Airline Seating: Is there a system?

Factual Questions
21

Having worked for AA for a couple years as a gate agent, I can tell you this is not the practice at American. And I would think a passenger might have cause for serious complaint if other airlines actually use this factor to bump.

If you do not have a seat assignment on an oversold flight, but have checked in on time, you aren’t going to be arbitrarily bumped. The standard operating procedure during an oversold flight is to solicit volunteers to give up their tickets on that flight in exchange for a seat on a later flight and a travel voucher to be used towards the purchase of another ticket.

Flights get oversold because they have a history of a certain number of “no-shows,” and usually, no volunteers are needed to take a different flight. If everyone shows up for the flight, and noone will volunteer, then AA’s procedure (outlined in your tkt paperwork) is to bump the lowest fare ticket, provided it is not an unaccompanied minor, a passenger needing special assistance, or an older person. Unless it gets to this point, you won’t be bumped if you show up on time for your flight.

I ran into several folks who would book a flight because it was overbooked so they could volunteer. They would try to rack up as many vouchers as possible for future vacations. Not a bad deal, if your travel plans are flexible.

Sorry this got all rambly, but one of my pet peeves while working at the airport was having to deal with a passenger who was sure the all-powerful agent could erase them from the system at will. We didn’t have that much power.

22

I’m a very big person, so I always ask for an exit row seat (often it’s offered to me before I ask), but if I can’t get that seat, I’ve noticed that they tend to put me in the very last row of seats, or for some reason a window seat behind the wing on the port side.

I think it’s the freemasons or the CIA or something.

23

Yes, there is a system:

Person who has to go the bathroom most gets the window seat.

Biggest person gets the aisle seat.

Hyperactive child gets seat in front of or behind you.

Family with most carry on luggage hogs the overhead bins where ever they sit.

People in a hurry sits in the tail section.

Slowest people sits closest to the entrance.

Man who says “Can I have your peanuts if you don’t want them?” sits next to you.

When I ask for a window seat I always get the seat which is in between 2 windows or over the wing section.

When I ask for the aisle seat I get the incontinent guy in the windows seat.

24

Another thing to consider - so many domestic flights are oversold lately that the planes are running out of overhead bin space by the time row 15 boards. And since they normally board coach from the rear of the plane, I always ask for a window seat in the very end. That way - I always have overhead space. The time I spend waiting in the plane to disembark is much better and less than the time spent waiting at a baggage carousel. And my bags don’t get lost/stolen/set on fire/whatever.