Here’s a cautionary tale that should make you think twice about when you board your next flight.
Checked in, confirmed seat, and still almost left behind on American Airlines…
When Confirmed Seats Aren’t Really Confirmed (American Airlines Edition)
A traveler recently shared a troubling experience on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte (CLT) to Frankfurt (FRA). Despite holding confirmed business class seats and checking in online well in advance, the couple nearly lost their seats at the gate while boarding.
As they scanned their boarding passes, the system flagged them and directed them to a gate agent. That’s when they were told something surprising: they no longer had seats.
In fact, their seats were already in the process of being reassigned to an employee standby passenger waiting at the gate.
Fortunately, because they boarded early and were physically present at the gate, the agent was able to reverse the reassignment and restore their seats. But had they arrived later or boarded closer to the end, the outcome may have been very different.
What Likely Happened
Airlines use multiple systems to manage ticketing, check-in, boarding, upgrades, and standby lists. In theory, these systems should concurrently track whether passengers are checked-in, but the system does not always work as intended.
It isn’t clear what happened here behind the scenes other than what appears to be a snafu with AA’s system. Even though the passenger had checked in and was holding a boarding pass, it appeared on the gate agent’s screen that the passengers had not checked in.
I suppose there could be a darker reality at play…upgrade schnenganigns to try to hook up non-rev buddies. But I consider that a highly unlikely scenario because it strikes me as crazy that gate agents would put their job on the line to hook up a friend at the expense of a revenue passenger (and thereby at the expense of AA itself).
How To Avoid This Happening To You
There are a few simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of this happening on your next flight:
- Print paper boarding pass. While not foolproof, a paper boarding pass provides an additional layer of confirmation that you are present and ready to board (plus, the process of using a kiosk or agent at the airport to print out a boarding pass may prevent the “no show” problem that may be linked to the American Airlines app)
- Screenshot your mobile boarding pass. In addition to getting a paper boarding pass, take a screenshot of your digital boarding pass.
- Pay attention to gate announcements. If your name is called, respond immediately.
- Arrive at the gate early. Being physically present matters and boarding earlier in the process gives time to work out problems that may arise.
None of these steps guarantee protection, but they can help ensure you are not mistakenly treated as a no-show or correct a problem before it is too late.
CONCLUSION
A couple traveling in business class on American Airlines claim they almost lost their confirmed seats when the gate agent believed they had not checked in. While rare, it is possible for confirmed seats to be reassigned at the gate if the system believes you are not present. In this case, the passengers were fortunate that were able to reclaim their seats…these stories don’t always have a happy ending.
I hate to suggest this because I do like the idea of waiting in a lounge and being last to board, but stories like this make me never want to wait around to0 long to board. Show up, board early, and make sure the airline knows you’re there. And print out a paper boarding pass as well…just in case.
No excuse for this to happen. Since I’m always checking a bag, I use a human to check the bag (I check in on the app ASAP) and get a paper boarding pass. I like that, should something “happen” to my seat assignment in the interim (though I screenshot, too). The assignment of non-rev to such seats should be reversible prior to gate door closure. Sorry, non-rev, you are back in coach, or maybe not flying when we discover paying pax did the right thing, but “lost” their seat.
American. ’nuff said.
At least there was a … happy ending … for the couple.
“Arrive at the gate early.”
Business class passengers should not have to forego the lounge they paid for just to make sure their seats aren’t snatched.
I totally agree…..
That’s very true, but better safe than sorry!
The only thing I can think of is that no bags were checked in at the airport. The ticketed passengers went through security late AA’s system flagged that the ticketed passengers were not in the airport (30 minutes before flight time) and the system upgraded the standbys. Agents don’t really have control as the system allows the seats to be open. The airline systems opens up the seats. The gate agents take the paid customers being able to upgrade first and then non-rev. People check in early all the time but miss flights, maybe incoming connections got delayed too long, people just don’t show up. It would be interesting to see when did they arrive at the airport. There are bugs in the system but it checks if someone has passed security before releasing their paid for tickets. My advice is to get to the airport early. Glad it was fixed
The airline has no insight into what time or whether you even went through security unless they monitor cctv.
That was my question too, but are you sure about that?
I cannot confirm or deny such systems exist. 😉
I can tell you this.
It’s much easier to track if the airport separate arrivals and departures.
It’s much easier to track if there is exit immigration.
In America, you can’t really tell if you left the secure area. Hence useless to track.
At least at Delta and United the systems can only tell where a passenger checked in (mobile, kiosk, or with an agent); there is no way to know if/when a passenger went through security. This would only happen if someone is watching the CCTV, which some airlines have access to. (especially at their hub airports) to help support their operations center. But in terms of it being marked in the system, there is nothing that is known to the airline through regular agent avenues about whether/when a pax went through security. (at least at the front-line employee level)
Even when I’ve got priority boarding, I like to board in the latest possible group to minimize sitting. But I’ve found over the last year or so that American has been pretty aggressive about wanting you to board with you group.
I was recently at DFW on a confirmed flight in first class and did my usual move of waiting until later groups to board. Then I got a call from a Dallas-area number, and I looked up and the gate agent was calling me and asking me where I was. I rushed over and got in line to scan my boarding pass. I’m pretty sure they were about to give away my seat.
They’re really no longer strictly adhering to the “gates close 15 minutes prior to departure” policy.
It is strongly advised that, to avoid such a problem or not, boarding the plane early with your paper boarding pass should always be a priority.
I think we’re missing details here. The two most likely scenarios are that either they were actually toward the end of boarding or another employee not working at the gate cancelled their check-in with hopes it would help a standby friend get on the flight.
I think it could be the second. Agents typically don’t drop seats until 15 minuites before and that is if the boarding line is empty.
This happened to me at ONT just before Christmas, I boarded with Group 1 and was redirected to the gate agent as my seat didn’t exist but had been given to a dead heading pilot. I had checked in at the desks at the airport with a paper boarding pass in hand and my First seat had still been reassigned. I was at the gate the entire time so didn’t miss any announcements for me. Luckily the gate agent was able to reassign my seat and walked with me to the jetbridge to ask the crew member to move across to the aisle seat which had been empty anyway. It was a slightly stressful experience when I was trying to get home for Christmas.
I experienced a similar scenario a few years ago with American Airlines in Dallas. I boarded early for first class to London (paid with miles), and the gate beeped. When travelling in economy or business, the beep could mean a good thing such as an upgrade. A beep when you’re travelling in first isn’t good news.
The gate agent said these exact words … ‘first is full, you’re travelling in business’ and handed me a business class boarding pass. No apologies, no explanation, and with this being AA, the agent typically, wasn’t pleasant.
I cited the denied boarding rules for Europe-bound flights and the related compensation. There was a lot of arguing and pushback, but I stood my ground, including demanding a printed version of the compensation rules which they must provide under consumer rights laws. After a while she relented and issued a substantial compensation voucher and I was told to wait until everyone had boarded.
After a while she came over to where I was standing and snatched the voucher from my hand and handed me a first class boarding pass for my original seat (1A). Again, no explanation or apologies.
Sure enough when I boarded, there was an employee non-revving in my seat and was moving to another first class seat which I assume the original passenger was a no-show. This person was known to the crew and was on very friendly terms. The service I received inflight in first class was terrible, as I must have inconvenienced their colleague.
This encounter with a truly nasty gate agent was the last straw for me. I’ve since moved my loyalty to other airlines in the One World group, and avoid AA at all costs. I’ve been working my way redeeming my big pot of AAdvantage miles on partner airlines. AA’s service is mediocre at best.
How much was the voucher for?
Did you complain to AA and ever hear anything about it?
“I cited the denied boarding rules for Europe-bound flights and the related compensation.” Does AA have some special AA rules I don’t know about? UK261 rules apply to all flights out of the UK and to UK carriers flying into the UK. It does not apply on a US to UK flight operated by a US carrier. Or, did I get the laws wrong?
After reading the original post, it seems like the pax checked in 23 hours before and had no further interaction with staff or kiosk until the beeping at boarding time. It seems to me a few things would have flagged this sooner. 1. if they checked bags, 2. if they had requested and received a paper boarding pass at some point, or 3. if they scanned the boarding pass to get club access. I’m am not blaming them in anyway. If they did check in, there apparently was a glitch. Plus, if they didn’t check in, they’d have no bar/QR code to scan to get the rejection beep.
It wouldn’t bother me so much how ancient some of the airlines’ IT is, if I didn’t know ATC is worse.
100% upgrade schnenganigns to try to hook up non-rev buddies.
The gate agents have zero real accountability and these sorts of things happen more frequently than you would imagine.
Honestly! What do you freaks have about non revs?! You think we’re all trying to screw rev pax over? Forget it. It’s not worth trying to screw the system. Infact most airlines have sophisticated non revs check in systems. Not to mention another layer that will move non revs to a premium class if so listed. How about you all just be ontime to the gate when you’re supposed to be and get on the plane!
I’m very thankful the automation of running standby and upgrade clearance’s today removes most chances for shenanigans, but you’re not so foolish as to argue with a straight face that the past was not a constant exercise of how to screw the customer by gate agents to benefit friends flying NRSA.
I have no dislike of non-revs. I’m sure we could find some envious folk here, but I don’t imagine it is widespread. I assume you agree with me that: 1) airline policies should be followed, 2) those policies should never require/permit a downgrade of a confirmed, paying pax to upgrade a non-rev, 3) there have been cases where GAs violated policy to accomodate a non-rev, and 4) one applauds implementation of systems designed for accountability to prevent (3).
Believe it or not, non revs do not have cozy relationships with agents. We rarely see the same ones twice in a month. Agents are under a lot of pressure to get flights closed out on time so any delays are not blamed on them. How about getting to the gate area on time and boarding with your group as it is called? You will then not appear as a no show at the gate and your seat reassigned. You would howl if you didn’t have early boarding rights, so use them. That helps the FAs make sure overhead space is there for you before Y passengers sneak a bag up before walking back. It gives time for offering an on ground beverage (where available) They do not clear standbys until quite late in the process so my bet is he was late to the gate.
.
I take all the recommended actions – check-in online, arrive at the airport and the gate on time or even a little early, have a printed BP or screenshot. It is a shame you need to do that, but like babysitting your reception until check-in, having a plan B route if the first one fails, and knowing your compensation rights (and their limits on what they can give at the gate), unfortunately, there will come times when it really helps, if you want to get where you are going on time and in the class you were originally in. And I don’t consider it a waste of time – I can work just as easily at the lounge as at the office, and the absence of stress compared to when I was one of those people always running to the gate is well worth.
I had a similar situation where I was at the top of the upgrade list for United up to when boarding started. I was literally walking up to the counter to ask why the upgrade had not yet cleared when suddenly the passenger with the No. 3 spot was upgraded over me. The problem was once he got the upgrade, it didn’t show the position he had before, so I had no way of proving I was No. 1 (No. 2 was my sister who was travelling with me).
I think the upgrade algorithm skipped me so as not to split the two passengers, by that’s a system flaw as I would have gladly taken the upgrade. There is already an option to opt-out of the upgrade, so there’s no need to skip a passenger in that situation. But I could not really do anything about it because I didn’t have a screenshot of the upgrade list.
“Their seats were already in the process of being reassigned to an employee standby passenger waiting at the gate.”
Ok so what’s the story here? The alleged NRSAs weren’t physically handed boarding passes, didn’t board, and the revenue pax weren’t downgraded.
If you actually looked at the reddit, the OP says ” [agents] were in the process of giving them away to a standby passenger standing in front of the desk.” Could have been someone using a systemwide upgrade, could have been a multitude of possibilities (irrops rebooking, etc.) Just because they were as the OP said “standby”, doesn’t automatically equate it was a NRSAs.
Also this flight had a rolling delay, so its also possible maybe they didn’t do a document check with the agent at one point and it was assumed they were no shows. Has there been shenanigans in the past? Absolutely. But it’s far less common especially since revenue paxs are all clamoring for upgrades, and typically standing at the gate waiting until the last minute to board to ensure that their upgrade doesn’t go to someone else.
I once flew from west coast via CLT to NYC. my wife and I were both. confirmed and ticketed together up front. upon boarding my wife boarded sans problem but I was told to step aside and wait. in spite of possessing a confirmed ticket I was told “you didn’t check in DEARIE!” II was placed in the center row iin coach pin the rear for the hour 20 min segment.
the airline eventually got back to me and apologized profusely along with cash and several VIP upgrades. it was a computer glitch
grrrrrrrr
This happened to me a few weeks ago on air canada. Checked in, and an hour later received a text that I was bumped from my business seat to standby economy. I canceled my ticket and my colleagues ticket, and flew out on Porter air. Will never fly Air Canada again. Was offered nothing. I was shocked.