Originally Posted by
xliioper
If you are wondering where the 4 hour requirement is mentioned, it is listed in the AA Conditions of Carriage --
https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-ser...f-carriage.jspNon-refundable tickets
We don't refund cash for non-refundable tickets. But if you cancel your trip before departure, we will then cancel the ticket and issue a credit you can use toward future travel on American. You'll need to book a new trip with your credit within 1 year (a change fee and any difference in ticket price may apply).
We will refund a non-refundable ticket (or the value of the unused segment of your trip) to the original form of payment if:
- You cancel within 24 hours of booking (and booked at least 2 days before departure).
- We cancel your flight
- We make a schedule change that results in a change of more than 4 hours to your departure time
- A passenger or their travel companion dies. (Supporting paperwork is required)
- Military orders require you to cancel your trip. (Supporting paperwork is required)
If you bought your ticket through a travel agency or another booking source, contact them for a refund.
I tried the flight cancellation argument with the call agent, but it did not work out.
Context: I was on AA1218 and got rescheduled to AA4218 operated by Republic. The time also changed. (These are not the real flight numbers but are representative of the situation.)
The conversation went something like this:
me> Do you refund tickets when the flight is cancelled?
agent> Yes
me> It seems that flight AA1218 was cancelled. May I please apply for a refund?
agent> It wasn't cancelled, it's a schedule change.
me> So you are telling me that flight AA1218 was not cancelled?
agent> Correct.
me> In that case can you please put me back on AA1218 because this is the flight I want to be on.
agent> I don't understand.
me> You just told me that AA1218 was not cancelled so I want to be on that flight.
agent> I don't see a flight AA1218 available that day.
me> So what happened to AA1218?
agent> I don't know.
me> Well if there is no more flight AA1218 that means the flight got cancelled, correct?
agent> It was a schedule change.
At that point I gave up and followed the advice I got on this board and applied for a refund on the basis of change in carrier.
From what I understand, a "cancelled flight" situation is one where your original flight is not operating
and you have not been accommodated on another flight within four hours. Otherwise it's deemed to be a "schedule change" even if you are flying on a flight with a new flight number.
As an aside, if I had been rebooked on
different mainline flight number (as opposed to Eagle) I would not have had a contractual basis to claim a refund, at least according to AA's understanding of the contract. What helped here is that carrier changed. The change in flight number was immaterial.