AA Won't Take My Money - Use It or Lose It
Apr 10, 2008, 1:59 pm
#1
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AA Won't Take My Money - Use It or Lose It
Have a reservation next wk CPH-LHR-RDU with the return a few days later RDU-MIA-MAD-CPH. Found out yesterday I need to be in RDU a day earlier for work, so I called the PLT desk to move my flights up a day.
The agent does the usual, new fare minus ticketed fare, + $200 change fee, and my total is $854 to change flights. Fine, I tell her to book it. Tough pill, but I have to be there.
After a 10 minute hold while she books this w/ the rate desk, the agent comes back and says sorry sir, there can be no changes to your flights. It’s a use it or lose it ticket.
What!? I am still in shock. I’m pretty familiar w/ use it or lose it restrictions (fly or change ticket before original departure date, otherwise no value), but I was under the (wrong) impression that pretty much any ‘normal’ fare could be changed, w/ fees of course.
And this is what I'd consider normal, a combination of N/S/K fare classes, booked on AA.com, for a total of $844 all in. It’d be one thing if it was a Priceline or consolidator cheapo booking, but it’s not. I fly AA transatlantic once a month and have booked way cheaper tickets than that, and changes have never been a problem.
Anyone have experience with this? Any ways to get around this ridiculous restriction? I say ridiculous as in the current state of the airline industry, AA just walked away from an add’l $854 in revenue it could’ve had for a few keystrokes on the computer. I really don’t know why I’m surprised.
The agent does the usual, new fare minus ticketed fare, + $200 change fee, and my total is $854 to change flights. Fine, I tell her to book it. Tough pill, but I have to be there.
After a 10 minute hold while she books this w/ the rate desk, the agent comes back and says sorry sir, there can be no changes to your flights. It’s a use it or lose it ticket.
What!? I am still in shock. I’m pretty familiar w/ use it or lose it restrictions (fly or change ticket before original departure date, otherwise no value), but I was under the (wrong) impression that pretty much any ‘normal’ fare could be changed, w/ fees of course.
And this is what I'd consider normal, a combination of N/S/K fare classes, booked on AA.com, for a total of $844 all in. It’d be one thing if it was a Priceline or consolidator cheapo booking, but it’s not. I fly AA transatlantic once a month and have booked way cheaper tickets than that, and changes have never been a problem.
Anyone have experience with this? Any ways to get around this ridiculous restriction? I say ridiculous as in the current state of the airline industry, AA just walked away from an add’l $854 in revenue it could’ve had for a few keystrokes on the computer. I really don’t know why I’m surprised.
Apr 10, 2008, 2:00 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Now:AUS (again); Previous: LGA/EWR (BLKYN, missing JFK), AUS, SAT
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Posts: 593
Have a reservation next wk CPH-LHR-RDU with the return a few days later RDU-MIA-MAD-CPH. Found out yesterday I need to be in RDU a day earlier for work, so I called the PLT desk to move my flights up a day.
The agent does the usual, new fare minus ticketed fare, + $200 change fee, and my total is $854 to change flights. Fine, I tell her to book it. Tough pill, but I have to be there.
After a 10 minute hold while she books this w/ the rate desk, the agent comes back and says sorry sir, there can be no changes to your flights. It’s a use it or lose it ticket.
What!? I am still in shock. I’m pretty familiar w/ use it or lose it restrictions (fly or change ticket before original departure date, otherwise no value), but I was under the (wrong) impression that pretty much any ‘normal’ fare could be changed, w/ fees of course.
And this is what I would consider normal, a combination of N/S/K fare classes, booked on AA.com, for a total of $844 all in. It’d be one thing if it was a Priceline or consolidator cheapo booking, but it’s not. I fly AA transatlantic once a month and have booked way cheaper tickets than that, and changes have never been a problem.
Anyone have experience with this? Any ways to get around this ridiculous restriction? I say ridiculous as in the current state of the airline industry, AA just walked away from an add’l $854 in revenue it could’ve had for a few keystrokes on the computer. I really don’t know why I’m surprised.
The agent does the usual, new fare minus ticketed fare, + $200 change fee, and my total is $854 to change flights. Fine, I tell her to book it. Tough pill, but I have to be there.
After a 10 minute hold while she books this w/ the rate desk, the agent comes back and says sorry sir, there can be no changes to your flights. It’s a use it or lose it ticket.
What!? I am still in shock. I’m pretty familiar w/ use it or lose it restrictions (fly or change ticket before original departure date, otherwise no value), but I was under the (wrong) impression that pretty much any ‘normal’ fare could be changed, w/ fees of course.
And this is what I would consider normal, a combination of N/S/K fare classes, booked on AA.com, for a total of $844 all in. It’d be one thing if it was a Priceline or consolidator cheapo booking, but it’s not. I fly AA transatlantic once a month and have booked way cheaper tickets than that, and changes have never been a problem.
Anyone have experience with this? Any ways to get around this ridiculous restriction? I say ridiculous as in the current state of the airline industry, AA just walked away from an add’l $854 in revenue it could’ve had for a few keystrokes on the computer. I really don’t know why I’m surprised.
Apr 10, 2008, 2:04 pm
#3
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Apr 10, 2008, 2:06 pm
#4
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This doesn't seem consistent w/an N/S/K fare ticket. I would contact another agent - although that requires actually getting thru on the phone - which can be a bit of a challenge at present.
- Do you have a copy of the T&Cs - there must be something very strange in the fine print.
- Do you have a copy of the T&Cs - there must be something very strange in the fine print.
Apr 10, 2008, 2:10 pm
#5
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Happened to me about 8 years ago. I had LAX-JFK on hold and when I went back to aa.com to buy it, the screen announced that my airfare had dropped by $10 or so. I clicked "buy it," and when the ticket arrived via FedEx (back in the paper ticket days), I then noticed that aa.com had substituted a "use it or lose it and NO changes allowed" ticket.
I called and raised holy hell (needlessly) and the agent was more than happy to fix things.
Made me very angry that the website had substituted a new, restrictive fare basis in the 20 hours since I had booked the ticket and printed the fare rules.
I called and raised holy hell (needlessly) and the agent was more than happy to fix things.
Made me very angry that the website had substituted a new, restrictive fare basis in the 20 hours since I had booked the ticket and printed the fare rules.
Apr 10, 2008, 2:29 pm
#6
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This doesn't seem consistent w/an N/S/K fare ticket. I would contact another agent - although that requires actually getting thru on the phone - which can be a bit of a challenge at present.
- Do you have a copy of the T&Cs - there must be something very strange in the fine print.
- Do you have a copy of the T&Cs - there must be something very strange in the fine print.
Apr 10, 2008, 2:39 pm
#7
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Apr 10, 2008, 4:39 pm
#8
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: London, SE1
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I have had this happen on a W fare, but that was a web special. It would not surprise me to find out other super-restricted booking classes like N and S would have similar restrictions. There is an option when booking via the web to explore the T&Cs of fare classes, but even on the web special, when I read through those details, I can never find the 'use it or lose it' clause. I guess in this day-and-age, you just have to expect changes are not even possible.
Apr 11, 2008, 8:58 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Are any of your portions on BA? They are notorious for "use it or lose it". Perhaps that is why your entire itinerary is marked this way?
Apr 11, 2008, 9:19 pm
#10
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Quite strange that there are such rules even on cheapo fares. AA could easily make some money here and get the chance to sell the original seat.
Apr 12, 2008, 6:15 am
#11
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The CPH-LHR is an AA codeshare operated by BA. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the use it or lose it clause is either a product of A) the BA segment, or B) that I'm departing CPH. I'm going to try to get someone from the rate desk on the phone today who can explain exactly what segment/airline/destination is screwing this up, cause I've never seen it before.
What UA Fan said above baffles me the most. I was ready, willing, and able to give AA an extra $854 in revenue for doing next to nothing. The new flights were even more open than the ones I'm on. It makes absolutely no business sense as to why they wouldn't let me change.
Apr 12, 2008, 9:15 am
#12
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I would agree it's not the most customer-friendly policy, but to claim it makes "no business sense" doesn't hold water in my opinion.
Apr 12, 2008, 10:02 am
#13
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Apr 12, 2008, 12:50 pm
#14
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I got caught with a $5,000 (D) use it or loose it this January, LAX-JFK-LHR; LGW-DFW. I had needed to be in LA on business just before heading to London. AA.COM bizarrely booked me on the Qantas flight, AA codeshare, from LAX-JFK and then put me in FC because it was a "domestic" leg. I thought it was strange but I figured a QF 744 would be better than an AA 762.
My plans changed and I did not need or want to be in LA. When I phoned (about 10 different times) to request a change over to DFW-XXX-LHR, I was told "no way, you have a use it or loose it". A term I have never heard in 40 years of frequent air travel. So I begrudgingly took a flight from DFW to LAX just so I could get on the AA/QF flight to JFK.
I went to check in at the Qantas counter in LAX and was told since I did not originate in Australia, I could not take the QF flight. In fact they said they were watching for me since being put on "alert" by their JFK sta. mgr. Since this was obviously be a problem and since everyone certainly had enough contact details on me, I will never understand why SOMEone couldn't have called me in the days before.
Anyhow, QF sta. mgr. phoned AA and I guess the fur flew. ALL of a sudden AA figured out they had sold an illegal ticket and "Mr. bbkenney, sir, we will change your flight to whatever you wish or will refund the entire ticket. Whatever you want, sir!"
They wound up paying for my DFW-LAX and a fair amount of aadvantage miles but not enough to pay for the whole wasted day.
I now actually read the fare rules before hitting the Purchase button.
My plans changed and I did not need or want to be in LA. When I phoned (about 10 different times) to request a change over to DFW-XXX-LHR, I was told "no way, you have a use it or loose it". A term I have never heard in 40 years of frequent air travel. So I begrudgingly took a flight from DFW to LAX just so I could get on the AA/QF flight to JFK.
I went to check in at the Qantas counter in LAX and was told since I did not originate in Australia, I could not take the QF flight. In fact they said they were watching for me since being put on "alert" by their JFK sta. mgr. Since this was obviously be a problem and since everyone certainly had enough contact details on me, I will never understand why SOMEone couldn't have called me in the days before.
Anyhow, QF sta. mgr. phoned AA and I guess the fur flew. ALL of a sudden AA figured out they had sold an illegal ticket and "Mr. bbkenney, sir, we will change your flight to whatever you wish or will refund the entire ticket. Whatever you want, sir!"
They wound up paying for my DFW-LAX and a fair amount of aadvantage miles but not enough to pay for the whole wasted day.
I now actually read the fare rules before hitting the Purchase button.
Apr 12, 2008, 11:58 pm
#15
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I got caught with a $5,000 (D) use it or loose it this January, LAX-JFK-LHR; LGW-DFW. I had needed to be in LA on business just before heading to London. AA.COM bizarrely booked me on the Qantas flight, AA codeshare, from LAX-JFK and then put me in FC because it was a "domestic" leg. I thought it was strange but I figured a QF 744 would be better than an AA 762.
My plans changed and I did not need or want to be in LA. When I phoned (about 10 different times) to request a change over to DFW-XXX-LHR, I was told "no way, you have a use it or loose it". A term I have never heard in 40 years of frequent air travel.
.
My plans changed and I did not need or want to be in LA. When I phoned (about 10 different times) to request a change over to DFW-XXX-LHR, I was told "no way, you have a use it or loose it". A term I have never heard in 40 years of frequent air travel.
.