I am writing this review to advise travelers of our recent experience regarding seat assignments and ancillary service delivery. My wife and I checked in online at 8:00 PM the evening before our flight (AA37 from Madrid to DFW) and were issued boarding passes for our paid Main Cabin Extra bulkhead exit row seats (26A/26B). The following morning at 5:30 AM, we discovered that American Airlines had (at 2:30 AM via an email) delayed the flight and, due to an operational aircraft swap, reassigned us to standard economy seats (34D/34E). Because we were already checked in and the flight was only a few hours away, equivalent seats were no longer available. Furthermore, AA customer service representatives on the phone stated that the digital system was locking them out from selecting alternative seats online, and two telephone supervisors stated they could not move our seats and that we could only pay to upgrade to premium economy. At the Madrid airport, supervisors confirmed they could not restore our original bulkhead seating category. To maintain the baseline legroom we originally purchased, we were required to pay an additional out-of-pocket upcharge of $400 per person ($800 total) at the gate to secure Premium Economy seats. Furthermore, at the gate, agents informed us that Premium Economy does not include Group 4 boarding and refused a refund for our pre-paid boarding fees on the spot, which completely contradicts published airline guidelines. They also told us that Premium Economy did not include two checked bags each, using this to deny a refund for the extra $100 we had pre-paid for a third checked bag. Both of these policy statements given to us by gate staff were entirely false. Upon boarding the aircraft, our Premium Economy seats completely lacked standard cabin amenities, including blankets and headphones. One flight attendant stated this was because the swapped aircraft was not properly stocked, and a second attendant stated economy passengers had taken them during boarding before handing us standard economy headphones. When we contacted Customer Success representative Julia Pratt to request a refund for the forced gate upcharge and our unrendered ancillary fees ($80.16 for boarding and a $100 extra bag fee rendered redundant by the Premium Economy baggage allowance), she declined the refund. She stated the upgrade was voluntary and offered a mere 5,000 air miles (valued at approximately $70 to $85) per passenger instead. In my opinion, it is entirely unacceptable to charge premium fees due to an operational error and then fail to deliver the basic amenities of that cabin class, provide false policy explanations at the gate, or properly audit pre-paid ancillary fees. We have formally escalated this matter to the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the BBB for official review.   submitted by   /u/Dense-Somewhere-1063   to   r/travel [link]   [comments]