Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Programs: AS 100K, UA MM, AA MM, IC Plat Amb, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 3,146
Isn't it great how airlines can change flights at will, and you have no recourse? Of course, if you voluntarily made the same choice, they would gouge you for hundreds of dollars in change fees...
OP, when this happens, you can often ask for any routing that will work for you. The airline won't move the world for you, but they can be very accommodating. I recommend coming up with a few more alternative flights (even on different days) and proposing those to AA. (I've even had airlines make space available that wasn't there before, but perhaps status helps with that.)