What’s the American Airlines Seat Selection Policy in 2023?
American Airlines doesn’t stand in your way when traveling to your dream destination for business or vacationing. Therefore, this carrier allows you to pick a suitable seat to ensure you’re as comfortable as possible during your flight. This blog will help you understand all the seat selection policies that give American Airlines an edge over its competitors.
American Airlines Seat Selection Policy for International Flights
You must pay a maximum American Airlines seat selection fee of USD160 to select a comfortable seat. The main cabin attracts this exorbitant seat selection service charge as they have extra legroom, guaranteeing more comfort.
Usually, you don’t have to pay if you purchase a standard cabin class air ticket.
How Much is Seat Selection on American Airlines?
American Airlines charges between USD0 to USD160, depending on the flight type and the distance to cover. You must pay this fee for AA to upgrade your seat and send you a confirmation email.
Other AAdvantage members can pay for the upgrade when conducting American Airlines seat selection online. The total miles depend on your fare type and the seat location. Please note that you can only book a seat with either cash or miles but not both.
Is there a Way to Avoid Paying AA’s Seat Selection Service Charge?
Seat selection American Airlines policy exempts AAdvantage members from paying this exorbitant fee. However, this only applies to AAdvantage members with an Elite status. Today, American Airlines considers Elite status members from partner airlines, such as British Airways and Alaska Airlines.
Interestingly, AAdvantage Platinum and Pro elite members also enjoy preferred seating from American Airlines.
How American Airlines Determines the Applicable Seat Selection Fee
American Airlines staff consider certain factors when deciding what seat upgrade fee to charge you. These include:
i Seat location
All seats in the main cabin attract a maximum service fee of USD160 for the customers. Conversely, seats in a standard cabin class don’t draw any selection fee. Therefore, you must talk to an agent to know how much seat fee you will pay.
ii Flight type
An international flight may attract a larger American Airlines flight seat selection fee than a local one as it covers a longer distance. Additionally, AA dedicates bigger planes for such flights as they transport several passengers.
iii Seat type
A window seat attracts a higher fee than middle and aisle ones as they are in higher demand. For this reason, you should consider this when selecting a passenger’s seat during American Airlines seat selection online.
How to Avoid Missing a Seat for Your American Airlines Flight?
Passengers should select a seat when purchasing an American Airlines flight. Fortunately, the system is smart enough that it can detect all the available seats for seat selection before closing this process for a given airplane.
Can American Airlines Change Seats After Online Selection?
Unknown to some, American Airlines retains the right to re-assign seats to the passengers despite online seat selection. However, they claim this right under unique circumstances, like security concerns or for operational reasons.
American Airlines Seat Selection Refund Policy
Unfortunately, the American Airlines seat selection fee is non-refundable to all passengers. Similarly, these fees are equally non-transferrable, so you can use them to upgrade your relative or friend’s air ticket.
AA can cancel a paid seat if a passenger fails to check in at least 0.5 hours before the flight. In such a case, the airline will sell your airline seat as a last-minute American Airlines ticket at a high price. Therefore, you must get to the airport on time, lest you lose your seat selection and flight booking fee.
American Airlines doesn’t refund passengers who book a seat without confirmation from customer support. The American Airlines seat upgrade policy empowers customer care to cease selling more seats without notice.
You can only get a refund if you upgrade your cabin class and pay the additional fee. Similarly, you can get your funds back if you cancel your booking within a day after buying your AA ticket.
Conclusion
The good news is that you can select a seat when purchasing a ticket online or later before your travel day. Please take advantage of the policies discussed in this blog to enjoy preferred seating and a comfy seat. Additionally, you can select a seat with a partner airline despite holding an American Airlines booking.
FAQs
1. How Can I Select a Seat on the American Airlines Webpage?
You can choose a suitable passenger seat on the American Airlines homepage under the ”My Trips” section. You must enter your full name and flight number for the system to determine how much seat selection fee will apply in your case.
You should visit the website later if no seats are available during online booking. Some airline seats may become available after a passenger cancels it.
2. How Can I Select a Seat for Free?
Ordinarily, Economy class ticket holders can pick a befitting seat on the webpage at no charge. On the contrary, a maximum seat selection fee of USD22 is payable to choose a main cabin seat.