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-   -   Separating From Spouse - Trip Non-Refundable (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1946670-separating-spouse-trip-non-refundable.html)

jtdp Dec 19, 2018 1:44 pm

Separating From Spouse - Trip Non-Refundable
 
Hi all, I found this forum online and hoping I could find some suggestions for an issue I’m trying to resolve.

My husband and I planned a trip with our two kids for the end of December/ early January. We just separated in the last couple of days. He is abusive and obviously we will not be traveling together any longer. When I called AA they said they could not do anything since they were Basic Economy tickets. My husband holds all the money but we used my credit card to book and it is a lot of money to me.

Any thoughts?
Happy Holidays everyone.

reeg2 Dec 19, 2018 1:51 pm

Per the BE rules, there's no changes allowed. So I don't think you have any options other than to be happy to be away from an abusive situation.
All the best for you and your kids.

mnhusker Dec 19, 2018 2:06 pm

Do you have trip insurance?

If so, perhaps it will cover for the separation as a cause of not taking the trip and you would get some of the money back for the tickets.

JDiver Dec 19, 2018 2:22 pm


Originally Posted by jtdp (Post 30554055)
Hi all, I found this forum online and hoping I could find some suggestions for an issue I’m trying to resolve.

My husband and I planned a trip with our two kids for the end of December/ early January. We just separated in the last couple of days. He is abusive and obviously we will not be traveling together any longer. When I called AA they said they could not do anything since they were Basic Economy tickets. My husband holds all the money but we used my credit card to book and it is a lot of money to me.

Any thoughts?
Happy Holidays everyone.

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

I’m sorry about your difficult and challenging issue.

The problem with Basic Economy is that that fare is generally not changeable or refundable. These are cheap and highly restricted fares.

All I can think of is writing AA a letter stating your circumstances and, if you have any official or court orders requiring him to stay away from you, etc. include a copy. You can try

Sean Bentel
Vice President -- Customer and Relations
4333 Amon Carter Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76155

Though I’d not be surprised of a denial, it’s probably worth a try, even if just for peace of mind.

ricktoronto Dec 19, 2018 5:55 pm


Originally Posted by reeg2 (Post 30554078)
Per the BE rules, there's no changes allowed. So I don't think you have any options other than to be happy to be away from an abusive situation.
All the best for you and your kids.

OP: Post the details on a Twitter account (make one not in the actual name in case it embarrasses the OP) worded just like this : "Hey AA! I am a victim of domestic violence and your policy prevents me getting any relief at Xmas other than flying with my wife-beater husband. Why are you so mean?"

You'd have to be willing to fly somewhere as a refund is not fair on them for a BE ticket but I give it 10-15 minutes before a DM asking for your name and locator code.

At worst you get nothing which is what you have now.

cova Dec 19, 2018 6:38 pm

The OP did not state these were Basic Economy fares. Sorry for your situation, but clearly BE fares are lower since they don't offer any fare recovery even after a $200 fee.

Whenever you buy a non-refundable fare you face potential loss. The plus is that you usually don't cancel that often so the risk is worth it. Another reason not to buy BE fares. But of course if the fare is less than $200 - you would have nothing to gain by getting a non-BE fare, from a refund standpoint.

Often1 Dec 19, 2018 6:59 pm

Check your travel insurance. Highly unlikely that it is covered, but sometimes a careful read of the policy language will reveal something. Also, make sure your lawyer knows about this. Depending on how things are going in discussions between two professionals, you may find that this gets dealt with in the final resolution of your divorce or, even sooner.

Beyond that, I would not expect AA to budge and, if they did, it would almost certainly be a credit for use within a year and not a refund.

Don't over-estimate how much AA cares about silly social media stuff. People on FT believe that it generates an immediate response. But, it also creates a bad precedent for AA, so they may dig in even harder.

Antarius Dec 19, 2018 7:04 pm


Originally Posted by ricktoronto (Post 30554962)
OP: Post the details on a Twitter account (make one not in the actual name in case it embarrasses the OP) worded just like this : "Hey AA! I am a victim of domestic violence and your policy prevents me getting any relief at Xmas other than flying with my wife-beater husband. Why are you so mean?"

You'd have to be willing to fly somewhere as a refund is not fair on them for a BE ticket but I give it 10-15 minutes before a DM asking for your name and locator code.

At worst you get nothing which is what you have now.

I cannot disagree more with this. Asking for a policy exception as goodwill is one thing. Behaving like an entitled type just makes it worse for everyone.

I wish the best for the OP in their bad situation, but throwing a social media tantrum isnt the way to go about it.

mnhusker Dec 19, 2018 8:23 pm

In addition to the trip insurance idea, you could even look at your credit card.

Some credit cards cover travel issues and perhaps if you call them and discuss your separation, even with a letter from your attorney about the issues causing the separation, perhaps they would consider issuing a refund of the value of the tickets purchased.

Can't hurt to ask :).

Science Goy Dec 19, 2018 9:06 pm


Originally Posted by ricktoronto (Post 30554962)
OP: Post the details on a Twitter account (make one not in the actual name in case it embarrasses the OP) worded just like this : "Hey AA! I am a victim of domestic violence and your policy prevents me getting any relief at Xmas other than flying with my wife-beater husband. Why are you so mean?"

OP seems like a reasonable person looking for a workable solution, so not sure why you would suggest this?

ijgordon Dec 19, 2018 11:14 pm

You can still take the trip. That may not be ideal or even feasible depending on the specifics of your situation in terms of finances or safety, but it's an option.
Best wishes.

flyingeph12 Dec 19, 2018 11:45 pm

I'm terribly sorry for your situation.

One situation where AA will offer refunds is when there is a schedule change of more than an hour, so I would be on the lookout for that (especially if you booked a really long time ago). Also, if there is very bad weather (not unlikely in the winter), and AA issues a travel waiver, they may be willing to issue a refund rather than rebook you on other flights; travel waivers are generally issued (and posted on AA's website) a few days beforehand.

AA will also issue refunds in the event of a death of a traveling companion. While this is not a death, you might be able to convince a sympathetic agent that this situation is effectively the same. While one of your traveling companions isn't technically dead, he's effectively dead because there's absolutely no way that you can travel with him. You will likely have to produce some sort of documentation in this case, though.

Other than those scenarios, AA likely will not issue a refund. I might try your credit card company, especially if it's one you've had for a long time, and see if they would be willing to issue a chargeback, given the circumstances. At the least, they might be willing to allow you to defer payment on that charge without interest while you sort out your situation.

hotturnip Dec 20, 2018 1:54 am

Try to recover the money in a divorce settlement. I think that's about the only possibility. As far as the airline is concerned, this is just another canceled trip--the reasons don't matter.

Keep all your receipts and records.

bobnchi Dec 20, 2018 6:20 am


Originally Posted by hotturnip (Post 30556073)
Try to recover the money in a divorce settlement. I think that's about the only possibility. As far as the airline is concerned, this is just another canceled trip--the reasons don't matter.

Keep all your receipts and records.


+1 THIS! And dont forget to remove him from all access to your accounts.

fotographer Dec 20, 2018 6:27 am

Be happy that idiot is no longer in your life.. I know the money means a lot, but your life and your children's life and safety mean a lot more.
Consider take out a restraining order too,


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