brp

Well, we sure do encourage the latter here, that's for sure

Cheers.

gemac

Begging isn't required. Once the plane transfers to airport control, the exit row seats are open to anybody, and the non-elite has the same right to ask for it as the elite. Just ask and if it is vacant, ye shall receive.

All the suggestions here regarding exit row seats seem to be suggesting to the OP that he get one now, which he cannot.

ORD269

I am quite tall (6' 6") and have often been able to convince the gate agents to book me there out of sympathy when I am not able to pre-reserve. During one recent experience on UA, the agent even bumped someone else out so that I could have the extra room which I thought was over and beyond the call of duty. Wonder if it resulted in a post on the UA board: "I was bumped from my seat for a tall person..."

gemac

As I have said, your height and the gate agent's sympathy should be irrelevant if the seat is empty. By the time it gets to the gate agent, anyone who asks can have it, even if they are three feet tall.

Bumping someone else out is another thing entirely, but I note it happened on UA, not AA, so probably isn't germane here.

brp

Welcome to FT ORD269, although I feel we may have seen you before

While this worked well for you, I'm not sure I'd consider it "over and beyond the call of duty". More like "under the call of duty", I think. The person who booked that seat did so for a purpose, and bumping them for you was, IMO, a bad move. I'm not saying you had anything to do with it, since I'm sure yu didn't ask that that happen...I just think it was a bad move on the part of the UA employee that did it.

Cheers.

WRCSolberg

[QUOTE=brp]Really depends on the manner in which it's done, I agree. There's a very fine line between being firm and polite, and coming off as a complete ***. Some individuals err on the side of the latter. Ridiculing and belittling someone isn't an effective way to teach someone, but YMMV.

But that's neither here nor there, back to the topic. Coach isn't much fun on any airline, let alone AA. The food is....there. Not much leg room and no inseat entertainment on the 767s, only the main screen. No better and no worse than any other Coach product out there. Middle of the road, so to speak.

ORD269

You have indeed seen me before -- the thread I started yesterday was "poof'd" away like a dog in China.

I agree with you that the actions of the agent likely inconvenienced another customer, but you and I are both speculating the expectations of the passenger originally seated in the seat so it wouldn't be fair to go much further into it.

I understand your point and would certainly be frustrated if it happened to me.

brp

For some the airplane is simply a way to get there, since the vacation and fun start there. The plane trip should take minimal effort and cost, because it is just a conveyance. This is the group, IMO, for whom coach was made. It's not luxury, but it gets one there...and then the fun begins.The food is much better there, wherever there is. If one has that expectation, coach will not disappoint.

Cheers.

Roadrunner2

[QUOTE=brp]For some the airplane is simply a way to get there, since the vacation and fun start there. The plane trip should take minimal effort and cost, because it is just a conveyance. This is the group, IMO, for whom coach was made. It's not luxury, but it gets one there...and then the fun begins.

BRP (and others): Wish I could agree, but I feel that AA (and most others, too, sadly) have now "crossed the line" with narrow seats, spaced with too little pitch, that defy human comfort and decency. In an ideal world, Coach seats would be 18.5-19" wide and have a pitch of at least 35". While I understand that airlines obviously have severe financial constraints, the traveling public deserves a better product than what it is currently getting in Coach.

gemac

People get what they are willing to pay for. Those who are willing to pay for seat width and pitch receive set width and pitch. We call that "First Class".

AA experimented with MRTC, then went back. The inescapable conclusion is that they felt that most people valued low price more then MRTC. I believe they are right.

United has E+ for its elites right now, but here we are, discussing on the AA forum.

VillageFlyer

There are many different products across the Atlantic, including (on some airlines) an economy-plus product which meets that description. You can pay more (or have higher status), and then you get more. Unfortunately, that seems to be how capitalism works, by and large. I am happy to pay less for less comfort, though my lower limit is probably 31" pitch. Maybe my lower limit will go up as I get (even) older.

VF

aamilesslave

[QUOTE=Roadrunner2] Seat width is generous on AA. While they use 9 across on a 777, some airlines use 10 across.

Roadrunner2

[QUOTE=aamilesslave]Yes, agreed, things are tolerably better on the 2-seat side of a 777. But Lord help the person sitting smack in the middle of the 5-seat middle section on a 7-10 hour flight. It's inhumane, money or no money!

Abidjan

Hey!, that was you?!

AA-flyer-90

I've flown ORD-BRU several times. But, I have never flown US Airways (your profile/preferred airline) so I don't know your current expectations. What specifically are you looking for?

Drink service (5 USD or 5 Euro for alcohol in coach)
Then dinner service
Then duty free selection
Then CBS and 2 movies
Water service (but not as much as other airlines)
Then breakfast

Pretty quiet flight on these night flights...

I'm a plat (and sadly, one of those always a plat, never an ex plat)... and I actually avoid row 21, esp during the winter, because its just too cold for me. Seatguru hints at that, and I have found at times that its frigid. As I am not that tall, regular seats (especially in first few rows of coach, before the lavs) are better for me.

As you are travelling in the summer, there will be tons of inexperienced flyers, which is a bit annoying (I know, business travel has ruined me).

Overall, I think its just OK service, mainly because I've flown other international airlines that are just better... but for US-based, I'm american...