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These secret American Airlines seats are a major upgrade — and free if you know how to request them
Zach Griff
Senior reporter
Zach Griff is a senior reporter at TPG. He writes travel and product reviews, deep dives into loyalty programs, news about the airline industry and more.
Feb. 14, 2020
•
4 min read
These secret American Airlines seats are a major upgrade — and free if you know how to request them
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Your coach seat just got upgraded — but not to business-class or an extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seat.
Instead, if you're flying economy on an American Airlines Boeing 767, you can actually request to sit in one of the four super-reclining crew rest seats — for free.
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These special seats are located in two pairs on each side of Row 17, right between the first and second economy cabins.
There's limited privacy since they're just behind the lavatories and in the same row as a galley. (When they're used a traditional crew rest, a thick, sliding curtain adds more privacy.)
But, relative to the standard coach seats, these are a massive upgrade.
In fact, the seats are quite similar to AA's old biz product. They have generous recline, lumbar support and a legrest with foot support. Though they look ancient compared to today's award-winning premium seats, I found them quite comfortable.
Like the rest of the plane, they have no entertainment screens, but there are DC power plugs. Manual and self-explanatory seat controls are located on each armrest.
Now, you must be wondering how you can score this upgrade. Well, you need to be flying on a Boeing 767 when the crew rest isn't actually used by the flight attendants. Typically, that means the flight needs to be less than eight hours long.
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Fortunately, that covers most of AA's 767 flights. Thanks to the airline's unique wide-body strategy, you'll often see the largest planes flying domestic routes. That's especially true with the 767 fleet, which mostly operates short-haul flights, including but not limited to:
- Miami (MIA) - Chicago (ORD)
- Miami (MIA) - Dallas (DFW)
- Miami (MIA) - New York (JFK)
- Miami (MIA) - Las Vegas (LAS)
- Miami (MIA) - Philadelphia (PHL)
- Miami (MIA) - San Francisco (SFO)
- Philadelphia (PHL) - Las Vegas (LAS)
- Philadelphia (PHL) - Orlando (MCO)
- Philadelphia (PHL) - San Francisco (SFO)
You won't be able to select a crew rest seat when booking a flight operated by the 767. A quick glance at ExpertFlyer shows that these seats are blocked for gate control. That means that they can only be assigned by a gate agent right before departure.
But if you ask nicely, you may just get lucky. It doesn't hurt to have elite status with the airline, but that's not an explicit requirement to sitting in Row 17. When I recently flew an AA Boeing 767 from Miami to JFK, there were three passengers sitting in the crew rest, who had all asked the gate agent if they could sit there.
American isn't the only airline that allows passengers to sit in the crew rest. If you're flying select United 767-300s, you can purchase a confirmed crew rest seat anytime before departure.
This deal won't last because American plans to retire its fleet of aging 767s by the end of 2021. You have just under two years left to sit in a crew rest for the cost of a coach ticket, so get it before it's gone!
ExpertFlyer is owned by Red Ventures, the parent company of The Points Guy.
Featured image by KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
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- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.