Originally Posted by
Herb687
Refundable F (no lie-flats) on AS/UA a day or two later?
Refundable F (lie-flats?) on DL/HA a day or two later?
Be proactive, of course. Have backup plans. It's always good practice. But NEVER LET AA BULLY YOU INTO A Y SEAT YOU DO NOT WISH TO OCCUPY.
Also if you're the [sphincter] who stands your ground and refuses to make AA's life easy, they may relent and DG someone else.
I agree with you, but it's important to understand the ramifications. Last-minute tickets are expensive. Staying an extra night in OGG is likely expensive (assuming a hotel). If you refuse a downgrade and take a refund you might end up paying 2-3x as much to get home. If they can rebook you in F on a different itinerary, that's likely not to be a lie-flat.
I don't think there are a lot of good options here. I'm not saying that anyone should take a downgrade that they don't want, but I am saying that you should understand the costs involved before you make a decision, and sometimes you have to choose the "least bad" of several bad options. I've seen people make terrible decisions at the gate before.