Originally Posted by
SCChris
One wrinkle in all of this is that AA added language to the Contract of Carriage saying that customers need to be at the gate 30 minutes prior to departure. There have been a couple instances where people here have been either outright bumped or downgraded for failing to appear at this time. While the language isn't clear to me that one can be bumped for this, in at least one of the cases AA specifically cited this in denying compensation. If someone tried to claim these sorts of things are IDB's this is probably what AA would stand behind (assuming the customer was legitimately not at the gate 30 minutes prior).
Be at the gate and ready to board the plane at least:
- 30 minutes before departure on domestic flights
- 45 minutes before departure for international flights
You must have a boarding pass with a valid seat assignment to board the plane.
Boarding ends 15 minutes before departure. If you’re not on board, we may reassign your seat to another passenger. You will not be allowed to board once the doors close.
If you're on a codeshare flight operated by one of our partners, check with that airline.
Prior Threads:
Involuntary downgrade?
AA gave away our seats to standby pax- advice?
AA might like to play that game, but there's no way it holds up to basic scrutiny, for the simple fact that AA sells tickets with an MCT of just 25 minutes.
AA also tells pax in the app, on boarding passes, etc., that boarding ends at T-15, not "at T-15 or earlier if we feel like it."