As comedian Jim Breuer discovered, airlines are legally permitted to downgrade passengers.
On a recent YouTube video, Breuer described his frustration at being moved from first class to economy on an American Airlines flight from Honolulu back to his home state of Florida.
On that occasion, the downgrade was to accommodate the flight crew. Breuer was evidently unaware that, as they are operationally critical and work under fatigue rules, the airline was obligated to place them in premium seats.
And if he’d read American Airlines’ terms and conditions, he would have seen that the carrier makes “every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed.
So, he’d technically agreed to the downgrade when he purchased the ticket.
Other common catalysts for downgrades include seats breaking, an aircraft with a different cabin configuration being swapped in at the last minute, passengers from an earlier cancellation being reassigned, and premium cabin overfilling.
The good news is that there are ways to help safeguard a premium seat.
One is to acquire top-tier loyalty status with the airline — frequent fliers are less likely to be moved.
Another is to fly earlier in the day, as cabin reconfigurations are more common later in the day, following flight disruptions.
Checking in as early as possible can also help to put a force field around a seat. And if possible, book on a larger aircraft with more seats, as these usually offer more seating flexibility.
If you are downgraded, American carriers are legally obligated to refund the fare difference, even on non-refundable tickets.
