sm82

Brp - Completely agree with you. I've asked for things and received and been given things without asking over the years. If it was an auto-upgrade, I'd let it slide. If I/my firm has paid for it I would ask for some remuneration. I didn't see the OP respond yet so not sure what his fare code was. Things happen and I've felt AA (usually) wants and does try and make people whole.

makfan

Better for the lucky 16 people who get to stay in the front cabin, and much worse for the other 24 that get put in Y or booked on to other routings.

makfan

I also have received favors over the years. I was booked on AA85 (the one JFK-SFO that regularly operates as a 763) on July 6, when OZ 214 crashed. It was canceled literally two hours after I paid $75 + miles to upgrade to the last A seat as my sticker upgrade was looking doubtful. I did get the miles back but not the $75 yet. It sort of annoys me, as I ended up getting redirected to SJC on B6 and had a terrible seat. Yet I do keep in mind I got home the same day and many others were far less fortunate. I asked for a refund, but if I never get it I'll probably let it go.

angatol

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angatol

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Dave Noble

You suspect incorrectly. An upgrade from full fare economy ( Y or B class ) to business clas is 5000 miles ( see http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/o...rade-chart.jsp )

angatol

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Exec_Plat

Wait, you were on a paid J fare?


They may want to offer you 8000 miles for your troubles PLUS the cash difference between the two cabins.

Do the EU rules apply for this flight? (Perhaps if it was a ticket sold in the EU as part of a routing that includes the EU?) I am not that familiar with the EU rules.

I really like how airlines seem to treat their service as a 'best effort' process: you buy an F ticket, if they cannot manage to get you there in F, they'll put you in Y and toss you some miles and that's it.

Dave Noble

On a Europe-US r/t journey , a 1 sector downgrade will likely have no fare difference

No

angatol

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imapilotaz

Actually if you bought your ticket on a credit card, dispute the charge. You paid for a service and it was not delivered as agreed to. The credit card company will then deal with AA. Trust me, you'll get farther, faster doing that than fighting with the airline.

angatol

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imapilotaz

Not necessarily, it depends on how your ticket was constructed. If it was priced using a filed fare LHR-SFO then yes, but if it was constructed as a LHR-JFK + JFK-SFO fare, then no, that's incorrect. Most systems are smart enough to "low price" the itinerary in SABRE (or whichever GDS) and will look at both filed fares for the O&D as well as sum of locals for all segments.

Case in point, I just purchased a flight DFW-LAX-LAS-DFW. I bought it as a normal roundtrip and but if you look at the individual legs and fare basis codes, all 3 segments are different fare basis codes, with different restrictions, AP requirements, etc. I actually had a connection DFW-ORD-XXX-ORD-DFW and all 4 legs were different fare basis codes.

You can force this method on AA by using the multi-city search option. I've on several occasions pushed past filed O&D fares and used sum of locals saving hundreds of dollars.

Oh, and woot... 200 posts in 7 years... that's gotta be some type of record

angatol

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Exec_Plat

Bingo


Uh, why do you think you need to 'play fair' and follow their rules?!? It is astionishing that folks seem to think one needs to reprice the fare as the airline wants to.

(You order a 5 course meal at french laundry for $270. They fail to deliver the main. At the end, they say "we've determined that the 4 course you did eat priced out to $268, so here is $2". Fair?)

I'd price a single segment fare in first (F), then in coach (Y), charge back the difference and send the documents to the credit card company. "Here is what I am disputing and here is why". If one needs a moral rationale, BA/AA broke the contract and failed to give you what was sold, for reasons within their control.

Let the airline dispute your claim and proivide their own rationale as to what THEY believe is owed or not. You present your claim- they present their rebuttal...

The mistake that is made, it that people want to speak to the airline and come to an agreement...they keep calling, wirting... wasting their time...and BA/AA wont do this. People get so twisted up ...its simple "I bought a ticket from BA; BA and their agent AA failed to provide the services I purchased; I am claiming $500 in compensation; they can agree or provide an alternative settlement. Let me know."

So F-em... tell the credit card company to be the arbiter.

A

PS I run all my travel and most expenses through AMEX, ove 250k a year. They kick ask on my behalf. I dont chargeback stupid stuff, like $1.21....but things that I feel Ive been wronged and the merchant isnt being responsive.

PPS In the US, merchants have X days to respond. Given many airlines are such idiots with this stuff, often times they just dont respond and you win by default.