Feb 13, 2019, 9:36 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Questions about, guide to, and listing of, compensation (2019, master thread)
Welcome to the "2019 Guide to, and listing of, compensation" thread!
NOTE: AA Flight Attendants are issued Samsung Galaxy Note handheld devices. These are equipped with the iSolve app, which enables flight attendants to offer AAdvantage members on-the-spot compensation in the form of AAdvantage miles when specific inconveniences happen inflight. Those inflight inconveniences might include such things as inflight entertainment issues, broken seats or meal shortages. link to article by By Lewis Lazare, Chicago Business Journal, Jan 9, 2018
If compensation is not generated onsite or automatically (occasionally, it will), you will want to contact American Airlines Customer Relations. See Contacting American Airlines Customer Relations & Complaint, Issues (master thread).
In keeping with tradition, we'd like to ask members to report their compensation in the following format:
- Date
- AAdvantage Status
- Fare class
- What happened
- Compensation
- Comments
• JGR01 has created a spreadsheet parsing posts in this thread from 2003-2007, available for download here
• AA's official policy regarding compensation for delays, cancellations, and diversions is as follows (thanks to tom911 for posting):
DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS AND DIVERSIONS
American Airlines will provide customers at the airport and onboard an affected aircraft with timely and frequent updates regarding known delays, cancellations and diversions and will strive to provide the best available information concerning the duration of delays and to the extent available, the flight's anticipated departure time.
We are not responsible for any special, incidental or consequential damages if we do not meet this commitment.
When cancellations and major delays are experienced, you will be rerouted on our next flight with available seats. If the delay or cancellation was caused by events within our control and we do not get you to your final destination on the expected arrival day, we will provide reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability.
In extreme circumstances, it is possible that a flight will cancel while on the ground in the city to which it was diverted. When this happens you will be rerouted on the next American flight with available seats, or in some circumstances on another airline or some other alternative means of transportation. If we are unable to reroute you, reasonable overnight accommodations will be provided by American, subject to availability.
American will provide amenities for delayed passengers, necessary to maintain the safety and/or welfare of certain passengers such as customers with disabilities, unaccompanied children, the elderly or others to whom such amenities will be furnished consistent with special needs and/or circumstances.
American Airlines will provide customers at the airport and onboard an affected aircraft with timely and frequent updates regarding known delays, cancellations and diversions and will strive to provide the best available information concerning the duration of delays and to the extent available, the flight's anticipated departure time.
We are not responsible for any special, incidental or consequential damages if we do not meet this commitment.
When cancellations and major delays are experienced, you will be rerouted on our next flight with available seats. If the delay or cancellation was caused by events within our control and we do not get you to your final destination on the expected arrival day, we will provide reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability.
In extreme circumstances, it is possible that a flight will cancel while on the ground in the city to which it was diverted. When this happens you will be rerouted on the next American flight with available seats, or in some circumstances on another airline or some other alternative means of transportation. If we are unable to reroute you, reasonable overnight accommodations will be provided by American, subject to availability.
American will provide amenities for delayed passengers, necessary to maintain the safety and/or welfare of certain passengers such as customers with disabilities, unaccompanied children, the elderly or others to whom such amenities will be furnished consistent with special needs and/or circumstances.
Contrary to the belief of some, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for “damages” when flights are delayed or canceled. Compensation is required by law only when you are “bumped” from a flight that is oversold. Airlines almost always refuse to pay passengers for financial losses resulting from a delayed flight. If the purpose of your trip is to close a potentially lucrative business deal, to give a speech or lecture, to attend a family function, or to be present at any time-sensitive event, you might want to allow a little extra time and take an earlier flight. In other words, airline delays and cancellations are not unusual, and defensive planning is a good idea when time is your most important consideration.
Also see (FT) EC261 / EC 261/2004 complaints, compensation and AA (master thread)
(The other compensation threads are archived and closed, but can easily be accessed for reading here:
ARCHIVE: 2018 Questions about, guide to, and listing of, compensation
2017 Questions about, guide to, and listing of, compensation (consolidated)
2016 Questions about, guide to, and listing of, compensation (consolidated)
2015 Questions about, guide to, listing of, compensation (consolidated - archived)
2014 Questions about, guide to, listing of, compensation (consolidated - archived)
2013 Questions about, guide to, and listing of compensation (archived)
Guide to, and listing of, compensation (2012 - archived)
Guide to, and listing of, compensation (2003 - 2011 archived)
AA Forum Moderator Team
ARCHIVE: Questions for 2019 about, guide to, listing of, compensation (master thd)
Oct 5, 2019, 11:44 am
#316
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: EXP 2.9MM
Posts: 145
Last week, I flew ORD-SFO-ORD in F. AA cancelled the outbound flight the day prior and I called to re-book. The agent inadvertently cancelled my return which I discovered while trying to check in online. I called and they managed to get me on the same flight but in a window seat instead of aisle. After talking to her supervisor, the phone agent offered me a $50 voucher and told me I could probably get more if I wrote to them. I told her that I just wanted to move on and I would accept the voucher.
Nov 7, 2019, 5:10 pm
#317
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
wrong forum
Nov 14, 2019, 7:36 am
#318
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 2
So I had read on reddit (I know best place to start a post) about a guy who would buy 5 - 10 refundable tickets a day and sit at the airport waiting to be VBD'd on flights just to pick up vouchers. On the flights he didn't get VBD he just refunded the ticket and tried again the next day. Does that stuff really work? Sounds crazy, but effective in a way.
Nov 14, 2019, 8:37 am
#319
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: DCA
Programs: American AAdvantage EXP, World of Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Rewards Titanium, MGM Rewards Gold
Posts: 426
So I had read on reddit (I know best place to start a post) about a guy who would buy 5 - 10 refundable tickets a day and sit at the airport waiting to be VBD'd on flights just to pick up vouchers. On the flights he didn't get VBD he just refunded the ticket and tried again the next day. Does that stuff really work? Sounds crazy, but effective in a way.
Nov 14, 2019, 8:43 am
#321
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: DCA
Programs: American AAdvantage EXP, World of Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Rewards Titanium, MGM Rewards Gold
Posts: 426
Nov 14, 2019, 9:03 am
#322
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
"Hi, I ordered the all-you-can-eat chicken wings on Endless Wings Tuesday, filled up 25 plates of wings, put them all in a plastic garbage bag and took them across the street and opened a chicken wing food cart. I did this for eight Tuesdays in a row. What do you mean I'm not welcome in your restaurant anymore?????"
Dec 3, 2019, 4:41 pm
#323
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: IHG Ambassador/Spire Elite/Kimpton Inner Circle. AA: Plat. SW, UA, DL, Alaska: nuttin'!
Posts: 68
UPDATE: AA 102 (HNL-DFW) -- Comp for busted non-reclining 777 first class seat?
Dec 3, 2019, 8:40 pm
#324
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: IHG Ambassador/Spire Elite/Kimpton Inner Circle. AA: Plat. SW, UA, DL, Alaska: nuttin'!
Posts: 68
Is this a weather issue or an equipment issue?
ATL to DCA, Saturday, November 30th, AA flight 990.
More than halfway to DC, the pilot announced that the plane's (737) de-icing system was indicating a problem.
Though it was in the mid-40 degrees F. on the ground in DC, but he said that he might need the system during descent.
They discussed the problem with somebody on the ground, blah blah blah, it was a safety issue, WE MUST RETURN TO ATL.
We landed in ATL later than we were scheduled to land at DCA.
The flight (I assumed with the same but repaired plane, but I was not on the flight by then) eventually departed ATL and landed in DCA about 5 hours behind schedule. I had re-routed via MIA (I saw several fellow passengers from original plane also taking that option) and arrived at DCA about 7.5 hours late (sans bags! which is another story because they got left in MIA for no reason).
I sent a complaint to AA using their web page with all of the requested flight info and inquired whether there would be any compensation for the equipment malfunction and the flight delay.
I got a response that looked like a canned response because it did not have anything specific about my particular flight or plane issue, and the response said ...
Sorry, ... weather issue that we cannot control, blah blah blah...
I responded back, said sorry, no, your response does not seem focused on my particular flight and seems to be assuming that we were caught in the other/snow weather problems of the same day, but the pilot clearly said that there was a problem with the plane.
So I got a response that said ... "Weather events are complex ... weather situation ..."!
To me, it was clearly and solely an equipment issue with their plane. Am I wrong?! And if I am not wrong, am I wrong to expect some amount of compensation?
Even if there will be no compensation forthcoming, it still seems egregious and improper to call it a "weather event" without acknowledging the equipment issue.
The second response also seems to be a canned response. Customer relations cannot afford a couple of minutes of a real person's time to write something specific about that flight?
ARRRRRRRRGH!!!
More than halfway to DC, the pilot announced that the plane's (737) de-icing system was indicating a problem.
Though it was in the mid-40 degrees F. on the ground in DC, but he said that he might need the system during descent.
They discussed the problem with somebody on the ground, blah blah blah, it was a safety issue, WE MUST RETURN TO ATL.
We landed in ATL later than we were scheduled to land at DCA.
The flight (I assumed with the same but repaired plane, but I was not on the flight by then) eventually departed ATL and landed in DCA about 5 hours behind schedule. I had re-routed via MIA (I saw several fellow passengers from original plane also taking that option) and arrived at DCA about 7.5 hours late (sans bags! which is another story because they got left in MIA for no reason).
I sent a complaint to AA using their web page with all of the requested flight info and inquired whether there would be any compensation for the equipment malfunction and the flight delay.
I got a response that looked like a canned response because it did not have anything specific about my particular flight or plane issue, and the response said ...
Sorry, ... weather issue that we cannot control, blah blah blah...
I responded back, said sorry, no, your response does not seem focused on my particular flight and seems to be assuming that we were caught in the other/snow weather problems of the same day, but the pilot clearly said that there was a problem with the plane.
So I got a response that said ... "Weather events are complex ... weather situation ..."!
To me, it was clearly and solely an equipment issue with their plane. Am I wrong?! And if I am not wrong, am I wrong to expect some amount of compensation?
Even if there will be no compensation forthcoming, it still seems egregious and improper to call it a "weather event" without acknowledging the equipment issue.
The second response also seems to be a canned response. Customer relations cannot afford a couple of minutes of a real person's time to write something specific about that flight?
ARRRRRRRRGH!!!
Dec 20, 2019, 9:41 am
#325
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Outbound is delayed 1.5 hours because of mx, causing me to miss my connection, which is putting me into my destination (actually a different airport now) 3 hours late. Usually don't look for comp on ~hour delays, but I feel this is above my threshold especially with my arrival into another airport. Is this something that would fall under asking for comp or just live with it?
Dec 20, 2019, 4:32 pm
#326
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: IND/NYC/MEX
Programs: AA PPro BA Bronze SPG Gold HH GLD Hyatt Exp
Posts: 1,133
Outbound is delayed 1.5 hours because of mx, causing me to miss my connection, which is putting me into my destination (actually a different airport now) 3 hours late. Usually don't look for comp on ~hour delays, but I feel this is above my threshold especially with my arrival into another airport. Is this something that would fall under asking for comp or just live with it?
Please see the 2020 thread here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...aster-thd.html
Last edited by JDiver; Jan 1, 2020 at 6:16 pm Reason: Insert moderator note