Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
If you offload yourself because of a FA you believe to be unsafe, does AA rebook you without additional charges?
I've only done it once, and yes, I was re-accommodated on the next flight. Not sure if there were no fees due to status or situation. Suspect it was handled under guidelines for a pax who misses flight due to illness. (i.e. placed on standby)
Technically I never boarded as I saw the FA in question in the gate area. Calmly and quietly explained situation to GA. Think she quickly realized this was a no win situation. If she presented the ultimatum of "board or lose ticket value", then I could easily force the Captain to request my offload and make the situation more visible to the other passengers.
Yes, I guess it could be abused, but it can be managed by only permitting at the gate (because how would you know the crew in advance anyway) and then handling as stand by with appropriate fee. I'm sure it can be tracked. Do it rarely - not a problem. Do it frequently and be told to take your business elsewhere. For me, I avoid booking one particular regional carrier whose staffing decisions I distrust.