tylerdurden4543

So what do we think happened here, OP's SIL's boarding pass just didn't scan at the gate? Wouldn't the system have flagged her then as a no-show, updated the onboard count accordingly and then the FAs would have noticed an extra body on board during the count prior to take-off?

And, doesn't AA's willingness to eventually re-book her on the return (albeit on a connecting flight) give doubt to their claim she didn't fly the outbound? If they were really so sure she didn't fly the outbound, then there should have been absolutely no re-booking.

C17PSGR

+1

Like it or not, we all leave a lot of data indicating where we are ... Uber/Lyft to/from the airport, credit card purchases at either airport, smartphone tracking, passport stamps, cell phone records

And this is FT ... setting aside any EC 261 comp, did she get miles

platbrownguy

None of which proves, any more than a boarding pass, that she flew AA as opposed to some other carrier & routing

I suppose if I were the passenger I would send in whatever evidence I had that I was in PHL before the AA flight, and whatever evidence I had that I was in LHR right after landing, and some sort of witnessed statement that (1) I flew the gosh darned flight, and (2) there's no other way but AA's flight for me to have gotten from PHL to LHR in the amount of time in which I, based on the evidence submitted, must have done so. That together with whatever estoppel value accrues from AA's decision to rebook on BA/DL should be enough in the ordinary case to get something.

But actually if I were the passenger there's no way I would have waited until the airport to resolve this!

ijgordon

Well yes, it’s a total cock-up on the part of AA, especially for an international flight. Probably would have been worse if it was inbound to the US if AA transmitted to CBP that the pax was not on the plane. Might have been interesting at immigration. I wonder if it’s any type of violation to be flying with pax not on the manifest.

No, I don’t think this proves anything. AA can choose whether or not it wants to carry the pax on the return flight. There’s no law that if you miss a leg you are outright banned from flying subsequent legs.

jordyn

There's literally no options to fly between Philadelphia and London other than on AA or it's joint venture partner BA, so if AA's theory is that OP's sister flew on another flight it's pretty easy for them to check that. Given how much longer even the most efficient connecting flight would take, it's going to be pretty unlikely that any set of reasonable time-stamps are going to be amenable to the idea of flying on another routing.

Catbert10

Pretty sure that the boarding pass, ticket receipt, and something like a passport stamp showing she was at the destination would be considered prima facie evidence that she traveled on the flight. Also doubt that it would be worth it to someone at AA to contest the matter.

platbrownguy

of course, assuming AA accepts the time stamps

Dave Noble

You think that if this was to go to court, that AA would not actually double check and make sure that it hadn't made an error?

I cannot imagine that this error would not be spotted before such time as it had to make assertions to a judge that the passenger did not travel using the ticket

jordyn

This raises a good point. If AA continues to insist that the sister didn't fly on the flight, it seems reasonable to tell them that if they can't keep their records straight, maybe that's something the DOT and/or DHS would like to know and that you'd be happy to provide them with evidence that she actually flew the flight despite AA's shoddy record-keeping.

FlyingEgghead

​​​​​​If you look at the pics carefully, there is likely to be at least circumstantial evidence. If it shows part of the actual flight path, that helps because every flight from A to B follows a slightly different path due to ATC, winds, weather, etc., and the paths can be looked up. The size and shape of the IFE screen and seat back (and anything else visible in the background) can indicate the plane type and possibly even location in the cabin (aisle, middle, window), which can be compared with the equipment operating the route that day and the seat ticketed.

platbrownguy

No, I have no way to anticipate what AA would do in such a situation. All I said is that I agreed with the poster to whom I responded on the assumption that AA accepted OP's time stamps. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. This forum is all I need to know that AA acts in mysterious ways that do not always coincide with how I would expect a shareholder-oriented corporation to operate.

rubikcube

bevoinva

Thanks for all the responses. Definitely gives me some ideas on how to proceed. I'll have to check back with SIL to see if she has any receipts from either airport. She got dropped off and picked up by relatives - so no uber/taxi receipts. As a US citizen, I am assuming she does have a passport stamp for the correct date.

As for the pictures, I'll see if I can get them posted - they're pretty vague so I'm not optimistic. Also, AA could argue they could have come from anywhere/anyone.

I don't think she would go as far as small claims court, but I think it is worthwhile to respond to the denial with the point that the ticketing agent at LHR was sufficiently convinced she took the flight to rebook on BA/DL. I also like the idea of a DOT complaint for the sole purpose of getting a second set of eyes on her situation from someone else at AA.

mvoight

She should expect the 600 Euro compensation. One question. Did the miles automatically post for her outbound?

Amil