Choose your family's seats when booking, whether it's included with your fare or you have to pay an additional fee. If you are unable to get your family's seats together at the time of booking, call the airline and speak with a reservations agent to determine the best course of action.

To ensure your party is seated together on American Airlines, the most effective method is to select your seats during the initial booking process. If you are purchasing a "Basic Economy" ticket, seat selection is typically not included, and the airline's system will randomly assign seats at check-in, which often results in groups being separated. To avoid this, you can pay a fee to choose seats in advance or upgrade to a "Main Cabin" fare. If you have already booked and find your seats are apart, use the American Airlines mobile app or website to view the real-time seat map; as other passengers change their plans or upgrade, adjacent seats often open up. Additionally, AA follows a "Family Seating" policy aimed at ensuring children under 15 sit with at least one adult in the party at no extra cost, provided the seats are available. If all else fails, arriving at the gate early and speaking politely with the gate agent can sometimes result in a "manual swap," especially if the flight isn't completely full, but this is never guaranteed and should be a last resort.