I appreciate you starting this thread. I had asked a similar question to this just last week. basically when is the cut off for getting on the plane. I am worried about a layover being delayed and missing my connection. So thanks for keeping us informed. I always like to learn new and helpful information for my travels.

Extremely unlikely AA is going to send folks into the thread.

You brought up a really great point and many of us appreciate it. A lot of us don't like following D0 over common sense.

But ....as the volume and shrillness increases,the appearance of wanting to go to law school, the attempts at attention, etc., there is the risk of the focus shifting from the issue to the messenger and those issues clouding judgment. The suggestion of AA sending people here to bash you and "your claim" (it's not actually yours, right?) further increases that risk.

The practical issue is that you've brought up an obvious inconsistency and charging your friend when he was there at the gate before time of departure is troubling. Normally, the gate agent would apply the
"flat tire" rule and book him on the flight the following day. The notion of being escorted away and the lack of the gate agent applying the flat tire rule makes experienced travelers wonder what the interaction was at the gate. The situation is likely complicated that most people wouldn't show up at the gate for a once a day international flight 15 minutes before departure after getting to the airport a couple of hours before. Did your friend wander around SLC for a couple of hours before heading to the gate on the outbound? Did the gate agent page your friend? All these reasons might be why this story won't get a lot of attention beyond what you post.

I wouldn't stress too much about it.

This situation doesn't involve a delayed connection. The practical issue is that if you show up to FLL on time, AA will get you to FCO, If your outbound flight is delayed, you'll be able to see that before you head to the airport and be able to see other options such as routing through CLT or PHL if you are at risk of missing your connection. Folks on FT are usually happy to help explore options.as well.

Current thoughts:
1. Your willingness to go to bat for your friend is commendable; you are clearly a good person
2. Some people have suggested that publicly posting about his episode is a bad strategy, but I disagree because you've clued in many people to the fact that 10 minutes does not mean 10 minutes
-as much as I prefer waiting in the lounge to the gate area, I will now make a more concerted effort to present myself at the gate by T-30 when flying AA
3. On the EU side, I suggest engaging a company that specializes in EU 261 claims; yes, they will take a hefty commission, but this is their bread and butter
4. On the US side, I've had success with AG claims in the past, and they are really easy to file
5. For both 3 and 4, the BP in conjunction with the flightaware data should be sufficient
-while your friend can't prove that he was at the gate x minutes before departure, the fact that the airplane left before T-10 is easy to verify

But in all seriousness, thank you to everyone on this thread/board for everything you have contributed here. There's nowhere else on the internet where this conversation could even start, so again, thank you!

I think if you can find actual examples of people that were harmed by AA's policies in this regard, as your friend was, then maybe you (and your friend) try and find a class action lawyer willing to take it to the next level. That would get AA's attention. But I really don't know how widespread an issue this is. (The length of the D0 thread suggest it's at minimum pissing a lot of FTers off.) Which is why upthread I suggested at least filing a complaint with the U.S. DOT to get the issue on record. If they get a lot of these, then the regulators take notice. It also counts as one strike against the airline in the annual reporting of DOT complaints by airline, something that they probably take semi-seriously, in aggregate.

noted!

It's very easy to do also:
https://www.transportation.gov/airco...umer-complaint

And note this:
How Do Consumer Complaints Help DOT?
Complaints from consumers help DOT spot problem areas and trends in the airline industry. Complaints can lead to enforcement action against an airline when a serious violation of the law has occurred. Complaints may also be the basis for rulemaking actions.