Originally Posted by
WhoME
Might I suggest a small reroute which might help your mother with her diet (i.e. being less fed up). Instead of BOS-ORD-SFO, you might try BOS-JFK-SFO ...
AA flies BOS-SFO non-stop, so presumably the stop in ORD is for a reason....
Given that the only flights left on the ticket which have a difference in seating are LAX-SYD and SYD-JNB, it really isn't worth making the change. Some points to consider: SYD-JNB is not always operated with an F cabin; there is some chance that there won't be one on the date you want, and downgrade from A to D is zero compensation. LAX-SYD has rather poor F service, though it varies a lot between flights. The reason is simple: QF reduced the layover time at LAX for crews, so they no longer have time to shop and sightsee as well as rest. So some crews rest, others do stuff in LAX and try to rest on the first half of the SYD-LAX flight. Or so it seems.