I'm a OW Emerald (BAEC GCH) flying on DONE3 ex-South Korea (routed Asia, USA, Europe, Asia). First flight CX ICN-HKG so CX are the issuing carrier.
I have a US intinerary that is now laughably different from what I need to fly. Not one sector the same! Fine, a short call and a USD125 re-routing fee and we're away... but no!
The full farce is set out below, for those with a black sense of humour.
The quick question is: does anybody have any bright ideas how I can get Cathay to drop the control and/or change my ticket, Cathay they insist that AA can and should do this and AA say that Cathay has, buried in an obscure system, imposed controls on the relevant sectors? Currently, I am bouncing between AA and CX US call centres on a UK mobile and it is costing me a fortune and getting nowhere!
The AA RTW desk has had to invoke the OW second level support desk. All the AA RTW desk can suggest, if this doesn't work, is going in person to the SFO CX desk (at its weird opening hours) and beating a new ticket out of them!
The story so far:
1) Speak to CX (in LHR and in HKG, in person): you are the issuing carrier, please make these changes to my itinerary.
"Only AA can change the AA sectors"
Q1 - is this true?
2) Speak to AA at JFK in person (in transit between HKG-HFK-BOS): CX tell me that you only you can make these changes:
"Only RTW call centre can make these changes"
Q2 - no Q2, I'm prepared to believe any idiocy from US carriers, but really!
3) Call AA RTW desk from First class checkin: Please make these changes.
"We cannot. You are in "checkin mode""
This turns out to mean that the CX computer is showing me as confirmed on a flight and flying rather than as flown, but this prevents a ticket being reissued.
"Please call tomorrow when the sectors will have cleared".
4) Call AA RTW desk: Please make these changes.
(after 30 minutes or more on hold) "Cannot be done, Cathay have imposed controls on some of the sectors. Only CX can change them; here is there number; make sure you ask to speak to a supervisor" "But they told me to deal with you!!!
Q3 - what *exactly* are controls and what is their purpose?
5) Call CX call centre in the US: Please put me through to a supervisor.
"No. Supervisors don't deal with ticketing changes"
Then please make these changes and/or remove the controls.
"What controls? What are AA talking about? There are no controls"
6) Call AA call centre in the US: Your colleague said my new itinerary could not be reissued because of CX controls but CX say this is nonsense.
"It does sound very odd. We can get this issued <20 minutes later> There are Cathay controls on some of the sectors. It's not something I can see on my normal system but they are there. I will call the OW helpdesk for RTW ticketing agents. <20 minutes on hold> They are trying to get Cathay to release these."
I eventually agree to call back tomorrow morning. If this doesn't work, I have to go to SFO (luckily I am going there by other means) and catch the CX desk when it is open (09-1300 and 2100-0100 roughly) and demand they issue this.