarred you with th "bad seat" brush

I would not have a problem if what was happening to me was reported happening to other people as well. This is frustrating and I now have to check my booking constantly to ensure that something has not changed again.

My father is a lot calmer than I am and I almost totally lost the plot on the phone to AA today. I wanted to know who changed my allocated seats and they did not want to tell me other than to say we are sorry. I asked if "sorry" could get my original allocated seats back and she said no even though I can see you had those seats allocated.

I have just about had enough with status and the "so-called" reported benefits that go with it. It does not help the poor excuses customer service attempts to provide to my allocated seats on QF and AA. I challenge anyone in my situation time and time again to keep a level head and just go with the flow....

 

[Flashback]

I would not have a problem if what was happening to me was reported happening to other people as well. This is frustrating and I now have to check my booking constantly to ensure that something has not changed again.

My father is a lot calmer than I am and I almost totally lost the plot on the phone to AA today. I wanted to know who changed my allocated seats and they did not want to tell me other than to say we are sorry. I asked if "sorry" could get my original allocated seats back and she said no even though I can see you had those seats allocated.

I have just about had enough with status and the "so-called" reported benefits that go with it. It does not help the poor excuses customer service attempts to provide to my allocated seats on QF and AA. I challenge anyone in my situation time and time again to keep a level head and just go with the flow....

Did you ask to speak to a supervisor ?

 

[fortymilliondaggers]

What's theb ig deal? you still have seats.

 

[JohnK]

What's theb ig deal? you still have seats.

Here we go again.

The big deal is I have taken the time to pre-allocate seats and somebody has changed them twice now. Why provide a facility for people to use if they can be changed at any time? Also if you had bothered to read my post I am travelling with my 71 year old father on the same booking and we are seated at opposite ends of the cabin.

Now go away and leave me alone....

 

[docjames]

Oneworld certainly dont do you any favours JohnK! :evil:

Of course, the standard disclaimer is that they can be changed at any time, although it is not that common.

It is totally reasonable to want to be seated together, especially if you have contacted them in advance (twice, in this case).

? Time to move to star alliance - seating / benefits cant get any worse. Or perhaps to skyteam given reciprocity (?spelling) between DJ and DL? Again, cant be treated any worse than OW. They'd probably status match for a WP.

 

[Flashback]

Here we go again.

The big deal is I have taken the time to pre-allocate seats and somebody has changed them twice now. Why provide a facility for people to use if they can be changed at any time? Also if you had bothered to read my post I am travelling with my 71 year old father on the same booking and we are seated at opposite ends of the cabin.

Now go away and leave me alone....

Indeed, I don't think it's good enough on AA's part. Especially given your status and it being on the one booking.

 

[drron]

What's theb ig deal? you still have seats.

Can be a big deal on AA with their FEBO for meals-I really do like to choose my seating but fortunately have never had that happen.I am unsure however how we can help.Hopefully the FT team can come up with an answer.

 

[Dave Noble]

Can be a big deal on AA with their FEBO for meals-I really do like to choose my seating but fortunately have never had that happen.I am unsure however how we can help.Hopefully the FT team can come up with an answer.

Makes no odds in economy since there are no meals to be ordered

Seat assignments are never guaranteed and it makes little odds whether it is the 1st row or the 10th. AA allows pre-allocation of seats but various things can cause assignments to be lost

Dave

 

[JohnK]

Seat assignments are never guaranteed and it makes little odds whether it is the 1st row or the 10th. AA allows pre-allocation of seats but various things can cause assignments to be lost

For someone who cares where they sit on an aircraft I find your comment rather belittling. If this had happened to you and your pre-allocated seat in the main cabin was changed to an upper deck seat on a 747 you would be jumping up and down trying to change it.

To some people it does make a difference where they sit and and even bigger difference if sitting in the first row or the 10th row. Why bother providing a facility, and a Oneworld benefit of "preferred seating", when they can be changed at anytime without reason?

Something which is not very common, some may say rare, has happened to me twice in a week. Did it have something with trying to seat a family together? The flight is over 4 weeks away. By the way my father and I are family. It does not matter which way you look at what has happened it is very poor customer service from AA....

 

[Dave Noble]

For someone who cares where they sit on an aircraft I find your comment rather belittling. If this had happened to you and your pre-allocated seat in the main cabin was changed to an upper deck seat on a 747 you would be jumping up and down trying to change it.

If it happened on AA, then I would just live with it. It is only v recently that AA even allowed pre-selection of so called premium seats for those with status with that other than AA ; preferred seating doesn't mean that they will give the front rows

When it has happened to me I havent been calling AA and being a true DYKIA

Dave

 

[drron]

John looking when i log in only as a plat now I am presuming your first line of changes is on AA2440.14A is indeed unavailable but i could choose rows 11,12,13 in AB or 21 which is an exit row.
If this is so you could PM me with your other flight numbers(I think i know from your August 09 post on lounges)and i can look up the availability i can get so when you phone AA you may be able to ask for specific seats.

 

[JohnK]

Anyway Dave I think you have missed the point.

Obviously according to you and the other experts it is quite OK to pre-allocate seats (not premium seats) for 2 people on the one booking and then have these pre-allocated seats changed twice so that the 2 people on the one booking are sitting at opposite ends of the cabin. I should be just grateful that I even have a(ny) seat on the flights....

 

[JohnK]

John looking when i log in only as a plat now I am presuming your first line of changes is on AA2440.14A is indeed unavailable but i could choose rows 11,12,13 in AB or 21 which is an exit row.

Thanks drron. The seats you mention are not available for me to select. The customer service agent was able to get 10AB on that flight but the remainder of the flights my Emerald status as I am travelling with someone with NIL status means nothing.

Anyway these are the flights and the seats I have pre-allocated now for the 3rd time. It would be interesting to see what is available to you as an AA Platinum.

AA2440 24AUG09 10AB
AA420 24AUG09 16CD
AA4496 26AUG09 5BC
AA325 26AUG09 14AB
AA5375 26AUG09 1A,2A

 

[drron]

I got them all right.Given you 2440
AA420-8AB,9-14 every seat,13,14 exit
AA4496 1-4A,6,7,9-12 BC
AA325 9-11 and 13,15 AB.Rows10-31 CDE
looks like you are OK on the last one-a-3,6,9-15.BC 4,5,6,9-15