Chronically Late Flight - Changes Allowed on Award?
Hi,
I have a Business MileSAAver Award booked to LHR. As I track the flight, I see that it's chronically late. I am a cruise passenger and award seats were only available the day of my cruise departure. The flight has never been late enough that would cause me to miss the ship, but there are multiple flights earlier in the day, just no award availability. In your experience, if on the day of my flight AA knows it will run late, what are my chances of being moved to an earlier flight? How should I request this?
I would monitor award availability for the earlier flights using Expert Flyer and then call and change if something opens up. No idea how far out you are from traveling but things could open up a few days out and there should be no charge to change the flight as long as the routing is the same.
Not sure your argument on the "historically late but not enough to make me miss my cruise" would hold much weight in a special request.
Hi,
I am a cruise passenger and award seats were only available the day of my cruise departure. The flight has never been late enough that would cause me to miss the ship
I would place a large wager at sometime in the past this flight has been late enough to miss your cruise. Bad, bad, bad, bad idea to arrive the same day of a cruise, especially internationally.
I have been successful twice in the last few months standing by for an earlier flight using an award ticket (JFK-LHR and LHR-JFK). So if the award inventory does not become available before your departure date -- and my recent experience is that AA has become a lot less generous about opening up last minute award inventory -- plan to show up early at the airport and stand by for the earlier flights.
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What this guy said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumie
I have been successful twice in the last few months standing by for an earlier flight using an award ticket (JFK-LHR and LHR-JFK). So if the award inventory does not become available before your departure date -- and my recent experience is that AA has become a lot less generous about opening up last minute award inventory -- plan to show up early at the airport and stand by for the earlier flights.
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I have been successful twice in the last few months standing by for an earlier flight using an award ticket (JFK-LHR and LHR-JFK). So if the award inventory does not become available before your departure date -- and my recent experience is that AA has become a lot less generous about opening up last minute award inventory -- plan to show up early at the airport and stand by for the earlier flights.
I've recently been monitoring fare class and award availability JKF-LHR and LHR-JFK. Almost all flight have been been at least F2 J1 shortly before take off, but I can't recall seeing AA opening up last minute award inventory for quite some time.
Can't hurt to call within a couple of days of the flight (when revenue management should feel comfortable) and ask. Otherwise, hard to see why the airport personnel wouldn't let you switch flights.
By standby, do you mean you asked gate agent or lounge agent? Or did I miss some AA international flight standby program?
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I would place a large wager at sometime in the past this flight has been late enough to miss your cruise. Bad, bad, bad, bad idea to arrive the same day of a cruise, especially internationally.
Exactly. It's an amature move on any airline to book a same day arrival of a ship's departure. Asking for problems and there is no later ship to "stand by" for should something go wrong.
Last edited by grahampros; Jun 25, 12 at 2:51 pm..
By standby, do you mean you asked gate agent or lounge agent? Or did I miss some AA international flight standby program?
I have no idea what the "AA international flight standby" policy is, or what you did or did not miss. All I can tell you is my experience:
Flying BOS-JFK-LHR on June 7. Was able to secure a Z inventory award JFK-LHR on AA106, the 1100p departure. Could not get any inventory in any class BOS-JFK, notwithstanding an appeal to RM, so ended up purchasing that segment, with a scheduled arrival at JFK at 445p. Kept a close eye for earlier JFK-LHR inventory to open up, but it never did. All appeals to RM were denied. When I arrived at the JFK FL, I inquired at the desk about switching to AA100, the 610p departure. The gate agent took my BP, and told me to have a seat; she said she would come and find me. Fifteen minutes later, she brought me back my BP and told me that I was standby and that it "looked good." Forty-five minutes before departure of AA100, I walked down to the gate, inquired of the GA, and was handed a BP for the flight.
BTW, on this flight, I was connecting onward to CDG on BA, using the same award. When I inquired of BA at the LHR transfer desk if I could catch an earlier flight to CDG, given my much-earlier-than-anticipated arrival into LHR, I was told that no same-day changes were permitted on award tickets. Refusing to be denied, I called the EXP desk, knowing that AA has no such rule. The agent I spoke with said he saw award inventory on the flight I wanted, but that he couldn't give it to me because I already had checked in for the later flight. He told me that BA would need to "off load" me from the later flight. With the EXP agent still on the phone, I walked over to the service desk in the BA lounge. The BA agent needed supervisor approval, but she agreed to off load me, after which the EXP agent was able to secure the award inventory for me for the earlier LHR-CDG flight.
On the return, on June 11, my wife and I were booked JFK-LHR on AA105 at 200p, but we arrived at LHR from ORY with plenty of time to catch AA139 at 1235p. After doing the T5-T3 transfer, we went right to the AA transfer desk to inquire about switching. The agent saw plenty of inventory and initially said that it wouldn't be a problem, but when he went to get supervisor approval, we saw her reprimand him and, apparently, tell him that he couldn't clear us onto the earlier flight, but rather only could put us on standby, which he did. Again, we went to the gate at boarding time, and the same agent who, at the transfer desk, had put us on standby, was waiting for us at the gate with our new boarding passes!
One last aside: I have done the T5-T3 (or vice versa) transfer numerous times recently. While I acknowledge that it's been a huge hassle in the past, with long lines to board buses and long lines to reclear security, this has not been my recent experience. Each time recently it's been a total breeze.
My wife and I are flying JFK-LHR and back in Z in a few months, but we are currently on separate flights. I'm hoping award inventory opens reasonably in advance and we can switch to the same flights or that revenue management lets us switch closer to flight time. Your experience with RM is not encouraging. Airport personnel are often able to do same day flight switches that phone agents are not able to do, which fortunately was your experience here.
How far out did you appeal to RM?
FWIW, the wiki claims AA doesn't do international standby. It's hard to know what I miss these days.
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Exactly. It's an amature move on any airline to book a same day arrival of a ship's departure. Asking for problems and there is no later ship to "stand by" for should something go wrong.
Hi!
I have never booked an airline ticket for the same day before, but they were the only awards available anytime near the cruise. So it was either book the award ticket and go, or not book it and not go on the cruise. There are later AA flights to LHR in the day and should I not make the ship in time, I have insurance that will get me to the port the following day. Still, I am arriving to LHR hours before the suggested minimum time.
About a month ago I had 2 First SAAver booked (LAX-JFK) and saw that my flight was showing delayed by over 2 hours. I called AA and asked if they can move me to the earlier flight (seats were available, but no award availability) and the agent happily moved me without any fuss. When I checked online my booking code was changed to F from Z during the move so I'm going to guess I got a real nice agent and YMMV!
