AA.com no longer allows close-in booking (ie within a few hours)?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
AA.com no longer allows close-in booking (ie within a few hours)?
I just noticed when searching for some same day travel, that AA.com displays "not available online"
It is 4:18PM in ORD- looking ORD-DTW today the 5:45PM departure shows this. The 6:40PM shows $480.
Given their miserable phone support, if a 'civilian' (lets not say kettle) was trying to book a flight theyd be SOL.
(If this has been discussed, please merge or delete.)
For elites or those with travel agents, they can get around that. (Although Ive been known to book backup via gogoinflight myself)
Is this new? or have I just missed this?
Thoughts?
It is 4:18PM in ORD- looking ORD-DTW today the 5:45PM departure shows this. The 6:40PM shows $480.
Given their miserable phone support, if a 'civilian' (lets not say kettle) was trying to book a flight theyd be SOL.
(If this has been discussed, please merge or delete.)
For elites or those with travel agents, they can get around that. (Although Ive been known to book backup via gogoinflight myself)
Is this new? or have I just missed this?
Thoughts?
#2
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP; Marriott PP; Hilton Gold
Posts: 171
What's so miserable about the phone support? Wait times can be long when there are significant WX issues, but during normal operations it's not that bad.
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
I wonder if this is tacit acknowledgment that aa.com's lack of real time ticketing could mean people have initiated purchases but not been issued tickets at the deadline before schedule departure.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SOF
Programs: A3 Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Silver
Posts: 849
It may be that AA considered this is a functionality that wasn't necessary. If you're trying to make a purchase so close to departure, one should already be at the airport and I'm sure you can find AA agents that can sell you a ticket there. Thus, they may not have considered this a case where they need to enable online sales for. Add to that the generally sluggish ticketing process AA uses and you may have answered your question.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,227
AA.com no longer allows close-in booking (ie within a few hours)?
What's the fee for ticketing at the airport counter?
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
Oh. OK
For me, phenomenal. Not so much for lower tiers, based on recent reports....
My point is that this seems to be a change...
Or has this always been the case? I never recall seeing this on same day display.
$0 AFAIK
For me, phenomenal. Not so much for lower tiers, based on recent reports....
It may be that AA considered this is a functionality that wasn't necessary. If you're trying to make a purchase so close to departure, one should already be at the airport and I'm sure you can find AA agents that can sell you a ticket there. Thus, they may not have considered this a case where they need to enable online sales for. Add to that the generally sluggish ticketing process AA uses and you may have answered your question.
Or has this always been the case? I never recall seeing this on same day display.
$0 AFAIK
#7
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,570
I thought there was a $35 fee (more for intl.) for ticketing at the counter.
#8
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: US
Programs: AAdvantage
Posts: 1,753
Considering that US Airways offers instant ticketing, I would hope that this functionality is somehow incorporated once we reach a single reservations system.
$35 for domestic itineraries (including Canada), $45 for international itineraries. Fee is waived for Executive Platinum passengers and passengers who have already paid an AAdvantage expedite fee but were unable to have the ticket issued for whatever reason.
#9
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Lifetime Plat, SPG Plat, AMEX Plat, Hertz PC, Travels too Much Platinum
Posts: 3,290
^ Neither AA.com nor Reservations can sell a ticket for flights departing within 2 hours because the tickets may not be issued prior to the check-in cutoff time. The process can be manually expedited with a phone call to eTDS, but it's time-consuming and AA's solution seems to be to simply prevent the sales from happening altogether.
Considering that US Airways offers instant ticketing, I would hope that this functionality is somehow incorporated once we reach a single reservations system.
Considering that US Airways offers instant ticketing, I would hope that this functionality is somehow incorporated once we reach a single reservations system.
Being used to instant ticketing on US, this particular point feels like stepping back several decades in time. There are times I have spent very significant dollars on close in flights on US en route to the airport while in a taxi to the airport due to the a client emergency - I keep a separate suitcase in my office for this exact reason, and need it at least a half dozen times per year. The thought that the flights might not be ticketed in time without significant manual intervention in 2015 kind of blows my mind.
#10
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: St. Louis, MO, USA
Programs: AA PPro, Mariott Gold Elite, Lowly kettle across every other loyalty program.
Posts: 778
I don't think this is a change with AA. IIRC, they never allowed you to book via the web less than 2 hours out. Calling reservations or in person at the counter was the only way to do last-minute tickets. Now it seems that the first method is unreliable. If this is important to you, I'd contact PAR/D and complain--last minute tickets make a lot of money and if enough people complain to justify the cost, they could at least add more help to the EXP line to service ticketing calls.
#11
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
Not that it's the best solution, but can you still ticket via an OTA?
#12
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
I don't think this is a change with AA. IIRC, they never allowed you to book via the web less than 2 hours out. Calling reservations or in person at the counter was the only way to do last-minute tickets. Now it seems that the first method is unreliable. If this is important to you, I'd contact PAR/D and complain--last minute tickets make a lot of money and if enough people complain to justify the cost, they could at least add more help to the EXP line to service ticketing calls.
Q: How soon before a flight can I book and purchase a ticket on aa.com?
A: Your flight must leave at least two hours later than the time you purchase your ticket on aa.
A: Your flight must leave at least two hours later than the time you purchase your ticket on aa.
#13
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: US
Programs: AAdvantage
Posts: 1,753
Since there's no way to book within 2 hours without incurring the airport ticketing fee, is it possible to make the argument that it's no longer an "optional" fee at that point and should be included in the fare and taxed appropriately?
#14
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP - Marriott LT Platinum - National Exec Elite
Posts: 1,112
I got off a plane three weeks ago, got a call to head somewhere else, and purchased at the desk 50 minutes prior to flight for no added fee.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Maybe part of the change that you no longer have to pay the fee for flights that can't be booked online. In my case I was booking Iberia award tickets for my 2 daughters shortly after the change was announced, so I had to remind the agent of the change. No phone fee was added. I don't remember if the change applied to all tickets, or just award tickets on partners that couldn't be booked online