American introduces Preferred Seats
American has made it official, non-elite status customers will now be able to purchase the more desirable window and aisle seats toward the front of the plane 24 hours before the departure of their flight.
Till now, these seats have been reserved for full fare and AAdvantage elite customers and were unavailable to everyone else. Full fare customers and those with AAdvantage elite status will still be able reserve these same seats as well as exit row seats for free, so there isn’t much change for them (other than the fact that there may be fewer of them available 24 hours before departure).
American is now calling the seats reserved for full fare and AAdvantage elite members Preferred Plus Seats:
• Reserved exclusively for premium and full-fare customers, Preferred Plus Seats are window and aisle seats toward the front of the aircraft and include exit row seats
• Preferred Plus Seats offer the same number of desirable seat options as always set aside for premium and full fare customers
The seats that become available for purchase 24 hours before departure are now called Preferred Seats:
• For customers interested in select aisle and window seats near the front of the main cabin, Preferred Seats are available for purchase as early as 24 hours prior to departure with prices beginning at $4 USD per flight
• Seats that were previously Express Seats are now Preferred Seats
• Preferred Seats can be purchased through AA.com, AA.com mobile, Self-Service Check-In machines and AA Reservations
• Premium and full-fare customers have complimentary access to Preferred Seats
• Preferred Seats are also complimentary for active U.S. military and their family members traveling on the same reservation
What happened to the old layout? The other one was much more well spaced, attractive, and easier to read. Please talk to the people in charge about fixing it.
Thanks for the feedback. You’re right, I think that part of the problem is that I tried to fit the old content into a new layout without rethinking how I categorized and organized it. The one year anniversary of the blog is coming up in September, and now that I’ve had some time to see how well the new design works and to get some feedback I’m planning to do a redesign/reorg of the site over Labor Day weekend.
I’ve been looking at how both Loyalty Traveler and Deals We Like are organized. My content is similar (mostly offers, promotions, contest, and limited time deals) just more specific to AA and oneworld. I’m thinking about trying to do something that follows more closely the way those two sites are designed. For example, right now it’s really difficult to find the most recent and unexpired offer from Avis, on both of the other sites it’s easier to find that kind of information.
BTW, I really like the way you’ve done your blog and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.