AA schedule changes. How often?
#1
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AA schedule changes. How often?
I just booked a flight on AA for next May. My question is how often do schedule changes happen? Most of my recent flying has been on either WN, where they hardly ever happen (and the one time it did, I got a phone call with a live person on the other end, twice) and DL, where they happen all the time (sometimes without any notice at all). So my question is, how much to I have to babysit my flight? Thanks.
#2
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Generally schedule changes occur quarterly, although there isn't any set schedule. For a couple of years during the merger, they were happening monthly. The best advice is just to monitor your reservations on aa.com for schedule changes, equipment changes, seating changes, etc. I generally do it about once a week.
Also, note that while Southwest rarely made changes after it opened it's schedule, there have been reports in the last several months of schedule changes on them as well. It's best just to monitor all your reservations for all airlines.
Also, note that while Southwest rarely made changes after it opened it's schedule, there have been reports in the last several months of schedule changes on them as well. It's best just to monitor all your reservations for all airlines.
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2006
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Schedules generally change with the season, however, your individual flight may not change, or not change materially. In theory AA is suppose to notify you of any flight changes but doesn't always do so. I'd say check your reservation once every 4-8 weeks to be safe. Equipment can also change meaning possible loss of your assigned seat.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,107
IIRC, schedules are finalized about 90 days out. Up tomthat point, there could be a slight schedule shift in either direction. Happens all the time. Could be 5 minutes, could be an hour.
I booked a December trip last June, not 2 days later they shifted the TATL leg back an hour. A couple weeks later, they moved my connecting flight to that one forward an hour. I could ask for a re-route, and they are pretty good about that provided the start/end points don’t change. (IIRC something about a 150 mile rule, but no idea how/when/if that plays into it all.)
The only reason I have yet to seek a change is the connection is through ORD, and well, the Flagship Lounge beats what they have going on at DFW right now by a country mile. If the FL was open at DFW, I’d have switched the connection as soon as the change happened.
I booked a December trip last June, not 2 days later they shifted the TATL leg back an hour. A couple weeks later, they moved my connecting flight to that one forward an hour. I could ask for a re-route, and they are pretty good about that provided the start/end points don’t change. (IIRC something about a 150 mile rule, but no idea how/when/if that plays into it all.)
The only reason I have yet to seek a change is the connection is through ORD, and well, the Flagship Lounge beats what they have going on at DFW right now by a country mile. If the FL was open at DFW, I’d have switched the connection as soon as the change happened.
#5
Join Date: Nov 2001
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They tend to occur once a month...always loaded overnight Saturday into Sunday. From what I’ve observed, usually the first or second weekend of the month.
There tend to be biggèr changes seasonallly, and about 3 months out. October 7, I woke up to find major headaches with changes to two January itineraries. A month earlier, one Sunday morning I woke to minor tweaks to December itineraries. One of those Dec itineraries was purchased well in advance and had seen major changes back in March.
Here’s a great article about AA scheduling: https://crankyflier.com/2018/03/12/a...g-improvement/
There tend to be biggèr changes seasonallly, and about 3 months out. October 7, I woke up to find major headaches with changes to two January itineraries. A month earlier, one Sunday morning I woke to minor tweaks to December itineraries. One of those Dec itineraries was purchased well in advance and had seen major changes back in March.
Here’s a great article about AA scheduling: https://crankyflier.com/2018/03/12/a...g-improvement/
#6
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Most of my recent flying has been on either WN, where they hardly ever happen (and the one time it did, I got a phone call with a live person on the other end, twice) and DL, where they happen all the time (sometimes without any notice at all). So my question is, how much to I have to babysit my flight? Thanks.
#7
Join Date: Apr 2003
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Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,929
I tend to have multiple AA flights booked at all times, generally 4-5 months in advance, and I’ve had rampant schedule changes over the last 3 years. It is not uncommon for itineraries to be changed once and then changed again over the course of several months. This can involve anything from minor flight time changes (which are usually accompanied by flight number changes) to outright cancellations/re-bookings. It has in many cases worked to my advantage, in which an inconvenient flight that I had to book because that was the only award available gets changed so much that I am able to shift myself onto a much more convenient flight that didn’t have award seats when I originally booked it
#8
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Seriously? Even if they make a flight change 90 days out they wouldn't inform me until about 30 days out? Why? To make sure my options are more limited and make it harder to select seats that I paid an extra $50/pp for? Why wouldn't an email automatically be generated when changes to my flight happen?
#9
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Seriously? Even if they make a flight change 90 days out they wouldn't inform me until about 30 days out? Why? To make sure my options are more limited and make it harder to select seats that I paid an extra $50/pp for? Why wouldn't an email automatically be generated when changes to my flight happen?
#10
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You clearly haven't been hanging around in the AA neck of the woods long enough It should be that simple, but AA's IT systems can be downright awful at certain things. It really is all over the place with regards to schedule changes, sometimes you might get an email right when it happens, other times it might happen 3 months out and you get an email 30 days before, and still other times you might not get any notification at all. When booking flights months out it pays to be vigilant.
#11
Join Date: Aug 2004
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I wish they occurred more often! I, too, tend to book a handful of flights pretty far out, oftentimes an award flight that might have multiple connections (when the more convenient routing isn't available). My hope is that something changes on one of those flights letting me book the more desired route. For example, I'm have a BOG>MIA>DTW>ORD award in June. The MIA>DTW>ORD are very tight connections. I'm sure something will change with that and let me move to a direct MIA>ORD flight.
#12
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#13
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#14
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Seriously? Even if they make a flight change 90 days out they wouldn't inform me until about 30 days out? Why? To make sure my options are more limited and make it harder to select seats that I paid an extra $50/pp for? Why wouldn't an email automatically be generated when changes to my flight happen?
There are many, many things to complain about in the world of AA IT and service/self-service functions. If you get to EXP you'll probably find mostly experienced, well-trained phone staff. The rest of us...
#15
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Is that really any different than DL, WN, or really any other airline? I see IT complaints all the time on just about every other airlines forum (we wont even get into Marriott right now).