Where did the exhilaration come in? Sounds like it just sucked.
BTW, when you did not qualify for PLT last year, did you try contacting AA to see if they would give you mileage for that cancelled flight? I have found AA to be quite accomodating in this instance.
FWIW, if you did not try getting credit for that bumped flight last year, you might give AA a call. Although you can't make up for the pain & suffering, you might be able to at least get the 100% mileage bonus back for last year's flights.
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