Award Travel - Recourse for Schedule / Equipment Changes (consolidated)
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
This is not an unusual issue.
The answer really doesn't change.
Either you and AA find flights that are agreeable, or you are entitled to a refund, without charge.
Flight schedules are subject to change, and often do.
The answer really doesn't change.
Either you and AA find flights that are agreeable, or you are entitled to a refund, without charge.
Flight schedules are subject to change, and often do.
#92
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,932
Can I cancel a schedule change w/o penalty?
It has been a while since I encountered this problem, so any advice is appreciated!
I redeemed a BA award from HAM to CPT return.
The original return was supposed to be on 24th Nov. Departing CPT early morning, arriving LHR that evening, and first flight out to HAM next day on 25th. Arriving HAM at 1030am. But due to schedule change, I now arrive on an overnight flight from CPT, connecting at 1035am and arriving 115pm. 3 hours later than originally scheduled. I have a meeting in HAM at noon though!!
The BA schedule change sort of sc**ws up my own plans. So if I am to cancel now, will AAdvantage still charge me the $100 refund fee?
I am not Exec Plat (not anymore anyway )
I redeemed a BA award from HAM to CPT return.
The original return was supposed to be on 24th Nov. Departing CPT early morning, arriving LHR that evening, and first flight out to HAM next day on 25th. Arriving HAM at 1030am. But due to schedule change, I now arrive on an overnight flight from CPT, connecting at 1035am and arriving 115pm. 3 hours later than originally scheduled. I have a meeting in HAM at noon though!!
The BA schedule change sort of sc**ws up my own plans. So if I am to cancel now, will AAdvantage still charge me the $100 refund fee?
I am not Exec Plat (not anymore anyway )
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
Cheers.
#94
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,172
In short, you can cancel without redeposit fees for a schedule change.
And I think the redeposit fees are $150 now.
And I think the redeposit fees are $150 now.
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,932
Thank you.
It was funny to hear the Exec Plat Desk in Frankfurt leave me a message on this !
Will call the US office later.
It was funny to hear the Exec Plat Desk in Frankfurt leave me a message on this !
Will call the US office later.
#97
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver, AA Gold, A3 Gold, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 1,251
I cancelled a similar itin between LHR-CPT for the exact same reason.
The UK EXP line wouldn't waive the fee so I contacted the US line right away (they're far better in general) and they cancelled without fee. Without me even having to ask the agent told me that there would be no charge.
The UK EXP line wouldn't waive the fee so I contacted the US line right away (they're far better in general) and they cancelled without fee. Without me even having to ask the agent told me that there would be no charge.
#98
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: MSY (finally); previously NYC, BOS, AUH
Programs: AA EXP, 6MM; BA GLD
Posts: 17,248
#99
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
Does anyone have a link on AA.com about this?
My flight departure was changed by 2 hours and 15 minutes. Granted I was planning to cancel the ticket anyway as it was 8 months into the future, but, I was waiting to see if a significant schedule change would occur so that I would be justified in getting a voucher/refund without being hit with a change fee.
Of course when I went to the airport to cancel and then book a new ticket (different destination) they still levied the change/cancellation fee despite the over 2 hour schedule change. The agent did say that he does not think I should be charged it, but, not he nor his supervisor could override the computer system (so they said anyway).
Thus now, I'm writing a letter to AA, but, really would like to have reference to their own terms and conditions on this. I have spent the better part of an hour searching aa.com and haven't found anything regarding this yet. Sad thing is, about 6 months ago, I swore I had stumbled upon that information on their site fairly easily.
#100
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
Try this
https://www.aa.com/i18nForward.do?p=...ce/Refunds.jsp
It mentions refunds for schedule changes, although it is not specific on fees.
There was information under the "Agency" section that I'm also not easily pulling up.
Cheers.
https://www.aa.com/i18nForward.do?p=...ce/Refunds.jsp
It mentions refunds for schedule changes, although it is not specific on fees.
There was information under the "Agency" section that I'm also not easily pulling up.
Cheers.
#101
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA 1.5 MM Exec Plat, WN A-List, DL Silver, UA nonrev
Posts: 2,593
Does anyone have an actual link to aa.com on this?
My flight departure was changed by 2 hours and 15 minutes. Granted I was planning to cancel the ticket anyway as it was 8 months into the future, but, I was waiting to see if a significant schedule change would occur so that I would be justified in getting a voucher/refund without being hit with a change fee.
Of course when I went to the airport to cancel and then book a new ticket (different destination) they still levied the change/cancellation fee despite the over 2 hour schedule change. The agent did say that he does not think I should be charged it, but, not he nor his supervisor could override the computer system (so they said anyway).
Thus now, I'm writing a letter to AA, but, really would like to have reference to their own terms and conditions on this. I have spent the better part of an hour searching aa.com and haven't found anything regarding this yet. Sad thing is, about 6 months ago, I swore I had stumbled upon that information on their site fairly easily.
My flight departure was changed by 2 hours and 15 minutes. Granted I was planning to cancel the ticket anyway as it was 8 months into the future, but, I was waiting to see if a significant schedule change would occur so that I would be justified in getting a voucher/refund without being hit with a change fee.
Of course when I went to the airport to cancel and then book a new ticket (different destination) they still levied the change/cancellation fee despite the over 2 hour schedule change. The agent did say that he does not think I should be charged it, but, not he nor his supervisor could override the computer system (so they said anyway).
Thus now, I'm writing a letter to AA, but, really would like to have reference to their own terms and conditions on this. I have spent the better part of an hour searching aa.com and haven't found anything regarding this yet. Sad thing is, about 6 months ago, I swore I had stumbled upon that information on their site fairly easily.
See the section titled Protection For Schedule Change in the notes section (#2)
#102
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,533
http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Bookin...ule_240_80.jsp
See the section titled Protection For Schedule Change in the notes section (#2)
See the section titled Protection For Schedule Change in the notes section (#2)
Cheers.
#103
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: MSY (finally); previously NYC, BOS, AUH
Programs: AA EXP, 6MM; BA GLD
Posts: 17,248
Of course when I went to the airport to cancel and then book a new ticket (different destination) they still levied the change/cancellation fee despite the over 2 hour schedule change. The agent did say that he does not think I should be charged it, but, not he nor his supervisor could override the computer system (so they said anyway).
#104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: STL
Programs: AA 2MM, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,966
For you or if anybody else has this quandary in the future, I think your problem came about due to you going to the airport to do this. If you had called in, it should have been handled correctly and routinely.
#105
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
Sorry to say this, but your mistake was going to the airport. If you had done it over the phone and gotten an agent who claimed that they couldn't waive the change fee, you would have been able to follow the FT mantra of politely hanging up and calling back. Not that the transaction is completed, it is much more difficult to get AA to do anything about it. It's still worth pursuing though; you might end up with a voucher in an equivalent amount.
I wanted to make sure I had the voucher in my hot little hands immediately. I couldn't risk an actual refund to the original payment source, as the original payment source would have been Citibank's 'ThankYou' Network.
There's a whole thread in the credit card forum on this, but, essentially at the end of Feb of this year Citibank completely devalued it's 'ThankYou Points' to about 1/2 their value.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...trategies.html
Since I was dropping someone off at the airport anyway, had an unpaid reservation that I needed to purchase, and, I noticed the more than 2 hour schedule change, I thought it optimal time to go cancel the original ticket, book a new flight using that residual value, and then walk away with my voucher. Thus assuring that I got the 'value' refunded to me, and not to the ThankYou Network.
I was not going to risk $2389 in travel voucher (about $1189 above what those 120K 'ThankYou' points are now worth) in order to avoid a problems with getting $150 change fee waived -- I was already prepared from day 1 to pay the change fee anyway, naturally, I just wanted to cancel the ticket at an optimal time in hopes I could get it waived.
Now that I am armed with more specific and documented information, I will phrase a nice and polite letter to AA customer service and hope they issue me a $150 eVoucher or something equivalent.