BosTravel

Free hold are not consistently offered, at least not for me.

BosTravel

I did try and call again. They are now stating that they will hold the value of the ticket minus the $200 change fee. As I'm cancelling within the 24 hour time-frame, I don't see why the change fee should be applicable. I am now waiting for a call back from a manager on Monday.

BosTravel

That is exactly what I'm facing as well. The TA is saying AA has taken control of the reservation and they cannot touch it. I understand having to turn to my TA for a refund of the original ticket. However, the upfare was a transaction between me and AA - the TA was not involved in that transaction. As the TA did not perform the upfare or process the associated charge, I don't see how they could be expected to process the refund for the same. To me, AA should process the refund for the upfare and it is fair for them to make me work with the TA for the refund of the original ticket.

At this point, however, all they do is point fingers at each other. I did try and call again earlier today and a manager is supposed to be calling me Monday. I don't have much hope, but it does make me question my loyalty to AA. AA was not harmed by this transaction and this request is certainly in the spirit of the 24 hour cancel period (the fact I gave them more money to upfare should not eliminate the flexibility provided by AA policy).

Dave Noble

...del

BosTravel

Yes, they are saying AA has control over the ticket and they cannot touch it. They did a warm transfer to AA, informed them of the situation, but AA continues to point fingers at them.

My company used to use Orbitz for Business, then Egencia, and they now use CWT (with booking through Concur). I've never had this problem before. I don't know if it's because of CWT or AA not being flexible.

ijgordon

JDiver

Have you asked to speak to a supervisor, and explained what you have here? AA took over the ticket when they upgraded you, CWT can not cancel because AA has control over the ticket.

If AA can’t help you, you will have to file a complaint with the US Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD), since the 24 hour cancelation is a USDOT requirement. (And when AA filed their more liberal policy with the USDOT, that became AA’s legal policy as well).

From Contacting American Airlines Customer Relations & Complaint, Issues (master thread).

mvoight

Are you booking 7 days or more in advance and only on AA flights when you don't get the hold?

USFlyerUS

My guess at AA's stance on this: An "upfare" is just a name for a fee-free ticket resisue to move up to a higher cabin. At the end of the day, a new ticket is issued by exchanging the old ticket and collecting an additional charge. The ticket your TA issued is now "exchanged" and outside the control of your TA. This original ticket was subject to the 24 hour refund policy, and you took advantage of that by applying the value of this original ticket to a new ticket with no exchange fee. In effect, AA gave you what it promised on this original ticket, and this original ticket is now closed.

Regarding the ticket issued via an exchange, I'm not exactly sure how the 24 hour refund policy applies with exchanges. One interpretation would be for AA to cancel the new ticket and refund just the add/collect, since, again, you already took advantage of the 24 hour cancellation on the original ticket. The "original form of payment" on this new ticket is a combination of the original ticket value and the add/collect, so a "refund" would be allowing you to use the original ticket value on a new ticket and refunding the add/collect to your credit card. I would ask for this and be ready to make a new reservation when the manager calls you on Monday.

FlyingEgghead

This might be what they say, but I wouldn't say OP's upfare "took advantage of that", because a fee-free upfare is available at any time, not just within 24 hours. Therefore it doesn't invoke or rely on the refund policy.

Often1

OP may need to involve whoever manages the TA contract for his employer. Presumably the employer paid for the underlying ticket and will want its money back if its employee is not traveling and cancelled in a timely manner. Chances are that the employer has more heft than OP and will, if there is a corporate TA, have an AA sales contact to sort this out.

This brings up the fact that this is all self-inflicted. More and more employers permit employees to keep a second personal CC on file and have the TA issue any ticket the employee wants with the corporate CC being billed for whatever is allowed under travel rules and appropriate notes entered if the employer back bills to clients. Same thing, same cost and employees are not spending their work day playing junior TA.

clbish

The original ticket was exchanged. Meaning the original ticket number will show "exchanged", or used to issue the new "upfared" ticket. Once an exchange is done, from the agency standpoint, there is no going back as the airline controls the ticket. What you are asking for is for AA to void the 2nd ticket that was issued for your reservation. Then you want AA to somehow reinstate the original ticket number, and make the TA the "Owner" of that ticket again so the TA can void it. That is the reason AA and TA will tell you it can't be done. You are no longer dealing with the original ticket number.

donotblink

Would the same situation occur if the OP had used an EVIP to clear into C or A inventory? IME, those are re-issues as well, but there is no additional collection. OP: did you try reaching out to AA via Twitter?