Main Cabin Extra

Temporary changes to food and drink service

We’re limiting food and drink service on board based on flight length and destination. You’re welcome to bring snacks and soft drinks to enjoy during your flight.

A little more of everything

Enjoy more space with Main Cabin Extra seating, starting at $20. Seats are located in Main Cabin and offered on most flights, subject to availability.

Early boarding

Be one of the first to board after elite members with Preferred Group 5 boarding and get easier access to overhead bin space.*

Boarding process

Extra legroom

Sit back and relax with more room to stretch out at the front of the Main Cabin.

Free carry-on

You can bring 1 personal item and 1 bag with you for free. See all the restrictions before you board.

Checked bag policy

Complimentary snacks and drinks

Enjoy complimentary beer, wine and spirits; plus free Biscoff cookies or mini pretzels and soft drinks. Additional food or drinks may be available for free or to buy, depending on your route.**

Main Cabin food

Free entertainment

Enjoy free movies and TV shows – on screen or your device.

Inflight entertainment

Wi-Fi

You can buy Wi-Fi on select aircraft so you never miss a beat while you’re on board.

Wi-Fi and connectivity

*Overhead bin space availability varies by aircraft.

**On flights with full drink service. The number of drinks served may be limited.

Book your seat

Look for the Main Cabin Extra icon when you choose your seats.

Book a flight and buy Main Cabin Extra

If you've already booked your flight, you can still buy a Main Cabin Extra seat. If you bought a Basic Economy ticket, boarding restrictions still apply.

Change your seat

You can buy Main Cabin Extra through Reservations, select travel agencies and airport self-service kiosks. If you have a credit card stored in your AAdvantage® profile, you can also buy on our mobile app.

American Airlines app

Elite member access

Who gets complimentary Main Cabin Extra seats?

  • AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members
  • oneworld® SapphireSM and oneworld® EmeraldSM members

All listed members are allowed complimentary access for up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation.

AAdvantage® Gold and oneworld® RubySM members

Enjoy complimentary access within 24 hours of departure when seats are available***

Other restrictions

Basic Economy fare tickets aren't eligible for complimentary/discounted access to Main Cabin Extra seats.

***Gold members who buy Main Cabin Extra seats on or after September 5, 2018 will no longer receive a 50% discount

Seat assignments

  • We make every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed.
  • We reserve the right to change seats for operational, safety or security reasons.
  • You must check in at least 30 minutes before departure and be at the gate 15 minutes before departure or you may lose your seat.

Main Cabin Extra seats

  • Main Cabin Extra seats are on select flights operated by American Airlines and American Eagle and subject to availability.
  • Seats are non-transferable and valid only on the flight purchased.
  • We reserve the right to discontinue the sale of seats or refuse to sell seats to a passenger.
  • Fees for seats are non-refundable with some exceptions.

Refunds issued for seats

We'll issue you a refund if:

  • You pay to upgrade to First or Business
  • You pay more for another seat on the same flight (but not if you change to a lower priced or free seat)
  • You cancel your flight within 24 hours and booked at least 2 days before departure
  • You cancel, rebook and buy seats on your new flight
  • We cancel your flight and we're unable to get you a comparable seat on another flight rebooked by us*
  • We delay your flight causing you to miss a connection and we're unable to get you a comparable seat on another flight*
  • You’re denied boarding on an oversold flight and we're unable to get you a comparable seat*

*Unable to get you a comparable seats is defined as moving from Main Cabin Extra to a preferred or other Main Cabin seat or from an aisle / window Main Cabin Extra seat to a middle Main Cabin Extra seat

Receipts and refunds

Request a refund or voucher

You can request a refund online if you paid for seats and you make changes to parts of your reservation, and you lose your paid seats on the unchanged segments.

You can request a voucher for the value of your non-refundable seat if you cancel your trip during the coronavirus travel period and booked by June 30, 2020 for travel through September 30, 2020.

Keep in mind you need to submit separate refund requests for your flights, seats and other purchases.

Request a refund or voucher Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines