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AA endorses ticket to UA, UA can't find ticket / won't allow boarding

AA endorses ticket to UA, UA can't find ticket / won't allow boarding

Old Feb 22, 2015, 10:32 am
  #76  
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Originally Posted by daniellam
Maybe the agent was not properly trained or lazy?

When you have a ticket number, it is possible to display the e-ticket and if the coupon is not already in control of the receiving carrier, the agent can enter a command to take control of the coupon from the issuing carrier. If this fails, a manual override can be done to board the passenger and the "coupon control" issue can be handled later.
Why do you think I received the following email from a mid level manager at United?
Your email has been received.

Please be assured that your complaint is being forwarded to the [XXX airport] General Manager for review and internal handling.

Because of the confidential nature of their investigations, we are unable to share any of the details of their review with you, but we can confirm that it has been received and is being handled by the appropriate departments.

We sincerely apologize this happened to your daughter and thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Obviously, the agent screwed up. Whether it was due to laziness or lack or training, I will never know.
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Old Feb 22, 2015, 1:05 pm
  #77  
 
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Originally Posted by eajusa
UA needs to get their act together. Their response to the OP is reprehensible.
They definitely need to--

Last week I was traveling PSP-ORD-CDG on UA, and due to operational failures, I wind up missing the ORD-CDG so the UA agents put me on ORD-LHR-CDG, where the LHR-CDG was operated by BA. Now the interesting part is that the itinerary that was handed to me shows US7435 (operated by BA), but no boarding pass. Fast forward to LHR, where I get to the transfer desk and when they print out the boarding pass, I wasn't really paying attention to it, so I re-clear security. As I'm holding my boarding pass, I notice that it says "Paper Ticket: Coupon Required," so after security, I go to one of the help desks in T5. The agent there said "good catch (to me), because UA didn't transfer the ticket correctly, and we would have not allowed you to board since there is no coupon attached to the ticket." After 10-15 minutes of typing away on her terminal and on the phone with someone at UA over in T2, the ticket was re-issued again, but this time the eticket was properly transferred over.

So, lesson learned, and advice to all, always review the boarding pass, because if the words "Paper Ticket: Coupon Required" appear, one should find the nearest agent.

Last edited by fgirard; Feb 22, 2015 at 1:06 pm Reason: fixed grammatical issues
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Old Feb 22, 2015, 2:01 pm
  #78  
 
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Originally Posted by BayAArea
Just out of curiosity, where does the $1300 figure come from? Is there an established compensation for IDB, or is that an estimation?
http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/250.9

For domestic travel:
0 to 1 hour arrival delay No compensation.
1 to 2 hour arrival delay 200% of one-way fare (but no more than $650).
Over 2 hours arrival delay 400% of one-way fare (but no more than $1,300).
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Old Feb 22, 2015, 3:46 pm
  #79  
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Originally Posted by TerryK
I concur. It reads to me that AA failed to push over eticket to UA. UA refused to transport passengers without tickets. Sounds logical to me.

All airlines system will print boarding pass without eticket in order to accommodate paper tickets (yes they still exist). UA boarding pass is only valid for boarding if there is a 13-digit eticket number printed on it. Without it, a paper ticket or FIM is required.
This. The ticket has to be endorsed over to the new operating carrier for a ticket to be generated.

I had this occur when a gate agent improperly reaccommodated me on AS. I had to chase back and forth three or four times to get the proper endorsement to occur, as the AA GA kept on.tell I.g me it was done and I had to courier instructions on what actually needed doing from the AS GA. Made the flight, in the end! (Fortunately, they had gates across from each other in SMF Terminal B - but that option won't be easily available when AA moves to SMF Terminal A tomorrow night.)
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Old Feb 22, 2015, 8:16 pm
  #80  
 
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Why not gate agent looked at the payment when he issue BP.If that time it was pointed out then there was a chance that OP would get hold of AA on phone or at airport to fix it.So to me it is all UA fault by not doing their job right.
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Old Feb 22, 2015, 9:09 pm
  #81  
 
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Why not gate agent looked at the payment when he issue BP
YES. UA issued the BP. There would have been time to "work it out" at that point rather than when a flight needs to depart. UA is at fault here by issuing the BP without seeing if payment had been made in time to correct the error. But, I suspect IDB doesn't apply since IDB is strictly only for overbooked flights. I don't think there is a provision for cases such as this.
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Old Feb 23, 2015, 12:14 pm
  #82  
 
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I am surprised that people keep pushing this back and forth between AA and UA. AA sold the OP a ticket from YYZ to SFO via LAX. How AA provides that service is up to AA. Since they did not provide that service in a timely manner, I would direct all correspondence to AA. Let AA make the OP whole. Even if it is UA's fault, let AA collect from UA. Why should the OP be getting in the middle of what is essentially a transaction between AA and UA?
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Old Feb 23, 2015, 2:18 pm
  #83  
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It sounds like AA reissued the ticket properly (INVOL'D) over to UA, which is all they have to do once confirming space is available.


Unfortunately, UA's system doesn't always (read: rarely) attach the INVOL'D ticket to the newly created reservation.

This means that the agent has to go hunting for it and hook it to the PNR. It's not hard, but you have to know to look for it. Gate Agents SHOULD be aware of it, but sadly, not all agents are good agents.

BP's are easily able to be printed without a Ticket attached...but a passenger absolutely CANNOT be boarded without either a paper or an e-ticket. So for those saying it can be done after the fact...it really can't. Passenger totals can't be updated and a flight can't be closed out without those unticketed passengers being reconciled.

AA sounds like it did everything right, UA everything wrong. Once AA reissues the ticket, it's all UA's problem, even if they can't find the ticket. (Heck, there's even a DOT rule governing them not being able to find an eTicket, as far as I know.)


For those who are worried, just make sure if you're Rule 240'd over to another carrier, you get both the OAL record locater AND the new eticket number. UA's system isn't alone in struggling with this. A lot of airlines' systems don't work perfectly when a PNR is created from an OAL.
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Old Feb 23, 2015, 2:52 pm
  #84  
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Submitted formal correspondence to both airlines. Will update as I get responses.
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Old Feb 23, 2015, 5:22 pm
  #85  
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Originally Posted by MSPGabe
....BP's are easily able to be printed without a Ticket attached...but a passenger absolutely CANNOT be boarded without either a paper or an e-ticket. So for those saying it can be done after the fact...it really can't. Passenger totals can't be updated and a flight can't be closed out without those unticketed passengers being reconciled.....
Great insider info. ^ The "agreement" OP kept referring to is likely just an interline agreement between IATA airlines. It requires airlines to accept each other's tickets, electronic or paper. Hence, all legacy airlines allow printing of boarding passes without valid eticket or else no one with paper ticket can check in. Those boarding passes without eticket attached are only valid for boarding with paper ticket coupon.

Originally Posted by MSPGabe
....For those who are worried, just make sure if you're Rule 240'd over to another carrier, you get both the OAL record locater AND the new eticket number. UA's system isn't alone in struggling with this. A lot of airlines' systems don't work perfectly when a PNR is created from an OAL.
The trouble is most airlines are reluctant to give out new eticket number or a new eticket printout. It is unclear to me if OP really has new eticket printout. I always request paper ticket or paper FIM, especially with foreign airlines, failing that I asked for eticket printout. Unfortunately, I frequently get turn down even with just eticket number. "You don't need. You are set."

Last edited by TerryK; Feb 23, 2015 at 8:47 pm
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Old Feb 23, 2015, 9:33 pm
  #86  
 
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Originally Posted by BayAArea
Would it help if I posted a screenshot of the two AA vouchers that I handed to UA to get my boarding pass, and then to the GA after it didn't scan? (Obviously with blacked out names and personal information)

I don't know if that is against the rules, so I will wait to see a response from a mod.
It is certainly allowed to post such. Happens all the time. Certainly redact all numbers even if they do not seam to be personal.

You could also just type some of it in a post. Some here will know from just a few lines what the document is.
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Old Feb 24, 2015, 7:43 am
  #87  
 
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Cue the 25 more pages of speculation while waiting for OP to get a response.

OP, please do let us know how this is resolved. Most OPs with these sorts of issues promise to do so, but it doesn't always happen. I think a lot of people are very curious as to how this will turn out (knowing, of course, that the time frame for resolution might very well be measured in months).
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Old Feb 24, 2015, 11:59 am
  #88  
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Originally Posted by exwannabe
It is certainly allowed to post such. Happens all the time. Certainly redact all numbers even if they do not seam to be personal.

You could also just type some of it in a post. Some here will know from just a few lines what the document is.
In the heat of the discussion, I should have asked for my UA boarding pass to be returned to me - they took it from me when it wouldn't scan, and I only got my AA information back on my way out. I think that would have helped a lot.

Anyway, below are the two docs I left AA with:
First Document:
Passenger Receipt 1 of 1
Not Valid for Transportation; Retain This Receipt Throughout Your Journey
Endorsements/Restrictions: INVOL
Original Issue: 001XXXXXXXX 17FEB15
Issued in Exchange For: 001XXXXXXXX (different number from original issue number)
Fare Calculation: Three lines of breakdown of all sorts of numbers and letters
Stock Control Number Ticket: 001XXXXXXXXX
To the right of that number is a new number 001XXXXXXXX that the AA agent circled and mentioned was my new ticket number

Second Document:
Not Valid For Travel
Passenger Itinerary
NBR 001XXXXXXXXX (this number matches the one that the AA agent had circled on the first document, and mentioned was my new ticket number)

19 Feb Thursday
LV Los Angeles 1032PM Flt 462 United E United Airlines
AR San Francisco 1151PM

Stock Control Number Ticket: 001XXXXXXXX (this matches the stock control number on the first page)

Not Valid For Transportation

Please Note: You will be required to present a photo ID at Airport Check-In
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Old Feb 24, 2015, 12:00 pm
  #89  
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Originally Posted by arlflyer
Cue the 25 more pages of speculation while waiting for OP to get a response.

OP, please do let us know how this is resolved. Most OPs with these sorts of issues promise to do so, but it doesn't always happen. I think a lot of people are very curious as to how this will turn out (knowing, of course, that the time frame for resolution might very well be measured in months).
No worries - I will follow up as I get responses.
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Old Feb 24, 2015, 12:09 pm
  #90  
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Originally Posted by zkzkz
If you had the eticket number then you had a ticket and reservation and presented yourself at the gate in time -- it sounds like UA owes you denied boarding compensation to the tune of $1,300 (depending on various factors).

If the agent was doing the correct thing then the fault lies somewhere else in UA's systems or procedures but that's UA's problem. The end result is the same.
The DOT mandated compensation for IDB only applies if the flight was oversold. There's no evidence of that here.
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