Yes, the airline has a deal with your travel agent, who has a deal with you. That's exactly why I prefer to book my own travel with the airline and cut out the middleman. Even if you use Priceline or Orbitz, you still have a middleman. The airline's customer is the agent, and the agent's customer is you. Customer service becomes two steps instead of one.

Oh well, the middleman is firmly embedded in your transaction, so that's the only way to make changes. You contact the middleman (Amex Travel), who contacts the airline.

Yep, I prefer to book direct with the airline. I'm guessing that you'll prefer it also, after this trip.

[Disclaimer: some travel agents can access deals that normal folks can't get. In those cases, I book through an agent. This post is NOT meant to disparage an entire industry. It's only meant to say that I prefer to book direct with the airline. That way, if there's problem, customer service is a one-on-one transaction.]