Chance of schedule change from Sept to March?
Sep 26, 2017, 10:58 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: QF, BA
Posts: 102
Chance of schedule change from Sept to March?
Hi all,
I have a booking for travel in March that has 2 AY legs and then MIA-CLT-LHR on AA.
There's been a development where we can no longer travel on those dates but have been told by AA that only taxes would be refundable. The ideal outcome would be a full credit for a future booking.
All my previous (and the next upcoming) AA flights have had a schedule change.
This is probably asking how long is a piece of string, but is AA likely to change their schedule? I'm thinking delivery of new fleet or adjusting their seasonal timetable.
Any insight would be appreciated.
I have a booking for travel in March that has 2 AY legs and then MIA-CLT-LHR on AA.
There's been a development where we can no longer travel on those dates but have been told by AA that only taxes would be refundable. The ideal outcome would be a full credit for a future booking.
All my previous (and the next upcoming) AA flights have had a schedule change.
This is probably asking how long is a piece of string, but is AA likely to change their schedule? I'm thinking delivery of new fleet or adjusting their seasonal timetable.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Sep 26, 2017, 11:06 am
#2
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
Between now and March there's certainly a chance of a flight change of a couple of hours or making a connection under MCT. What chance? There's no way I'm aware of to foretell that. But if you cancel now it sounds you're out everything (no voucher less the change fee sounds odd), whereas your cancellation later won't cost you any more or less, but include the possibility of schedule changes enabling you to recover the full fares.
Sep 26, 2017, 11:40 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: Once a somebody now a nobody
Posts: 514
I agree a schedule change is likely. It just depends on how big the change is. If its several hours or leaves a 20 minute connection you should have no problem getting a refund. A 10 minute change might require the HUCA approach with no guarantee of success. This weekend's change completely f'd up my Xmas flights, allowing me to completely cancel one leg. Hopefully they do the same to you 
Sep 26, 2017, 12:00 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
Schedule change is almost a sure thing based on my previous experience with far-ahead-of-time bookings. Also keep a look out for equipment swaps, as the international tariff says:
(bold mine)
I was successfully able to change an ORD-LHR to a different day because they swapped out the 787-8 for my particular day of travel... Allowing me to instantly clear a SWU rather than be waitlisted.
(C)SCHEDULE CHANGE IN THE EVENT, AFTER TICKET ISSUANCE, SCHEDULE CHANGES ARE MADE BY AA THAT:
(I)AFFECT A PASSENGER'S DEPARTURE AND/OR ARRIVAL BY 2 OR MORE HOURS;
(II) RESULT IN THE ADDITION OF AN INTERMEDIATE STOP ON THE PASSENGER'S ITINERARY;
(III) RESULT IN A SUBSTITUTION OF EQUIPMENT NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER; OR
(IV) IF A CANCELLATION OR A CHANGE IN EITHER AIR OR TOUR ITINERARY IS INITIATED EITHER BY AA OR IT'S TOUR OPERATORS WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER, THE PASSENGER WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF CANCELLING WITHOUT PENALTY, OR REROUTING ON DIFFERENT FLIGHTS TO/FROM THE SAME OR DIFFERENT DESTINATION.HOWEVER, THE PASSENGER MUST PAY ANY ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS RESULTING FROM THE REROUTING.
(I)AFFECT A PASSENGER'S DEPARTURE AND/OR ARRIVAL BY 2 OR MORE HOURS;
(II) RESULT IN THE ADDITION OF AN INTERMEDIATE STOP ON THE PASSENGER'S ITINERARY;
(III) RESULT IN A SUBSTITUTION OF EQUIPMENT NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER; OR
(IV) IF A CANCELLATION OR A CHANGE IN EITHER AIR OR TOUR ITINERARY IS INITIATED EITHER BY AA OR IT'S TOUR OPERATORS WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER, THE PASSENGER WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF CANCELLING WITHOUT PENALTY, OR REROUTING ON DIFFERENT FLIGHTS TO/FROM THE SAME OR DIFFERENT DESTINATION.HOWEVER, THE PASSENGER MUST PAY ANY ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS RESULTING FROM THE REROUTING.
I was successfully able to change an ORD-LHR to a different day because they swapped out the 787-8 for my particular day of travel... Allowing me to instantly clear a SWU rather than be waitlisted.
Sep 26, 2017, 1:37 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 20
AA currently has their finalized schedule load through January 7 (happened over this past weekend). For March I would expect the finalized schedule to be loaded in November/December. Usually it is just a shift of a couple of minutes, but it can definitely be more than that if the change frequencies, etc.
Sep 27, 2017, 2:54 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: MSY (finally); previously NYC, BOS, AUH
Programs: AA EXP, 6MM; BA GLD
Posts: 17,248
In my experience the change does not have to result in a violation of MCT to permit a refund. Any significant change usually is sufficient.
Sep 27, 2017, 1:01 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
AA currently has their finalized schedule load through January 7 (happened over this past weekend). For March I would expect the finalized schedule to be loaded in November/December. Usually it is just a shift of a couple of minutes, but it can definitely be more than that if the change frequencies, etc.
Now, that's the route I was looking at, so I don't know if it's a rare exception or not, but that's way more than a couple minutes.
I think what may happened in that case is that DL has had a flight on that route for a couple years that was at close to the same time as the original "daytime" AA flight, and AA presumably decided (a) that they wanted to not compete at the same hour with DL, and/or (b) that they wanted flights people could take after work instead of in the middle of the day.
I don't know how often AA makes such "drastic" changes just a few months ahead.
I also assume that this flight, since it arrives in BNA at midnight, is no longer a continuation to/from CLT as it was when it was a 319? That implies there may be other changes on BNA-CLT that match the LAX-BNA changes?