It used to be that when the doors of the aircraft closed, passengers could re-arrange themselves freely. If there were empty seats, you’d see passengers spread out for more room. That made sense.
However airlines now charge for seats, and they don’t even just charge for extra legroom seats. An aisle seat and even a window can cost more than a middle. A seat towards the front of the cabin might cost more, too.
I’ve seen United Airlines flight attendants policing this for awhile, although enforcement varies. Five years ago American Airlines had no real policy, and passengers could mostly still move freely unless a flight attendant told them not to (and of course moving to an exit row seat required being eligible to sit in one of those seats).
Four years ago American started offering free alcohol to passengers in their extra legroom coach seats.
The ability to change seats took on added significance (and cost to the airline). Still, the policy allowing customers to move remained in place.
That policy is no longer in effect, and American is telling flight attendants that they should police passengers moving from regular coach up to extra legroom seats (“Main Cabin Extra”), as shared by aviation watchdog JonNYC. Not all flight attendants will enforce this, but some may.
It’s not unusual for Main Cabin (MC) customers to ask to change seats after they’ve boarded the aircraft – to sit next to a family member or get out of a middle seat, for instance. However, customers may not be familiar with our seat change policy; particularly when it comes to Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seats. While you may allow a customer to move to an available Main Cabin seat after boarding is complete, they’re not permitted to move into an MCE seat unless they are booked in that class. So, if a customer asks to move to a seat in a different seat classification (i.e., MC ot MCE, MCE to First, etc.) politely decline their request unless there is a customer service or regulatory conflict present. If a customer asks to change seats before the boarding door closes, work with the gate agent to accommodate the request. As always, please remain on the aircraft to avoid a minimum crew violation while assisting the customer.
— 🇺🇦 JonNYC 🇺🇦 (@xJonNYC) November 11, 2022
It strikes me that American specifically talking about Main Cabin Extra as a class and not merely as different coach seats, with different attributes, means they ought to be paying a higher UK Air Passenger Duty for customers in those seats on London transatlantic departures, since the charge is higher for anything other than economy. Yet Delta has been formally treating its similar Comfort+ product as a separate cabin for some time and doesn’t charge higher taxes than economy, so they seem to have figured this out.
I also wonder about flight attendants sending customers off the aircraft, back to the gate, to pay for Main Cabin Extra seats. Especially with single agent boarding this seems like a recipe for risking D0 exact on-time departures.
Regardless, don’t expect to stretch out into empty extra legroom seats on American Airlines anymore if you have a regular coach seat assignment, because the airline is asking cabin crew to serve as auxiliary revenue protection staff.
AA also starve passengers with a tiny bag of salty pretzels and 8 ounces cup drink in long international flights, not option to buy food either, landing at opposite the airport and making passengers walk from miles to get to customs, very inconvenient, air trains sometimes get stole in the middle of nowhere, AA as far as I am concerned is dead for me, I never flight again on AA.
MCE is the new Business Class. Business is the new First Class.
Just giving it fancy or different names doesn’t change the fact that it’s a degradation in service.
It is simply disgusting how many of you care so much about others getting some convenience (when if it’s ever possible anyways with flights getting fuller) simply because you “paid more”.
The airlines got so you used to subpar and smaller seats that you now would defend the airline so that you get yours and nobody else does. I fly a lot. I pay for MCE. If the flight is empty and someone wants to change seats i couldn’t care less, why? because I’m not a jerk. Why? Because the airline created this impossible situation that pitches one pig in a sardine can against another. Grow up ya selfish pricks.
A lot of airline shills here. The problem is just how much they’re squishing people to try and get every dime out of their passengers.
Enough.
My sister flew 11 hours on AA with her with no leg room. Knees bent to her abdomen. The price she paid it waa cruel. Everyone in her row had to get up if she needed to stretch and us the toilet.
When overhead bins in regular coach are full FAs routinely stuff bags into MCE or premium economy bins if there is space left. So how do you then crack down on people stuffing their bags in those bins during boarding if they are going to end up there anyway.
At least if I wasn’t able to sit next to my family I’d just talk to the passengers in adjacent seats, not even bother talking to FAs.
Ridiculous, makes me wonder why I should pay for my seat upgrade in advance when freeloaders can sneak into same post boarding.
@Jose Gutierrez on International flights there is a meal. I don’t know what kind of International flight you were on. But there is always a meal. How long was the flight?
When you go to a concert or a sports game buy tickets in the cheap seats do they let you move to a empty seat up front? NO and if you make a scene you get arrested. I am sick of entitlement. If you do a cross country trip in a car or train you pack snacks and drinks why when people fly they expect the airlines to trat them like royalty? You buy a ticket to get from point A to B end of atory.
How bout we fight for the best seats..
As if people needed yet another reason NOT to fly American.
OCO! Flying has become enough of a misery…
This is ridiculous I fly 2 weeks ago from Texas to California I’m 6,3 and we go on the sats like sardins IS NOT SAFE not even space for your lungs if you breath deep my shoulders cross in front of the passenger besides you, in the future this people will pit us in boxes tobtravel….
Well sir/ma’am if you weren’t so freakishly tall, you wouldn’t have this problem. Perhaps we can put you on the wing or in the cargo hold.
Last week I flew Phoenix to Kauai and it was 6 1/2 hour flight and there was no food to purchase. I round of drinks and one round of water. I have been flying to Hawaii for fifteen years and this was the worst flight ever.
I just took a flight with American Airlines, I have to say the seats are so small (kids size ) so the flight I was on seats was free and the stewards spread us out and I was glad about it , so they empty anyway for that flight let somebody else sit there , we are not talking about first class, where they could do the same thing
@Robin Wade: How exactly does a road trip compare to a long haul flight? Your comparison to seat jumping at an event doesn’t make sense either, unless maybe Elton John is having a concert on that plane. Switching to an unoccupied seat, for a smidge of leg room after paying a premium for crap seats isn’t too much to ask. Air travel used to be a fun experience, customer service was priority. These corporations all suck ass!
The airlines just want to make money, they don’t care about passengers, for the price you pay for tickets this days we deserve better treatment, but again they don’t care!
@Gary Leff – Clearly speed reading is not a strong skill set for you. Go back and reread the 2nd sentence of @Lynne comment. Then, be a decent human-being and apologize for your ignorance! Cheers!
Good for AA. The media are currently full of stories about families who buy one economy plus seat and cheap seats for everyone else in the family, then after boarding ask people who have paid for economy plus seats to “trade” seats so “the family can sit together”. Total scam; seat switching should not be allowed.
@KK I flew Miami to Jamaica and back, 6 hour international flight on AA, I got a tiny bag of pretzels and some juice with no option to buy food. I would have brought food on board with me if I’d known AA didn’t have any, but every flight ever has always offered food as part of the in-flight service or for purchase and AA never mentioned when I booked the ticket or checked in, oh btw we don’t have any food on the airplane. I even checked the website and there’s no mention anywhere that you need to pack a bag lunch for an international flight with AA.
Why the entitlement undertone to the article? Pay for the seat you want, and sit there. Saying someone freakishly tall shouldn’t have any natural consequences is dumb. Everybody pays more for things for all sorts of natural conditions and preferences. And sometimes, life just sucks. I have absolutely no problem if attendants want to be nice and allow an unauthorized seat change. The problem is the expectant attitudes in the article and some comments.
Just another saga of why AA sucks! They have LOST my luggage on two separate international flights. Sat on the tarmac waiting for ‘extra equipment’ causing my family to miss connecting flights. Flights were cancelled multiple times-not due to weather. Get your shit together AA! What they do now is irrelevant to me as I will NEVER fly with this disastrous FU of an airline. Fly Delta!!!!
My husband and I bought tickets to Seattle from Midland, TX. His first time flying. I decided to make his flight a good experience. I bought extra leg room aside seats with him at the window. Even looked at the diagram of the plane seating and selecting the row # and letter. When we boarded, we found out the plane being used for our flight was a different model and we ended being in a normal seating. And our window seat was not available to us. I explained to the personnel. They told us. We should have checked with counter personnel to confirm seating!!!!! What a disappointment
Extremely GREEDY AND PETTY. I’ll stick to a different Airline
So you think that deregulation is a good thing? Throw in overpopulation & greed. It can’t be reversed. I worked for the Airlines for 20 years when service & dignity was a priority.
The only lengthy flight with no meal experienced In 6 million miles of flying is dfw to Hawaii on coach. Really pathetic to treat it as a domestic flight.
Being that American gives away legroom and aisle upgrades to fill a flight, they should not care so much about change of seats after door close.
When I pay for legroom and preferred seats, I do so to be assured of it. After doors close, let the games begin. Drinks, if they can identify exec Plat in coach, they can identify economy coach passengers too. Who care about I UT a drink. I have never upgraded for a meal or drink that can be had much easier and cheaper at the bar of cafe.
Capitalism is showing n its uhly side in todays society.
Worry less about increasing profit margins for the common good and socialism wouldn’t stand a chance. .
Provide more space so it is not uncomfortable to fly, quit messing with the sardine can trying to eek out a few more pennies. It’s a fine line, but do the right thing by passengers before the advocates get the government to further regulate. It’s time to simplify rather than micro manage all the details for a few pennies or dollars or fractional points profit towards the bottomline. The coat of micromanaging outweighs any benefit.
Just another reason to avoid AA.
@Maria – if you don’t like it don’t fly (or fly another airline). They are private companies that can price, market and manage their product as they feel appropriate (subject obviously to government regulations).
BTW glad so many of you sweat you will never fly AA again – that just makes it easier from r the rest of us.
BTW just flew AA business from FRA-CLT and that flight was better than the Emirates business class flight I took to Europe.
People just like to bitch I guess. Get over your selves!
@Tina – the seats are not that small. I am a 6 foot 215 pound man and fit very comfortably with space to spare. Also while pitch (distance between seats) has been reduced the actual width of the seats is basically the same as it was 30-40 years ago. Americans are just getting fatter but that is a “you” problem so don’t blame the airlines for it!
@Antonio a – if you feel cramped at 6’3” pay for an exit row seat, upgrade to first class, fly private or don’t fly! The airlines are not obligated to modify their planes to accommodate you. There is no god given right that you can fly on an airplane
The entitlement shown by so many on here is absolutely amazing! SMDH!!!
All these airlines nickle and dimeing people eventually will catch up to them, it ridiculous the amount they charge for everything talk about entitlement, the airlines are out of control just like the rest of the world with their price gouging smh
Personally I resent paying extra for a seat only to have people come to the same row I am in without paying extra. If it is empty, the flight attendants should simply run the person’s credit card for the upgrade if they want to switch seats.
@Katt, 6 hour flight, Miami to Jamaica, did you take the long way or something? That flight is 1 hour 30 minutes each way at most.
Just got done flying 14 hours from LA to Istanbul. Give it a try if you want a foretaste of hell. I paid $300 addition on a ticket next to the exit. It was still hell.
I’m retired so I didn’t fly for business. It was my choice, and I’ll take the responsibility for wishing I was dead throughout the flight. Unless
It’s within the continental US and business class, screw it, it ain’t worth it. My wife and I both agree we’ll watch it on National Geographic instead.
By ether way we flew on a Boeing 777 with 350 passengers. Some problem shows up, nobody is getting out. Just not enough room.
I’m glad they’re making this rule, the last thing I want is some piglike slob sitting next to me when I started with an open seat next to me.
As a frequent flyer, I’d like to see more rules imposed on severely overweight passengers being enforced.
Retired Gambler…
AA must have found you drunk and unable to get a flight and they wanted to get you off and away from others. Just because you’re 6-2 doesn’t dismiss the fact you’re inebriated while flying. I feel sorry for the ones who paid to sit next to you for several hours. This is the very reason why you should never drink gin and ingest Prozac on high altitude flights. It causes lunacy in the one using while annoying the sane people who have to deal with you!!
Hey,
Didn’t we bail these airlines out, more than once?!
And now this is how they treat us?
If the seats on a plane aren’t being used, it seems exceptionally petty to prohibit other passengers from using them, especially in the same section (coach or first class).
You people are sick if you think the seats are not too small. Be humane! You can’t take the money with you when you die. Airlines stockholders you are making money hand over fist. Be a person. I am a average size and it’s still too tight. I can’t believe how small the seats are now a days. And i was trying to contact the FAA before the deadline but couldn’t see where to place my grievance on their website. Be humane airlines. You treat dogs better.
Simply separate the section with a thin curtain like the one separating FC/Bus from coach. Problem solved.
I don’t have a problem with people switching to any empty seat but i do have a problem with main cabin extra itself. I don’t have any issue getting to any seat myself because i have platinum status so i can choose any seat without having to pay a dime, but the fact that they are charging an extra (and sometimes in some international flights a lot more) for just a couple extra inches of room is preposterous. If the seats were different, like the premium economy ones, i would agree, but not for the mc extra. They should not exist. Just add more premium economy and eliminate mc extra altogether…
I only fly First Class to avoid most problems. Too me it’s worth it.
Wow its.amazing to read all the disgruntled people and their stupid invalid comments. I have no complaints about AA traveled domestic and international and no issues. They have always been obliging too bad for those who had a suck experience the problem people are cheap and want freebies all the time. You get what you pay.
Fly with your own personal jet next time.
I love flying AA. They are the only airlines I will fly with any more. They are always friendly and very helpful.
We flew back from Australia to US, we were booked on AA ,but return flight booked on Quantas had to pay $200.00 for luggage. Have never had to pay for luggage on international flights. They used to allow 2 pieces of luggage per person free.It definitely isn’t fun flying anymore.
I paided $85.00 to upgrade my seat since I was flying a 10 hours trip to Buenos Aires and I wanted to have more room since I have a full knee replacement but I was very disappointed of the space between my seat and the one in front of me it was impossible to move, I’m a petite woman 4.10 and 150 lbs, it has been two weeks since my arrival to BA and I still have problems with my circulation in my legs
All of y’all act like children. Buy your seat and worry about yourself and keep what stop worrying about what other people do. None of this affects you or your wallet. Grow the fuck up.
That’s great! I didn’t choose the BUS seat I was given after I bought a PLANE ticket from TriCities, TN to Charlotte. I didn’t choose to sit by the side of the road when the BUS had a blowout! I didn’t choose to miss a whole day of my vacation in Arizona. And I found out substituting the Bus for a plane was happening regularly with AA. This airline is greedy and shoddy. I will try to avoid using them if at all possible. If a person moves to a better empty seat
It will not change their profit margin.