Sanity Check on Info from AA agent Please
Aug 6, 2019, 8:46 am
#16
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Join Date: May 2002
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If I'm understanding this correctly......used or not, a ticket (if it still has any value on it minus a penalty, if applicable), is simply a negotiable instrument. Can't see what origin and destination, whether international or domestic, have to do with anything. You have money in your pocket -- correction -- AA has your money --- on an AA (unused) ticket so AA should be applying the left over value -CREDIT to a new ticket - regardless of what two cities you want to fly between + and/or fees, taxes etc that will apply.
If I'm understanding this correctly......used or not, a ticket (if it still has any value on it minus a penalty, if applicable), is simply a negotiable instrument. Can't see what origin and destination, whether international or domestic, have to do with anything. You have money in your pocket -- correction -- AA has your money --- on an AA (unused) ticket so AA should be applying the left over value -CREDIT to a new ticket - regardless of what two cities you want to fly between + and/or fees, taxes etc that will apply.
It is a specific instrument governed by the rules agreed to when the ticket is purchased. Which includes rules about origin and destination, along with many others. They all apply.
Aug 6, 2019, 9:05 am
#17
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Here and there
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,551
The Reissue Policies posted at the AA Travel Agency site indicate in general that changes to Country of Origin are permitted, so I'm not sure that the blanket statements being made here are the whole story. I would like to see the fare rule or AA policy that is governing this change.
Aug 6, 2019, 10:30 am
#18
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SAN
Programs: AA CK, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 839
One thing I noticed back in my US Air days while living in Europe, was that international fares for the same flights on the same metal were significantly cheaper usually by about 30% for itineraries originating from Europe. Perhaps the reason that you can’t change these itineraries across international lines might be due to discounted fares offered in foreign markets and the potential to game the system. That said, I have no idea if AA still discounts flights originating in Europe or elsewhere to the USA.
Aug 6, 2019, 10:42 am
#19
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I worked with a client this year with a global footprint who was regularly changing itineraries and destinations at the last moment. Over the course of this year I've ended up with a half dozen partially used tickets. Trying to apply those tickets to new itineraries has mostly not been successful for the same reasons given to OP. Per the EXP and rate desks, International tickets cannot be applied against domestic itineraries. A ticket booked in one currency cannot be applied against a ticket booked in another currency. I found it was quite difficult to use a residual in most cases where I called in myself; there appear to be significantly different rules applied than with a simple domestic to domestic residual application.
That said, my corporate booking agency had much greater ability to leverage the residuals in ways AA said to me were not possible; e.g., applying the residual on an unused AMS-MIA return to a MIA-SFO ticket. I don't know if that's to do with the specifics of the corporate contract or if the agency simply knows how to manipulate the booking system. The corp agency was not, however, able to apply residuals across differing currencies.
That said, my corporate booking agency had much greater ability to leverage the residuals in ways AA said to me were not possible; e.g., applying the residual on an unused AMS-MIA return to a MIA-SFO ticket. I don't know if that's to do with the specifics of the corporate contract or if the agency simply knows how to manipulate the booking system. The corp agency was not, however, able to apply residuals across differing currencies.
The rule might be point of sale and not origin on the ticket. Some travel agencies leverage point of sale (a couple years ago AmEx was advertising it in the context of sometimes doing international RTs as two OWs to save money), perhaps if they have offices or affiliates in other locations.