American Airlines-Beware of Seats
Here it was in February of 2000 and I was off to Vienna to visit an old friend. I was looking for to a relaxing flight and remember vividly the commercials American Airlines was airing to promote their new roominess in coach class. Hmmmm, I thought as I boarded the flight, I’m going to recline that seat and relax…
I found my seat 19a(I believe) and it seemed a little tight to get in…..and once in, my knees pushed up against the seat ahead of me, unless I spread my legs and then I had a little more room… but that was ok, I could still recline…. so I pushed the button under my arm rest and pushed….it move back about 2 inches…so I pushed more and more and more….but that was it… it would not recline any more.
I called the flight attendant and explained that there was a problem with my seat and that it wouldn’t recline. She told that it was not a problem with the seat, it was just… a problem…. to make more space, they put the seats closer together and wouldn’t let mine recline(I’m not sure whose else wouldn’t….) The plane was full so I was stuck in that cramped seat.
For the return flight I made sure not to get those same seats and when I got home I wrote a letter of complaint to the airline and they sent me a voucher for $100 to use on my next flight.
I believe that the plane was a Boeing 757 or 767, but you may want to be aware, that the seats on the side(there were no middle seats at this row so the kitchen or bathrooms were in the middle)may be cramped and not recline…so avoid them…. This could also be a problem with all the airlines(although I don’t recall it being a problem when I flew Delta a couple of years ago and sat in similar seats).
If you do have a problem with your seats… do hesitate to contact the customer service of an airline and let them know you were unhappy with their service. They will often offer a voucher to make you happy(and since it can only be used on their airline-keep you flying with them!)