bdemaria

Since I was in this exact situation in December (which differs than the OP - who made an error in booking), I understand the challenges you faced - but I find myself wondering what did you seek from AA? A lower price, better routing, etc.. I'm not trying to be snarky here, it is genuine interest and it isn't clear from your post.

I had to get to the Boston area c. Dec. 17 and had to deal w/both severe weather (and thus many cancellations) and heavily booked holiday flights. I had a choice of very high fares (on all carriers or booking anytime awards on AA. Booked the high fare for myself and a whole lot of anytime awards for my family. The important thing for me: we got on flights and got to Boston.

QueenOfCoach

I agree.

Would you go to a dress shop and ask for a discount because the dress is for a funeral? Would you ask for a free Venti because you are on your way to a funeral and need coffee?

Back in the old days, most airlines would just take your word that you had a relative you needed to see. Back in the old days, many people took advantage of that generosity. ("Just tell them your grandmother died, again, and get your ticket changed.")

The airlines clamped down, requesting name of the ill or deceased relative, hospital or funeral home. I went through this, myself, when I lost five relatives in five years, including both parents.

The scammers then took to looking up funeral notices in the newspaper, then saying "Joe Blow is/was my best friend...".

I don't blame the airlines for eliminating bereavement fares and clamping down on requests for special consideration. Too many people use that as a means of scamming the airline. Besides, as I mentioned above, how many other industries have a practice of discounting prices for bereaved friends/relatives?

My sympathies are with the OP. I still mourn the loss of my parents and that sadness will go with me for the rest of my life. It's tough, I know. The OP can try some of the suggestions upthread for getting the change fee waived. Good luck on that, and I mean that sincerely.

If the OP is ultimately unsuccessful, then they are free to make decisions as to which businesses to patronize in the future.

Me? I am forever grateful to AA for getting me a last minute award ticket when my step-brother died on Good Friday in 1994. I got the sad news at 2:30 am and had a ticket for later that same day by 3:30. Thank you, night shift workers at Aadvantage.

hillrider

I do not understand this talk of corporations as if they were objects: they're a collection of people, not rocks.

Marketing 101 shows that if you act "like a family member or friend" ("establish an emotional connection", in jargon), you end up with more profit: it's called branding.

Andriyko

May I ask what were you expecting AA to do? Is it customary for U.S.-based airlines to offer specific assistance when a family member passes away?

When my father-in-law passed away a few years ago we had to buy 2 very expensive tickets from BA for the next day to fly to JFK. It did not even occur to me to ask for anything or to stop using them because they did not offer a cheaper flight or did not upgrade us. BA did what I needed - they transported me to JFK and back, and as an experienced flyer I knew that buying a ticket for the next day would be very expensive.

I am only asking to understand why people are expecting airlines to do anything. Is it something that's common in the USA?

FWAAA

I'm sorry to hear of the OP's loss. Losing a parent is never easy. Anger is one of the stages of grieving, and it's easy to be angry at the greedy airline that refuses to waive its extraordinary penalties for the OP's error.

Are we talking about New York to Philadelphia? Just throw away the ticket and get on the train, like 95%* of the people traveling between NYC and PHL. It's only $224. I doubt that Amtrak will charge that much for the round-trip.

*I've got the O&D stats to prove it if anybody feels the need. On most days, between 0 and 5 people fly that route who aren't connecting. Amtrak owns NYC-PHL.

SanDiego1K

My experience was two months ago.

nrr

In an earlier post in this thread, I did suggest the train--but Greyhound has more frequent bus (horrors) than Amtrak, the rt fare in less than $30.

swajames

But that's a non-sequitur. Dresses and coffee need not cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and the price of the dress or coffee doesn't go up the closer you get the date you need to purchase it... The airline ticket situation is unique in that people need to get to where they need to get and they don't generally get sufficient advance notice to make the cost more reasonable.

It boils down to this. Airlines make a ton of money from passengers who travel on business and for whom high or higher fares (and thus greater profits) on unplanned short-notice trips are a necessary business expense. It's not unreasonable for the airline to cut that same passenger a break when it's coming out of their own pocket at short notice and for circumstances such as those described in the OP. It makes far more business sense for AA to focus on the big picture and make a value judgment around the merits of pissing off a customer who otherwise contributes revenue and profit for a couple of hundred bucks.

And let's not forget - this whole issue happened because the OP simply made a mistake in the heat of a moment of grief. Sure, AA and others can point to the rules and say you made the mistake so you live with it. Equally, they can show a little compassion and can easily bend their own rules. For me, AA ought to do the latter here. If what the OP tells us is right, it may well be that AA's inflexibility over a couple of hundred bucks costs them thousands. Does that really make good business sense? I certainly don't think so. AA always strikes me as more than reasonable to deal with, I'd have expected reason to prevail over the rules in cases like this.

JonNYC

I wish I knew how to quit (them.)

zachary

Interesting debate. Maybe we're all spoiled by the businesses that have a "the customer is always right" mentality. People call hotels all the time past the cancellation deadline. Usually (at least for US non-resort properties), if you ask nicely, it gets waived. If you go to a restaurant and order something that has an ingredient you don't like, you'll usually get something else without having to pay for 2 meals even though that ingredient is listed right on the menu. And, yes, airlines sometimes bend their rules -- I bet everyone on this board has had a gate agent make some change that maybe wasn't technically allowed. Web services was, at least as of a year ago, definitely empowered to waive change fees if you made a mistake and called in quickly, even though the fare rules would indicate otherwise.

So we get used to businesses doing things they don't have to do for us. And when we get told no, we get upset because it deviates from what other businesss do. Pretty easy to understand, even though AA has the absolute right to stick to its rules.

Austinrunner

Acting is just that: acting.

Be loyal to your family, friends, and dogs. You know and love them. Being loyal to a profit-seeking corporation is just going to lead to feelings of betrayal and bitterness. Be business-like with a business. Expect it to be professional with you. But never forget that its bottom line objective is to make profits for its shareholders, not take care of you during retirement or make sure everyone gets to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving.

If you fall for the acting/marketing BS from a corporation, blame only yourself.

Madison Guy

Careful....

"Fronting" one something usually implies repayment of some kind. Totally giving/gifting an AAward ticket is acceptable - "fronting" - implying some sort of "return" down the line, could quite well be construed by AA as a violation of their T&C and risk account closure, no?

vasantn

In a case like this, I would seriously doubt it. I see nothing wrong with using my miles for a friend's award ticket if he or she is temporarily short, and then being made whole somewhere down the line. I would not consider that to be a sale or barter transaction and neither would any court of law. It's a loan, plain and simple.

Madison Guy

Neither would I. But based on some threads here, I sometimes wonder...

Dave Noble

You are still being paid for the miles which you gave the person. If there is payment in kind, then how is it a gift?

I doubt AA is overly concerned about such things though