Originally Posted by
longtimereader firstimeposter
It seems like you're at the mercy of the airlines data to even begin an IDB claim.
I checked in to my flight on time but due to crazy traffic trying to get into DFW I showed up at my 17 mins prior to departure and was told I was not allowed to board since my seat had been given up. I pressed a little and they essentially said that the flight was oversold and they ended up giving my seat at 18 mins prior to departure "so they could get the flight out on time". The gate manager essentially said he had the authority to "bend the rules" in order for an on time departure.
I wrote AA, they claimed it wasn't because the flight was oversold but because I was not at the gate 30 mins prior to departure and my seat was only given up 2 mins prior to departure (contradicting the gate agents claim). The flight was actually delayed by 15 mins so I ended up actually having arrived 30 mins before departure (not sure if that matters).
Should I proceed with a claim with the DOT or give it up?
We've seen this one a bunch of times over the years. Boarding ends at T15 while AA's terms require pax to be at the gate by T30, but ~99% of the time, AA makes no effort to enforce the T30 "deadline" and can't prove if a pax was there or not.
I don't believe the delay matters, particularly if it was a last-minute delay — e.g., T30 or T15 had passed and then the flight was delayed rather than a delay that was known an hour or two in advance.
In any event, AA clearly has this ambiguity between T15 and T30 precisely so it can cover its rear end in these types of situations, when it has pax on standby but doesn't want to wait until T15 to clear them, since that could delay departure.