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AA policy: Flights booked to hurricane affected areas through 2017

Old Sep 12, 2017, 11:19 pm
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Last edit by: JDiver
AA Bookings to/from Hurricane Affected Areas 2017 - AA Policy

Link to aa.com Travel Alerts page, including Hurricane areas bookings for the remainder of 2017.

NOTE: Policy as of the end of Sep 2017 for SJU, STT, STX has changed again. See this post.

AA is waiving change fees for certain bookings to / from hurricane impacted areas in the southeast USA and Caribbean. The actual policy varies considerably and depends on the specific destination, and may change again in response to actual conditions on the ground.

E.g. For SXM / Princess Juliana Airport at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten:

Code:
Hurricane Irma - St. Maarten
 Information current as of September 13, 2017
 
 If youre traveling to/through/from:
 
 St. Maarten, St. Maarten (SXM)
 The change fee may be waived if you:
 
  • Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
  • Bought your ticket by September 10, 2017
  • Are scheduled to travel September 5 - December 31, 2017
  • Can travel September 10, 2017 - September 30, 2018
  • Don't change your origin or destination city
  • Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
  • Change your trip
If your trip is eligible, you can change it online. Heres how: Find your trip (link on aa.com) If your trip is eligible, youll see the option to change trip in the toolbar Look up your trip (link on aa.com) Call Reservations Can't change your trip online? Contact Reservations
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AA policy: Flights booked to hurricane affected areas through 2017

Old Sep 22, 2017, 9:34 am
  #31  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: Double OWE (AA EXP, QF Plat), FI Gold
Posts: 1,887
Originally Posted by jmorris2909
Appreciate it guys
I will say that the best thing you are doing is keeping calm (at least in your posts). It's a crappy situation and people can get very emotional easily; that's never a good way to approach it with the providers. Stay as calm and positive as possible and you'll have more success.
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Old Sep 22, 2017, 9:44 am
  #32  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by jmorris2909
Appreciate it guys.


To answer a few questions, Yes I can apply the offered credits towards the new destination, but we have already altered plans to take an extended drive and sightseeing along multiple destinations instead of a single destination.


I was unaware that credit cards offer travel protection, I will have to call Chase to find out


Correction, AA is offering a voucher, but it was a hassle in itself to get her to agree to fly in the first place, now that this headache is happening it basically turned her completely off the idea. Unfortunately we rarely take vacations more than an hour or more drive away, so no, we will have no use for the voucher. Which is why I had hoped they would be transferrable as I have a co-worker that offered to buy them for a trip to Hawaii.


And last, AA has offered us other destinations in the Caribbean, but the reason USVI were chosen is that we don't have passports; and due to the timing of the honeymoon and our recent luck, we have decided to take a scenic trip to Salem, MA during the Halloween period; stopping at various cities along the way. I chose not to get insurance through AA as I was covered already in full by the hotel, but I did not anticipate a complete inability to communicate from the islands. I will attempt to first check what coverage my Chase card offers, from there attempt to contact the coverage I did purchase through Bolongo Bay Resort; lastly I will try to escalate with AA with the firm point that I will not be flying in the future.


I, unfortunately, did not book a package through an agency. I booked with Bolongo Bay and AA separately.
The insurance through Bolongo Bay is likely to pay off (assuming this kind of weather event and air travel are included), but it's the long game.

Escalating could get a refund if you request politely with the short version of your Bolongo Bay cancellation and hurricanes, but that would be an exception and very nice customer service gesture. I'd not expect it, frankly, but I'd suggest trying. (For others who might read this, threats, anger or demands will certainly fail.)

More about vouchers here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...er-thread.html.

AA Conditions of Carriage
JDiver is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2017, 10:10 am
  #33  
RJ1
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SoCal
Posts: 617
The travel waiver for PR and USVI was updated on 28 Sep. Waivers now up through 2 Apr 2018.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria - Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
Information current as of September 28, 2017

If youre traveling to/through/from:

San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
St. Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT)
St. Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands (STX)
The change fee may be waived if you:

Are traveling on an American Airlines flight
Bought your ticket by September 28, 2017
Are scheduled to travel September 5, 2017 - April 2, 2018
Can travel September 23, 2017 - September 30, 2018
Don't change your origin or destination city
Contact Reservations to change your origin and destination city (difference in fare will apply)
Rebook in the same cabin or pay the difference
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Old Oct 1, 2017, 11:24 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: SAN
Programs: AS GOLD
Posts: 403
I have 2x 1way tixs booked on AA. One from LAX-SJU in F. Was originally booked into class I. I was able to rebooked my trip only for diff day. The new booking shows i am booked in class J. Does it mean i will be earning 3x EQM instead of 2?

My other ticket was booked in economy. The rebook changed my class to Y. That's 1.5x EQM.
SESTAR is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2017, 1:52 pm
  #35  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: YYZ/YHM/BUF
Programs: AA Plat, HH Gold, MR Plat
Posts: 4,212
I had tickets to STX in December and just changed to go to a different island. The waiver policy is clear but it's YMMV with the agent on the phone - incredibly frustrating!

If you keep your destination island the same, then you can change the dates and not pay anything extra. If you go elsewhere, you pay the difference in fare of the new ticket. The $200 change fee is waived in either case.

You need to HUACA if the agent gives you pushback. Some claim the waiver only applies for flights from last month; others claim you can't change your destination. Eventually you will get one who knows what they're doing. It was bad enough doing this with the Platinum line - I can only imagine how awful it must be through the general number!
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 6:12 pm
  #36  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,906
Originally Posted by FlyerAl
It was bad enough doing this with the Platinum line - I can only imagine how awful it must be through the general number!
It should be about the same as the PLT line is the general reservations line minus the wait (usually). If it makes you feel any better, the EXP line is just about as hit-and-miss when it comes to travel waivers, in my experience.

-FlyerBeek
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 7:18 pm
  #37  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by SESTAR
I have 2x 1way tixs booked on AA. One from LAX-SJU in F. Was originally booked into class I. I was able to rebooked my trip only for diff day. The new booking shows i am booked in class J. Does it mean i will be earning 3x EQM instead of 2?

My other ticket was booked in economy. The rebook changed my class to Y. That's 1.5x EQM.
Maybe. But I'd plan as if they won't, or as if AA will claw back.


Originally Posted by FlyerAl
I had tickets to STX in December and just changed to go to a different island. The waiver policy is clear but it's YMMV with the agent on the phone - incredibly frustrating!

If you keep your destination island the same, then you can change the dates and not pay anything extra. If you go elsewhere, you pay the difference in fare of the new ticket. The $200 change fee is waived in either case.

You need to HUACA if the agent gives you pushback. Some claim the waiver only applies for flights from last month; others claim you can't change your destination. Eventually you will get one who knows what they're doing. It was bad enough doing this with the Platinum line - I can only imagine how awful it must be through the general number!
You don't have to imagine. The Platinum and Gold lines go to the General call center, just with higher priority in answering. And I had to spend a lot of mtime getting the EXP agent to read the date (she kept insisting the offer ended in 2017, until she finally read. Then she wanted the change fee because I was changing the origin from SXM to BGI. Etc. She finally got it right, but I felt I should charge them my standard training fee ($400 hourly, minimum 4 hours a day - but I'd have given them a loyalty discount ) - though I retired in 2014.
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