Need advice, I think I've been mistreated by AA on award flights
Dec 27, 2019, 10:56 am
#16
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I'm afraid that you did make a change with BA, you didn't initiate it but you accepted it. It wasn't "done" until you paid for it. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't have to have an advanced degree in dealing with AA screwups, and we feel sympathy. But saying you made no change is not helpful to you.
Dec 27, 2019, 10:56 am
#17
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I'm afraid that you did make a change with BA, you didn't initiate it but you accepted it. It wasn't "done" until you paid for it. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't have to have an advanced degree in dealing with AA screwups, and we feel sympathy. But saying you made no change is not helpful to you.
AA sees a change and does not ticket the change because the change causes an add/collect which has not been paid. When the three-way call occurs, the BA participant should have made it clear that this was an involuntary reroute. Either AA would reject the reroute and insist that it handle the rebooking (and then offer up whatever it is that OP wanted or what BA had already rebooked) or it would have allowed the BA reroute to stand and waived the add/collect.
There is a decent chance that OP's travel insurance will cover the costs of the reroute, hotel, and associated meals.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:02 am
#18
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nashville
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This is going to be a difficult one, American didn't cancel your flight, BA did. You are very unlikely to get AA to refund much of anything on this one. You had the right to cancel the return completely at this point or request a schedule change that worked for you personally.Stop using words that are emotional such as demanded or extorted, they only make the other side defensive and less likely to help.
Send a summary to both AA and BA of the facts of the case and what you think is an acceptable customer service gesture.
I did not receive notice of the involuntary schedule change, BA cancelled the flight on 12/13 resulting in an unplanned 24 hours in London resulting in an unplanned hotel stay that cost XXX.
There was a mix up with the re-issue of the ticket due to the involuntary schedule change, as a result I was only presented with the option to pay an additional 22K miles which resulted in an unplanned transfer from my wife's account costing $232 and 22K miles we had not planned on using. Additionally, this resulted in having to pay the UK Air Passenger Duty of Ł172 X 2 passengers which cost $493 when converted to USD.
While I understand that travel often has unplanned changes, this involuntary change resulted in significant unexpected expenses. As a result, I am requesting a customer service gesture of XXX to offset these additional unplanned expenses.
Send a summary to both AA and BA of the facts of the case and what you think is an acceptable customer service gesture.
I did not receive notice of the involuntary schedule change, BA cancelled the flight on 12/13 resulting in an unplanned 24 hours in London resulting in an unplanned hotel stay that cost XXX.
There was a mix up with the re-issue of the ticket due to the involuntary schedule change, as a result I was only presented with the option to pay an additional 22K miles which resulted in an unplanned transfer from my wife's account costing $232 and 22K miles we had not planned on using. Additionally, this resulted in having to pay the UK Air Passenger Duty of Ł172 X 2 passengers which cost $493 when converted to USD.
While I understand that travel often has unplanned changes, this involuntary change resulted in significant unexpected expenses. As a result, I am requesting a customer service gesture of XXX to offset these additional unplanned expenses.
Thanks again.
Last edited by Old Key West; Dec 27, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Dec 27, 2019, 11:02 am
#19
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I'm confused by AA's demand for an additional 22,000 miles. The OP's return trip from Europe to BNA was entirely on BA metal. Is AA now doing variable award pricing on partner awards?
Dec 27, 2019, 11:09 am
#20
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Very many threads in the BA forum on this paid seat assignment policy. Those with mid/top OW status generally like it.
As you were flying from Eu and on a Eu carrier EC261 may/may not apply
With more than 24hrs in London would have been split into 2 awards (as post 6 above). AA award do not allow stopovers. OP may not have been told why was more AA ff miles
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Dec 27, 2019 at 11:16 am
Dec 27, 2019, 11:12 am
#21
Join Date: Jun 2008
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What a mess... BA should not even touch your reservation. All changes should have been processed by AA. You will not get the money back as these were used towards the APD tax. You may get the miles back - as a gesture of goodwill. From AA perspective this looks like a voluntary change.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:13 am
#22
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Possibly 2 separate awards due to the break of greater than 24 hours, which also cause UK's departure tax to apply.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:17 am
#23
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Seat assignments with BA do not need to be paid for. They can be allocated for free closer to departure or at check-in. But at a risk of 2 people not sitting together. Mid-top level Oneworld gets seat assignment at no cost.
Very many threads in the BA forum on this paid set assignment policy. Those with OW generally like it.
As you were flying from Eu and on a Eu carrier EC261 may/may not apply
With more than 24hrs in London would have been split into 2 awards (as above). AA award do not allow stopovers. OP may not have been told why was more AA ff miles
Very many threads in the BA forum on this paid set assignment policy. Those with OW generally like it.
As you were flying from Eu and on a Eu carrier EC261 may/may not apply
With more than 24hrs in London would have been split into 2 awards (as above). AA award do not allow stopovers. OP may not have been told why was more AA ff miles
Dec 27, 2019, 11:23 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2011
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I had (sort of) a similar situation recently for an upcoming INTL New Year's trip. Booked J ('I' class) with AA, with a mix of AA flights and codeshares (all AA flight numbers). AA never properly ticketed the reservation, due to apparent inventory issues on the codeshare flights involving the partner airline, and never notified me.
By the time I realized we basically had nothing confirmed, fares had gone way up (booked for 2 pax for <$6k and they wanted $12k for similar itineraries, which by then were only available higher fare classes).
It took 4 days of HUCA to find an agent who would fix it, but there's no way I would have just booked another ticket, paid more, and hoped for the best. These situations MUST be worked out beforehand, it at all possible.
The final phone call that led to a resolution lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes (and was during my work day, making things very difficult), but a very thoughtful/creative agent worked with AA's tariffs department to achieve a solution. If, by chance, AA ever reads this and knows who I am, I'm still really upset about the whole thing, but at least somewhat mollified by the fact that we were at least able to work something out to avoid a complete disaster.
By the time I realized we basically had nothing confirmed, fares had gone way up (booked for 2 pax for <$6k and they wanted $12k for similar itineraries, which by then were only available higher fare classes).
It took 4 days of HUCA to find an agent who would fix it, but there's no way I would have just booked another ticket, paid more, and hoped for the best. These situations MUST be worked out beforehand, it at all possible.
The final phone call that led to a resolution lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes (and was during my work day, making things very difficult), but a very thoughtful/creative agent worked with AA's tariffs department to achieve a solution. If, by chance, AA ever reads this and knows who I am, I'm still really upset about the whole thing, but at least somewhat mollified by the fact that we were at least able to work something out to avoid a complete disaster.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:23 am
#25
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OK, but even if that is the explanation, the numbers do not add up: AAdvantage charges 12,500 miles one way for an intra-European Coach award, and 17,500 miles one way for an intra-European Business Class award. How did AA come up with 22,000 additional miles required? If only one passenger was traveling, it's too much; if two passengers were traveling, it's too little.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:31 am
#26
Join Date: Sep 2002
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I don't see this as an AA screw up. It was, if anything, a BA screw up. OP called in to pay for optional seat fees. It was BA which turned that into a reroute rather than advising OP to contact AA.
AA sees a change and does not ticket the change because the change causes an add/collect which has not been paid. When the three-way call occurs, the BA participant should have made it clear that this was an involuntary reroute. Either AA would reject the reroute and insist that it handle the rebooking (and then offer up whatever it is that OP wanted or what BA had already rebooked) or it would have allowed the BA reroute to stand and waived the add/collect.
There is a decent chance that OP's travel insurance will cover the costs of the reroute, hotel, and associated meals.
AA sees a change and does not ticket the change because the change causes an add/collect which has not been paid. When the three-way call occurs, the BA participant should have made it clear that this was an involuntary reroute. Either AA would reject the reroute and insist that it handle the rebooking (and then offer up whatever it is that OP wanted or what BA had already rebooked) or it would have allowed the BA reroute to stand and waived the add/collect.
There is a decent chance that OP's travel insurance will cover the costs of the reroute, hotel, and associated meals.
Sure, BA fumbled - after AA fumbled. And given that the changes were well ahead of departure date, I'm not optimistic that travel delay or trip cancellation credit card coverages will come into play.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:34 am
#27
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Location: Nashville
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OK, but even if that is the explanation, the numbers do not add up: AAdvantage charges 12,500 miles one way for an intra-European Coach award, and 17,500 miles one way for an intra-European Business Class award. How did AA come up with 22,000 additional miles required? If only one passenger was traveling, it's too much; if two passengers were traveling, it's too little.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:51 am
#28
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If you had waited until OLCI then seats are free, (In advance they are free for One World elites at varyign time frames)