No incentive to cancel award flights?
Dec 14, 2018, 10:41 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17
No incentive to cancel award flights?
I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
Dec 14, 2018, 11:04 am
#2
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I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
Note that your question is equally valid for paid tickets.
Why AA would not provide some sort of incentives to cancel those ticket? Perhaps, because not all flights are filled to the brim and AA has reliable statistical prediction on how many people would not show up. Finally, often there are non-revenue who will take any no-show seats.
Dec 14, 2018, 11:04 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2017
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Rules are rules, and the rules AA (and most every other airline) have are meant to be as punitive to the customer as legally possible to maximize revenue in the long run.
8 years ago, a relative member needed to to fly her return from Hawaii a few days early for a family emergency. AA said there was no 'residual value' left on her discount Y ticket bought on third party site since the value was 'used up' on her flight there. Doing a change would be the change fee + entire new cost of the one way flight.
Again, AA provided zero incentive to change, cancel, or do anything to that originally booked ticket so she left it as is, hoped the seat just flew empty, and booked a different airline home.
8 years ago, a relative member needed to to fly her return from Hawaii a few days early for a family emergency. AA said there was no 'residual value' left on her discount Y ticket bought on third party site since the value was 'used up' on her flight there. Doing a change would be the change fee + entire new cost of the one way flight.
Again, AA provided zero incentive to change, cancel, or do anything to that originally booked ticket so she left it as is, hoped the seat just flew empty, and booked a different airline home.
Dec 14, 2018, 11:37 am
#4
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I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
Dec 14, 2018, 1:05 pm
#5
Join Date: Aug 2015
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Equipment swaps and schedule changes certainly qualify for redeposit fee waivers.
Dec 14, 2018, 1:43 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,113
Do you have a Dr's not or death certificate? If so, try again. They can waive it under certain circumstances.
Otherwise, pay to 150 and keep the miles for something else. Sometimes it is better to cut your losses and not worry about it anymore. AA is no different (and often better) then other carriers.
Otherwise, pay to 150 and keep the miles for something else. Sometimes it is better to cut your losses and not worry about it anymore. AA is no different (and often better) then other carriers.
Dec 14, 2018, 1:57 pm
#7
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,549
I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
You might deny someone else the opportunity to book an award ticket since cancelling the award might make award seats available for others
Are the miles used worth more than $150?
In the end, it is documented that award redeposit fee is $150 for 1sr 1st award and $25 for additional awards deposited into the same account
If you hav 2 awards, both issued on the same account, it would cost $175
Dec 14, 2018, 2:02 pm
#8
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I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
This has nothing to do with the above cases of non-refundable cash tickets where, quite often, it really does cost less just to throw out a ticket than to change it.
Dec 14, 2018, 2:08 pm
#9
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This is a simple business transaction, not some high school affair which went wrong.
AA knows that there are some percentage of no shows for all manner of reasons. That is why it overbooks. Usually, AA nails it and does not need to offload anybody. Sometimes it does. Hence VDB/IDB.
If the miles are worth less than $150 to you, I agree. Don't do anything as the flight might be severely delayed or cancelled and you would then be entitled to a full refund without any fee. If they are worth more than $150, then "spiting" AA is plain silly. But, if you think that this matters one bit to AA, you are mistaken.
AA knows that there are some percentage of no shows for all manner of reasons. That is why it overbooks. Usually, AA nails it and does not need to offload anybody. Sometimes it does. Hence VDB/IDB.
If the miles are worth less than $150 to you, I agree. Don't do anything as the flight might be severely delayed or cancelled and you would then be entitled to a full refund without any fee. If they are worth more than $150, then "spiting" AA is plain silly. But, if you think that this matters one bit to AA, you are mistaken.
Dec 14, 2018, 3:10 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,539
As of today, AA's schedule post Apr 1st 2019 has not been firmed-up.
i.e. rebook for free today for new flights on or shortly after Apr 2nd 2019 and wait for the schedule change in the next couple of weeks to get a free redeposit
i.e. rebook for free today for new flights on or shortly after Apr 2nd 2019 and wait for the schedule change in the next couple of weeks to get a free redeposit
Last edited by Colin; Dec 14, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Dec 14, 2018, 4:55 pm
#15
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I need to cancel two award flights to Hawaii due to a family emergency. Customer service tells me I can change to a different date, same destination, with no penalty, but this is not an option for me. To get the award miles back, I have to pay $150 for each flight. Out of spite, I could just not cancel, and deny American the ability to rebook those seats for revenue. It's a mystery to me why they would not provide some sort of incentive, e.g. some percentage of miles returned, so that they could rebook the seats.
Also, if you rebook for award travel on a distant future date, there is some chance that there will be a significant schedule change between now and then, which would allow you to re-deposit your miles at no charge.
