Retirement is special, but so are paid premium cabin passengers, especially for an airline whose revenue performance lags the industry. Here’s another indication that American Airlines has its priorities backward.
Here a business class passenger was downgraded so that the wife of a retiring American Airlines pilot could take the seat on his final flight from Dallas to Hawaii.
Business class passenger downgraded to make room for the pilots wife on his retirement flight
byu/mrd0425 inamericanairlines
Pilots often bring family along on their final flight. Here’s a tear jerker of a goodbye from a retiring American Airlines captain.
A senior pilot will usually know their schedule many weeks in advance, though, and should be able to arrange their family’s travel. It’s unlikely that they’ll be moving their last segment, or would be forced to do so.
Comments online range from outrage (“absolutely absurd,” “entitled,” “this sets a precedent,” “AA deserves to be punished”) to sympathy (“once-in-a-lifetime event,” “the wife sacrificed too,” “I’d even volunteer my seat”). It’s great they were able to travel together, and always nice to be in a premium cabin, but hardly necessary and wouldn’t warrant bumping a confirmed passenger.
Even some of those who thought the person sharing what was happening on their flight to Hawaii was outright lying because it seems so absurd thought it still seemed plausible as par for the course for American Airlines customer service.
Now, upgrades have largely vanished on major U.S. airlines (since they’ll sell premium seats to infrequent travelers for tens of dollars rather than provide complimentary upgrades to regular flyers who spend tens of thousands). And deadheading pilots now get upgrade priority over even ConciergeKey members at the gate. American follows United with this.
@AmericanAir Just passed two deadheading pilots in first class while I’m seated between two oversized people in the back. $474 one way, Executive Platinum. Thanks for taking care of your valued passengers! pic.twitter.com/c39xNUwEMV
— Kevin (@Kevin62157635) June 18, 2025
However this passenger’s story isn’t about upgrades, this is bumping a business class passenger – downgrading a paying customer – to give the seat to someone else.
Maybe the $400k/yr pilot could have bought his wife a seat in J.
Hello,
My AA Advantage Platinum status expired on March 31, 2025. AA offers a chance to lock in my Platinum status through March 31, 2026. The catch is that AA still charges a full charge of $2,029 or 203K miles. It repeated this to me many times since last March 31. The quote remains unchanged while timeline is getting shorter by each month. It should be prorated accordingly. It is a big ripoff!
Why don’t they (and all airlines in similar situations) simply ask for someone to volunteer to be downgraded and offer compensation. Everyone walks away feeling like a winner.
OP deleted on Reddit. Any idea why?
So a senior pilot, very likely making $500,000 to $1,000,000 a year couldn’t be bothered to buy his wife a seat but passengers who are paying that salary are getting booted from their seats? No, pilots don’t have too much power at all. Why do you ask? Gotta love the AmericaWest management team’s job of running a big airline.
I don’t think we are getting the full story here. A pilot’s final trip at American Airlines gets one confirmed coach class seat that is upgradable for his spouse or dependent. Now the seat is assigned at booking but if no seat is available then they are a revenue standby. Rules of engagement are very specific and if the pilot made a demand for preferential treatment for their guest then they are out of line. Disciplinary action is basically N/A here because the pilot is retired after the trip.
I have a dumb question:
If there was space for the passenger in Y, then there was space for the pilot’s wife in Y. How does her husband’s final flight excuse this when she would be on the plane regardless?
They should have prearranged it. That’s a big deal final flight.
I’m sorry to inform you that pilot is not making that kind of salary.
Confirmed business class seats for accompanying family needs to be part of the next collective bargaining agreement.
@Sean M
That’s not going to happen.
@Sean M. — Is that what your airline(s) offer? If so, that’s generous.
Yes, it’s a special flight, but you don’t antagonize your paying customers. There should have been a way to confirm, even if BUYING the seat for the spouse, the seat in Business or wherever the desired seat was. Although the service from crew should have been a little nicer/possibly more attentive, in the end all the seats went to the same destination, and the spouse wouldn’t have been allowed to be way up front with the other anyhow. Hopefully, since it was the last flight, they’ll be together in First on the way home.
I’m not buying the story. The agents surely weren’t party to downgrading a paying pax in J. No way no how. It’s possible the wife was put in the pilot rest seat. That’s a no-no as well.
The goofball flashing his EP bag tag, wow. Deadheading pilots are upgraded ONLY if there are available J seats at the time of booking. UA and DL have the same policy. Yes, it reduces the number of upgrades. But if you want it, buy it.
American does not give business seats to spouses for retirement flights. It was probably paid for by the pilot and there was an overbooking. In that case the pilot may have forced the issue over who was downgraded. I would have.
With so few actual details, I’m not sure that this actually happened this way.
So if YOU were the pilot and this is your LAST flight and likely the last time you’ll get to exercise privileges accorded to you…. and your wife wanted to do that last leg with you (and it’s one-way so let’s just go for the shared experience thing…) would YOU get her upgraded?
Personally, I would have said “we’ll have a party at the house when I get home” and not deal with all that hassle. The article never mentioned how she got from A to B to be able to be upgraded back from B to A… but hey let’s pretend she flew Y. I’m not quite sure “what the point is” when hubby is on the flight deck WORKING and she’s in a shitty seat on a shitty airline having shit snacks.
If anyone (with a wife… OR the wife) can explain this… I’d love to better understand the dynamics.
Also AA sucks. Hands down. If there’s a bad decision to be made leave it to AA to make it.
@Sean M – while they’re at it, why don’t the unions just bargain their way into every seat in F. When you repeatedly put employees before the customers paying the bill you are not setting yourself up for success.
@Pilot93434 – same thing could be said to the deadheading pilots and upgraded family members. If THEY want it THEY should buy it.
@Jon Deck – again, putting employees before paying customers is just absurd.
Air France did it to me a few months ago. My heart and prayers go out to him.
It’s a humor story on Reddit.
AA may suck, but where else can you get a 15 hour flight in a reasonable intl first class seat for 95k miles? Oh, wait…… LH last minute………
I’m sure AA will be done with intl first at less than 450k very soon, thus I’d rather buy their miles than try to earn them or transfer to them. I don’t trust any of these programs.
As someone who is married to a 787 captain, my husband and I have discussed his retirement flight several times and agreed that first class seats will be purchased for myself and our children. A pilot like the guy mentioned makes close to a seven figure income. The fact that he didn’t buy his wife a first class seat and robbed others of their premium seating experience because he’s cheap is unacceptable and appalling. A retirement flight is a milestone and should be planned accordingly.
as they should
get rid of those mere passengers out of premium cabin
I’m sure AA will offer a refund of $29.29 to the passenger as a fare difference for the downgrade, even though the actual fare difference for a premium class seat was a few times that.
JNS says, “With so few actual details, I’m not sure that this actually happened this way.”
Exactly, More obviously unsubstantiated BS clickbait hearsay.