RogerD408

Do yourself (and us) a favor and adopt the terms of outbound meaning the first half of the trip to reach the destination and return to represent the journey back to origin. I realize your location is the destination, but inbound is confusing and outbound is not what most use to describe the return trip. Keep in perspective of the traveler and more people will be in tune to when things happened.

As stated with DOT in the loop there will be a long delay for resolution. AA should have been able to see what happened, who did it, and when. Whether they are at fault or CX should determine who pays what. With AA as the TA they should have some responsibility here. Calling all parties frequently should not be required (but many times helps a lot). There's no way to change what has happened. Now it's time to figure out who pays what.

Finkface

Good luck and I hope DOT gets to the bottom of it for you.

ijgordon

Thats just not true. Does JetBlue sell round trip tickets?

jackal

Outbound is where the travelers are going out away from their home.

Inbound is where the travelers are coming back in to their home.

When someone sends a letter, they put it in their outbox. The letter is going outbound. When the mail carrier delivers a letter, it goes into an inbox. The letter is coming inbound.

As others have mentioned, it's all from the perspective of the traveler--their home and their origination. Their first leg goes out away from their home, and the return leg comes back in towards their home.

Make sense?

One-way/round-trip award pricing is completely independent of ticketing. A round-trip ticket booked on a single PNR (reservation) will have one ticket number (per passenger), even if you can buy a one-way award for half the price of a round-trip--just like when you book a paid round-trip ticket on a single reservation, you don't get two separate credit card charges for each way.

r0m8470

Update
AA responded to the DOT complaint, stating that CX is the one that cancelled the flight 13 hours prior to the scheduled departure of 10/14/2015 140am. AA also refused to reimbursed any incidental expenses while my parents were in LA. From their POV, they've done their jobs by rebooking them. Took them full 60 days to respond back.

I submitted another DOT complaint and another CR complaint. They responded much quicker this time around, stating that CX is to blame, refuse the reimbursement request, and pretty much washed their hands.

I did submit a CX complaint after that, and a DOT complaint. CX responded, admitting that their staff cancelled the tickets. They claimed that said staff is now no longer with CX and they offered to reimburse all expenses. I submitted all my receipts today. I don't have time nor energy to pursue this further, and I am going to leave this at that.

I did burn most of my AA miles pre-devaluation. One way on F for my wife on CX, round trip on business from SE Asia for my mother in law, combination of AA, CX, AS and JAL, and 2 one-way transcon for me and my wife on their A321.

r0m8470

CX sent me forms for reimbursement in early April. I sent it in a few days after. Mid April, I noted the exact amt in the form being sent to my account by CX via wire. I consider this closed now.

critterchick

I'm glad that CX stepped up to the plate. Happy travelling in the future.

arlflyer

It is pretty awesome that:

1) CX took responsibility and made things right, and
2) You came back and gave us an update.

Thanks!

hiima

Ya, CX tends to do that.

Often1

There's a real lesson here about the value (or lack of value) of DOT complaints when there is no DOT rules violation. Simply a waste of taxpayer money.

Had OP's parents filed a simple complaint with CX back at the start of this mess, they would likely have had the cash for their expenses in a few days. AA was never going to do anything because AA did not do anything wrong and even if it did, it certainly did not violate the law. The urban myth on FT that carriers fold their tent and start gushing compensation when DOT gets involved is a fantasy as this incident proves.

Finally, the whole mess was avoidable. Sure the AA email could have been better worded. But, the fact is that it serves as a warning sign. OP accumulated enough miles to fly his parents TPAC in J. That means he is not a novice flyer. An experienced flyer does some sleuthing. Whether you want to call it reconfirming or not, you make certain that every aspect of the ticket is still intact.

JDiver

Meta- and political content, negative aspersions cast on members and other content dilatory to this topic have been removed. /Moderator

JDiver

Congratulations! Persistence and learning how the system tends to work paid off for you, unfortunately considerably after the fact. Thank you for sharing the denouement with us.