dwrucklaw

In January we booked 2 round-trip, per-devaluaiton, MileSaver Awards in First Class, MIA to CDG, on the 3 cabin 777.

I happened to check in February and found that the equipment changed to the 2 class 767, with the new 1-2-1, business class. While disappointed, I called in to change the seats (so my wife and I would be together) and to be sure that they refunded the extra-miles I had used.

Yesterday, I saw that they changed back to the original 777 with first class - and we have been given seats in the old 2-3-2 business class. I called AA to ask that they re-assign us to the first class seats as originally booked, but was told that yes there was award space - but that I would now have to pay the current miles, or almost 70,000 more than we originally booked in January.

I spoke to several agents who said this would not be grandfathered because I called in and changed the seats thus "accepted" the new itinerary. They could not articulate a specific policy.

Thus, we have gone from first class seats, to the new business class seats, and now to the old business class, all due to equipment changes - and with a refusal to return us to the seats we originally booked without paying new rates.

Any suggestions or options?

Microwave

Thread had been approved out of the moderation queue, sorry for the delay on that.

~Moderator

JonNYC

Hard as it is to hear, I'd say all correct. Once you were refunded the miles, game over. -That- was the time to try and preserve the grandfathered F-award.

Nothing to be done now, you have a business class award.

AAExpDFW

But you got the miles refunded from your original change, right? If so I'm kinda with AA on this....you accepted the change and got a refund.

Now if you had just left it and "ignored" the schedule change under the general assumption of schedules change frequently up until about 3 months out...then I'd be more on your side. You would still have an F ticket and not a J ticket.

Sorry I don't really have any other ideas. Except hope for another change back to a new aircraft or for last-minute discount F award availability (routinely available 1 to 2 days before departure if enough seats are still unsold).

JonNYC

That won't do anything to address having to pay the new rates, which is the main thrust of the complaint, as I read it.

AAExpDFW

But might possibly be cheaper than the 70k being quoted right now for an F award...

JonNYC

I have to admit; now that I re-read your comment-- I'm 100% unfamiliar with this "discount F award availability (routinely available 1 to 2 days before departure if enough seats are still unsold"-- what is that?

And, you sure you're reading this section correctly:

I think he's quoting 2 pax and/or r/t, possibly.

beachfan

You did have the option of changing flights to stay in F on a 3 class, no?

nrr

How would it play out if OP did nothing (waiting for 3 class service to return--but it DIDN'T)? BC might have filled up on the 2 cabin MIA-CDG; he would be holding an F ticket with no F seats to be had.

ijgordon

At some point the ticket would probably be reissued (from Z to U) and the miles refunded. The reservation for the biz seats was changed at the time of the equipment change.

chuck1

I personally think AA should put him back into Z and just charge the difference between first and business under the old program. It's the same flight and as far as I'm concerned it was an involuntary downgrade. I view this as very customer unfriendly but absolutely not surprising.

I would write into customer service on the website and explain the situation.

mingw

my opinion is, he "accepted" the change to business, only because AA "forced" him to -- the F seats were no more there, what else choice he had? AA should refund his mile difference. this down-grade is involuntary rather than his choice.

and now AA "reinstated" the 3-class plane, they should reinstate his original tickets too.

Microwave

When the flight was downgauged, that would have been the time for the OP to have requested a different routing that still had F. AA would almost certainly have worked with the OP to do that, and when F came back on this flight I think it's likely they would have moved the OP back onto it in F. Unfortunately that time has passed since the OP accepted accommodation in business at that time.

It's an unfortunate turn of events, but I'm afraid the best option now is to look for another option in business which has fully flat beds, and ask AA to reaccommodate onto that flight in business. That has a much higher chance of succeeding IMO than asking to be put into F under the old award chart.

mbfanos

Totally agree ^
If I were OP, I would have waited until one month or one week before departure to request a refund in miles. Otherwise, I would have requested a different routing.
I'm sorry OP, but AA is "technically" right on this. If AA were an awesome airlines, which unfortunately, they weren't , they would put you back in F and charge you the old miles.

AAExpDFW

I see this on a variety of routes. I did this myself last week 2 days before departure. If there are still a number of F (or J) seats on a flight, AA will open up milesaver space. Not on every flight but I grabbed a 30k business saver DFW-YYZ the 2 days before the flight. It was sitting at 65k for J starting 5 weeks out, and then it dropped since it was still J4.

I've seen it on HNL, LHR, CDG, LAX, etc...just depends on route and day of week.