Originally Posted by
Antarius
Update
Called AA and got it sorted within 5 minutes. Tried a bunch of things to get one on hold, including Cyril Figgis, Burt Reynolds and Outlaw Country (Woo!)
I guess the system must stop multiple award bookings on the same flight, no matter who the passengers are. Maybe an anti-fraud thing, or more likely, bad coding.
I tend to try to do the same thing. I spent an hour trying to change a reservation online, but it wouldn't let me. I called AA, the automated system recognized my phone number, and they answered immediately. It took the agent less than 5 minutes to get everything done, including my too-length praise for her skills.
BOTTOME LINE: It is best to call in. Do not spend precious time trying to "trick" the system into doing something.