Miles Credited - Is this correct? (to merge)
 

I paid for a first class on a non-stop from PHL to TPA. The flight cancelled and I was rebooked in first from PHL to CLT and economy from CLT to TPA. The only option to keep a first class seat on the CLT-TPA segment was to have a nearly six hour layover in CLT.

It looks like I was credited miles for the CLT - TPA segment as if I'd booked in Economy. I don't fly AA often. I'm not sure how they typically calculate miles but it looks like they made a distinction between segments based on the seat they gave me, not the seat I paid for.

Is this correct?

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c78490555c.jpg

However, Y is expensive full-fare economy, and so there may be no difference to speak of. You can try arguing for the difference between D and discount econ but don't count on succeeding.

Alternatively, you can request ORC (Original Routing Credit), to get the extra 508 EQM based what you originally booked. If you don't travel AA much, you might not care, I suppose.

I'd ask for ORC.

It would only be 332 additional miles from what I can tell. PHL-TPA is 920 miles, so EQMs would be 1840 ; EQMs eaned were 1508 , so difference is only 332

For award miles, it seems that fare was used for PHL-CLT at 1150 plus 508 based on distance for CLT-TPA

If the actual fare ( exc taxes ) was > $1251.6 , there might be some additional award miles, but conversely a corrected 'ORC' could end up with less miles if the fare was cheaper than $1251

For 332 EQM - unless that is going to impact reaching a higher status tier, I wouldn't waste time chasing credit based on the non stop original booking

For a downgrade like the one described, you can call and get the credit switched to first class based on your original ticketing. You might have to argue a bit, and point out that if you were UPgraded they would credit based on the original fare, not the cabin flown. I think you would have much less luck getting a refund in the same situation since the change was "voluntary".

Just make sure that you are not arguing yourself into earning fewer miles. The award miles earning might be less if calculated by fare the whole way based on fare paid

Looking at fares from PHL-TPA, the 1st class fares start at $315 plus tax ; the only fares that would earn more award miles than were received are the Y0AUPRDF ($1333) and JA2AA ($1363)

The advice to seek a partial refund is good advice. But to be clear about your question, the award miles you received are the same regardless of your class -- it's 5 miles per dollar (not counting taxes). That's the same regardless of cabin. What you got slightly fewer of was "elite qualifying miles" (EQMs), but those count only towards elite status, they are not redeemable miles. If you don't plan to come within 300 EQMs of qualifying for a status tier this year, you have no reason to seek original routing credit. Just get the partial refund that you are due. (And while others are correct that AA could technically say your business class fare was no more expensive than an economy fare, AA has recently been doing pretty good about giving fair refund value for downgrades.)

Checking the screenshot provided by the OP, the 1st sector credited by fare and the 2nd sector credited by distance. As such, depending on the price paid for the ticket, the award miles adjustment could be higher or could be lower - if it had credited on fare the whole way, it would indeed make no difference

If my recollection is correct, AA does have a set formula for downgrades on what it likes to still privately call instant upgrade fares on a set dollar amount per mile

I definitely won't be achieving any status on AA. Most of my AA miles were earned on Cathay and other One World partners.

The fair paid was significantly less than $1251 so there's probably no benefit in making a call. I had enough miles to upgrade my next AA Economy trip to First (+$75) and that's probably all I'll ever use AA miles for in the future.

Thanks for the great information.

This is an odd statement – it suggests you think that flying with OneWorld partners won't earn you AA status, but it will. If you are earning AA miles on CX, BA or others, then you should be earning higher status on AA too.

What I meant is that I don't fly AA often and the reason I have the miles I have is mostly from flights on One World partners.

I don't fly One World frequently enough to get AA status, or at least I don't go out of my way to try.