Aug 23, 2015, 1:39 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
FAQ: American Airlines Distressed Traveler / Interrupted Trip Policies
including Hotels / accommodation, vouchers and alternative approaches and resources
including Hotels / accommodation, vouchers and alternative approaches and resources
Q. Uh, oh! It's hitting the fan here! What's next?
Look at the wiki in 2015 AA Travel Notices & Policy, resources etc. (OSO, system IROPS, weather, etc.) if flights are still operating for the AA OSO number and other flight resources. If you're apparently stuck, read on.
Sometimes using other FlyerTalker's advice can save you time - and money. Here's a compendium of FTers' advice and experiences on being stuck overnight at or near an airport because of irregular operations.
Q. When will AA house or reimburse me?
If AA is at fault and admits it, you may be eligible for hotel, transportation and/or meal vouchers during lengthy delays resulting from flight cancellations etc. due to mechanical problems or other issues within the airline's control.
Status and your value to AA as a flyer (think Concierge Key or high Helix score rather than lifetime status made largely with pre-2012 miles) are also a factor in whether you will get accommodated or not, and how likely you are to be reimbursed for alternative arrangements.
AA is unlikely to provide amenities in cases of "force majeure events" - issues beyond its control, such as weather, strikes, etc. See here for definition, in AA's Conditions of Carriage.
N.B. If an agent promises you reimbursement, etc. be sure to have that statement added to your PNR / record. Some members have reported an agent told them they'd be reimbursed but never annotated the PNR and AA did not honor an anonymous agent's statement.
Q. What do I do next?
If widespread IROPS or severe disruptions have occurred, it may be chaotic and there may be queues of clamorous people besieging agents, seeking reaccommodation, lodging, etc.
Be aware the airport hotels may be filling fast, or even full; the same is true for nearby properties with airport shuttle service. Time is of the essence, as is rapid thinking.
Admirals Club and...: If so, your first priority may be to avoid joining the scrum. Is there a nearby Admirals Club? If you're a member or otherwise have access, try them; if you don't have access, in extremis consider a $50 day pass (or $99 one month membership if you're with family or expect further chaos in ensuing days).
Is there an airport reaccommodation desk or phone? Many travelers will overlook these in the frenzied rush to mob that visible ground agent or gate desk.
Your travel agent: If you booked using a travel agent, call them now; this is the test, and worth, of an agent. (An Online Travel Agent, such as Cheapo Air, Expedia or Travelocity may not be as responsive, and PriceLine et al may be good for finding discounted accommodation but is not likely to become involved with finding solutions to your IROPS experience.)
Calling: If you have your phone, try calling AA on your status priority line ("desk", as AA calls it) or CK or Executive Platinum agents. You could get resolution long before you might get a chance to talk to a harried, rushed ground agent.
Preventive action: If you know of the problem whilst you're on the plane, can you make advance arrangements using inflight WiFi? (Post #24)
Q. I want vouchers! What's wrong with that?
Accommodation voucher: If you manage a precious voucher, know it might be to a property that's handy to the airport, or one under contract to AA - featuring low rates for AA, and possibly significant distance, a taxi ride away and back (these may be scarce at such times), poorly staffed, restaurant with limited hours and unknown accommodations. If you know the property, go for it; otherwise, inquire if a known or other property is available; if not, it's a gamble.
Meal and transportation vouchers: Don't forget you may be entitled to these as well; don't expect the meal vouchers to cover expenses for more than basic fast food.
Distressed Traveler voucher: Alternatively, you can often get the airline to issue you a "Distressed Traveler" voucher enabling you to get a discounted rate at the property accepting it. Same issues as above apply.
Q. What other alternatives do I have?
Alternatives will depend on several issues: your ability to pay or get reimbursed. Do you have Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance (annual, for this trip or from a credit card you used to purchase this trip)? Will you client / company rembursement you? Are you consciously "self-insured" (in lieu of paying for insurance, you choose to accept responsibility for paying for these occasional bumps in the road yourself)! Or maybe you've just got enough filthy lucre it's not a worry.
Hotels: You can contact your favorite hotel chain (these may also have status numbers) and inquire which nearby properties can accommodate you. Be sure to ask if they offer an airport shuttle service, offer a distressed traveler rate, to mention discounted rates you qualify for (government, senior, whatever), and don't overlook the possibility of saving money by using your hotel points.
Some other hotel booking possibilities:
- PriceLine
- HotWire
- Your hotel chain app
- Hotel Tonight app
Self-insurance: you realize these things happen, and you choose to pay out of pocket when it does (in lieu of having TCII or a card that covers it)
Annual Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance may be the most cost effective of TCII, with annual limits.
Per trip TCII: These may cost 10-12% of your trip; see www.insuremytrip.com to shop and compare.
Credit card TCI protection: Certain credit cards may offer to reimburse trip interruption and expenses, e.g. Some Chase cards and the Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard include TCI insurance.
Q. Ugh! I'm stuck in the airport overnight! Now what?
There are some airports with micro- or capsule hotels; these tend to fill up fast. Other airports offer facilities and seating that will do in a pinch, even deploying stretchers / camp cots with blankets and pillows (e.g. DFW). If these haven't put on an appearance yet, ask. And don't forget the lounges for showers and cleaning up, or inquiring if the airport has shower options.
If all else fails: Guide to Sleeping in Airports. See the 2014 best airports for sleeping here, and the worst (including LGA) here.
This last site lists capsule hotels, etc. at various airports.
You're stuck, but it's not the end of the world. Good luck! And later, come share your experiences and knowledge with us.
FAQ: AA Distressed Traveler / Interrupted Trip Policy inc. Hotel
Aug 24, 2015, 3:07 pm
#31
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 187
Agreed. I usually can beat the voucher rate using Priceline or Hotwire.
Aug 24, 2015, 9:06 pm
#32
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection
Travel plans can go awry for many reasons. If certain unforeseen events get in the way of your trip, you may be reimbursed for non-refundable trip expenses, like change fees, up to $5,000, per person, per trip provided you paid for the trip with your Citi card.
Travel plans can go awry for many reasons. If certain unforeseen events get in the way of your trip, you may be reimbursed for non-refundable trip expenses, like change fees, up to $5,000, per person, per trip provided you paid for the trip with your Citi card.
Lost Baggage Protection
Say goodbye to baggage worries. You're covered up to $3,000 per person, per trip ($2,000 per person, per bag, per trip for New York residents) if items are lost, stolen or damaged by the common carrier on a trip you paid with your Citi card.
Say goodbye to baggage worries. You're covered up to $3,000 per person, per trip ($2,000 per person, per bag, per trip for New York residents) if items are lost, stolen or damaged by the common carrier on a trip you paid with your Citi card.
Aug 27, 2015, 8:40 am
#33
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Grapevine, TX
Programs: AA since 07/03/1985
Posts: 121
I live in Grapevine ( 4 miles from DFW). It is quite often that I bump into distressed PAX in the restaurant & bars I frequent in the area, especially during monsoon season. They're usually in one of the hotels in Grapevine. I do my best to help them out with directions, where' the bands, etc.. the lagniappe of local knowledge..
Last edited by msakas; Aug 27, 2015 at 8:52 am
Aug 27, 2015, 8:50 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Grapevine, TX
Programs: AA since 07/03/1985
Posts: 121
Most of us have multiple ways to over these emergencies/delays. This thread just gave me the Idea, to consolidate the info from all the insurance/card benefits and links. and put them in a file on my phone, a copy on the laptop and maybe a hardcopy printed in the carry on in case we have to go old school. I'd much rather be sorting this crap out before arriving at the terminal and standing in line. worse case, you pay for a cab and a room... someone else hopefully pays afterwards...
Aug 27, 2015, 1:33 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: PBI/FLL/MIA
Programs: DL DM/2MM, MR Ambassador, National EE
Posts: 1,614
I live in Grapevine ( 4 miles from DFW). It is quite often that I bump into distressed PAX in the restaurant & bars I frequent in the area, especially during monsoon season. They're usually in one of the hotels in Grapevine. I do my best to help them out with directions, where' the bands, etc.. the lagniappe of local knowledge..
Aug 28, 2015, 10:37 am
#36
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
My apologies for any inconvenience to the OP, but a door was just opened here and we're taking advantage of the opportunity presented to retitle and take this thread farther down the direction it began taking on its own.
We'll move this to the "Combined" forum ~October 17.
/Moderator
We'll move this to the "Combined" forum ~October 17.
/Moderator
Aug 29, 2015, 7:50 am
#37
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Glob (Barely); Marriott Plat Life; AA Up and Down Now Plat; Hilton, UA, BA, HA Peasant
Posts: 2,668
Frustration about the distance to or predictability of airline voucher hotels has become common and not limited to DFW or AA. Much the same whomever you fly and wherever you connect. The days of an automatic free night at the 3-star on-airport property are gone. But there are still advantages to stay on or close to airport if possible if the connection goes bust. If I'm stuck at ORD I know what my first two choices are.
As noted by several people above there are reasonable travel insurance options, including credit card products that include trip disruption. Or consider yourself self-insured and every so often it just happens.
As noted by several people above there are reasonable travel insurance options, including credit card products that include trip disruption. Or consider yourself self-insured and every so often it just happens.
Last edited by jayer; Aug 29, 2015 at 8:51 pm
Aug 29, 2015, 8:23 am
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
This is where good corporate TA's earn their keep. Their 24/7 backup services receives notifications that a misconnect is likely and, while you are in the air makes an educated judgment call about rebooking or overnight and does that. You arrive to a text/email advising of what to do. E.g. "head to Gate XX for flight YYYY" or "catch shuttle to the ZZZ Hotel".
Barring that, this all comes down to risk tolerance. Depending on where you live, e.g. lots of service vs. misconnects mean overnighting, this can happen pretty rarely. In that case, you may just be better off eating the cost and moving on.
Travel interruption insurance will pretty much always cover misconnects requiring a hotel and will do so at a sufficient level to get you a decent room. The kicker is always that in massive IRROPS, there may not be space. But, when you are booking at rack rates, you would be surprised how quickly a property can find you something.
Distressed traveler coupons are simply fliers with a toll-free number connecting to a service which monitors local availability. They have nothing to do with the air carrier. You can use the service even if you aren't "distressed". Properties list their availability when they know they won't likely sell the room so it's at a vast discount. The service marks the room up a bit and you've still got a fairly cheap room.
I feel for inexperienced travelers on tight budgets, particularly those with kids or elderly people in the group. This can get expensive and things like Priceline and knowing what's decent (no property actually calls itself the "El Dumpo") are things we may learn over time.
Barring that, this all comes down to risk tolerance. Depending on where you live, e.g. lots of service vs. misconnects mean overnighting, this can happen pretty rarely. In that case, you may just be better off eating the cost and moving on.
Travel interruption insurance will pretty much always cover misconnects requiring a hotel and will do so at a sufficient level to get you a decent room. The kicker is always that in massive IRROPS, there may not be space. But, when you are booking at rack rates, you would be surprised how quickly a property can find you something.
Distressed traveler coupons are simply fliers with a toll-free number connecting to a service which monitors local availability. They have nothing to do with the air carrier. You can use the service even if you aren't "distressed". Properties list their availability when they know they won't likely sell the room so it's at a vast discount. The service marks the room up a bit and you've still got a fairly cheap room.
I feel for inexperienced travelers on tight budgets, particularly those with kids or elderly people in the group. This can get expensive and things like Priceline and knowing what's decent (no property actually calls itself the "El Dumpo") are things we may learn over time.
Aug 29, 2015, 11:36 am
#39
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
This is where good corporate TA's earn their keep. Their 24/7 backup services receives notifications that a misconnect is likely and, while you are in the air makes an educated judgment call about rebooking or overnight and does that. You arrive to a text/email advising of what to do. E.g. "head to Gate XX for flight YYYY" or "catch shuttle to the ZZZ Hotel".
Barring that, this all comes down to risk tolerance. Depending on where you live, e.g. lots of service vs. misconnects mean overnighting, this can happen pretty rarely. In that case, you may just be better off eating the cost and moving on.
Travel interruption insurance will pretty much always cover misconnects requiring a hotel and will do so at a sufficient level to get you a decent room. The kicker is always that in massive IRROPS, there may not be space. But, when you are booking at rack rates, you would be surprised how quickly a property can find you something.
Distressed traveler coupons are simply fliers with a toll-free number connecting to a service which monitors local availability. They have nothing to do with the air carrier. You can use the service even if you aren't "distressed". Properties list their availability when they know they won't likely sell the room so it's at a vast discount. The service marks the room up a bit and you've still got a fairly cheap room.
I feel for inexperienced travelers on tight budgets, particularly those with kids or elderly people in the group. This can get expensive and things like Priceline and knowing what's decent (no property actually calls itself the "El Dumpo") are things we may learn over time.
Barring that, this all comes down to risk tolerance. Depending on where you live, e.g. lots of service vs. misconnects mean overnighting, this can happen pretty rarely. In that case, you may just be better off eating the cost and moving on.
Travel interruption insurance will pretty much always cover misconnects requiring a hotel and will do so at a sufficient level to get you a decent room. The kicker is always that in massive IRROPS, there may not be space. But, when you are booking at rack rates, you would be surprised how quickly a property can find you something.
Distressed traveler coupons are simply fliers with a toll-free number connecting to a service which monitors local availability. They have nothing to do with the air carrier. You can use the service even if you aren't "distressed". Properties list their availability when they know they won't likely sell the room so it's at a vast discount. The service marks the room up a bit and you've still got a fairly cheap room.
I feel for inexperienced travelers on tight budgets, particularly those with kids or elderly people in the group. This can get expensive and things like Priceline and knowing what's decent (no property actually calls itself the "El Dumpo") are things we may learn over time.
Even if it is from the comforts of the hotel I'd booked whils the others are mobbing the hapless agents who often enough can hardly wait to go home after a long, tedious day.