It's not hidden since it is (should be) disclosed. It's annoying, to say the least, but not hidden.
Cheers.
+1
I remember first running into it years ago when I was trying to book a Citibank Reduced Mileage award. (I wasn't EXP at the time.) Couldn't book the discounted awards online, so had to call AA. They told me there would be a fee. I tried arguing with them about the fee, and they referred me to the tiny print that did indeed state there
may be fees involved when ticketing via phone or ticket agents. So definitely annoying and definitely disclosed in the very very fine print, but not hidden.
Though nowadays, they're much more transparent with the phone fee. Right on the new "Reduced Mileage Award" page, the terms and conditions state clearly in the first paragraph: (
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...Conditions.jsp)
Redemption of Reduced Mileage Awards applies only to bookings made by phone through American Airlines Reservations or through airport or city ticket offices. All such award travel is subject to an additional payment of $20.