American Airlines basic

[devonpow]

I think the biggest issue is that you would need to pay extra to select your seats in advance (which you will likely want to do to stay together) and chances are very high that you will need to gate check any bags that don’t fit under the seat because you board last. Other than that the seats are the same are regular economy seats.

[namasteak]

We did a few weeks ago and paid the extra so we could select our seats in advance (to make sure we were together). It wasn’t awful but even I (at 5’4”) notice how little leg room there is now.

[VillainV]

We’ve done this before, and it’s always a battle to get one of us seated with our child. They basically leave it to us to beg other passengers to switch, which I feel is hugely unfair to everyone involved. This fare was definitely not designed for families.

Also, you don’t get a carry-on (just a “personal item” like a purse, backpack, laptop bag, etc).

[goldengirlz]

Jan 26, 2019 14:25:54 GMT -5 VillainV said:

We’ve done this before, and it’s always a battle to get one of us seated with our child. They basically leave it to us to beg other passengers to switch, which I feel is hugely unfair to everyone involved. This fare was definitely not designed for families.

Also, you don’t get a carry-on (just a “personal item” like a purse, backpack, laptop bag, etc).

This. Unless I’m mistaken about American in particular, I don’t think you even get an option to use the overhead bins. And by the time you pay the fee (which can be $40 or more on American) to select seats, you might as well just get the main cabin fare. Otherwise, there’s no guarantee you won’t have four middle seats scattered throughout the plane.

ETA: If you don’t fly often and have the wiggle room in your budget, I would definitely NOT do basic. Who needs the stress of worrying about begging other passengers so you can sit with your kids? Especially with two of them. What if you have a scenario of four middles and you’re trying to get TWO people with aisles or window seats to swap to a middle? I’ll be honest — most people are jerks about this (including me) because they paid for those “premium” seats.

[namasteak]

Jan 26, 2019 14:25:48 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:18:53 GMT -5 namasteak said:

We did a few weeks ago and paid the extra so we could select our seats in advance (to make sure we were together). It wasn’t awful but even I (at 5’4”) notice how little leg room there is now.

Great, hubs is 6’3”, but you’re just meaning space in general, correct?

Leg room and space in general.

Dh is 6’2” and his knees almost touched the seat but it was worth it for the savings.

[namasteak]

Jan 26, 2019 14:25:54 GMT -5 VillainV said:

We’ve done this before, and it’s always a battle to get one of us seated with our child. They basically leave it to us to beg other passengers to switch, which I feel is hugely unfair to everyone involved. This fare was definitely not designed for families.

Also, you don’t get a carry-on (just a “personal item” like a purse, backpack, laptop bag, etc).

We got carry on and personal item, as did everyone else in our section. We only
paid extra to book our seats together not for extra luggage.

[seeyalater52]

Jan 26, 2019 14:45:27 GMT -5 namasteak said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:25:54 GMT -5 VillainV said:

We’ve done this before, and it’s always a battle to get one of us seated with our child. They basically leave it to us to beg other passengers to switch, which I feel is hugely unfair to everyone involved. This fare was definitely not designed for families.

Also, you don’t get a carry-on (just a “personal item” like a purse, backpack, laptop bag, etc).

We got carry on and personal item, as did everyone else in our section. We only
paid extra to book our seats together not for extra luggage.

Agreed. I just flew American basic twice in the past 3 days and I had a personal item and a carryon. Sometimes they might make you gate-check your carryon (for free) depending on space since you board last.

[TR]

The seating in basic economy and regular economy is the same. It’s all the same seats, it’s jaut whether you get to choose them in advance or not. Premium economy seats with extra leg room are an upgrade you can buy.

[TR]

Jan 26, 2019 14:49:39 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:45:27 GMT -5 namasteak said:

We got carry on and personal item, as did everyone else in our section. We only
paid extra to book our seats together not for extra luggage.

Agreed. I just flew American basic twice in the past 3 days and I had a personal item and a carryon. Sometimes they might make you gate-check your carryon (for free) depending on space since you board last.

This is accurate. They used to restrict it to a personal item, but they’ve changed it to include a carryon. The only restriction is not getting to choose your seat and boarding last so your chances of having to gate check (free) are high.

[VillainV]

Jan 26, 2019 14:47:08 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

I am not at all interested in begging other people to move. Everything I have read says the staff would do this at check-in. And no carry-on still falls in the “okay” category, but I think the seating just ruined it for me. Thank you!!

Yep, I’ve read this too, and have been told this by a few different airlines offering this fare. In practice, they don’t actually do it. At check-in, they tell you the gate agent will sort it out. At the gate, they tell you that you have to ask another passenger to switch.

[docholly]

Jan 26, 2019 14:47:08 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

I am not at all interested in begging other people to move. Everything I have read says the staff would do this at check-in. And no carry-on still falls in the “okay” category, but I think the seating just ruined it for me. Thank you!!

We flew Spirit after many years of not flying, and I didn't realize they wouldn't seat the kids with us.  Like the poster above... they left it up to us to beg people to move once on the plane, and it was awful.  

I will never fly again without picking seats so that we are guaranteed a spot with our kids.  It doesn't matter if we all sit together, but H with 2 kids, me with 1 or vice versa...

My kids at the time were 4 and 2.  The gate wouldn't deal with it... the ticket desk wouldn't deal with it...

And when we got on the plane, the flight attendant said she would get in trouble for asking people to move.

It was my fault for assuming they would seat us with one kid a piece at their ages, but it was a horrible experience, and I know better now.

Basically, assume you will be scattered and that you will have to fix it yourself if you don't pick your seats.

[goldengirlz]

Jan 26, 2019 15:05:21 GMT -5 TR said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:49:39 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Agreed. I just flew American basic twice in the past 3 days and I had a personal item and a carryon. Sometimes they might make you gate-check your carryon (for free) depending on space since you board last.

This is accurate. They used to restrict it to a personal item, but they’ve changed it to include a carryon. The only restriction is not getting to choose your seat and boarding last so your chances of having to gate check (free) are high.

Ah, thanks. I didn’t know about the rule change. I only fly American very sporadically; we’re a United/Alaska hub. I fly fairly often and I’ve seen people at the United gates with basic economy fares flipping TF out because they didn’t familiarize themselves with the rules.

[MixedBerryJam]

Jan 26, 2019 14:49:46 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

Google says 1 carryon and one personal bag.

I think this is incorrect for AA basic economy fare. One personal item, no carry on, no access to the overhead bins, and they board last. Even if the website says the gate or plane crew will facilitate your seating issues, that is at their discretion and I wouldn't count on it.

[wildrice]

Jan 26, 2019 14:47:08 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

I am not at all interested in begging other people to move. Everything I have read says the staff would do this at check-in. And no carry-on still falls in the “okay” category, but I think the seating just ruined it for me. Thank you!!

I recently flew basic economy with United and they absolutely refused to switch our seats to sit together, even though there were tons of empty seats they could have given us. It was "against policy". Different airline but I would not assume American will be any more accommodating.

[VillainV]

Jan 26, 2019 15:53:31 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:47:08 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

I am not at all interested in begging other people to move. Everything I have read says the staff would do this at check-in. And no carry-on still falls in the “okay” category, but I think the seating just ruined it for me. Thank you!!

I recently flew basic economy with United and they absolutely refused to switch our seats to sit together, even though there were tons of empty seats they could have given us. It was "against policy". Different airline but I would not assume American will be any more accommodating.

Every time I do this, I tell them I'm happy to let someone else mind my 4-year-old for the duration of the flight, but I'm pretty sure the other random person seated next to him won't be on board with that plan.

[goldengirlz]

Jan 26, 2019 15:53:10 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

Jan 26, 2019 14:49:46 GMT -5 @rainbowdash said:

Google says 1 carryon and one personal bag.

I think this is incorrect for AA basic economy fare. One personal item, no carry on, no access to the overhead bins, and they board last. Even if the website says the gate or plane crew will facilitate your seating issues, that is at their discretion and I wouldn't count on it.

Exactly. OP should read this: www.cntraveler.com/story/the-dark-side-of-basic-economy

There are absolutely no consumer protections to date that require airlines to seat you next to your child. “Facilitate seating issues” means they will listen to your complaint; it doesn’t guarantee they will do anything about it because technically it’s not really an “issue” for them.

[katiescarlett]

We flew American in November, main cabin. Basic economy people boarded last and had to check their carry ons. After we booked with 6 seats together, American changed our flight and our seats. The gate agent outbound told me I had to ask the people on the plane to switch. When we were returning the gate agents switched us automatically. I was so stressed and pissed about the situation.

[VillainV]

I feel like there should be some kind of regulation that makes the airline seat children under 13 (or maybe 14?) with a guardian without charging an extra fee. This situation causes so much stress for traveling families, and putting the onus on passengers to arrange set swaps is really unfair (especially in a situation where someone has paid extra for a certain seat, but feels they have to swap to a worse seat to allow a parent and child to sit together).

[mccallister84]

Jan 27, 2019 7:32:15 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I feel like there should be some kind of regulation that makes the airline seat children under 13 (or maybe 14?) with a guardian without charging an extra fee. This situation causes so much stress for traveling families, and putting the onus on passengers to arrange set swaps is really unfair (especially in a situation where someone has paid extra for a certain seat, but feels they have to swap to a worse seat to allow a parent and child to sit together).

I mean AT THE VERY LEAST they shouldn’t make you pay for the middle seat - so you buy the window/aisle and then you can have the middle for free for your kid to sit next to you. It must really sting to have to pay for a middle seat (we have only flown southwest with the girls).

[joy]

This policy is stressing me out on both sides. Obviously I need to sit with my kid but I’d feel terrible asking someone to switch who paid the extra fee to pick their seat and I’m like “yeah, I didn’t do that but can I have your seat?”

Ugh. The airlines need to come up with a better plan.

EDIT - At the very least they need to say that if you have to sit with someone then you shouldn’t pick economy because they can’t guarantee switching will happen. Instead, it seems they say “we’ll fix it at the airport,” which is not true 100% of the time.

[edavis]

So this thread freaked me out, because I just booked basic economy seats for our spring break trip. It’s a short flight, about two hours, so I wasn’t too concerned with seat assignments. I AM, however, concerned that I get seated with my three year old and five year old. I thought there were new policies that virtually guaranteed young kids get to sit with at least one parent, because hell if I’m begging other people to switch seats while the flight attendants stand idly by.

I just called AA to check. I went through their automated menu and managed to find out that we already have assigned seats....and they are all on the same row! It sounds like they are across the aisle—two aisle and two middle seats. It’s row 25, which sucks, but whatever.

Anyway, maybe airlines are getting more on the ball with this now. If basic economy is a big savings for you, it might be worth booking, then calling to double check assignments.

ETA: And we definitely got carry ons with our fares, in addition to our one personal item each. How can anyone travel anywhere with just a purse?

[lindyanne]

I don't know if AA has gone to the same thing but the Delta "basic" didn't even include a carry on. Just a personal item. So we had to pay to check all our bags - even though we could have carried on.  It was a total PITA and DH didn't realize what he booked. It also didn't really save much money after paying for those both ways. 

[TR]

Jan 27, 2019 15:17:42 GMT -5 edavis said:

ETA: And we definitely got carry ons with our fares, in addition to our one personal item each. How can anyone travel anywhere with just a purse?

1. I once flew out and back in a day so only flew with my purse. 
2. I also can pack for a weekend in a bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of me and I’d guess other people can too. 
3. You can always check a bag. 

[just]

Jan 27, 2019 15:17:42 GMT -5 edavis said:

 

ETA: And we definitely got carry ons with our fares, in addition to our one personal item each. How can anyone travel anywhere with just a purse?

It's not just a purse, it's any bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Which is not that difficulty if you have a soft sided backpack.

Edit: Jinx TR,

[edavis]

Jan 27, 2019 15:46:44 GMT -5 just said:

Jan 27, 2019 15:17:42 GMT -5 edavis said:

 

ETA: And we definitely got carry ons with our fares, in addition to our one personal item each. How can anyone travel anywhere with just a purse?

It's not just a purse, it's any bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Which is not that difficulty if you have a soft sided backpack.

Edit: Jinx TR,

[just]

Jan 27, 2019 17:02:09 GMT -5 edavis said:

Jan 27, 2019 15:46:44 GMT -5 just said:

It's not just a purse, it's any bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Which is not that difficulty if you have a soft sided backpack.

Edit: Jinx TR ,

Yeah, I can travel anywhere with just a carry on that fits under my seat. That’s what I pretty much always take. I was referring to the airlines that restrict you to just a personal item that has pretty tiny dimensions...I forget exactly what they are, but Spirit defines it as a small purse or laptop bag. And if it’s bigger than their definition of a personal item, then it falls into the carry on category, and they charge you an insane fee.

I know I'm being a pedant now but 1. if it's bigger, pay to check and 2. Spirit's personal item is 18x14x8 which is enough for me for like 80% of my trips, including our 2 weeks in Thailand, and (separately) a 5 day work conference.

[edavis]

I tried to edit my last post, but it disappeared instead. It’s possible I don’t know the difference between a personal item item and a carry on? Ha. I think of a personal item as something that can’t hold clothes, but I guess if it’s fits, then it fits.

[clseale]

Jan 27, 2019 7:32:15 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I feel like there should be some kind of regulation that makes the airline seat children under 13 (or maybe 14?) with a guardian without charging an extra fee. This situation causes so much stress for traveling families, and putting the onus on passengers to arrange set swaps is really unfair (especially in a situation where someone has paid extra for a certain seat, but feels they have to swap to a worse seat to allow a parent and child to sit together).

I say this as someone who frequently flies with her child. I would be really, freaking annoyed if someone tried to pull that shit. If someone needs a certain seat, pay for the seat. I don’t get what is so difficult for people to grasp. It doesn’t need to be stressful. Pick the correct fare. They have a base rate fare, and the people who do not need to travel with much luggage or don’t care where they sit, get to take advantage of that low rate. If neither of those things pertain to you, you can pick the next ticket up and not inconvenience total strangers who managed to purchase their ticket correctly.

[VillainV]

Jan 27, 2019 20:22:43 GMT -5 clseale said:

Jan 27, 2019 7:32:15 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I feel like there should be some kind of regulation that makes the airline seat children under 13 (or maybe 14?) with a guardian without charging an extra fee. This situation causes so much stress for traveling families, and putting the onus on passengers to arrange set swaps is really unfair (especially in a situation where someone has paid extra for a certain seat, but feels they have to swap to a worse seat to allow a parent and child to sit together).

I say this as someone who frequently flies with her child. I would be really, freaking annoyed if someone tried to pull that shit. If someone needs a certain seat, pay for the seat. I don’t get what is so difficult for people to grasp. It doesn’t need to be stressful. Pick the correct fare. They have a base rate fare, and the people who do not need to travel with much luggage or don’t care where they sit, get to take advantage of that low rate. If neither of those things pertain to you, you can pick the next ticket up and not inconvenience total strangers who managed to purchase their ticket correctly.

Well when the airline lies to you and says that they’ll seat you with your child on the Basic fare, then refuses to do so forcing you to beg people to swap, then that’s an issue. So they either need to say that nobody under a certain age can use Basic economy, or they need to plan the seating chart so nobody has to beg a stranger to swap. It’s possible, they just don’t want to do it.

[letsgetweird]

Jan 27, 2019 7:32:15 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I feel like there should be some kind of regulation that makes the airline seat children under 13 (or maybe 14?) with a guardian without charging an extra fee. This situation causes so much stress for traveling families, and putting the onus on passengers to arrange set swaps is really unfair (especially in a situation where someone has paid extra for a certain seat, but feels they have to swap to a worse seat to allow a parent and child to sit together).

Why not just buy a ticket with an assigned seating?