AA Pass Problem

Not sure if anyone can help me, but I have a question. I am a D3 and yesterday I was flying with my mom, who is a D2. The first leg of our flight was from Cleveland with a stop in Chicago. Our ultimate destination was LAX. When I checked in for our boarding passes in Cleveland, I inquired about the status of our next flight in Chicago. The agent told me the flight was wide open with 48 open seats. He even gave me boarding passes which I had to confirm once we landed in Chicago. When we arrived, I arranged help wheelchair help for my mother (she's 88). While we walking to the new gate on the other side of the O'Hare terminal, I stopped in the bathroom and they kept walking. By the time I arrived at the gate, the wheelchair attendent had taken my mom up to the window. She let the agent know that we were given boarding passess in Cleveland, but was ignored and told there were only two open seats left and that one of those was in first class. My mother had no desire to travel first class unless it was necessary to get on a flight or be bumped. So, we were given two seats on the plane. Her's in first class and mine in coach. When I got to my seat, there empty seats all around. The three seats next to me were empty as well as numerous others I could count in my section. I feel my mother was taken advantage of by the Chicago agent because of her age. Is there anything I can do about this?

What's the argument? ? You both got seats. What if she really wanted something else? Too bad. It's a privilege, not a right. Let it go.
Why do you think she was mishandled? She got a seat in first class. You didn't give her your boarding pass to indicate a party of two. That's your fault. You got to the plane at boarding and she was already on? Agent did the correct thing.
Sorry, I see nothing unfounded for a complaint.

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Originally Posted by mrs767er

What's the argument? ? You both got seats. What if she really wanted something else? Too bad. It's a privilege, not a right. Let it go.
Why do you think she was mishandled? She got a seat in first class. You didn't give her your boarding pass to indicate a party of two. That's your fault. You got to the plane at boarding and she was already on? Agent did the correct thing.
Sorry, I see nothing unfounded for a complaint.

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The problem is, she didn't ask for first class or the extra charge that goes with it. She presented the two boarding passes and was ignored. I know it is a privilege, but that doesn't mean non-revs should be treated like cattle or dirt, which happens a lot.

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Originally Posted by jonbaby1

The problem is, she didn't ask for first class or the extra charge that goes with it. She presented the two boarding passes and was ignored. I know it is a privilege, but that doesn't mean non-revs should be treated like cattle or dirt, which happens a lot.

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And the agent didn't do the right thing. The right thing would have been to take the boarding pass that was presented by my mother, check to see if those two seats were still available, then present her with a choice or choices. This did not happen. She was told there are two seats left. One in coach and one in first class. The agent lied and knows there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Welcome aboard JB1.
I don’t see the problem here either.
Most D3’s love being upgraded to F.
I’m guessing the agent saw a F seat available and thought your mom would just be more comfortable up front.
And yes there is a difference in the fee, but at under $20, not a huge amount.
Now go out and enjoy L.A.

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Originally Posted by jonbaby1

The problem is, she didn't ask for first class or the extra charge that goes with it. She presented the two boarding passes and was ignored. I know it is a privilege, but that doesn't mean non-revs should be treated like cattle or dirt, which happens a lot.

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Sorry to hear that sitting up front is tantamount to being treated like cattle or dirt. Why didn't you fuss and have your mom moved back to sit with you if it was such a big deal? I still understand why you have a complaint.

I read your story like three different times to make out what you disturbed you recently. I see that they actually gave your mother a seat up front, which she didn't want, however, I think they were trying to accomodate her without giving much thought that she may not have wanted to get split up. At 88, first class is much better and comfortable for her. Sometimes you get boarding passes to your next destination with assigned seat numbers, but when you get to the gate, things change, and they re-issue passes, usually in your favor. I don't think your mom got ignored, if anything, they probably thought that they were doing her a favor. I doubt any of these actions were deliberate, and intentionally done out of malice or neglect. Sounds like you may have gotten just a little bit defensive with your aging mother and travelling with her could have added up alot of stress. I know that feeling.

Once I was travelling from Japan with my wife, and the decision we made was that if we got split, one in first, other in coach, I would take FC because of my size in comparison to her. She is way little and I am way big. So what makes sense? Secondly, I thought we could swap for like during breakfast, but the flight attendant didn't allow it. She said it was because of security issues. This kind of ticked me off a little. Also, I do forms for both of us and when wife walked up to ask me about it up in first class about an hour or two before landing , the flight attendant got a little unglued about it and told her to go back to coach. Flight attendant was doing her job but I was a bit protective of my wife so I had to bite my tounge.
I don't buy that security BS either, I just think old hag didn't want the peasants showing up in first class regardless.
Advice, nobody got hurt, nobody missed any flights, just let it go.

Some fliught attendants get all bent out of shape when either people try to swap wen one is in coahc and the is in first or if someone in coahc tries to use a bathrooom up front. Thats why I dont even try going up front if Im on coach. I call BS on the security thing.
Now getting back on topic - most probably the ate aent was being nice by releasing one of you in coach. I kind of wish my airline would release us for free in coach, if we dont pay the $20.00 we dont get offloaded even if it's the only open seat on the plane.

It is totally disallowed to swap on DL. It is a security rule--no mixing back to front. It is allowed to walk thru coach, but INT law is strict about lav use forward/aft cabins. Airline can be fined for infractions.
Our rule is not to ask to change seats w/other pax. I'ms ure it would have been ok to ahve mom move back but if she's disabled at all, it makes no sense to inconvenience staff or otehr pax for any reason if she is comfortable up front. TA 88, maybe she'd actually liek to spend a few hours by herself!

Yea, its' probably all around rule regarding swapping coach with first class. That sort of sucks. Considering a full paying passanger that layed down 5,000 dollars cash for a first class seat should kind of have that right to get up in the middle of a flight and give his seat to an old lady if he so wishes right? He did pay for it did he not? Yea, that 9/11 sure changed alot of things around. Everything's gone anal.

Did you guys hear about the pilot that radio'd the tower to say this man with an accent was knocking on the cockpit door? What happened you ask? Well, his co-pilot goes out to use the lavaratory. The co-pilot got locked in the lav and he couldn't get out so a pax sitting in first class with a thick accent knocked in the cockpit door to tell the pilot. So what does the DS pilot do? He radios the tower as though Al Qada is on to his butt or something.

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Originally Posted by chepos

Some fliught attendants get all bent out of shape when either people try to swap wen one is in coahc and the is in first or if someone in coahc tries to use a bathrooom up front. Thats why I dont even try going up front if Im on coach. I call BS on the security thing.
Now getting back on topic - most probably the ate aent was being nice by releasing one of you in coach. I kind of wish my airline would release us for free in coach, if we dont pay the $20.00 we dont get offloaded even if it's the only open seat on the plane.

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Next time you get up and they tell you to sit back down, or go back to coach, do what I do. Just grab their arm and look at them in the eye and tell them....."Look lady, I'm just not interested. I'm tired of being used as a sex toy!"

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Originally Posted by mrs767er

It is totally disallowed to swap on DL. It is a security rule--no mixing back to front. It is allowed to walk thru coach, but INT law is strict about lav use forward/aft cabins. Airline can be fined for infractions.
Our rule is not to ask to change seats w/other pax. I'ms ure it would have been ok to ahve mom move back but if she's disabled at all, it makes no sense to inconvenience staff or otehr pax for any reason if she is comfortable up front. TA 88, maybe she'd actually liek to spend a few hours by herself!

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Yea, we get it. You're making fun of the way CHEPOS types.

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Originally Posted by 29palms

Yea, we get it. You're making fun of the way CHEPOS types.

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Considering I have a large brace on my hand and a disabled right thumb...