How American Airlines Seat Selection Works?- Policy, Fee

Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Rick Spiegel

Are you planning for a holiday to your favorite or dream destinations, and not able to select your preferred seat on an American Airlines flight? It can be disappointing. But don’t lose hope you can get your desired seat by using the American Airlines Seat Selection feature. The seat selection option is one of the most amazing features for all travelers. American Airlines is one of the most amazing airlines which offers affordable yet luxurious amenities to its passengers. The seat selection policy of American Airlines allows passengers to choose their desired seats.

So, now let’s dive into the details to know more about the American Airlines Seat Selection Policy.

Table of Contents

What Does American Airlines Seat Selection Policy State?

American Airlines Seat Selection Policy allows the passengers to book their desired seat by simply paying a small fee. The passengers can choose their preferred seat in both the circumstances before and after booking the flight tickets. It is really important to select your desired seat, especially on long-haul flights so that you can enjoy your journey. Here are some of the important key points that every passenger must be aware of the American Airlines Seat Selection Policy:

According to the seat selection policy of American Airlines, you don’t have to pay any fee if you select your seat within 24 hours of the purchase of your flight ticket.
Passengers are allowed to choose their desired seat before the departure of their flight by paying the seat selection charges.
If you want to choose your preferred seat in advance make sure that you select your travel seat before the check-in. Otherwise, American Airlines will allot a seat free of cost randomly.
American Airlines will allocate the seat together to those passengers who travel with their children under the age of 15.
American Airlines offers priority access to Elite members to select their desired seats so that they can travel comfortably.

What Is American Airlines Seat Selection Process?

Passengers can select their preferred travel seat by visiting the official website of American Airlines or by contacting the customer care support teams.

Seat Selection via Website

Passengers can follow the given steps if they want to choose their flight seat through American Airlines’ official website:

Firstly, open the official website of American Airlines and tap on the “My Trips” tab.
Now, enter all the details of your flight including the booking reference and the last name of the passenger.
After entering all the details of your click on the ‘Search’ button.
As you tap on the search button you’ll get all the details of your booked flight. So, log into your account and select the ‘Edit’ feature.
Now, a seat map will be displayed on your screen. You can check the price of your desired seat and subsequently make the payment for your selected travel seat.
After making the payment for the seat you’ll receive a confirmation mail on your registered E-mail address.

Seat Selection By Contacting Customer Service

Travelers can also use another alternative which is contacting customer care through American airlines phone number to select the desired seat on their behalf. To get the seat selected via customer care passengers need to call the team and provide them with all the required details of the flight and make the payment online to reserve the flight seat.

Once, you make the payment, you’ll get a confirmation mail or text message on your E-mail address or your phone number.

How Much is the American Airlines Seat Selection Fee?

As per American Airlines Seat Selection policy, passengers can book their desired travel seat before and after booking their flight ticket by paying the seat selection fee. But if you don’t select your preferred seat the airline allocates a seat randomly without any additional charges.

However, it is complimentary for the AAdvantage members to select their desired fee without paying the seat selection charges.

American Airlines also designate 2 seats together for those passengers who are traveling with their children who are under 15. But if the seats are limited in your booked flight then the airline will allocate the seats which are near to at least 1 adult.

Can I Get a Refund Of American Airlines Seat Selection Fee?

Generally, American Airlines seat selection fees are non-refundable. However, there are some scenarios in which a passenger can get a refund after selecting the flight seat.

American Airlines will provide a refund for the passengers if they upgrade their class from business class to first class.
The passengers need to pay an additional amount for another preferred seat on the same flight.
Another case is in which a passenger can request a seat selection fee refund if America Airlines cancels their flight or if their flight gets delayed.
Passengers can ask for a refund from American Airlines if their connecting flight is missed due to delay and now the passenger doesn’t have a comparable seat on the new flight.

How Do I Avoid Paying American Airlines Seat Selection Fees?

You can avoid paying the seat selection charges by signing in as an elite status member through American Airlines. Also, if you have AAdvantage miles, you can redeem them to pay the seat selection charges.

Preferred Seating

If you are an AAdvantage elite status member then you are allowed to get complimentary access to choose your preferred standard legroom seat in the preferred areas of the cabin of your flight at the time of flight booking.

Main Cabin Extra

The AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum elite members get complimentary access from the time of flight reservation that they can access the main cabin extra seats. Additionally, the Gold elites can also choose the Main Cabin Extra seats within 24 hours of flight departure without paying seat selection charges. But the basic economy passengers are not eligible to redeem this benefit.

You may also like: American Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I select my seat in the economy class of American Airlines?

If you are a passenger of the economy class of American Airlines then you can select your seat after paying the seat selection fee. They have the option to select their desired seat at the time of booking or after the flight booking.

What happens if a passenger doesn’t choose seats on American Airlines?

If a passenger does not select their desired seat then in this case American Airlines will assign a seat from the leftover seat to the passenger. So, if you have any seat preference then make sure that you select a seat according to your requirement to avoid any inconvenience.

Is it worth selecting the seat on American Airlines?

Yes, it’s absolutely worth selecting American Airlines’ desired seat. Selecting the preferred seat while traveling on long-haul flights ensures that you don’t feel any discomfort throughout your journey.

How do I avoid paying for seat selection on American Airlines?

If you want to avoid the seat selection fee of American Airlines then make sure that you reach the airport early so that you can take advantage of picking up the best seat from the unassigned seats.

Can I select my seat by contacting the customer care team?

Yes, you can surely pick your desired travel seat by getting in touch with the customer care department of American Airlines. To book a flight through the customer care team you need to provide them with all the flight information and after selecting the flight seat you need to make the payment for the seat selection seat. And after the payment, you’ll get a confirmation mail.

Can I choose a seat on an American Airlines flight for free?

Yes, all the members of the AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum Elite program can select their travel seats without paying the seal selection charges.

What happens to the seat if American Airlines flight change occurs suddenly?

If your AA flight seat changes due to any reason then in this scenario the airline will offer you the same seat which you picked earlier by paying the fee on a newly booked flight of American Airlines. Although, you can ask for compensation as well if you don’t want another option.

Can I pick AA preferred seats available on American Airlines?

Yes, you can select the preferred seat from American Airlines. These seats have extra legroom space inside the main cabin. However, you need to pay the seat selection fee to pick these seats. But if you are a frequent flyer or Elite status member then you’ll get these seats as complimentary.

Will I get a refund if I make changes to my preferred seat on American Airlines?

According to the seat selection policy of American Airlines, you’ll not receive a refund for making changes to your preferred seats. However, if you cancel your flight seat then you’ll surely get a refund of your flight selection fee.