<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I spent a good 40 mins (@ $4/min) on the phone to AA Platinum desk and the best they could offer me was a flight 2 days later.
So, in short AY had me by the b*lls and they took full advantage of it.[/B]</font>
Sorry to hear about your experience, and the lack of OneWorld teamwork. I have an AY flight coming up in July, so I will be prepared with suitable measures. I don't mean to criticize you, as I've often made -- and missed -- flights by a minute or two, but depending on 40 minute airport check-in when the airline demands 35 minutes and it is the only possible connection is cutting it too close for my taste. The resulting morass is all too predictable. Airlines do like to use any possible excuse for revenue, particularly when it isn't their passenger. I think you made the best of a bad situation, it could have been a $3K ticket on some routes. I guess you wind up paying 4 cents/mile for those AA miles. Did AA offer this spontaneously, or require coaxing (I ask because some other airlines have been less benevolent in similar situations)?