AA Last Minute Gouging of Customers

[johnxiaoying]

My wife bought a ticket on AA a month ago, leaving yesterday for China. I called AA on Wednesday evening to confirm her flying. All was set.

 

Thursday evening I get an email from AA to check-in online. Then it asks you to choose seats for the short domestic flight to and from DFW, she selected a seat for Saturday. However, the return trip, in two weeks didn't have any "no additional charge" seats available so she had to pay an additional $20 the night before the flight to have a seat. Just a little simple airline gouge to build customer loyalty.

 

 

[yuehan123]

It is sometimes possible to select seats on the day you first purchase the ticket. If that option is not available to you, what I have done in the past is to call the airlines reservation telephone number and request seat assignment over the phone.

 

I cannot recall a case where we could not select seats right away. However, I am not a regular AA traveler, soon wiil be though, right after they give me 75,000 miles next month.

 

I understand that Delta's new super saver economy ticket's policy does not include seat assignment until check-in, perhaps even not until boarding.

[True Blue]

Same thing happened to us (and it was with AA just like you). We almost bit to pay for the upgrade (again like you did - so I know where you are coming from - and I was going to it too, but my tight fisted wife said no. Anyway, we had some flexibility in our travel plans so we DIDN'T fall for the no seats available -you must buy one pitch that you get on the internet.

 

The next day we went for our flight and when we arrived at the airport, we checked in with the airline. Low and behold, they had seats for us on all 4 segments of our flight to and from and they assigned us seats next to each other. There is a big pitch by airlines using confusion and high pressure to intimidate you to spend more to "Upgrade". Some airlines even charge an extra fee to board a couple minutes early (like I really want to pay them so I can be on a plane for another 15 minutes more - hahaha!). Don't fall for it. If they sold you a ticket and ticketed you, they have to have a seat. If you are at the airport without a ticket and trying to travel on standby, then that's another story and you are at the airlines mercy.

 

BTW, If I had any issues at all when arriving at the airport (I didn't), my plan was to have the wife start screaming holy hell in Chinese and pretend she doesn't speak English. That's always my backup plan whenever I think we are about to be taken advantage of, but somehow we have never had to use it.

 

Thanks for raising the issue here. Best of luck to you and sorry you are out a twenty, but as my wife would say - you paid your "school fee" and now you know you don't have to pay it again in the future.

 

True Blue