14 Empty Seats: How A Passenger’s Plea For Legroom Was Rejected By American Airlines

by Gary Leff

Growing up, if there were empty seats on a plane you could move around once the doors closed.

  • That was great because sometimes you could grab a row of seats to yourself on a long haul flight.
  • Maybe there’d be an empty exit row or bulkhead seat with more legroom.
  • Sometimes you just want to spread out when there are two seats next to each other.

As a kid I loved moving to an empty center aisle row in back when flying to Australia. But now that airlines sell specific seats for more money, including extra legroom seats, the rules are more complicated.

  • You can probably move around within the coach cabin as long as you’re not taking an empty extra legroom seat.
  • You should probably ask a flight attendant, because your ability to change seats is really at their discretion.

One American Airlines passenger found out that just because there are open seats, and they ask a flight attendant, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to move. In fact just because they offer to buy the extra legroom doesn’t mean the airline will even take their money.

This woman, flying an American Eagle regional jet from New York to Nashville, discovered that the seating was tighter than she expected. Her knees hit the seat back in front of her, and the passenger in front of her was reclining during the flight, too.

But before departure she noted 14 open seats and asked a flight attendant if she could switch. She was told no. She asked if she could buy one of those open seats with more legroom. She was told no.

American Airlines flight attendants don’t have the ability to upsell passengers, which is really a lost revenue opportunity – considering the airline has armed them with iPhones this should be easy. Some airlines even let you spend miles on board for better seats.

But even when ground personnel came onto the aircraft the answer was still no. I’ve found United Airlines more accommodating of seat upsells during the boarding process, as part of how they keep passengers from just taking any open seat.

You might say it was incumbent upon the passenger to buy the right product for themselves from the start, but it’s not always easy for the average traveler to figure out what that is. If they’re willing to spend money, and the seat is available, the airline should be able to make that happen. It’s something they used to allow for free!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I just don’t travel anymore. I told my boss, I’m not doing it. Life is too short to be put into situations with no dignity or comfort. It’s unsafe to fly too. The dystopia is here. We failed.

  3. I am 6’4″…please, all Airlines, install seats that do not recline!!!!! I always have someone in front of me who fully reclines the seat.

  4. In fact just because they offer to buy the extra legroom doesn’t mean the airline will even take their money.

    This is why I won’t give these airlines any of my money unless I absolutely need to.

    If only we had a transportation department that actually demanded more from these companies.

  5. I am a retired Flight Attendant from Delta, hate to say this but AA is NOT the Airline you want to be on nowadays.
    Way too many Union/Company problems.
    Maybe next time you will start flying with us at Delta,
    (non-union flight attendants)
    AA crews are just plain angry.

  6. It’s weight and balance. A flight attendant isn’t qualified to modify a load master’s calculations, only the pilots can. And they’re pretty busy with pre take-off chores. Ask after take off.

  7. If it were me, I would’ve never been in this situation to begin with. She knows she tall and needs legroom. Buy the appropriate seat from the get-go and you won’t have these problems. Of course the article states that it may not be that easy. That BS.

  8. People who are above typical height and/or girth can expect discomfort unless they pay for a reserved seat with extra room. Airlines will not care unless they are forced to.

  9. Been on that flight. It’s an Embraer Regional Jet. It has more seat pitch than either the 737 or Airbus. I prefer that plane if I am traveling in coach. I don’t know how tall you are but that plane is way better than the 737 for comfort. At well above average height I never had an issue on that plane.

  10. Fly southwest and get early boarding. It’s a very reasonable upgrade and gives you the ability to choose the seat you want.
    Don’t bother with snotty personnel on the other airlines.

Comments are closed.