Originally Posted by
gemac
Yours is a commonly seen complaint in rant threads, because there are two types of FT members:
Type 1 wants to start a thread on FT detailing how the airline has done them wrong. Other type 1 members will chime in and agree that the airline has done the OP wrong, how wrong it all is, how life is unjust, and how unfeeling any member is who does not agree with them.
Type 2 comes to FT to learn how to avoid all the problems that the Type 1 members revel in detailing. For example, in this case, a Type 2 member advises to travel on this previously purchased ticket using maiden name, and change ID after the trip. This is what my wife did for our honeymoon, as there would be no time to change her passport before departure. We had no problems, and of course had no change fees because we thought about this before buying the ticket. Type 1 members will generally rail at Type 2 members who offer practical solutions to the problem as "unfeeling" or "blind supporters of AA on everything" or "AApologists", because instead of condemning AA the Type 2 finds out how to avoid the problem and advises others to do so also.
How about Type 3... the one's that support AA when they feel they are right (eg: when AA refuses compensation due to a passenger arriving late, or due to weather delays), but they supports the OP when the policy is completely unreasonable.
Even Michael O'Leary of Ryanair only charges a EUR/GBP10 ($15) fee to change a name if it is actually the same person, but GBP100($150) if it is a different person. From a very unreasonable man, that seems fair.
For AA to charge $150 to change a name when it is the same person travelling is not reasonable. Yes, they could travel under their maiden name or could have booked the ticket under their married name, but a $150 change fee. A better policy would be to refuse the name change and advise the passenger to bring sufficient evidence of name change to the airport, if their photo ID name has changed?
Alternatively, the most they can justify is their telephone booking fee - because in this case the charge should be to cover their costs of making the change, not to make an additional profit on someone who has already agreed which services they want to use, and at an agreed price. Some in this forum have argued that it should be charged because a new ticket has to be issued, so don't they think to charge a ticket issuing fee rather than a change fee would be a fair price?