American Airlines is putting a "for sale" sign on seats in the front of coach cabins, allowing passengers who pay extra for these seats to be among the first to board the aircraft.
The new Express Seats are the newest offering under American's "Your Choice" line of product. The seats are available to all American customers and can be purchased exclusively at airport self service check-in machines from 24h to 50 minutes prior to scheduled flights. It also includes bulkhead seating in the main cabin. The service is available within the USA, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The Express Seats upgrades range in price from $19 to $39 on average.
Airlines have become increasingly aggressive in unbundling fares and finding ways to raise ancillary revenues. Led by low fare carriers that began charging for baggage, legacy carriers have followed developing their own criteria for break out charges - including fees for baggage and preferential seating. Industry analysts estimate that ancillary revenues account for $60- to $70 billion annually - and continue to grow.
"Express Seats highlights American's focus on offering customers what they value most," says Virasb Vahidi, Chief Commercial Officer for American. "This is another great product under the Your Choice programme that puts more travel choices in the customer's hands."
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Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
