After browsing through this thread and noticing a lot of speculation and comment about the guy's gaming of the system, I'm surprised that no one has commented on another bit of flawed logic in his story.

Namely: he complains that coach is a hardship for him at his age, but yet he can sit in E+ on United. Having flown a transatlantic flight or 2 in E+ on UA, I can say that it's not THAT much better; the legroom is welcome but otherwise it seems to be the same product.

So, if he's looking for more legroom, why couldn't he reserve exit row seats? Is he too frail to sit there? If so, are there not bulkhead or other seats that could suit him on the usual AA flight that are assigned only at the gate and typically reserved for passengers needing assistance?

Furthermore, having been through and having observed others dealing with a number of serious hardships in their lives, I really fail to have sympathy for this guy. A transatlantic flight in coach is a hardship? Really? My nearly 80-year-old parents sometimes fly business but usually fly coach. It's not their best day ever but they can deal with it. This guy seems to be trying to justify his fraudulent activity by claiming a hardship.

BOGUS!