American Airlines Took A Family’s Seats For Its Pilots—They Were Kicked Out Of Business Class Because They Used Miles

An American Airlines passenger is taking to social media to complain that her family was downgraded from business class on a transatlantic flight because “American needed to transport pilots” and so they took her seats. Her family was picked “because we booked with miles.” The airline’s pilot contract requires placing the cockpit crew in the highest cabin on the aircraft (first or business) when being flown transatlantic (as well as transpacific, mainland – Hawaii / Alaska, and to/from South America) to work a flight. The agreement says: In no circumstances will a pilot assigned to deadhead … be required to deadhead in any economy cabin. Now this customer is “completely rethinking everything” about her commitment to earning AAdvantage miles. “We spent a lot of money to get those miles.” American Airlines doesn’t publish – and refuses to release, even in response to DOT complaints – its official, internal downgrade policy. However, the order seems to be: nonrev passengers [except employees traveling as ‘must-ride’ upgrades in order of complimentary, systemwides, mileage or cash award passengers paid business class, by fare bucket. Within these categories, status level matters. And tie-breakers may be involved like booking or check-in time. “There is no regulatory basis for the Complaint’s request to import Part 250’s boarding priority disclosure requirements into the downgrade context.” It’s great that status plays a role here, I think. And American’s status system where one dollar of spend on their U.S. cobrand cards earns one loyalty point towards status means that their best credit card customers (who are their most profitable customers) are most protected within a category. However, prioritizing people spending cash for a ticket over miles means that those credit card customers are still second class customers, and are more vulnerable when American’s premium cabins are overbooked, such as because of: aircraft swap, to a plane with fewer premium seats broken seats contractually-required seats for deadheading pilots Here, American is offered a $600 travel voucher for the downgrade from business class from Miami to Milan. But DOT’s articulation of an airline’s obligation to “refund the difference between the original fare and the downgraded fare.” A $600 travel voucher is a goodwill gesture But doesn’t replace the required refund Which in this case is the miles originally charged for the flight, minus the miles American would have charged for the same lower-cabin itinerary when the award was purchased. That’s tough to ascertain because American no longer prices its own flights on a fixed basis. Had this been a flight from Europe to the U.S. then EU261 would have applied, where remedies are clearer: 75% of the miles paid for the ticket (plus 75% of any carrier-imposed surcharges, which wouldn’t be applicable in this case). American had an operational need for this family’s seats. They had an obligation to their passengers, and a desire to move pilots to Milan to operate another flight. They decided that getting that other flight moving mattered more, but that decision should mean making the customers whole whose tickets they’re reneging on. If I were Citibank I’d make American Airlines rethink this priority. Citibank is American’s largest customer, and this passenger is Citibank’s customer – helping to generate part of nearly $6 billion in annual revenue at a reported 53% margin. Ultimately an award ticket is a reward for loyalty. That customer should be treated better than a one-off passenger – and not get rug-pulled. Topics on this page