Deceptive Flight Pricing

The information is pretty clearly stated on the British Airways website so I'm sorry you didn't research there before you booked.

https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/seating/reserving-your-seat

Most, or at least many, airlines charge for seat assignment these days, alas, so you are very likely to face the same situation with other airlines. Some even charge for cabin luggage, though not the transatlantic ones that I know.
Your ticket is with AA: AA is probably the airline you should complain to. I wouldn't hold my breath for compensation - maybe miles if they're in a good mood.

Yes, there are discrepancies between partner airlines. Delta doesn't charge but partner Air France does. A lot of us have run into this. You do have 24 hours to cancel your reservation.

The discrepancies become even worse when you pay to fly in a class of premium seats that doesn't even exist in the partner's airplanes. We've had several complaints about that.

I am sorry you feel “cheated” on this. It is probably a bit of communication breakdown on your interaction with the American Agent.

British Airways has charged for seat assignments for years. I am sorry to say the fact that this did not match with your assumptions does not constitute fraud to be reported.

I hope that you are able to move past this and enjoy your trip.

I had a situation with BA where I paid for seats but wanted to change . I didn't realize the price on the new seat was in addition to what I had paid. Very confusing. I called BA and the agent said,"well, that was cheekie" He was very nice and we had seats on flight home that were a little upgrade to make up for it.
It's just so hard when 1 plane might have 6 different "zones" Do I want to be in the "main cabin"? Why yes. I dont want to be on the wing!

Basic rule: Read the airline's rules before booking. Especially if two airlines are involved.
Leave Kayak and any other agency out of it; they don't impose the surcharges. Agencies can provide some scheduling information but after that go directly to the airline.
Paying for a reserved seat is not news. Going through the booking process with the airline flying the planes usually will specifically ask what you want to book and show what it will cost.
The best protection for a consumer comes from the consumer.

To check seat selection costs before paying, plug in a name and address (John Doe at 1234 Main St., with the “right honorable” title on BA, because why not). Fake info that’s easy to type is fine because you won’t be paying for this yet, but then it lets you select a seat and see how much the ticket will really cost. Unfortunately, the US airlines don’t allow us to pretend to be right honorable about anything. Even a duke has to use the Mister title like some peasant. The horror.

I had the same thing happen with Swiss Air leg I bought on the United site earlier this year. I was cheaper than you though and just waited to the moment I could check in and got my free seats then.

Interestingly enough, I was able to reserve seats without charge this week on Air France legs of a trip I bought on Delta. Quite frankly, I did not expect that.

Advice for the future: assume that you will not be able to make seat reservations on European airlines affiliated with American ones. Then if it works out you get seats for free, you can be pleased.

AA gave you incorrect information but hard unfortunately to hold them accountable. Your only recourse (if you are in 24 hour window) is to cancel and book a different flight.

This article may be of interest. It involves a proposed requirement to have the additional costs (seats etc.) disclosed prior to ticket purchase.

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announce-new-effort-save-americans-money-and-spur

First of all, if you had booked through the airlines you'd had seen that BA charges for seat assignments. It's not hidden and I'm not sure what is "deceptive" about it.

Again you could have researched or Googled it as almost every article about BA talks about charging for early seat assignments. Only other thing you could have done was wait until the seating opened up 24 hrs before your flight.

You don't have a complaint with BA, the only person who failed you was the AA customer service person.

We don't pay for seat assignments on British Airways - and we are always seated together.

Everything will be fine. If you paid for premium economy, your seats will be in that cabin.

I don't know when you're going, however I plugged in an itinerary for the middle of May. American is not even price competitive from the Bananatown to Zurich and DeGaulle to BNA.

The dominant carrier on that route is United connecting to a flight in Chicago O'Hare. Coming back, United tries to connect you in Toronto--or Newark.

Note: I research flights in ITA Matrix, however you have to go elsewhere to purchase tickets. Premium economy sure comes at a great cost premium--vs. economy. I suggest you go onto ITA Matrix and use it for planning.

We also fly out of BNA, but we also have HSV airport. Huntsville actually has a great flight to Dulles and then non-stop to Zurich. And from Paris to Dulles and connecting to Huntsville with just enough time on the ground to make connections. I would certainly prefer going thru Washington rather than through O'Hare, Newark or Toronto. Nashville to Huntsville Airport is a 90 minute drive.

Thank everybody for responding. Your advice will add to the education I received regarding this booking.

If anyone was deceptive in this, it seems to have been kayak, not the airline(s)

And who owns Kayak?
None other than Booking Holdings of Booking.com fame—the behemoth company that has devoured travel companies such as Cheapflights.com, Priceline, Agoda and RentalCars.com.

There is nothing deceptive about omitting mention of seat selection fees from the listed price because that is not part of the flight booking; it is entirely optional.

And while what the AA agent said about “everything will be fine” might be regarded as incomplete, it wasn’t intentionally deceptive. As at least two people said above, BA would automatically seat you two together without additional payment. But your seats could have been in the center section (3 abreast) rather than the paired PE seats on either side, which are much better.

While there is nothing to be done about this now (BA seat reservation fees are non-refundable, unless BA cancels the flight and does not give you an acceptable replacement), you have learned an important lesson. You could indeed have researched this beforehand, as it is clearly stated on the BA website and in many discussions in this and other travel forums. Seat reservation fees are becoming the norm with many airlines on long-haul routes, so now you can be prepared.

The good news is you will enjoy the BA flight in PE, with wider seats and more legroom, a smaller more private cabin, and better food than regular economy. And I assume you chose the desireable paired seats on the side of the plane, so one of you has a window and the other has the aisle, with no third person close by.

The thing about seat-reservation fees is that the info is easy to find if you know you need to look for it. If you assume things work as they did in the past and don't go looking, you may well not learn about the extra cost until you've bought your ticket. It's not as if there's a flashing banner on the initial schedule look-up page, warning you to check on seat fees before you proceed. I can easily see how people get blind-sided if they don't hang out on travel forums like this one. I credit this forum for warning me about the fees before I resumed my trips to Europe in 2015. I make a point of avoiding British Airways because its seat fees are often higher than those of other airlines (or were the last time I checked).

I, too, came under the same realization that the price stated on the American Airlines website does not include being able to reserve seats together...even in Business Class. Of course, being a resident of Oregon that has no sales tax, we see the same problem with going to other states and getting the extra shocker at the checkout stand. Why are the REQUIRED extras not included in the price posted, as the case of gasoline, where Federal and State taxes are included in the posted price? It's been a gripe of mine for years, and now I can add American Airlines as another culprit. "We post prices, but we just don't post all of the price" is something one would expect from a shady used auto dealer, but non-disclosure meets the "just good business" mantra of modern corporate ethics.

I just checked again on our Mid-May flight out and Mid-June flight back on "American" booking on British Airways. As suspected, the price for the flights not having included seat selection in Business Class presents a "second class" situation if one doesn't want to pay an extra $151 to $169 per leg to get a reserved seat when you book months in advance. Sadly, I should have just bent over to BA and paid the extra $300 per seat round trip to be able to sit next to my son, as nearly every together is now booked. Had I realized American/British policy on seat selection being IN ADDITION to the posted fare, I would have factored that extra screwing into the price decision on the booking. Turns out, Delta had better pricing because it includes seat selection when you book. Always some genius accountant that figures how to work the system to have hidden fees. I wonder how may other items that one would normally feel included in the posted fare will be extra? Not the way to start a trip, but I'll know to let the British Air frequent flyers have the whole place to themselves in the future, as they apparently are given seat selection as a perk over the casual traveler. Once burned, twice shy. American Airlines, same/same.

We book frequently book through chase travel and I found lie flat seats on BA that were going to be only a few hundred dollars more than booking Delta premium select.

During the transaction process I could “buy” the seats on BA but I couldn’t ”select” my seat. I then back tracked, thankfully not having yet cashed in points / purchased. I then found that not only do you have to pay to select your seats, but that the cost to select your seat within the same class is variable. I cannot remember exact prices but to select our seat was over $100 per seat, each way; and the price difference between the seats in the front of business class to the rear of business class would differ by $50 or more.
I ended up booking with Delta Premium Select and have my seat assignments also shown on my delta app.

Someone needs to put a stop to airlines that don't tell you advance sear reservations cost extra until after you push "buy".

The use of fees to increase revenue is pretty well in use across all airlines. What changes between airlines is which fees they use and which fees they don't.

To be fair to British Airways, there is no charge to select a seat at 24 hours from departure. You can wait until that time and then select your seats. If you purchased Premium Economy, you will get a Premium Economy Seat.

As a solo traveler I don't face the same crisis that you do about needing to sit next to a loved one. Not really an option so I don't worry about it. I do like to have an aisle seat due to some mild claustrophobia. I will pay, if necessary, to make sure that I have a seat on the aisle.

It must have been pretty disappointing to discover that the cost didn't include what you thought it did. I hope that you can put that aside and simply enjoy your vacation and know better for next time.

Someone needs to put a stop to airlines that don't tell you advance sear reservations cost extra until after you push "buy".

Which airline(s) do this? I just checked BA and it is clear there is a seat selection fee before "buy" is done

American does not charge for business class seats.

When you book a seat on British Airways via American, it is a British Airways flight and American is just selling the ticket.

Someone needs to put a stop to airlines that don't tell you advance sear reservations cost extra until after you push "buy".

BA lets you know this before you purchase your ticket be it with cash or avios. You just got to understand the game that all airlines play in some form or another.