Antarius

It seems reasonable here too. If you had been downgraded for the TATL, that would be different.

Dave Noble

If it was 16,000 points per passenger downgraded, then that doesn't seem too bad for a downgrade on ATL-ORD; if this was the total for all 3, then I think it is very poor

That the international flight was still in 1st class is irrelevent

The US could do with some rules like the EU regulations regarding downgrading/denying boarding imo to provide a standard policy on downgrading

Dave Noble

No, he used it for an ATL-LHR trip in 1st class which is NOT what he got

atlandy

It was a total of 16,000 Miles for all three passengers that were downgraded.
Yes we need some FAA level rules.

sinanju

It would cost 5k miles each to upgrade from a full economy fare on that flight. Seems reasonable to get about 5k miles each to downgrade.

Frankly, given the treatment others have recently reported, you were lucky to get that phone call.

Shareholder

Sounds more than fair to me. One small segment of a multi-segment booking downgraded for a flight 1-1/2 hours this is more than adequate. Vouchers for food were given, don't understand what more OP is entitled to. Don't know how one would expect a plane with 9 seats in F would have 4 open F seats within 24-hours of flight time. Back of the plane is no more noisy than any other part, so really a non-sequitor. If one were to prorate the whole trip over the number of miles the redemption cost, 5K+ per person (who flew coach) is about 10% of the inflight time on an 10-hour in air one-way (62.5K).

umaa83

Although in principle I agree, the OP agreed to take a flight that didn't offer enough F space to ORD, therefore F to the international gateway was not that important. The moment their flight was cancelled/delayed, the OP could have tried a different routing through MIA/DFW, split up, or used a different date if flying F to an international gateway was that important to them. Obviously it wasn't, therefore I feel AA's compensation is more than adequate. Heck, assuming F was available on BA's flight from ATL to LHR, they probably would have had a case to be put on their nonstop without fees.

If AA could prove that the OP's original flight crew had timed out due to weather (if I were a betting man, I would bet that it was given the two airports involved), the OP is technically owed nothing, except for F space on the next available flight or, at the OPs choosing, a downgrade to Y on the next available flight, which is what they did.

If the OP want's to get compensation from AA for sitting in economy to ORD, I would also fight for compensation that one passenger had to sit in F (if one even wants to call it that) on an AE flight. Big difference from mainline F (assuming they were booked mainline F to begin with).

I value my time a heck of a lot more than to pursue this issue with AA for 90 minutes in coach.

lovely15

It was a CRJ - the back of the plane is most definitely louder than the front.

Antarius

On the plus side, the 1 F seat didnt get taken by a FAM

I think that holds true for all aircraft. More pronounced on a CRJ/ERJ/MD80 though.

OP - its not an ideal situation, but given that it is a short flight and your TATL flight was untouched, you fared pretty well. Cheers and enjoy your trip

Often1

1. The only compensation due is under the COC which would provide for a recalculation of the itinerary (ATL-ORD-LHR-XXX-ATL) with the first segment in Y and the remainder in F. That is likely to be zero (and would likely be $0 on a cash ticket).

2. The miles here are more likely to be a CS gesture than compensation, although it is impossible to be certain without recalculaing the miles required per ticket for the new itinerary.

3. The gesture is fine.

4. Anybody here who wants the US to enact EU-Nanny rules ought to consider that those come at a cost: higher fares / more miles required or fewer elite perks (try finding a freebie UG on an EU carrier). Be careful what you wish for.

Dave Noble

5,333 miles for a downgrade is a risible offer imo.

Dave Noble

I disagree; it simply provides a disincentive for the airline to screw the passengers over and decent recompense for the party that was screwed over

Hyperacusis

There is no relationship between EU regulation and frequent flyer perks. It is a question of what the market can support.

Mideast carriers provide terrible FFP perks, and yet operate under a less regulatory environment than even the US (when it comes to compensation, labor laws, etc).

vasantn

For a sub-2-hour flight? I don't think it's that bad.

Bottom line, they were downgraded for 606 miles out of a total of 9118. The difference between the F award and a Y award was 65K miles. 65K x 606 / 9115 = 4320.

So 5333 would seem to be quite fair.

FWAAA

Why did the crew "time out" for the ATL-ORD flight? I'm guessing it was weather - as in the recent storms that plagued the midwest. They probably got in very late. If so, then IMO the OP should be glad they made it to ORD and their First Class Suites for the long ride to London. Downgraded on ATL-ORD? Let it go.