Originally Posted by
librarygal
Last week my husband and I were driving well over the speed limit through rural Arkansas rushing to make it to the Little Rock Airport so we could take the last flight out of the day to Chicago. We made it with just minutes to spare. We used frequent flyer tickets but have no status at all.
Here is my question: If traffic would have been heavier and we would have arrived at the airport too late to make the fight (which was the last flight of the day), what would have happened in MOST CASES?
Would American Airlines rebook us without problem or change fee for the next day (if there was space available), or would they have charged us a rebooking fee, or would they have cancelled our reservation and made us buy a one way ticket using cash at what ever the fare was at the time? (Remember, we have no silver or gold status with the airline)
You are able to change award flight times and dates BEFORE the time of the flight booked. If you don't do this before the scheduled flight time, you would normally be able to use the "flat tire" rule. This would normally let you standby fo a later flight on that same day. Of course, as this was the last fllight of the day, then would not work for you. AA might let you get on a flight the next day, but that is not something to count on. Driving "well" over the speed limit is not something I would recommend when trying to the airport.