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United reclaims seat for delayed passenger; American’s AURA system criticized

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United reclaims seat for delayed passenger; American’s AURA system criticized
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

A United Airlines passenger faced an unexpected situation when he arrived at his connecting flight to find his seat occupied by a standby passenger. The initial delay of his first flight had led United to believe he would miss the connection, prompting them to reassign his seat. However, the passenger managed to reach the gate while boarding was still ongoing.

The standby passenger, realizing he would not be flying after all, reacted angrily. "The standby guy started getting mad at me telling me I should have been there on time (geez sorry, I wasn’t flying the plane?). He was bickering and yelling at me as he was leaving the plane. I think he was drinking before he boarded," recounted the affected passenger. United staff intervened, but the incident left him uncomfortable.

Despite this experience, the passenger noted that United allowed him to fly. In contrast, American Airlines has a policy of not returning seats once reassigned to standby passengers. This policy is enforced through their AUtomated ReAccommodation (AURA) system, which predicts missed connections and reallocates seats accordingly.

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American Airlines' approach often results in passengers arriving at their gates only to find their seats reassigned. "So I land 5 minutes behind schedule. @AmericanAir cancels my flight and now is making me spend 10 hours at ORD when I can make my original multi-city stop," tweeted Adam Piper on May 15, 2024.

According to Department of Transportation rules, such situations qualify as involuntary denied boarding, warranting cash compensation—a practice American Airlines reportedly does not follow consistently.

Statistics from the first quarter of 2024 highlight this issue further: American Airlines recorded 3,061 involuntary denied boardings compared to Delta's zero and United's 75.

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