FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - How accurate is aa.com fare information ?
Old Dec 20, 2013 | 3:47 pm
  #12  
hillrider
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Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
Originally Posted by Frequentflyer99
For those that think my question is too general (hillrider in particular).
Thanks so much. More detail than requested, and it's definitely reproducible (I did so using your instructions, setting "United Kingdom" as residence, and by selecting "Business" on the outbound and on the return drilling down to select "Business Flexible", whose pop-up says "Refundable" and underneath the radio button, after selection, says "Refundable".

I verified that the return indeed becomes non-refundable, as it is in a pricing unit with the outbound LONMIA fare I4UKJB, which is itself nonrefundable, and therefore under IATA res 100's most restricitve rule, the entire pricing unit 01 (which includes the return) is unrefundable (note: NYCGCM is a different pricing unit, 02, so it stands on its own).

Code:
*A«                                                             
NO NAMES                                                        
 1 AA  57I 13FEB 4*LHRMIA SS1  1105  1600  /DCAA /E             
ADV LHR FLTS DEPT TERMINAL 3                                    
 2 AA1007I 13FEB 4 MIAGCM*SS1  1920  2045  /DCAA /E             
 3 AA1250D 20FEB 4*GCMMIA SS1  0845  1015  /DCAA /E             
 4 AA  56D 20FEB 4 MIALHR*SS1  1905  0840   21FEB 5 /DCAA /E    
3HG9.3HG9*AMB 1641/20DEC13                                      
WPSLON‡TLON«                                                    
13FEB DEPARTURE DATE-----LAST DAY TO PURCHASE 23DEC/2359        
       BASE FARE                     TAXES             TOTAL    
 1-   GBP2723.00                    631.75XT      GBP3354.75ADT 
    XT    359.00YR     166.00GB      39.75UB       6.80YC       
            8.60XY       6.20XA       3.00AY      23.00KY       
            6.10SU       0.80GX       9.70LZ       2.80XF       
         2723.00                    631.75           3354.75TTL 
ADT-01  I4UKJB LNE0C0Z1/CRUP DLE0G6R5                           
 LON AA MIA1274.90AA GCM360.00AA X/MIA AA LON M2624.11NUC       
 4259.01END ROE0.639264 XFMIA4.5                                
NONREFUNDABLE/RESTRICTIONS APPLY                                
NONREF/RESTRICTIONS APPLY                                       
PRIVATE FARE APPLIED - CHECK RULES FOR CORRECT TICKETING        
PRIVATE ¤                                                       
VALIDATING CARRIER - AA                                         
                                                                
AIR EXTRAS AVAILABLE - SEE WP*AE.                               
WPDF«                                                           
WPDF                                                            
PSGR TYPE ADT                                                   
FARE  GBP  2723.00                                              
TAX   GBP    631.75XT                                           
TOTAL GBP     3354.75                                           
LON AA MIA1274.90AA GCM360.00AA X/MIA AA LON M2624.11NUC4259.01E
ND ROE0.639264 XFMIA4.5                                         
XT 359.00YR 166.00GB 39.75UB 6.80YC 8.60XY                      
XT 6.20XA 3.00AY 23.00KY 6.10SU 0.80GX                          
XT 9.70LZ 2.80XFMIA4.5                                          
/////////////// TRAFFIC DOCUMENT ISSUED IN LON ///////////////  
PU -FARE BASIS-CUR  NUC AMT ELEMENT DESCRIPTION ----------- GI  
01 I4UKJB      GBP  1274.90 LON-MIA AA /HR  0M              AT  
02 LNE0C0Z1/CR USD   360.00 MIA-GCM AA /OW  0M              WH  
01 DLE0G6R5    GBP  2624.11 LON-GCM AA /HR  0M              AT  
                    4259.01    -    TOTAL NUC                   
-TAX AMT/GBP/-- CUR  CODES  DESCRIPTION------------------------ 
      359.00        /YRI SERVICE FEE - CARRIER-IMPOSED MISC     
         179.50:GBP   179.50 *LHR* *AA*                         
         179.50:GBP   179.50 *MIA* *AA*                        ‡
MD«                                                             
      166.00        GB/GB5 AIR PASSENGER DUTY APD              ‡
         166.00:GBP   166.00 *LHR* *AA*                         
       39.75        GB/UB6 INTERNATIONAL DPTRS IOM THROUGH LTN  
          39.75:GBP    39.75 *LHR* *AA*                         
        6.80        US/YC  US CUSTOMS USER FEE                  
           3.40:USD     5.50 *LHR* *AA*                         
           3.40:USD     5.50 *GCM* *AA*                         
        8.60        US/XY  US FEDERAL INSPECTION FEE            
           4.30:USD     7.00 *LHR* *AA*                         
           4.30:USD     7.00 *GCM* *AA*                         
        6.20        US/XA  US APHIS USER FEE                    
           3.10:USD     5.00 *LHR* *AA*                         
           3.10:USD     5.00 *GCM* *AA*                         
        3.00        US/AY  US SECURITY FEE                      
           1.50:USD     2.50 *MIA*                              
           1.50:USD     2.50 *MIA*                              
       23.00        KY/KY  INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DEPARTURE TAX  
          23.00:USD    37.50 *GCM* *AA*                         
        6.10        KY/SU  SECURITY TAX AND TERMINAL CHARGE    ‡
MD«                                                             
           6.10:USD    10.00 *GCM* *AA*                        ‡
        0.80        KY/GX  TERMINAL FEE                         
           0.80:USD     1.25 *GCM* *AA*                         
        9.70        KY/LZ  PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE            
           9.70:KYD    13.00 *GCM* *AA*                         
        2.80        US/XF  PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGES           
           2.80:USD     4.50 *MIA*                              
-IATA RATES OF EXCHANGE USED IN FARE CALCULATION -------------- 
 0.6392640000  GBP-ROE  EFF 01OCT13*31DEC13                     
-BSR USED IN TAX CALCULATION ---------------------------------- 
 1USD:1.6278000000000GBP         1KYD:1.3348000000000GBP        
 -PRICING UNIT TRIP TYPE ---------------------------------------
  PU 01 - SPECIAL OPEN JAW                                      
  PU 02 - SPECIAL ONE WAY                                       
WPRD*S1‡C16«                                                    
    V FARE BASIS     BK    FARE   TRAVEL-TICKET AP  MINMAX  RTG 
  1   I4UKJB         I‡R  2653.00 E16JA  T28JA 28/3 SU/ 42 AT01 
                                  D31AU                         
PASSENGER TYPE-ADT                 AUTO PRICE-YES               
FROM-LON TO-MIA    CXR-AA    TVL-13FEB14  RULE-J302 IPRA/1      
FARE BASIS-I4UKJB            SPECIAL FARE  DIS-E   VENDOR-ATP   
FARE TYPE-BAR      RT-2ND LEVEL BUSINESS CLASS ADVANCE PURCHASE 
GBP  1630.00   MPM  E16JAN14 D31AUG14   FC-I4UKJB  FN-9G        
SYSTEM DATES - CREATED 18DEC13/2215  EXPIRES INFINITY           
                                                                
16.PENALTIES                                                    
   CANCELLATIONS                                                
                                                                
     ANY TIME                                                   
       TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE.                                
         NOTE - TEXT BELOW NOT VALIDATED FOR AUTOPRICING.       
          WAIVED FOR DEATH OF PASSENGER AND PASSENGER/S         
          IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS AND TRAVELLING               
          COMPANIONS                                           ‡

Incidentally, AA.com has a further mistake, as the fare basis for segment two is incorrect: the correct fare basis is LNE0C0Z1/CRUP, which is a different fare than LNE0C0Z1 it lists under fare rules. AA.com therefore shows incorrect rules for that segment!

If AA had someone on the board, they would open a ticket and fix the issue.
Originally Posted by Frequentflyer99
I would repeat that I have resolved the problem for the specific trip but it does leave me wondering if aa.com is reliable.
My contention is that no, it is not reliable. You just proved yet another way where it isn't, and in the process of duplicating it I found a further reliability problem (incorrect fare basis in the rules display).

While it is obvious that if you record every single step of your shopping path then AA must stand for what it offered you, it's not practical -- especially when even the fare rules displayed by AA.com are incorrect, and, of course, requires reams of proof (costly in terms of time and effort).
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