Cancelled Connecting Flight...Refund due?
Aug 12, 2018, 8:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 18
Cancelled Connecting Flight...Refund due?
hey all...trying to get some clarification.... I purchased a flight and used a cleared SWU from ATL > SFO via DFW... DFW > SFO Segment cancelled because of missing/unavailable crew....I also purchased a bus saver award 25K for my wife on same segments....was only given back Sec fees on award ticket and partial credit of the Fare I bought....60% say ....Am I due the rest of the fare (40%) and SWU as well as the 25 K Miles....
AA got me half way there but that really doesnt matter if you are traveling to an event....I eneded up having to purchase sep airline because rebooking was following night which would not have worked...
Just trying to figure out if I can make a claim or something
AA got me half way there but that really doesnt matter if you are traveling to an event....I eneded up having to purchase sep airline because rebooking was following night which would not have worked...
Just trying to figure out if I can make a claim or something
Aug 13, 2018, 12:00 am
#2
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,550
I've never had this happen on AA, but on other airlines I've usually gotten a refund proportional to miles traveled; i.e. if ATL-DFW is 1/3 of the distance, they should refund 2/3.
It would seem to me you should get a refund of part of the miles too, and probably "refund" of the SWU.
You could probably get some additional compensation like miles, but they won't pay for your ticket DFW-SFO.
I assume you had a return ticket and used it? Sometimes if you don't actually go to your destination they'll refund the full ticket as a "trip in vain" - a trip that became pointless once you couldn't make a particular segment. For example, if you were traveling ATL-PHL-ATL for a meeting and never leave ATL because the flight is delayed/cancelled such that you can't make the meeting, they'll refund the entire ticket. But that doesn't seem to apply here.
It would seem to me you should get a refund of part of the miles too, and probably "refund" of the SWU.
You could probably get some additional compensation like miles, but they won't pay for your ticket DFW-SFO.
I assume you had a return ticket and used it? Sometimes if you don't actually go to your destination they'll refund the full ticket as a "trip in vain" - a trip that became pointless once you couldn't make a particular segment. For example, if you were traveling ATL-PHL-ATL for a meeting and never leave ATL because the flight is delayed/cancelled such that you can't make the meeting, they'll refund the entire ticket. But that doesn't seem to apply here.
Aug 13, 2018, 3:11 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,227
If your return trip is not on the same reservation, then I’d just go ahead and put in for a trip in vain and a full refund, and say you took care of your own subsequent travel arrangements.
You entered into a contract with AA for transport from ATL to SFO and AA did not provide that, period.
Also, Was AA unable to rebook you onto another airline to SFO?
You entered into a contract with AA for transport from ATL to SFO and AA did not provide that, period.
Also, Was AA unable to rebook you onto another airline to SFO?
Aug 13, 2018, 8:03 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 18
Thanks for the followup...I booked return separately unfortunately...I tend to do that with one ways just to be flexible but im ok with that...It wasnt so much that that the whole trip was in vain...We made the trip workout....albeit shorter than anticipated and much more exhausting....It was the last flight of the evening Friday night from DFW to SFO that was cancelled at basically 1 AM ....and even as EXP I could only manage to get a stand by through LAX or for for confirmed the last flight in the evening Saturday which wouldn't have worked for us...I ended up just swallowing the cost for a hotel for 3 hours to get some sleep and booking 2 on SW from Love Field Direct to SF early sat morning...which gave us time back and made sure we were able to attend our function...
Aug 14, 2018, 6:56 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,227
No, that's a good thing. I'd still request a full refund for trip in vain. AA did not get you to your destination and you had to abandon your travel plans with them. It's really none of their business what you did after they could no longer accommodate you in a reasonable time frame.
Since your return trip was booked separately, that doesn't need to be part of this discussion at all. It would be harder to claim a trip in vain if you needed to use the return flights on the reservation!
Since your return trip was booked separately, that doesn't need to be part of this discussion at all. It would be harder to claim a trip in vain if you needed to use the return flights on the reservation!
Aug 14, 2018, 8:46 am
#6
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
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Posts: 21,422
No, that's a good thing. I'd still request a full refund for trip in vain. AA did not get you to your destination and you had to abandon your travel plans with them. It's really none of their business what you did after they could no longer accommodate you in a reasonable time frame.
Since your return trip was booked separately, that doesn't need to be part of this discussion at all. It would be harder to claim a trip in vain if you needed to use the return flights on the reservation!
Since your return trip was booked separately, that doesn't need to be part of this discussion at all. It would be harder to claim a trip in vain if you needed to use the return flights on the reservation!
Aug 14, 2018, 9:11 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: WAS
Posts: 3,010
I believe ijgordon's point is that OP bought a one-way ticket (more accurately, 2, including his wife) for ATL-SFO, not a roundtrip ATL-SFO-ATL. Because of that, the fact that OP successfully traveled SFO-ATL doesn't have any bearing on the ATL-SFO ticket.
Aug 14, 2018, 3:21 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,227
Exactly. OP basically had to abandon his ticket mid-trip due to AA snafu and AA could not get him to his destination in time. That's classic trip-in-vein, and what usually happens is the airline flies you back to your origin and fully refunds the ticket. My point is the fact that OP got himself to his destination separately on his own dime shouldn't have any bearing; AA doesn't even really need to know. And the return one-way ticket SFO-ATL also need not have any bearing (if that's even on AA).
Aug 14, 2018, 4:35 pm
#9
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
I posted about something similar recently. AA dropped me in OKC at midnight because DFW had closed and then couldnt get me to SEA for 36 hours so I bought a DL ticket.
I pursued a refund with AA for the unflown DFW-SEA segment and ultimately got roughly 60% of the BWI-DFW-SEA back as a refund.
I pursued a refund with AA for the unflown DFW-SEA segment and ultimately got roughly 60% of the BWI-DFW-SEA back as a refund.
Aug 17, 2018, 12:26 pm
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA & UK -- AA EXP 3.5MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Avis President's Club
Posts: 6,411
This is definitely a Trip in Vain, and a full refund is due. OP die _NOT_ fly "To DFW", and AA is _NOT_ due any money for transportation "To DFW". Instead, OP only flew PART of the way to the destination (SFO). OP bought a ticket to go from ATL to SFO. The fact that OP made it to DFW (or ORD or MIA or LAX) is irrelevant. The agreed-upon travel (ATL-SFO) did not occur and OP is due a full refund for Trip In Vain.