That is very strange, and considering the flight isn't for 3 more months, I'm surprised they did that without trying to find something else in F.

however in this case , the passenger requested the refund - I do not see that the airline is on the hook any more since the breach of EC261 will not occur

"I guess I was more curious if anyone has ever experienced anything like that. The original rep argued with me and got nasty, and the supervisor also argued and got nasty. She never conceded or said I was right, or anything, just gave me a pissy "I will just refund the miles" and when I tried to explain and clarify why I thought I was right and asked if maybe I misunderstood something, she just gave me a short "I already said I was refunding them." Obviously a lot of pissed off people over there right now.

I will say I was surprised compared to UA, who once changed something in a similar way due to a flight being cancelled (which did not even happen here...the same original flights are still operating so I still never got an answer as to why they changed my bookings to completely new routings and class), but UA proactively returned the mileage difference into my account without my asking. Irritating that had I not been checking here, they would have seen fit to rob me of almost $200 in miles."

Did you kill them with kindness? My guess is no and therefore they did the minimum they had to for you. Regardless of who is right or wrong, kill them with kindness and usually you will prosper. DYKWIA gets you nowhere when a resolution to a complaint is needed.

Need some advice (refund of cxl flight and upgrade fee)
 

I was flying from IND through ORD to RNO yesterday evening. When I arrived in ORD I found the connecting flight was cancelled due to maintenance issues. American said they had no flights from IND or ORD to RNO until late Tuesday. I needed to get there, so I found a flight on Southwest the following morning back in IND (right now, currently waiting in the terminal). I was given a return flight to IND at 10:00 PM, but had no boarding pass and my checked bag was probably not going to end up in the right place. I left the secure area, and with the help of another traveler, I tracked down my bag after about an hour. American staff (on phone and in person) were no help and couldn't tell me where to even go to talk to someone about baggage. After getting my bag, I tired to print my boarding pass, but the self service kiosk could not find my record. The line to get to American Service desk was 2+ hours long. I called in several times and at one point, the person on the phone deleted my other flights from my itinerary in hopes that it would knock something loose and allow the kiosk to work. No dice. I ended up missing the flight I was assigned back to IND because the line was so long, so I took a bus back. There were four open staff terminals, and plenty of staff standing around, but they all claimed that they were only there to help with the self service kiosk.

When I got on the bus I explained the whole situation to someone at American over the phone. She was trying, but seemed really confused and didn't understand everything that had happened. I kindly asked to be passed up the chain to a supervisor, and she agreed. I was on hold waiting for the supervisor for 30 minutes and then I was disconnected.

Here is the core issue. My original itinerary for the cancelled flight is cleared except for the one flight I made from IND to ORD. The price on the online receipt that you can generate has dropped by $69, which appears to be the seat upgrade I purchased. To top it off, I paid for part of the flight with a voucher from another American screw up. The last woman I spoke to couldn't tell me if I requested a refund if I would get a replacement voucher or I would simply be SOL. She also couldn't tell me if there was any record of the seat upgrade I paid for or if I could get it refunded now that it is not in the system. Should I call again and try to get a supervisor another time? Should I try some kind of online contact?

Lastly, this screw up by American cost me $400 dollars and a night of sleep. I felt like I was trying to be very accommodating with their situation. I offered to take a flight to San Francisco or Vegas and drive, but they gave me no options. Should I try to pursue an additional voucher?

None of this will be dealt with on the phone. Refunds can't readily be calculated by phone agents.

Simply submit a webform complaint to AA noting that your onward segment was cancelled after arrival at ORD and that you therefore wish the entire ticket cancelled and refunded, including the UG fee.

AA should refund the portion paid in cash (including UG) to your CC and the portion paid by voucher to a new voucher. It may also issue some miles for your inconvenience.

I would leave out all of the other back-and-forth as it is extremely confusing and will make it hard for an agent to figure out what you really want.