Mechanical Cancellation Compensation?
 

Just had a flight cancelled due to mechanical issues. There aren't any other flights available that would get us there in time for New Years so we scrapped the whole trip. They refunded the trip and told me to call customer service for compensation. Before I could do that, I got an automated email & text saying sorry and offering me a $400 travel credit; from reading here it sounds like that was because I'm MVP Gold.

The trip was only one way and was $100/person for 2 people. Do you think it would be worth asking for additional compensation? I'm about to book a $600 trip with them so upping the compensation to that would be nice. I'd even settle for $400 + some GGUs. Any luck with similar situations?

See the bottom of page 18 of the Contract of Carriage to read about what you are legally entitled to.

Of course, you can always seek additional, but the airline is not obligated to honor the request. Elite status and asking nicely may help you.

Just to clarify, you got a refund ($200 total) plus a $400 travel credit? Had you prepaid your hotel or rental car and that is why you are looking for additional comp?

Thank is correct. We have a non-refundable hotel and dinner deposit for NYE that we have to eat. If people have had success getting more than the $400, I'd like to try to get those covered, but I don't want to waste a ton of time on the phone with CS if they won't do it.

That seems very reasonable to me. Schedules are not guaranteed. And you made the choice not to travel on later flight.

A non-refundable hotel room and deposit are like flying to join a cruise; a schedule buffer to react to the unexpected is always a good idea.

Any chance you might have charged that to a credit card that offers some type of trip protection?

The guy said that nothing was available that would get him there by New Years Eve. Maybe there are flights, but if they are already overbooked then adding another may not work well.

Again, the NYE arrival requirement was his. And as I said, "a schedule buffer to react to the unexpected is always a good idea. "

I'd say that sounds pretty generous already.

Also, is the $400 credit that was proactively offered to you on a total basis or a per person basis? If the latter, then I'd say that's already VERY generous.

That's overly generous, and you shouldn't ask for more.