Originally Posted by number_6
Oneworld awards cannot change routing under any circumstances -- this is one of the costs of using this type of award. AA did you a tremendous favour and broke many rules for you, hope you were suitably thankful.
I am always thankful for the great treatment AA gives me.
On the other hand, do you think that a policy that just revokes the rest of the ticket and leaves someone stranded 10,000 miles from home is reasonable? This was a special case not a desire on my part to reschedule or visit different countries.
The airline would not fly me on the segments in the reservation. Russia would not accept me had I flown. The originating airline (AA) checked our passports and theoretically validates that all appropriate visas and rights are in place before transporting anyone, because they are responsible for transporting someone back if the paperwork is not in order when a visitor attempts immigration. This was not a cavilier change nor an obvious error -- missed by everyone until boarding the flight in question.
Do you really truly think any sane airline would just leave someone and delete a dozen subsequent flights because of a visa problem?