AA ever changed your seat assignments?

The airlines have the right to change seat assignments as they see fit. In fact there are some situations where they are required by law to move people around. For example for obvious reasons, children are required to be seated next at least one parent during a flight. If the plane is almost full when the family makes their reservations the airline has no choice but to move people around. I've had my seat changed a few times, you have to go with the flow sometimes. Try to keep thing in perspective, you are after all flying half-way around the world in less than half a day:) On the flip side I have had other passengers (husbands & wives) curse me out when I have refused voluntarily move from my window seat on an overnight flight. I've never understood why some couples view being apart from one another for 8 hours as torture.

Sure -- happens all the time and more likely the further in advance that you make reservations. Equipment changes, configuration of the seats change, etc. can cause you seats to be rearranged. Little that you can do about it except monitor your seats and try to change to something more acceptable when they get changed.

Happens all the time on every airline. It's due primarily to two reasons:

1. Aircraft change. If they change the type of plane, your seats must change. Even if they just change the flight # it might need to change as well.
2. Premium Passengers. If you're an irregular flyer and one of an airline's frequent passengers wants your seat, they get it.

Don't sweat it. Seat assignments are requests, not promises, not until you get your actual boarding passes on the day anyway.

I haven't ever had my seat assignment changed but just noticed the other day they changed which airport I fly out of from NY to DFW after coming in from Zurich. We come into JFK and they changed us to flying out of Newark. When I posted how to do this a couple of days ago, everyone here said I must call and get that changed because it is next to impossible. I did call and did get it changed but it took awhile.

Like you, NO email. We might never have noticed the change until it was too late. And yes, I do have the system set up to notify me of flight changes.

Yes I have had my seat changed due to the aforementioned legal requirements. I always check-in on-line 23 hours and 59.99 seconds before departure. I've always been able to secure a decent seat this way. Word to the wise....If you are booking a multi-leg trip and planning on a stayover at your own expense don't book a non-refundable hotel room at the stay-over location. American Airlines changed my departure to London from Boston to Chicago and cheerfully notified me they would rebook me at no cost...no cost to them (plus a 9 hour layover in Chicago...gee thanks). I'd booked a suite at Embassy Suites Boston (as they respectfully ask you to do) and was left holding the bag. It's been months and somehow I'm still annoyed.

Even checking-in for your flight at home is still no guarantee you will be that you will get the seats printed on your boarding pass. They can still call you to the desk at the boarding gate, and give you a new seating assignment. I've seen it happen.

Thanks for the replies. I have calmed down a bit -- but I am still frustated mostly because it is something I have not had to deal with in the past when I have flown. The plane type did not change from the original and now the remaining seats are the middle seats of the 3 seat sections. I probably would have dealt with this situation better if they had bothered to notify me of the changes - by phone or email (which I do have set up for this trip)so that I knew the seats had changed. Now I will be spending time looking at what might come available to try to change the seats back to what we need. By the way, AA told my husband it is not written in their ticket documents that the airline can change the seats once they are assigned. What is the point of assigned seating if it is not guaranteed?

I took my first flight in 1946 (Chicago to Seattle) and currently fly 12 times a year.
Only one time have I had a problem with seat assignments and that time, a long time ago, was on NWA when they took it upon themselves to separate my wife and I. A generous fellow sitting next to me agreed to swap places with my wife and he refused free drinks! Anyway, I am reading so many posts here most of which are critical of American Airlines. Is that the one airline to avoid, or do folks have first hand experience with other airlines doing the same thing?

British Air pulled this on us in 2005. I was furious because there were 8 of us traveling. It was a special high school graduate daughters and their mothers trip so of course we wanted to be together. We purchased the tickets early and were given seat assignments but months before we were moved all over the plane.
The good news is that we did manage to sit together but the frustrations I had dealing with British Air has convinced me never to fly with them again.

happened to me last year with AA, too. Had assigned seats, even the nite before they were still showing up as assigned but when I tried to print the boarding pass for my flight from the US it said there was some error. So I called AA reservations, they said "don't worry, you have the seats, just get your boarding pass in the morning". Morning comes, we go to the airport, at the counter they hand over boarding passes for different seats than the ones we had! "Oh, sorry, blah blah blah" but bottom line is AA has done this before and I guess is still doing it.

United did this to our family on a trip to Hawaii. We had booked NINE months in advance & when we arrived at airport, there was a 'problem' with our seats. We were traveling with 2 young children at the time...we were asked to wait to board while they sorted everything out....seems we didn't have seat assignments anymore (?) finally we we told to board AFTER everyone else had done so (?)

Surprise! 2 of us were given an exit row seat. Guess what United, kids are NOT allowed to sit in exit row seats..they said our 2 little kids could sit together....

"NO we do not want our young children sitting alone in the back of the plane", so their parents (us) can sit in the exit row...NO one offered to sit in the exit row...everyone just sat there & gave us stink eye...

I didn't mind splitting up in twos BUT a parent needed to sit with a child...OK I was then quite upset at the airlines big mess up. The plane was delayed & the passengers seemed to think it was our fault?! grrrrr

ps I have Not flown United in 8 years...

Maybe it doesn't happen often but it does stress the people who were/are affected. I will be following up with AA from now until our trip. I really wanted seats that have the power outlets and that is what they took from us in addition to the location of the original seats. I am not going to let this situation "ruin" my trip but I also have want what I reserved in good faith.

Seat assignments are mostly on U.S. based carriers or for trips originating in the U.S. Many foreign carriers do not give seat assignments until you get to the airport for itineraries starting in their home country.

Frank, I guess experiences differ. Lufthansa has always given me seat assigments for flight originating in Frankfurt to the US (and these are flights listed and purchased under Lufthansa flight codes, not codeshares with United). Same with KLM flights from Amsterdam (their flights, not codeshares with NWA).

I traveled to Florida last year with a friend who was nervous about flying. We were supposed to be seated across the aisle from each other on all four of our flights. Instead, we were separated by several rows (on AirTran). She was a basket case by the time we arrived -- and it happened on BOTH of our return flights, even though we had our preferred seat assignments when we checked in online before arriving at the airport. I think it happens on all airlines.

Mike...where did you buy the tickets? In the States or in Germany/Netherlands respectively?

I'm guessing you actually bought them in the U.S. Its customary in the U.S. to give seat assignments no matter where the flight originates.

Or, some European airlines are beginning to change. It's surprising since giving seat assingment with reservations costs money and most airlines are cutting back.

I think any airlines can put you where you want. Take the bulk head seat for example. While you can request it, they can't "unlock" it and give it out until you check in. We travel with two small kids and I just deal with the seats we are given until we check in and then plead with the airline for the bulkhead if possible.
On another airlines I had a friend who was forced to sit apart from her then four year old son. No one would switch so they could sit together, though who would like to sit with an unaccompanied four year old is beyond me!!
Just be glad that you and your husband can sit still for 10 hours and that you aren't worried about keeping a pre-schooler and a toddler busy and occupied and not disturbing the other passengers.

I know what you mean Claire about entertaining kids on a flight! We have 2 teenagers now but I remember vividly traveling with them on airplanes. It is easier now that they are older although my 16 year old has autism and it is still a challenge to fly with her :)
I am really looking forward to this time away from the kids. I love them very much but I am looking forward to being a wife and not a moomy for two weeks!
I am OK now with whatever seats we get. I am focusing on the excitement of the trip knowing I am blessed to be able to even go.

Frank, purchased the tix online in the US.