American Airlines Seat Selection ? Complete Guide

You have just booked your flight, the destination is beckoning, yet there is a slight fear that creeps in, and the hours spent a thousand years on a cramped seat. It is a story every traveler is familiar with, that is not an ideal place that may turn a great vacation into a nightmare. That is where the power of the American Airlines seat selection comes into the equation as American Airlines provides a range of options, starting with the typical Main Cabin and continuing to the most desired extra legroom of the Main Cabin Extra and the most desired Preferred Seats that are located closer to the front. However, the question of when you can book, how much it will or not cost or how to get it free and which seat best suits your particular needs is the key to opening the door to a very comfortable ride indeed. You may be a family of people out to sit together, a tall traveler who wants space, or just a smart flyer who wants to save some money. This guide will take you through all of them and all the tips of the trade. We can make your experience on the flight a challenge to something comfortable and your next great adventure.

What Is American Airlines Seat Selection?

The American Airlines Seat Selection is a service that gives people the opportunity to select a particular seat, which gives them the ability to control the comfort and location, as opposed to being allocated a random seat. This operation differs greatly depending on the fare bought. Fliers purchasing a Main Cabin ticket will be able to choose a Standard Seat free of charge upon booking. Preferred Seats are, however, available to those who want better places, like the ones near the front, or a window or an aisle seat. To the travelers who need more space, Main Cabin Extra seats provide extra legroom at an additional American Airlines seat selection fee. Finally, the issue of seat selection is the key to personalizing the in-flight experience to suit the needs; these could be comfort, convenience, or even guaranteeing the presence of a group of people at the same table.

How the American Airlines Seat Selection Fee Works

American Airlines seat selection fee is a dynamic fee which will be determined solely based on what you purchased and who you were. The charges are a means to sell more seats to desirable spots or with additional space, but ensure that a minimum number of free seats is available to many users.

Factors That Affect American Airlines Seat Selection Cost

The fee you pay or don't pay is determined by a few key variables:

When You Pay and When You Don?t

There are some situations when you do not have to pay, and these conditions also decide how much you will be required to pay for the seat selection:

When You Do Pay

The conditions under which the airlines require you to pay the needed charges are few and depend on the tickets and how you acted with the reservation: 

American Airlines Seat Selection Cost by Fare Category

American Airlines' seat selection fee is a dynamic fee that will be determined solely based on what you purchased and who you were. The charges are a means to sell more seats to desirable spots or with additional space, but ensure that a minimum number of free seats is available to many users.

Main Cabin Seat Selection Cost

The choice of a Standard Seat is usually free during booking. Such seats are located in the main cabin, without the special Preferred and Main Cabin Extra. The passengers on this fare have to pay a American Airlines seat selection fee or choose any seat, even a Standard Seat, prior to the 24-hour check-in. In case they do not pay, they will have a free, automatically allocated seat during check-in.

Main Cabin Extra Seat Costs

The premium economy experience in most domestic and short-haul international flights is called Main Cabin Extra, with the most significant advantage of the Main Cabin. The pricing is very dynamic, and it usually depends on the flight length and demand. On the short routes, the fares can begin at around 20-30 dollars, and on the long-distance international routes, it may be between 70 and more than 160 dollars one way.

• Dynamic Pricing: Aisle and window seats under the Main Cabin Extra section tend to be more expensive as compared to the middle seats. The seats with the highest price in this category tend to be first row and exit row seats because of the unrestricted legroom.

Preferred Seats Cost

Preferred Seats can also prove to be a good deal for the customers who value location more than legroom. They share the same pitch as Standard Seats, and they are in more convenient positions.

• Price: The charges usually vary between $10 and $40 on the majority of domestic flights.
• Purpose: The fee will allow you to get access to prime spots like the first few rows behind Main Cabin Extra or the most preferred window and aisle seats farther back in the cabin.

American Airlines Preferred Seats: What They Really Mean

The American Airlines Preferred Seats can be considered as normal economy seats, which are priced with a location premium. They will not offer you extra leg room or other service facilities; they just assure you of one of the best seats in the normal Main Cabin area.

Benefits of Preferred Seats

The main advantage of purchasing a Preferred Seat is to get a better position in the plane to be comfortable and convenient.

• These seats are usually nearer to the front of the Main Cabin behind Main Cabin Extra. 
• This implies that you are on the plane first before the majority of the rear cabin, and what is more important, you are one of the first of the economy passengers off the plane, which is important in tight connections.
• In the most favourable window and aisle positions, all over the middle and the rear of the cabin.
• A Non-middle seat or a certain spot, such as a two-seat row at the rear of some aircraft, is one of the features provided by the Preferred Seat so that you can be sure that you will not be assigned to an undesirable seat at the last moment.
• Free Preferred Seats are granted to all tiers of AAdvantage elite status clients at the moment of reservation.

Preferred Seats vs. Main Cabin Extra

The distinction between these two paid seat types comes down to legroom and extra perks.

How to Select Seats on American Airlines

The American Airlines seat selection process is flexible, which means that you can select your seat at three different locations in your travel process, and the cost and options vary at each stage.

Seat Selection During Booking

This is the most usual way and is the time of the day to get the desired place.

• Once you have chosen the flights but you are not ready to pay, the site or application will offer a seating chart of every portion of your itinerary.
• In case you purchased a Main Cabin ticket, you have a free opportunity to choose any Standard Seat.
• You have the option to buy a Preferred Seat or a Main Cabin Extra seat as well as the necessary fee.
• In the event you have booked Basic Economy, you are required to pay a fee to select any seat.
• It is advantageous to travelers who want to ensure that they have a certain seat, those who need to sit as a family, and those who have elite status because they are given access to premium seats without any charges instantly.

Seat Selection After Booking

In case you did not buy your seats beforehand when your initial booking was made, or you change your mind, you can do the same at any time until you check in.

• Navigate to the American Airlines mobile app or the website.
• Go to My Trips and type in your confirmation code and last name.
• The following page will have a change seats option.
• You can change any seat that you have paid for to another one of the same type at no cost as long as it is available.
• You have an option to buy an upgrade to a Preferred Seat or Main Cabin Extra.
• The price can vary according to the availability and the proximity of the flight.
• On a day near departure, American Airlines frequently opens up previously blocked-out seats that could be used by elite members or through operational demands, and as a result, provides more free Standard Seats, so check back.
• Once you have completed the process, the confirmation will be sent via email. 

Seat Selection at Check-In

The last time to secure a free seat is 24 hours prior to the departure, regardless of the type of seats used during the Basic Economy fare.

• Check-in commences 24 hours prior to departure through the American airlines website, application, or airport kiosk.
• When you are a Basic Economy customer who did not purchase a seat, you will get a free seat allotted to you automatically. 
• Although at this stage, you can switch it to a different standard seat available, you are not guaranteed to be sitting with your friends.
• With AAdvantage Gold members, Main Cabin Extra seats are free at this point, on the condition that they are available.
• Unsold Preferred or Main Cabin Extra seats can occasionally be given out freely as the airline tries to fill the plane, although this is not always certain.

How to Avoid Seat Selection Fees

The easiest way to avoid american airlines seat selection cost is to book a Main Cabin fare and choose an available Standard Seat for free at booking. If you fly Basic Economy, the fee is avoided by waiting until check-in, when a seat will be automatically assigned for free. Additionally, AAdvantage Elite Status members receive complimentary access to all Preferred Seats and Main Cabin Extra seats from the time of booking.

Tips for Choosing the Best Seats on American Airlines

The choice of the best seat is completely up to you, as far as the space, location, or quietness are the main concerns. These are the major tips and secrets on how to make American Airlines flights as comfortable as possible.

• Buying or securing a seat with added legroom is the best option that can make a traveler comfortable.
• The exit row seats are normally in Main Cabin Extra which has the best free legroom in the plane.
• During takeoff or landing, you cannot put on the floor; the tray tables are usually in the armrests thus slightly decreasing seat width.
• The seats with bulkheads are delightful in their legroom and the presence of the wall in front of you.
• The tray table is located in the armrest just like the exit row. Other times, these rows are fitted with a bassinet, so, you might be close to a baby during long or international flights.
• When you would like to have a peaceful flight, you should not fly in areas likely to be noisy, light, and crowded.
• These are the least preferred seats in the aircraft as they have a middle seat, ordinary legroom and are near the noise.
• In the widebody aircrafts of American, the main cabin is occasionally divided into smaller parts.
• You can reserve within 24 hours of your flight in order to take any newfound premium or Preferred Seats.

How Much Does American Airlines Seat Selection Cost?

The prices of American Airlines seat selection are very dynamic and depend on the kind of seating, the duration of the flight, and your own fare, as well as elite status. The prices change depending on the demand and the time you make the purchase. The general prices of one-way fees vary by the type of route and are shown below.

Domestic Routes Pricing and International Routes Pricing

Family and Group Seating on American Airlines

American Airlines gives priority to bringing families together when assigning seating and ensures that all children under age 15 will be seated next to at least one adult accompanying them free of charge, even on Basic Economy fares. Everyone should book as part of the same reservation for this to work. It is recommended to choose seats when booking to ensure the best availability. Not selecting seats will have the system automatically search for and assign adjacent seats for family members, pre-departure.

Seat Selection Policies for Elite Members & Loyalty Benefits

Holding AAdvantage elite status proves most valuable when trying to guarantee keeping one's own comfortable seat while avoiding the seat selection charges on American Airlines. Access differs; premium seats like the Main Cabin Extra are determined by status level and time of booking. Here is a breakdown of the complimentary seat policies by AAdvantage tier: 

• All four AAdvantage elite tiers receive complimentary access to Preferred Seats from the moment they book their Main Cabin ticket.
• Higher Tier members can choose the extra-legroom in Main Cabin Extra seats without entering the waiting line, right after booking.
• Gold members can choose from unoccupied free Main Cabin Extra seats, but only once the 24-hour check-in window has opened.
• That free mile-long seat allowance extends to up to eight traveling companions booked on the same reservation with the elite member. 
• Elite Statusizes a Basic Economy fare - airports usually do not allow access to Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats; however, elite status allows those features based on how soon they booked their travel for that specific fare.
• This oneworld elite benefit transfers to similarly elite beneficiaries of other airlines of the oneworld alliance.