Jun 23, 2015, 1:02 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
FAQ: Involuntary Reroute and Original Routing Credit (ORC) Issues
Getting AA EQ and Award Miles credit for involuntary rerouting - on AA or other airlines)
Previous posts on this subject are archived here.
Q. Can I earn the originally scheduled Elite Qualifying Dollars, Miles and Segments and Award Miles when I'm involuntarily rerouted to shorter flights, or to another airline?
A. You may be able to. Whether you can will depend on several conditions.
Situation 1: YES: You are flying and crediting to AA and miss your connection and are rerouted to other AA flights; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights (if you'd rather earn according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later).
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● If this did not happen, you will have to contact AAdvantage Customer Service, preferably to your Elite line to the reservations desk; the recommended wording is to state, more or less, "I was given an involuntary reroute and request original routing credit".
● EQ Segment credit may be more difficult to secure; nonetheless, members have reported having it granted.
● Agents seem to be fond of telling requesters they will grant ORC "this time on a one time basis, as an exception"; however, ORC seems to be pretty standard.
Situation 2: YES: You are flying and crediting to AA and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● Example: You are flying AA SMF-DFW-MSP (2,283 miles), but OSO causes AA to endorse your ticket to, and has you flying Alaska Airlines SMF-SEA-MSP (2,040 miles). ORC will grant you 2,283 base miles as if you had flown AA and calculate your EQ and Award miles accordingly.
● If you'd rather earn in the operating airline's FFP according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing; your original ticket was endorsed over to the operating airline - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later)
Situation 3: NOT EXACTLY: You are flying on an "instant upgrade" fare and crediting to AA, and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline. You would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● Example: You are flying AA SMF-DFW-MSP (2,283 miles) in "instant upgrade" First, but OSO causes AA to endorse your ticket to, and has you flying Alaska Airlines in Coach SMF-SEA-MSP (2,040 miles). (AA will generally allow you to cancel your flights for full refundability, fly the next available AA flight in Main Cabin if there's no same fare availability (that can be a day or two later) or fly in the next available Main Cabin seat.
● ORC in this instance will grant you 2,283 base miles as if you had flown AA and may calculate your EQ and Award miles in accordance with your originally, pre-upgrade K fare (you will normally be flying AS coach in this situation).
● If you'd rather earn in the operating airline's FFP according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing; your original ticket was endorsed over to the operating airline - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later)
Situation 4: NO: You are flying an AA partner airline, but crediting your flight activity to AA; you miss your connection and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● Example: you are flying BA to LHR and onward to VCE, but due to operational problems BA are routes you via FRA on LH.
● AA has no obligation to you, and Original Routing Credit is not likely to be granted. You will have the opportunity to earn in Lufthansa etc. Miles and More.
Situation 5: NO: You are flying AA and stand by or Same Day Flight Change or are otherwise granted rerouting for your personal convenience; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● Generally, AA has no obligation to you because your rerouting is voluntary and not due to any act by or to AA.
Link to AAdvantage Customer Service e-form and telephone numbers.
Situation 6: NO: You were scheduled to fly AA, but AA cancelled the flight and offered a seat the next day. You cancelled the ticket, AA refunded your ticket and you purchased a ticket on another airline; you want Original Routing Credit.
● AA has no obligation to you, and Original Routing Credit is not likely to be granted. You cancelled your AA ticket voluntarily, accepted a refund and flew on another airline.[/b]
Getting AA EQ and Award Miles credit for involuntary rerouting - on AA or other airlines)
Previous posts on this subject are archived here.
Q. Can I earn the originally scheduled Elite Qualifying Dollars, Miles and Segments and Award Miles when I'm involuntarily rerouted to shorter flights, or to another airline?
A. You may be able to. Whether you can will depend on several conditions.
Situation 1: YES: You are flying and crediting to AA and miss your connection and are rerouted to other AA flights; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights (if you'd rather earn according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later).
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● If this did not happen, you will have to contact AAdvantage Customer Service, preferably to your Elite line to the reservations desk; the recommended wording is to state, more or less, "I was given an involuntary reroute and request original routing credit".
● EQ Segment credit may be more difficult to secure; nonetheless, members have reported having it granted.
● Agents seem to be fond of telling requesters they will grant ORC "this time on a one time basis, as an exception"; however, ORC seems to be pretty standard.
Situation 2: YES: You are flying and crediting to AA and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● Example: You are flying AA SMF-DFW-MSP (2,283 miles), but OSO causes AA to endorse your ticket to, and has you flying Alaska Airlines SMF-SEA-MSP (2,040 miles). ORC will grant you 2,283 base miles as if you had flown AA and calculate your EQ and Award miles accordingly.
● If you'd rather earn in the operating airline's FFP according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing; your original ticket was endorsed over to the operating airline - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later)
Situation 3: NOT EXACTLY: You are flying on an "instant upgrade" fare and crediting to AA, and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline. You would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● The preferred solution is to ask the AA agent to add a note to the PNR stating you were involuntarily rerouted and should get original routing credit while you are being rerouted; this often makes things easier later.
● Example: You are flying AA SMF-DFW-MSP (2,283 miles) in "instant upgrade" First, but OSO causes AA to endorse your ticket to, and has you flying Alaska Airlines in Coach SMF-SEA-MSP (2,040 miles). (AA will generally allow you to cancel your flights for full refundability, fly the next available AA flight in Main Cabin if there's no same fare availability (that can be a day or two later) or fly in the next available Main Cabin seat.
● ORC in this instance will grant you 2,283 base miles as if you had flown AA and may calculate your EQ and Award miles in accordance with your originally, pre-upgrade K fare (you will normally be flying AS coach in this situation).
● If you'd rather earn in the operating airline's FFP according to the new routing and it's eligible for miles accrual, you need do nothing; your original ticket was endorsed over to the operating airline - as always, keep boarding passes in case there are questions later)
Situation 4: NO: You are flying an AA partner airline, but crediting your flight activity to AA; you miss your connection and are rerouted to flights operated by another airline; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● Example: you are flying BA to LHR and onward to VCE, but due to operational problems BA are routes you via FRA on LH.
● AA has no obligation to you, and Original Routing Credit is not likely to be granted. You will have the opportunity to earn in Lufthansa etc. Miles and More.
Situation 5: NO: You are flying AA and stand by or Same Day Flight Change or are otherwise granted rerouting for your personal convenience; you would like to get the EQ / Award Miles for the originally scheduled flights.
● Generally, AA has no obligation to you because your rerouting is voluntary and not due to any act by or to AA.
Link to AAdvantage Customer Service e-form and telephone numbers.
Situation 6: NO: You were scheduled to fly AA, but AA cancelled the flight and offered a seat the next day. You cancelled the ticket, AA refunded your ticket and you purchased a ticket on another airline; you want Original Routing Credit.
● AA has no obligation to you, and Original Routing Credit is not likely to be granted. You cancelled your AA ticket voluntarily, accepted a refund and flew on another airline.[/b]
FAQ: Involuntary Reroute and Original Routing Credit (ORC) (master thd)
Feb 2, 2015, 1:08 pm
#16
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,417
Merged with existing Original Routing Credit thread for 2015.
A reminder that we ask all members to please search first within fora, as topics often already have an existing thread. These threads exist in order to keep information orderly and searchable for future queries. Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
/Moderator
A reminder that we ask all members to please search first within fora, as topics often already have an existing thread. These threads exist in order to keep information orderly and searchable for future queries. Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
/Moderator
Feb 11, 2015, 4:37 pm
#17
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,172
Anyone else successful in getting ORC recently?
Feb 11, 2015, 4:39 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
Did you get a live-body response of an automated message? You might try resubmitting and see if they escalate to an actual agent to review the situation. Many companies know if they say no the first time the customer will go away.
Feb 12, 2015, 11:33 am
#19
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,172
The response was from a live body. Replied asking for reason, we'll see what they say.
Feb 12, 2015, 12:22 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 223
Hey guys. I'm doing the US status challenge and recently got rerouted from an AA flight YYZ-DFW-HKG to a YYZ-JFK-HKG flight with the latter segment on CX. The JFK-HKG leg (booked in 'B', 100% earning on US) shows up in my US DM statement with an AA codeshare, but US agents insist that it doesn't count towards the challenge because it wasn't on US/AA metal (as per the rules of the challenge).
Is there any chance I can work with AA to get ORC here? The rerouting was a result of a storm in YYZ that caused a cancelation of the YYZ-DFW leg, and it was AA that did all my rebookings (I have 001- ticket numbers). I've tried repeatedly to contact US customer support but they refuse to grant ORC, and refuse to make the CX JFK-HKG miles count towards the challenge. Any thoughts on whether I can get AA to do anything for me?
Original post is here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...l#post24323266
Is there any chance I can work with AA to get ORC here? The rerouting was a result of a storm in YYZ that caused a cancelation of the YYZ-DFW leg, and it was AA that did all my rebookings (I have 001- ticket numbers). I've tried repeatedly to contact US customer support but they refuse to grant ORC, and refuse to make the CX JFK-HKG miles count towards the challenge. Any thoughts on whether I can get AA to do anything for me?
Original post is here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...l#post24323266
Feb 28, 2015, 10:03 am
#21
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 51
What's my best recourse? [ORC for canceled flights taken on non-AA partners]
Was booked pbi-dfw-lax-ogg today. Everything but the lax-ogg was canceled by aa. I had to buy a jetblue fll-lax last minute in order to make the Maui flight tonight. Aa & one world had no availability to get me to Maui til Monday.
This was part of a plan for my Plat challenge and I'll be short EQP without the first two segments. I know aa will refund the $ for the part to lax. Do I have any recourse here for my missing EQP on the first 2 segments ?
This was part of a plan for my Plat challenge and I'll be short EQP without the first two segments. I know aa will refund the $ for the part to lax. Do I have any recourse here for my missing EQP on the first 2 segments ?
Last edited by aceszhigh; Feb 28, 2015 at 10:16 am
Feb 28, 2015, 10:20 am
#22
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
Did AA reroute you on non-oneworld / non-partner airlines and endorse your ticket so you could do so? No worries, request original routing credit. I've done this when AA rerouted me to UA, etc.
Did you purchase the alternate flights on your own? Probably no way to get EQM/EQP, and your return flights may have been cancelled as well.
BTW, we'll merge this into the existing ORC thread. Soon /Moderator
Did you purchase the alternate flights on your own? Probably no way to get EQM/EQP, and your return flights may have been cancelled as well.
BTW, we'll merge this into the existing ORC thread. Soon /Moderator
Feb 28, 2015, 10:36 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 51
Did AA reroute you on non-oneworld / non-partner airlines and endorse your ticket so you could do so? No worries, request original routing credit. I've done this when AA rerouted me to UA, etc.
Did you purchase the alternate flights on your own? Probably no way to get EQM/EQP, and your return flights may have been cancelled as well.
BTW, we'll merge this into the existing ORC thread. Soon /Moderator
Did you purchase the alternate flights on your own? Probably no way to get EQM/EQP, and your return flights may have been cancelled as well.
BTW, we'll merge this into the existing ORC thread. Soon /Moderator
Mar 3, 2015, 7:47 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Gold, AA Plat, SPG Gold
Posts: 383
Yes I bought the alternate flight (fll-lax) on my own, as the AA agent said they would not put me on a non one world partner and the soonest flights she could put me on was one to lax tomorrow night staying overnight and flying to Maui the next day, which wouldn't work for me. Was in a time crunch so had no other option really. I did call back and let them know & verify that I'm not getting cancelled off the lax-ogg tonight though.
I know it doesn't help much now, but in case you encounter a canceled flight in the future: be polite but very insistent, and with few exceptions they will endorse your ticket to another airline. The way I handle this myself is to do a Kayak/Google flight search as soon as I learn about the cancellation, then specifically request the other airline's flight (which I now know has availability) on the phone. I've done this at least twice on AA and once on US in the past year. Sounds like the agent you spoke with just didn't want to deal with the trouble - it usually requires them to spend a bit of time on the phone with the alternate airline to make this happen.
Mar 4, 2015, 12:27 am
#25
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 51
No harm in asking, but since AA did not do the rerouting I expect you won't get ORC on this one. Did you also end up eating the additional cost (last-minute JetBlue ticket vs. AA refund)?
I know it doesn't help much now, but in case you encounter a canceled flight in the future: be polite but very insistent, and with few exceptions they will endorse your ticket to another airline. The way I handle this myself is to do a Kayak/Google flight search as soon as I learn about the cancellation, then specifically request the other airline's flight (which I now know has availability) on the phone. I've done this at least twice on AA and once on US in the past year. Sounds like the agent you spoke with just didn't want to deal with the trouble - it usually requires them to spend a bit of time on the phone with the alternate airline to make this happen.
I know it doesn't help much now, but in case you encounter a canceled flight in the future: be polite but very insistent, and with few exceptions they will endorse your ticket to another airline. The way I handle this myself is to do a Kayak/Google flight search as soon as I learn about the cancellation, then specifically request the other airline's flight (which I now know has availability) on the phone. I've done this at least twice on AA and once on US in the past year. Sounds like the agent you spoke with just didn't want to deal with the trouble - it usually requires them to spend a bit of time on the phone with the alternate airline to make this happen.
The agent I originally spoke to said she couldnt put me on a non partner airline though I never specifically asked to be 'endorsed' onto another airline. I sent AA a complaint message via their website and received a response yesterday. AA is only refunding me the portion of our tickets that were canceled (PBI-dfw-lax) which leaves me to pay an additional $120 each for the 2 of us to cover the difference of the Jetblue ticket. And they didn't even mention my request for the ORC in their response. The most frustrating part of it all is honestly the fact that it's messing up my plan for my platinum challenge.
Mar 4, 2015, 10:08 pm
#26
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 63
Advice on ocr and refund for involuntary reroute
I have a question for others more experienced than me regarding claiming ORC after an involuntary re-routing. My husband and I are partway through a complex RTWDone4. I have a damaged knee and find longhaul flights in economy quite painful. We planned to fly JFK-PHX-ANC as part of our itinerary on Monday 3 March, and had separately booked a flight to Fairbanks Tuesday 3 March. (Seeing the northern lights is on our bucket list) We arrived at JFK for the JFK-PHX-ANC (US Airways flights) leg of our trip 2 hrs before scheduled departure and encountered a lengthy delay at the US Airways check-in desk - apparently the American Airways system of ticketing was too complex for them. Eventually we were told we were checked in however, this meant we only arrived at the gate 20 minutes before departure to a queue still waiting to board (sign at the gate noted gate closed 10 minutes before scheduled departure) - we found our first class seats had been given away and after a long wait, we were told we had economy seats in the last row of the plane to PHX on the next flight. That flight left late and we couldn't make the PHX-ANC connection. After hours at the customer relations desk in Phoenix we were re-routed PHX-SEA on US Airways (one economy seat, one first class) with a 6 hr layover in the early hours of the morning. We received a hotel voucher which gave us a chance to shower and sleep for 3 hours although lost money on our hotel booking at Anchorage. Back to the airport for the SEA-ANC leg with Alaskan Airlines departing at 6am (economy seats). We just made our connection to Fairbanks.
My first question is am I entitled to claim our first class miles loading (we are also Platinum AA members) and if so, what would be the best way to go about claiming our miles given this was an involuntary re-routing, mostly flown in economy when the RTW is a business class itinerary.
Second question; can we claim a refund for flying economy on these legs when it was supposed to be a business/first class ticket as it is a RTWDone4? I have done some trawling through FT on this issue but given that during one phone conversation with Reservations at AA, I was even told that I may have to pay a fee for the ticketing changes (!!), I would prefer to ask some advice of members who may have been in this situation before I proceed.
Thanks in advance and apologies for such a long-winded explanation!
My first question is am I entitled to claim our first class miles loading (we are also Platinum AA members) and if so, what would be the best way to go about claiming our miles given this was an involuntary re-routing, mostly flown in economy when the RTW is a business class itinerary.
Second question; can we claim a refund for flying economy on these legs when it was supposed to be a business/first class ticket as it is a RTWDone4? I have done some trawling through FT on this issue but given that during one phone conversation with Reservations at AA, I was even told that I may have to pay a fee for the ticketing changes (!!), I would prefer to ask some advice of members who may have been in this situation before I proceed.
Thanks in advance and apologies for such a long-winded explanation!
Mar 4, 2015, 11:42 pm
#27
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4,282
OW partner rerouting to non-OW airlines
Hi,
Anyone had any experience in getting them to credit into your AA account for rerouted OW-partner flights to non-OW partner?
I have yet to request, but recently was supposed to fly with BA from CTU to LHR, but due to mechanical, was rerouted to KLM via AMS. (am still arguing to BA on the downgrade from PE to Y - another story).
Anyway, I do have the boarding passes for the original segments, can I send them in for mileage request?
Any insights will be helpful to help to get this credited.
Cheers!
Anyone had any experience in getting them to credit into your AA account for rerouted OW-partner flights to non-OW partner?
I have yet to request, but recently was supposed to fly with BA from CTU to LHR, but due to mechanical, was rerouted to KLM via AMS. (am still arguing to BA on the downgrade from PE to Y - another story).
Anyway, I do have the boarding passes for the original segments, can I send them in for mileage request?
Any insights will be helpful to help to get this credited.
Cheers!
Mar 5, 2015, 12:47 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Gold (prev. Ex Plat for 10 years); DL Plat; UA Gold; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,338
I had an involuntary reroute this week OMA-DFW, CXLD due to ice. They endorsed me over to DL which got me on my way and, frankly, they were quite pleasant about the whole exchange. I was impressed with the speed and service.
I wrote in requesting ORC for the OMA-DFW portion but was denied, stating that they routinely do not grant original routing credit for flights not flown on AA metal.
I was slightly disappointed as I'm very closely tracking my EQMs this year, but I also 100% understand their position and was grateful they so willingly endorsed me to another carrier.
It does seem to be standing policy at this point. I have to believe that a reroute that puts you on AA metal would still qualify you for ORC, since they provided carriage. But it would appear for instances when they've endorsed off of AA metal (and possibly US/OneWorld), they are going to deny credit.
I wrote in requesting ORC for the OMA-DFW portion but was denied, stating that they routinely do not grant original routing credit for flights not flown on AA metal.
I was slightly disappointed as I'm very closely tracking my EQMs this year, but I also 100% understand their position and was grateful they so willingly endorsed me to another carrier.
It does seem to be standing policy at this point. I have to believe that a reroute that puts you on AA metal would still qualify you for ORC, since they provided carriage. But it would appear for instances when they've endorsed off of AA metal (and possibly US/OneWorld), they are going to deny credit.
Mar 5, 2015, 1:04 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: PHX
Programs: AA PRO
Posts: 352
I had an involuntary reroute this week OMA-DFW, CXLD due to ice. They endorsed me over to DL which got me on my way and, frankly, they were quite pleasant about the whole exchange. I was impressed with the speed and service.
I wrote in requesting ORC for the OMA-DFW portion but was denied, stating that they routinely do not grant original routing credit for flights not flown on AA metal.
I was slightly disappointed as I'm very closely tracking my EQMs this year, but I also 100% understand their position and was grateful they so willingly endorsed me to another carrier.
It does seem to be standing policy at this point. I have to believe that a reroute that puts you on AA metal would still qualify you for ORC, since they provided carriage. But it would appear for instances when they've endorsed off of AA metal (and possibly US/OneWorld), they are going to deny credit.
I wrote in requesting ORC for the OMA-DFW portion but was denied, stating that they routinely do not grant original routing credit for flights not flown on AA metal.
I was slightly disappointed as I'm very closely tracking my EQMs this year, but I also 100% understand their position and was grateful they so willingly endorsed me to another carrier.
It does seem to be standing policy at this point. I have to believe that a reroute that puts you on AA metal would still qualify you for ORC, since they provided carriage. But it would appear for instances when they've endorsed off of AA metal (and possibly US/OneWorld), they are going to deny credit.
I was just going to post an anecdote / question similar to this.
Last Friday I was supposed to fly PHX-DFW-MSY but due to weather, they put me on a combination of US and DL routed PHX-ATL-MSY.
Here is the wrinkle - I have received credit for the PHX-ATL flight on US, which is 1587 miles. They have not credited the ATL-MSY segment flown on Delta, which is less that 500 miles.
If I ask for ORC, the actual original route of PHX-DFW-MSY is only 1368 miles (868+500).
In my case, the original route is shorter than the route flown..... However I am missing one segment and the 500 miles that would be credited for it.
My question is this: should I ask for ORC for the ATL-MSY segment only, since it was swapped out for the DFW - MSY segment, and risk them clawing back the PHX-ATL segment? Or should I just leave well enough alone and be happy with my 1587 miles for the one segment? In other words, should I risk being greedy for that 500 miles or just let sleeping dogs lie?
Mar 5, 2015, 1:12 pm
#30
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Gold (prev. Ex Plat for 10 years); DL Plat; UA Gold; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,338