Equipment change / downgauge = no seat / downgrade. What now?
Aug 17, 2019, 4:52 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AA PPro
Posts: 632
Equipment change / downgauge = no seat / downgrade. What now?
I am standing at the gate for my flight from MIA-DFW waiting for the agents to arrive. My connecting flight from DFW-ORD had an overnight equipment change from 789 to 788. I am traveling domestic first paid. I now no longer have a seat assignment and the business Cabin is much smaller on the 788 so I don’t know if there will be enough seats.
If they cannot assign me a seat on the second flight here at the gate at Miami then I can request a refund due to equipment change for the full RT ticket correct?
If i take the flight to DFW without an assignment and they cannot put me in first from what I could tell on the CoC I only get a partial refund, and I would assume they have to get me back to Miami if I don’t want to fly to ORD on another flight or in Y. Do I have that right?
It if I accept a Y seat to ORD I am due a fare difference for the downgraded leg plus compensation in the form of a voucher or points at the least correct?
Ultimately I do NOT HAVE to get on this flight today so if I am going to have a miserable time at DFW and can get out now I would rather get a full refund (and ask for some points for the trouble?).
If they can assign me a seat of course I will fly. But I am doubtful with how much smaller the cabin is.
thanks in advance
If they cannot assign me a seat on the second flight here at the gate at Miami then I can request a refund due to equipment change for the full RT ticket correct?
If i take the flight to DFW without an assignment and they cannot put me in first from what I could tell on the CoC I only get a partial refund, and I would assume they have to get me back to Miami if I don’t want to fly to ORD on another flight or in Y. Do I have that right?
It if I accept a Y seat to ORD I am due a fare difference for the downgraded leg plus compensation in the form of a voucher or points at the least correct?
Ultimately I do NOT HAVE to get on this flight today so if I am going to have a miserable time at DFW and can get out now I would rather get a full refund (and ask for some points for the trouble?).
If they can assign me a seat of course I will fly. But I am doubtful with how much smaller the cabin is.
thanks in advance
Aug 17, 2019, 5:41 am
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
Not surprising that AA would cancel as this saves it a ton of money either by having to downgrade or pay IDB/VDB if the overbooking really turned into an oversale.
However, to be clear because this is a public board:
1. AA had no obligation to refund your ticket.
2. AA could have simply downgraded you and refunded you the fare difference.
Thus, I would not count on this as a general matter.
However, to be clear because this is a public board:
1. AA had no obligation to refund your ticket.
2. AA could have simply downgraded you and refunded you the fare difference.
Thus, I would not count on this as a general matter.
Aug 17, 2019, 5:52 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AA PPro
Posts: 632
Thanks, I figured I could have ended up winning out monetarily if I went to DFW but I really didn’t want to spend the day stressing about it so I was happy to just stay home. I am going to contact (AAdvantage?) to see if I can get some points for the inconvenience of driving to the airport, parking, ect. to find out what the first agent on the phone at 4:45AM should have told me and I would have gone back to bed.
Aug 17, 2019, 7:10 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
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Posts: 2,138
Thanks, I figured I could have ended up winning out monetarily if I went to DFW but I really didn’t want to spend the day stressing about it so I was happy to just stay home. I am going to contact (AAdvantage?) to see if I can get some points for the inconvenience of driving to the airport, parking, ect. to find out what the first agent on the phone at 4:45AM should have told me and I would have gone back to bed.
Last edited by iadisgreat; Aug 17, 2019 at 7:15 am
Aug 17, 2019, 7:38 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: USA
Programs: Chase Sapphire Reserve, WFBF
Posts: 1,573
A refund in this case isn't above and beyond. The equipment changed and the cabin was oversold. The customer is entitled to a refund in this case.
Aug 17, 2019, 8:17 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AA PPro
Posts: 632
Not looking to start an argument here but the phone agent told me the departing airport check in deck (MIA in this case) could assign me a seat, when only the gate agent at DFW could do so. If I had been told there was no way for me to know if I had a seat until getting to DFW, I would have asked for a refund then. A quick google shows that at least under some circumstances AA considers an equipment change to be the same as a schedule change (voluntary refund eligible). Considering I went from having a confirmed boarding pass in a 30 seat cabin to a question mark in a 20 seat cabin, I think the solution to refund was fair, I don't see why it was "above and beyond." I am sure the GA in DFW is glad to have one less passenger to have to deal with and I didn't have to pace around the gate finding out if I had a seat. My first choice would still have been to have taken the flights with an assigned seat, so I don't think some miles are an unreasonable request. I won't get irate if they say no either.
Aug 17, 2019, 8:38 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Not looking to start an argument here but the phone agent told me the departing airport check in deck (MIA in this case) could assign me a seat, when only the gate agent at DFW could do so. If I had been told there was no way for me to know if I had a seat until getting to DFW, I would have asked for a refund then. A quick google shows that at least under some circumstances AA considers an equipment change to be the same as a schedule change (voluntary refund eligible). Considering I went from having a confirmed boarding pass in a 30 seat cabin to a question mark in a 20 seat cabin, I think the solution to refund was fair, I don't see why it was "above and beyond." I am sure the GA in DFW is glad to have one less passenger to have to deal with and I didn't have to pace around the gate finding out if I had a seat. My first choice would still have been to have taken the flights with an assigned seat, so I don't think some miles are an unreasonable request. I won't get irate if they say no either.
Aug 18, 2019, 11:57 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HND
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,230
I'm curious, did you take the refund and you will re-book for another day on your desired aircraft or did you cancel a trip (not to be re-booked in the near future) simply because you couldn't guarantee a first class seat for 50% of your trip?
Also, why didn't you ask them to re-route you in first on one of the dozen MIA-ORD flights (some even with lie-flats)?
Also, why didn't you ask them to re-route you in first on one of the dozen MIA-ORD flights (some even with lie-flats)?
Aug 19, 2019, 7:24 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: AA PPro
Posts: 632
I'm curious, did you take the refund and you will re-book for another day on your desired aircraft or did you cancel a trip (not to be re-booked in the near future) simply because you couldn't guarantee a first class seat for 50% of your trip?
Also, why didn't you ask them to re-route you in first on one of the dozen MIA-ORD flights (some even with lie-flats)?
Also, why didn't you ask them to re-route you in first on one of the dozen MIA-ORD flights (some even with lie-flats)?
Certainly if I needed to take the trip I do plenty (most) of my flying in coach and it wouldn't have been the end of the world to get bumped and some compensation and/or I would have just taken a direct flight.
Aug 19, 2019, 4:18 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HND
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,230
Reasonable question. Call it a mileage run of sorts I guess. I didn't really have any specific reason to be in ORD, but the prices were good for the intl configured aircraft involved routing through DFW (plus good EQM earning in paid F), I have never flown in a 787, had the weekend free to fly somewhere. When it turned from what was supposed to be a fun day in the air to waking up early with stressing news, no seat and spending all morning figuring out my situation (instead of sitting in the Centurion Lounge watching planes come in!) I just decided to take a walk from it. Of course I was prepared for things to go wrong once underway (we are talking about commercial flights here!), I was at least hoping to make it up in the air before any bumps in the road and then roll with it. I will likely reschedule the trip for another weekend.
Certainly if I needed to take the trip I do plenty (most) of my flying in coach and it wouldn't have been the end of the world to get bumped and some compensation and/or I would have just taken a direct flight.
Certainly if I needed to take the trip I do plenty (most) of my flying in coach and it wouldn't have been the end of the world to get bumped and some compensation and/or I would have just taken a direct flight.
Aug 19, 2019, 6:40 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2014
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Posts: 3,226
Reasonable question. Call it a mileage run of sorts I guess. I didn't really have any specific reason to be in ORD, but the prices were good for the intl configured aircraft involved routing through DFW (plus good EQM earning in paid F), I have never flown in a 787, had the weekend free to fly somewhere. When it turned from what was supposed to be a fun day in the air to waking up early with stressing news, no seat and spending all morning figuring out my situation (instead of sitting in the Centurion Lounge watching planes come in!) I just decided to take a walk from it. Of course I was prepared for things to go wrong once underway (we are talking about commercial flights here!), I was at least hoping to make it up in the air before any bumps in the road and then roll with it. I will likely reschedule the trip for another weekend.
Certainly if I needed to take the trip I do plenty (most) of my flying in coach and it wouldn't have been the end of the world to get bumped and some compensation and/or I would have just taken a direct flight.
Certainly if I needed to take the trip I do plenty (most) of my flying in coach and it wouldn't have been the end of the world to get bumped and some compensation and/or I would have just taken a direct flight.
Aug 20, 2019, 11:09 am
#15
Moderator: American AAdvantage
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Not looking to start an argument here but the phone agent told me the departing airport check in deck (MIA in this case) could assign me a seat, when only the gate agent at DFW could do so. If I had been told there was no way for me to know if I had a seat until getting to DFW, I would have asked for a refund then. A quick google shows that at least under some circumstances AA considers an equipment change to be the same as a schedule change (voluntary refund eligible). Considering I went from having a confirmed boarding pass in a 30 seat cabin to a question mark in a 20 seat cabin, I think the solution to refund was fair, I don't see why it was "above and beyond." I am sure the GA in DFW is glad to have one less passenger to have to deal with and I didn't have to pace around the gate finding out if I had a seat. My first choice would still have been to have taken the flights with an assigned seat, so I don't think some miles are an unreasonable request. I won't get irate if they say no either.
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2. You did not fully comply with American's ticketing and check-in requirements, as set forth in the check -in requirements section, or cannot be accepted for transportation under the rules set forth the acceptance of passengers section.
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If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed reservations than there are seats available), and you are denied boarding involuntarily at the airport, you will be entitled to a payment of "denied boarding compensation" from American unless
1. American arranges for you to be transported on another flight scheduled to arrive at your destination or next 4-hour stopover no later than one hour after your originally scheduled arrival time, or
2. You did not fully comply with American's ticketing and check-in requirements, as set forth in the check -in requirements section, or cannot be accepted for transportation under the rules set forth the acceptance of passengers section.
3. You are denied boarding because the flight is canceled, or
4. You are denied boarding because a smaller capacity aircraft was substituted for safety or operational reasons,
5. You are offered accommodations in a section of the aircraft other than specified on your ticket, at no additional charge. If
you are...