I was scheduled to travel AA from IAD to DFW on the afternoon of 12/23 on a deeply discounted fare that I had booked through the AA website to get the extra miles. Due to weather in Dallas, my flight was cancelled. I spent an hour with AA on the line trying to rebook. Even though I offered to leave from alternate airports (DCA or, as a last resort, BWI) and asked to be protected on another airline, two representatives insisted that the first available seat, on AA or any other airline, nonstop or connection, was the afternoon of 12/24 on AA out of IAD. That would not have put me into Dallas until late on X-mas eve.

I wasn't too happy so I called my company's travel agent, who said there were seats available on several flights out of DCA early on 12/24. I called AA back, insisted on being booked on one of those flights, and they (reluctantly) did so.

Either AA out-and-out lied to me on the first call, or their reservations system was so screwed up by the weather and multiple cancellations that they didn't know what they were doing. Is it S.O.P. to try to steer low-revenue pax to less desirable flights in these situtations? I can't believe that official policy is to lie if necessary to do so, but who knows.

At any rate, I've decided that the extra on-line booking bonus is not worth the hassle of having to deal with hours on hold and incompetent help in this type of situation. (I spent another 2 1/2 hours on hold with AA the morning of 12/24, but that's another story.) I'm going back to my always pleasant and helpful travel agency, where a live person picks up to help me by the third ring, 24 hours a day.

Charlie