Originally Posted by
beachfan
As reported by Gary on VFTW today
https://viewfromthewing.com/american...y-get-40-back/
two changes in the rules, one cutting back on the time to report wheelchair damage, another specifying a 40% rebate on the cost of a downgrade in cabin (which seems applicable even to a double (triple ?) downgrade from F on Y on a plane worth both F and J to Y).
From AA
AA conditions of carriage
https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-ser...f-carriage.jsp
We promptly and automatically refund customers for:
- The ticketed fare, including taxes and fees, if there is a cancellation or significant flight itinerary change, when the customer chooses either not to fly on the changed flight, accept rebooking on an alternative flight, or accept other compensation. Eligible flight itinerary changes include:
- Changes to itineraries for 3 or more hours (domestic) / 4 or more hours (international)
- Changes in origination / destination airports
- Downgrades to a lower cabin – refunds are issued at 40% of the ticketed fare on the affected segment
-
I'm going to assume that that 40% is a
minimum. The DOT requires that downgrade compensation equal the difference between the fare paid for the higher cabin and the fare for the lower cabin. Unfortunately, the DOT does not address how the fare for the lower cabin is determined (i.e., fare as of date of travel vs. fare on the date the ticket was purchased).
AA cannot, by a term in its contract of carriage, pay less than what the DOT requires.