I was scheduled on a flight in First Class ( paid ) from Jackson, WY to Fort Lauderdale with a plane change at DFW. When I awoke the day of the flight, there was an email telling me that I had been rebooked the following day thru ORD to MIA in coach due to the fact that my flight was delayed and I would miss my connection. Instead of accepting this from the email, I called AA and spoke to the agent. I was told that due to availability, that I had been put in economy ( yea the cramped space for the cheapest fares) but I could request a refund on the difference in the fare. As they were expecting a foot of snow each day. I called back AA and was rebooked in First on the later flight out of ORD to MIA in first class the next day, but did so more to be sure that I had a chance of making the flight since I did not know if the flight would even leave Jackson the next day. I was NEVER given the opportunity to stay on the original flight to DFW in First and get stuck in Dallas.

I filed a complaint with AA and got a typical form letter along with a note saying that I was getting a refund for the difference in the economy and First fare for the one segment, but frankly it was not a lot of money that is coming back. I was also given 10,000 miles for both my wife and myself. I was still never told what the cause of the delay was.

So I looked up the head of customer relations and sent an email to the VP. Within 2 hours, I had a call back from his department, but not from him. The call came in as an 888 number and I did not answer it since I get so many spam calls. The woman left a voice mail saying she would call back. About 1.5 hours later, she did call and I took the call. She gave me the typical BS about how sorry they were and that had I gotten stuck in Dallas that they would not be responsible for the hotel charge. I was staying in a fancy hotel in Jackson and paid a big price to sit around and do nothing that day as it was too late to book any recreational activities. Again, she told me that they had no responsibility to pay for the room, and frankly, I would not have expected them to put me in a deluxe suite in a fancy hotel, but I did feel that since I never had any say in the matter about whether I flew to Dallas that day, 4 hours late, or took the flights assigned the next day, that I was entitled to more than what was offered. And I told her that I was upset that no one ever addressed what the cause of the delay was. I understand that if it was weather, I would not be entitled to anything. She told me the issue was mechanical as well as a flight crew issue, and it was not weather. In looking on their web site, they say that if they cannot get you off by 11:59pm of the same day, that they are responsible for a room. This is entirely the opposite of what she told me.

All that was offered was in lieu of the 10,000 miles each, that I would get a $175 voucher good for a year for each of us. I took that not knowing if it was the correct choice or not, but that to me is still not the issue. I really want to know if I was treated fairly or they pulled a fast one, which is what I think they did.

I am looking for those of you who fly all the time and may know the rules to advise. Needless to say, I am not happy.