Flying American PHX to Paris in November with the cheapest economy ticket available. Have been extremely lucky in the past letting the airline choose my seat. Question: At the start of the main cabin there are middle seats I can buy in between aisle and windows that are $102 for $11 or 1.1k miles or I can buy seats toward back on the aisle (only seat I can fly in) for $13 or 1.3K miles. Should I buy the one in the front of the main cabin with the middle seat and take my chances on someone buying the aisle and window or just settle for being further back and buy my aisle seat?

PS got a really good deal on my ticket.Tks

If you must have an aisle seat, buy one. With flights as full as they are the chances of you getting an empty seat next to your middle is very slim.

No matter what - me personally, I'd never pay for a middle seat. I could live with window or aisle but middle seats on an overnight flight would be torture IMO.

1st choice - aisle, 2nd choice - window

I'd never pay for a middle seat either (unless you're referring to an aisle seat in a middle row with only two seats in that row?). We prefer the aisle and I have no qualms paying for them if we have to. We often book aisle seats across from each other. Middle seats are my worst nightmare and that's where you're likely to end up if you let the airline choose for you.

Took a look at a PHX-CDG with the return Dec 6 on AA 49, a 788, for CDG-DFW. It shows the seat pricing you mentioned which i didn't quite understand, but now I get it.

Those seats on the sides that cost $102 for window or aisle but only $11 for the middle seat are Main Cabin Extra.
In the back where window/aisle costs $13 and middle is $11 are the Main Cabin seats

The seat dimensions are different, according to seatguru:
.............................. Pitch ....Width
Main Cabin Extra...35-36 .. 17.2
Main Cabin........... 31 .....,,,,16.2-18.1

You can spend $11 and get 4 or 5 inches more legroom (knee room) and an extra inch of seat width, but sit in the middle.

Or you can spend $13 for an aisle/window but get tighter seating.

I would choose neither and just pay the $102 or the higher price $136 for a center-aisle seat, figuring that the middle seats in the center section would be the last to fill because they are over $100 more than the middle seats on the sides or in the back.

But really, expect all the seats to sell, especially the $102 seats.

I snapped the layout but maybe hard to read:

If you don't pay for a seat then you are going to get one of the tight middle seats in the back. Probably.

Don't they have free seat selection 24 hours before the flight?

Even if they do there's no guarantee an aisle or window seat will be available. Better to purchase the seat you want rather than take the chance on being stuck in a middle seat for the long overseas flight.

On the other hand, seats held back for frequent fliers can be released for everyone then. It may be a gamble worth taking. Or not, depending on your fear of the middle seat.

>> Those seats on the sides that cost $102 for window or aisle but only $11 for the middle seat are Main Cabin Extra.

That is WRONG. Sorry. Those seats are Main Cabin, so 31" seat pitch and narrower.

Only the orange seats in the image above are Main Cabin Extra, priced at $118 to $136.

Also, AA says: We’ll auto-assign seats at no charge after you check in if you don’t want to pay now. You have the option to change seats later for a fee.

(of course, maybe not the same fee)

Given the seating situation above I would pay the $13 for a seat in row 27 for now.