lebelgo

AA is obviously liable. For them to deny liability seems to be to acting in bad faith. I don't know if you could get punitive damages.

VegasGambler

This is the problem. AA doesn't pay what they are supposed to pay because getting them to pay for it is a nuisance.

I would not let them off the hook so easily.

UKtravelbear

You have US Senators (2) and a House Rep as well as a state rep and state senator and I think a secretary of state (or other office holder) responsible for consumer issues.

All of whom have constituent services staff.

contact all of them. AA caused you damage and they should make you whole. That is all you are asking for.

AA are behaving appallingly and need to be held to account

AAir_head

s0ssos

Would they care given OP is an Argentina citizen?

ryan182

Even if OP was a US citizen no congresscritter would give a hoot about this.

IMO the OP is due payment to make them whole, no punitive damages as someone mentioned as this was clearly an accident, and as such I'd do as JDiver mentioned and write them a letter detailing the reasonable out of pocket costs you incurred with documentation and request they reimburse you; if they decline then take them to SCC.

CrazyJ82

I can totally believe this happened because something similar almost happened to my partner. In that case it was a BA agent who nearly ripped the bio page repeatedly trying to run his through the reader. Fortunately we saw what was happening and spoke up before she could do any real damage. It's a particular danger now that the bio page isn't printed on the inside cover of the passport. In theory they can swipe the bio page and the hard cover together for more stability but a lot of them try to run only the page itself.

MSPeconomist

C46

That's why I love the swedish passports; having a solid, polycarbonate biodata page.
Luckily, other countries (e.g. Germany, Ireland) started copying it.

kaydee7

Hopefully the customer relations person will reply to you. Surely there must be a flight heading out with an open seat at some point.

scubadu

Oh, I'm sure there are empty seats (occasionally) between LAX and SFO. That isn't the issue really. The issue is that MegaCorps don't really know how to handle that and just make it happen. These large, legacy companies have very rigid, defined playbooks and springs sort of pop out of their heads when a situation that doesn't neatly fit into the playbook emerges. They just become paralyzed and continually point to the "terms and conditions" in a recursive loop. Companies like AA, sadly, generally don't empower front line employees to just "do the right thing" for the customer anymore. They used to have some of that power years ago, but these days everything has been automated/standardized.

This is a disappointing situation for sure. Luckily for me, I'd just deal with it myself and move on (financially, I can do that), but I certainly understand and sympathize that, for many, an unexpected/unnecessary $500 expense is a pretty big deal. But honestly, I value my time in a manner that pursuing AA via SCC, for this level of money would just not be on my "to do" list.

Regards

Often1

1. I do not see any elected official becoming involved in a matter where litigation is likely, or even possible. Most especially a non-national regarding an issue dealing with a non-US issue, e.g. how Argentina chooses to issue its passports. I also do not see DOT becoming involved. The reason is simple. This is what small claims courts are for.

2. OP really does need to submit a budget for his trip, in writing, to AA and to back up the airfare issue with the documentation showing that he must make a personal appearance at the Argentinian Consulate in Los Angeles. Make the budget simple, clear and reasonable. Do not draw comparisons to other issues because analogies never work. Make what you submit something you would be pleased to have a judge read if you did have to sue and a judge really did read it.

This is not a broken suitcase and it is not a delayed flight. It is simply an item belonging to (or at least entrusted to) OP which is damaged and the cost of repairing that damage involves an in-personal appearance.

3. I doubt that OP will lose a SCC case even if AA were to take it to trial.

4. However, as a non-US national apparently residing in the US, I would not wait around to get the passport issue taken care of. Better way to look at is to ask what OP would do if AA refused to pay anything and was not ordered to do so? Given that OP will have to replace his passport whether or not he is reimbursed, better to get this taken care of ASAP and to hope that this is resolved by AA internally and, if not, in court.

joe_miami

Argentina considers this a “renewal”? Did they not take your fingerprints two months ago, or do they do it each time?

ricktoronto

Since he said he's from Argentina, a bad assumption.

Toshbaf

Can AA offer you a ticket on their own SFO-LAX flight, back and forth the same day so its clear that you are there just for the passport problem? In other words, they pay for new passport, offer a seat on their own airline, and maybe a travel voucher for general compensation. In turn, the original poster would cover all other incidentals.