Originally Posted by
Often1
Neither AA by contract or policy nor DOT by rule requires a refund if one voluntarily cancels for a credit and the flight is later cancelled by AA.
In OP's situation, I would call AA and ask. Making "it doesn't make sense" or "it's not fair" arguments to front line agents is not likely to work. Simply explain what you need and ask if it can be done. Barring that, I would figure out what I wanted to rebook to and then call back and ask if that can be done (although the schedule may not be that far out yet).
Yeah, that is my issue. We will want to use the tickets on a summer trip. I called the other day and discussed with the gold rep (who seemed very knowledgable) my options. If I rebook them for a trip late this summer, I am locked into it (without high change fees). They only waive the change fees once per ticket. It is too soon to book anything for 2021 summer. I guess at this point, (unless AA policy changes again) I am stuck waiting until July to see what is going on. At that point, if things are open we will book somewhere to go. If not, I will try to get something for June 2021. If they don't let me do that, I will just book a 2 day getaway for November and hope something cancels or the policy changes to let me book soething I actually want the next summer.