2013-15 77W / 777-300ER First award seat disruptions and downgrades (consolidated)
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: North Dallas
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 463

I bought my AA award ticket for 250,000 miles plus taxes 4 months before the flight. I actually did it all over the phone with an AA agent so that there would be no problems. I did mind paying the 20 bucks or whatever.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
Last edited by JDiver; Aug 8, 13 at 5:55 am Reason: restore original post title
#2
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With that said, letting us know the exact date and flight number would help folks here to figure out what really did happen.
Cheers.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: North Dallas
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 463
This is for 6/25/2013. AA 50 DFW-LHR
Oh well I called back again and after another 45 minutes on hold, me listening to hold music and them calling the help desk, they told me to call back tomorrow.
I doubt it will be better tomorrow, but I suppose at 740pm on a sunday no one that can help is there.
#4
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I didn't actually accuse them of that, I'm pretty sure that the person I'm talking on the phone wasn't the one who did it.
This is for 6/25/2013. AA 50 DFW-LHR
Oh well I called back again and after another 45 minutes on hold, me listening to hold music and them calling the help desk, they told me to call back tomorrow.
I doubt it will be better tomorrow, but I suppose at 740pm on a sunday no one that can help is there.
This is for 6/25/2013. AA 50 DFW-LHR
Oh well I called back again and after another 45 minutes on hold, me listening to hold music and them calling the help desk, they told me to call back tomorrow.
I doubt it will be better tomorrow, but I suppose at 740pm on a sunday no one that can help is there.

Cheers.
#5
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 5,445
I bought my AA award ticket for 250,000 miles plus taxes 4 months before the flight. I actually did it all over the phone with an AA agent so that there would be no problems. I did mind paying the 20 bucks or whatever.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: North Dallas
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 463
so no sleep for me tonight, I will hopefully be back here tomorrow with either good news or bad.
I am an optimist, so I still hold out hope.
I am really looking forward to that plane. I actually closed my office 2 days early just so that I could fly on that plane and delayed my entire vacation by a couple of months so that it would be in inventory.
I am an optimist, so I still hold out hope.
I am really looking forward to that plane. I actually closed my office 2 days early just so that I could fly on that plane and delayed my entire vacation by a couple of months so that it would be in inventory.
#7
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Indeed. Did you receive confirmation of your booking/receipt? Did you check your rez on AA.com at any time after your telephone booking? Was your CC charged for the $20 and taxes/fees?
#8
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Location: NYC, USA
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Wouldn't this situation be considered "refusal to transport" and thus fall under the "Involuntary Refunds" section of the CoC? If so, all AA would be required to do is provide a full refund of the miles and taxes/fees.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/customerServi...ge.jsp#Refunds
Involuntary Refunds
In the event the refund is required because of American's failure to operate on schedule or refusal to transport, the following refund will be made directly to you -
If the ticket is totally unused, the full amount paid (with no service charge or refund penalty), or
If the ticket is partially used, the applicable fare for the unused segment(s).
American shall not be obligated to refund any portion(s) of a ticket which does not reflect a confirmed reservation on an American flight involved in a schedule irregularity, unless such ticket was issued by American.
Whether the refund is voluntary or involuntary, American reserves the right to refuse to make any refund in a currency other than the currency of purchase or in a country other than country of purchase.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/customerServi...ge.jsp#Refunds
Involuntary Refunds
In the event the refund is required because of American's failure to operate on schedule or refusal to transport, the following refund will be made directly to you -
If the ticket is totally unused, the full amount paid (with no service charge or refund penalty), or
If the ticket is partially used, the applicable fare for the unused segment(s).
American shall not be obligated to refund any portion(s) of a ticket which does not reflect a confirmed reservation on an American flight involved in a schedule irregularity, unless such ticket was issued by American.
Whether the refund is voluntary or involuntary, American reserves the right to refuse to make any refund in a currency other than the currency of purchase or in a country other than country of purchase.
#9
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLT
Posts: 1,467
Are you sure if AA50 was 77W when you booked?
If so, I have no idea why AA cancelled your reservation.
If AA50 was supposed to be B772 when you booked, then I may understand what AA agents told you.
#10
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I bought my AA award ticket for 250,000 miles plus taxes 4 months before the flight. I actually did it all over the phone with an AA agent so that there would be no problems. I did mind paying the 20 bucks or whatever.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
So today I login to add my passport info etc, and my seats have been cancelled.
Now what they keep telling me is equipment changes, but since I was in a 77W, there are only 8 first class seats, so I don't think they went to a plane with less first class seats than that.
I'm guess I have heard of this on the boards, but this would be a first for me being in a seat and having a seat reserved and then they cancelled it. I guess someone came along and paid full fare and they cancelled me and my wife.
I actually have gold status now, lost my platinum a few years back, but I always fly AA, in fact I live about 10 minutes from DFW so it's been pretty nice, and this is pretty crappy.
I know this is in miles, but I go out of my way to use them, in fact I have passed up better deals to get the miles and fly on AA. I'm still working on it.
any one have any ideas. I into hour 2 on hold, so I have time to write these messages.
Isn't a oneway at most 100K miles?
(50K for first x2 for AAnytime if applicable.)
Did you ever check your PNR on virtually there?
This CAN'T be a roundtrip given the tax quotation.
(I would view this as a + so I could fly BA F sans YQ.)
#11
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Interestingly, it still shows a 77W, with F fully booked and J about the same. Something is definitely fishy, and calling back tomorrow to get to the bottom of it is a good idea. But they really don't boot people when someone else wants to buy the seat...at least not that I've read of here 
Cheers.

Cheers.
It seems perfectly logical for them not to be able handle all of the previous F passengers in F if there is an equipment change. However, they should be reasonable in finding F seats on another flight, on AA or a partner.
So, the question is whether or not the original flight was on 77W or not.
#12
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100K would be the most for Business class.
I suspect OP spent 250K for 2 first class roundtrips.
OP: Are you completely off the flight, not just out of FC?
What did they offer you?
It makes sense that you might lose F seating since the new aircraft only has 8 of them, and the older one has 16.
So, the question is whether this was a 77W originally and swapped to 772, then swapped back to 77W.
It might be possible that sometime in the last 4 months there was a change, more people were added, then there was a change back to 77W.
Last edited by mvoight; Jun 23, 13 at 7:29 pm
#13
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Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
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Having been purchased with AAdvantage miles, the OP's ticket is refundable.
#14
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#15
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: RTM/AMS & CUR
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,157
The OP never mentioned how much he paid in taxes, so you can't really come to that conclusion. The $20 is the phone booking fee that he paid on top of everything.