Compensation for AA mistakenly canceling return ticket?
 

Sister-in-law purchased r/t ticket PHL-LHR. Flew over last week and then when she looked up her return flight a couple of days prior to her return, it was gone. Called AA and they told her they had no record of her flying the outbound leg. After some time, they told her to bring her boarding pass when she goes to check in for her return and they would get her back on.

At check in, they told her her original non-stop flight was now full and they ended up putting her on a BA flight to JFK with a Delta flight back to PHL. Weather delays at JFK turned things into a really long day and she ended up getting home past midnight vs. early in the afternoon had she been on her original flight.

Anyone have any experience getting compensated in this type of situation?

Since the affected flight was originating in the EU, she should be able to claim EU 261/2004 compensation.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ...4R0261:en:HTML

Article 4 refers to Article 7 for 600 Euro compensation for Denied Boarding.
Other new flight delay due to weather not subject to payment (extraordinary circumstances).

For future reference - never wait until check-in on the day of the flight to get something like this straightened out.

Yeah - I wasn't expecting EU 261 compensation - just hoping AA would throw her a voucher for the inconvenience.

Wy would you not be wanting EC261 compensation? The passenger had a confirmed ticket on a flight and the airline didn't take the passenger due to its mistake and overselling - cannot see why the passenger should not be entitled to EUR300 or EUR600 in real money depending on how much later the BA/DL flights were scheduled to get the passenger to the destination

Costs the same to ask for EC261 compensation as to ask for voucher.... Cash always better and doubt AA would issue money voucher for more than $700. Since I value AA points at 1.3-1.5 cents each I have never received an AA compensation of more than 10,000 miles (1.5 cents: $700= 45,000 miles)

She was the passenger. What does she want?

Why on earth would your sister want a "funny money" voucher from AA when she is entitled to cold hard cash (OK, maybe a check!) which she can use for anything she wants. That also puts her in the enviable position of being able to negotiate with AA for a voucher larger than the cash amount. She is due EUR 600 and AA may well pay out a larger voucher (which might be useful if she knows that she wants limits).

Second the recommendation that one never waits to the airport. This could have gone really wrong and that would have left her standing at the airport waiting a long time.

Well, given American's recent poor quarterly performance, some passengers are sensitive to that and might want to help American out by not requesting EC261 compensation that they are entitled to (just as American has demonstrated how sensitive it is about its customers with meaningful sAAver availability, maintaining elite benefits, human-sized on-board restrooms, and great long-term aircraft configurations).

Who doesn't want a little monopoly money/bitAAcoin in their lives?

I think most of us would advise contacting AA CS and asking for €600 from the get go. If she flies AA regularly at all, accept a voucher if they offer one for >=$1,000.

And yes, never fall for the “they’ll fix it at the airport” dodge in situations like this.

I think AA has been offering $800 vouchers to passengers as an option, and I will also mention those vouchers come with the benefit of a reduction in taxes, so they are worth more than the $ amount.
I have no problem taking them as they will get quickly used. 600 Euros is about $700, to an $800 voucher also saving additional taxes is not a bad short term investment. Of course, if the experience has turned you off of AA, then the 600 Euro cash payment might be better.

Thanks for ringing in with that!

That said, I have never an EU compensation for AA, just its partners, BA and AY. :)

I have no problem with her asking for the 600 Euros but would that still apply here since technically she didn't have a seat on the plane after they canceled her ticket a few days ahead of time?

I think that has been answered already, from a (currently) EU based member.