Date of Travel: July 6, 2017
Advantage Status: None - regular member
Fare class: Economy
What happened: I booked a ticket LAX-DFW-CDG and was traveling for a wedding on July 8, 2017. I was due to arrive at 10:05 am the next day. My brother, who booked and traveled on an Air Canada flight was due to arrive at the same time at CDG. Our sister (living near Paris) would pick us both up. He bought his ticket based on the scheduling of my ticket so that we would not overly burden our family with multiple airport pick-ups.
My flight out of LAX to DFW was scheduled to leave at 11:40 am and I had 50 minutes to connect in DFW. When I checked in for my flight, I asked two different ticketing agents about the timing of the transfer and would it be possible to get on an earlier flight/different routing. I checked in at 7:30 a.m. Both ticketing agents said it would be no problem to make that connection and besides, there was a BA flight which left later that they could put me on if something happened. I also paid roughly $100 to upgrade to a window seat on the flight to CDG so I could attempt to get some sleep before arriving in Paris.
The couple getting married love wine so I stopped at Vino Volo to pick up two nice bottles of Cabernet as gifts (approx. $200). At 11:00 am, brother and I part ways and I board my flight. Flight is boarded and we are waiting, and waiting. I see my brother's flight take off. After about 30 minutes, they announce that they can't find the pilot and are looking for him. They also are loading catering at this time, approximately 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time. They locate pilot and we take off about 1 hour late. I spend my time on the flight researching possible options once I hit DFW.
About 15 minutes prior to landing, the pilot says that there will be gate agents meeting the plane and they will have information on gates and re bookings for those of us with missed connections. Several of us have missed connections. I get off the flight and there is no one. A nearby agent who was handling a boarding flight tells us to go to C25 to the Customer Service Center to get it figured out. This was not a short walk and there was an elderly woman traveling alone that walked with to make sure she was okay.
The line at the Customer Service Center has over 100 people in it. I call AA and keep getting a bizarre message ("all routes are full") and then a dial tone. I then look on my phone and see that AA has rebooked me for the flight for the next day which would mean that I would miss the wedding.
I go to the Admiral's Club and the agent there goes to work to find me a flight so that I could at least get to Paris the day before the wedding. The agent gets me on the last flight out with routing through London. The lucky Admiral's Club agent gets the wine as I can't take it through Heathrow. The agent gives me an aisle seat -- there were no windows available.
I finally arrive in CDG at 5:15 pm, seven hours after scheduled. I miss the rehearsal dinner.
I believe they must refund the $100 for the seat upgrade, and I'm trying to figure out what is fair on top of that. I know they will not compensate me for the wine, but I bring that up only to highlight the fact that we schedule our events based on AA's published schedules and representations. Had the ticketing agents at LAX given any indication that there may be problems with the connection, I'd not bought the wine as I would have figured there was a chance of routing through Heathrow.
Sorry this is so long-winded. I'm asking what is fair and what is the best form for this complaint.
TIA,
Sioux