Feb 27, 2020, 12:59 pm
Last edit by: dstan
For tickets purchased Wednesday, April 8, 2020 or after, see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...020-after.html
More changes: Saturday, March 14, 2020, 10:40 PM .
Official announcement from American Airlines: http://news.aa.com/news/news-details...3/default.aspx
American Airlines Announces Additional Schedule Changes in Response to Customer Demand Related to COVID-19
NOTE: also see AA Waiving Change Fees for Travel Purchased March 1 - May 31 (Coronavirus)
(information current as of April 15, 2020)
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp
(Previous travel waivers require rebooked travel to start by the earlier of the stated date OR the 12-month validity of the original ticket)
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This thread is dedicated to discussion and questions pertaining to changing travel on AA motivated by COVID-19 novel Coronavirus but not covered by AA travel alerts or waivers.
For those destinations covered by AA Coronavirus-related travel alerts and waivers see Coronavirus COVID-19 AA paid & award China et al cancel / change / questions
Link to AA travel alerts
Link to thread AA schedule changes - free flight change / cancellation / refund (consolidated)
Link to thread AA 2020 schedule adjustments / changes due to coronavirus
AA agents have occasionally allowed passengers with booked travel wishing to cancel because of Coronavirus concerns to cancel without fees, but this is not AA official policy. Possible reasons:
Events, meetings, etc. you were to attend have been cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns, so your trip would be in vain.
You have documentable health conditions that your doctor feels are sufficient to cancel travel plans.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
New General Change Fee Waiver (released ≈April 7-15)
New Change Fee waiver for South Pacific (released ≈March 20?)
New Change Fee waiver for Canada, Caribbean, .Central and South America (released ≈March 20?)
New Change Fee waiver for Europe (released March 12, expanded to Middle East)
Change Fee Waiver for Flights Booked before March 1, 2020 for travel March 1 – May 31 (extended March 20)
Change Fee Waiver for Flights Booked before March 1, 2020 for travel March 10 – April 30 (released March 9)
• AA Award Travel - Per multiple first-hand accounts (including by dstan), under the above General Travel Waiver, AA Award Travel booked before March 1 for travel between March 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 can be canceled for a full refund of all fees and taxes paid AND free redeposit of miles (reinstatement fee waived).
Change Fee Waiver for Flights Booked between March 1, 2020–March 30, 2020 (extended 3/5)
Change Fee Waiver for Flights Booked between March 1, 2020–March 16, 2020 (original 3/1)
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...conditions.jsp
This waiver is valid only for tickets issued on American Airlines ticket stock. Tickets can be identified by a 13-digit ticket number beginning with American Airlines code ’001’. Tickets issued by other airlines with a different carrier code (ticket numbers not beginning with ‘001’) are subject to the waiver policy of that airline.
This policy excludes bookings through AAdvantage® award tickets.
American Airlines Vacations packages purchased between March 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. CT and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT, also qualify for the one-time change fee waiver. Changes must be made prior to the departure of your original flight. Any difference in fare or hotel rate will apply.
Contact American Airlines Vacations
Updated: March 9, 2020
More changes: Saturday, March 14, 2020, 10:40 PM .
Official announcement from American Airlines: http://news.aa.com/news/news-details...3/default.aspx
American Airlines Announces Additional Schedule Changes in Response to Customer Demand Related to COVID-19
NOTE: also see AA Waiving Change Fees for Travel Purchased March 1 - May 31 (Coronavirus)
Current AA Travel Waivers for COVID-19
(information current as of April 15, 2020)
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp
- All Pre-May 31 Bookings (announced 4/7) - change fees waived, tickets booked on/before May 31, travel Mar 1–Sep 30, rebooked travel start by Dec 31, 2021
Previous AA Travel Waivers for COVID-19
(Previous travel waivers require rebooked travel to start by the earlier of the stated date OR the 12-month validity of the original ticket)
- South Pacific - change fees waived, tickets booked on/before March 16, travel March 16–May 31, rebooked travel start by Dec 31
- Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America - change fees waived, tickets booked on/before March 17, travel March 16–May 31, rebooked travel start by Dec 31
- Europe and the Middle East (announced 3/12, expanded to Middle East) - change fees waived, tickets booked on/before March 11, travel March 11–May 31, rebooked travel start by Dec 31
- All Pre-March 1 Bookings (announced 3/9, extended 3/20) - change fees waived, tickets booked on/before March 1, travel March 11–May 31
April 30, rebooked travel start by Dec 31 - All March 1–March 30 Bookings (announced 3/1 , extended 3/5, extended 4/7) - change fees waived, tickets booked March 1–April 30 (originally March 16, then March 30), travel Mar 1, 2020–Jan 30, 2021, rebooked travel complete within 12-month ticket validity
- Italy - refund or change fees waived, tickets booked on/before Feb 27, travel Feb 27–Apr 24, rebooked travel Feb 27–June 30
- South Korea (ICN) - refund or change fees waived, tickets booked on/before Feb 24, travel Feb 24–May 1, rebooked travel Feb 24–June 30
- Hong Kong (HKG) - refund or change fees waived, tickets booked on/before Jan 28, travel Jan 28–July 1, rebooked travel Jan 28–Aug 31
- China (PEK, PVG) - refund or change fees waived, tickets booked on/before Jan 24, travel Jan 24–Oct 23, rebooked travel Feb 1–Dec 31
- Wuhan, China (WUH) - refund only, tickets booked on/before Jan 23, travel Jan 23–Mar 31
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This thread is dedicated to discussion and questions pertaining to changing travel on AA motivated by COVID-19 novel Coronavirus but not covered by AA travel alerts or waivers.
For those destinations covered by AA Coronavirus-related travel alerts and waivers see Coronavirus COVID-19 AA paid & award China et al cancel / change / questions
Link to AA travel alerts
Link to thread AA schedule changes - free flight change / cancellation / refund (consolidated)
Link to thread AA 2020 schedule adjustments / changes due to coronavirus
AA agents have occasionally allowed passengers with booked travel wishing to cancel because of Coronavirus concerns to cancel without fees, but this is not AA official policy. Possible reasons:
Events, meetings, etc. you were to attend have been cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns, so your trip would be in vain.
You have documentable health conditions that your doctor feels are sufficient to cancel travel plans.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
New General Change Fee Waiver (released ≈April 7-15)
No change fee if you bought your ticket before May 31, 2020
Information current as of April 15, 2020
Keep in mind:
Travel must be completed on or before December 31, 2021. The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
Information current as of April 15, 2020
If you're traveling to / through / from:
All cities served by AmericanThe change fee is waived if you:
- Booked an American Airlines flight
- Bought your ticket on or before May 31, 2020
- Are scheduled to travel March 1 - September 30, 2020
- Can travel on or before December 31, 2021
Change your trip or cancel and rebook later
You’re allowed to make changes to your trip once. You can change it now, or cancel and rebook later.Keep in mind:
Travel must be completed on or before December 31, 2021. The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
New Change Fee waiver for South Pacific (released ≈March 20?)
Novel Coronavirus - South Pacific
Information current as of March 20, 2020
Keep in mind:
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Information current as of March 20, 2020
If you're traveling to / through / from airports in:
AustraliaThe change fee is waived if you:
- Booked an American Airlines flight
- Bought your ticket on or before March 16, 2020
- Are scheduled to travel March 16 - May 31, 2020
- Can travel March 16 - December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
Change your trip or cancel and rebook later
You’re allowed to make changes to your trip once. You can change it now, or cancel and rebook later.Keep in mind:
- Travel must start by December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
- The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
Change or cancel online
Here's how:- Find your trip
- If your trip is eligible, you'll see 'Change trip' or ‘Cancel trip’ in the top toolbar
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Call to rebook
After you cancel your trip online, please call Reservations when you’re ready to rebook. You’ll need:- Your ticket number (American tickets have a 13-digit number that begins with ’001’)
- Your 6-character confirmation (also called a ‘Record Locator’)
New Change Fee waiver for Canada, Caribbean, .Central and South America (released ≈March 20?)
Novel Coronavirus - Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America
Information current as of March 20, 2020
Keep in mind:
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Information current as of March 20, 2020
If you're traveling to / through / from airports in these countries:
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Brazil
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Panama
- Peru
- St. Maarten
- Uruguay
The change fee is waived if you:
- Booked an American Airlines flight
- Bought your ticket on or before March 17, 2020
- Are scheduled to travel March 16 - May 31, 2020
- Can travel March 16 - December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
Change your trip or cancel and rebook later
You’re allowed to make changes to your trip once. You can change it now, or cancel and rebook later.Keep in mind:
- Travel must start by December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
- The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
Change or cancel online
Here's how:- Find your trip
- If your trip is eligible, you'll see 'Change trip' or ‘Cancel trip’ in the top toolbar
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Call to rebook
After you cancel your trip online, please call Reservations when you’re ready to rebook. You’ll need:- Your ticket number (American tickets have a 13-digit number that begins with ’001’)
- Your 6-character confirmation (also called a ‘Record Locator’)
Novel Coronavirus - Europe and the Middle East
Information current as of March 20, 2020
Keep in mind:
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Information current as of March 20, 2020
If you're traveling to / through / from airports in these countries:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
The change fee is waived if you:
- Booked an American Airlines flight
- Bought your ticket on or before March 16, 2020
- Are scheduled to travel March 11 - May 31, 2020
- Can travel March 11 - December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
Change your trip or cancel and rebook later
You’re allowed to make changes to your trip once. You can change it now, or cancel and rebook later.Keep in mind:
- Travel must start by December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
- The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
Change or cancel online
Here's how:- Find your trip
- If your trip is eligible, you'll see 'Change trip' or ‘Cancel trip’ in the top toolbar
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Call to rebook
Please call Reservations when you’re ready to rebook. You’ll need:- Your ticket number (American tickets have a 13-digit number that begins with ’001’)
- Your 6-character confirmation (also called a ‘Record Locator’)
No change fee if you bought your ticket before March 1 Expand Information current as of March 20, 2020
Keep in mind:
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
If you're traveling to / through / from:
All cities served by AmericanThe change fee is waived if you:
- Booked an American Airlines flight
- Bought your ticket on or before March 1, 2020
- Are scheduled to travel March 1 - May 31, 2020
- Can travel March 1 - December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier
Change your trip or cancel and rebook later
You’re allowed to make changes to your trip once. You can change it now, or cancel and rebook later.Keep in mind:
- Travel must start by December 31, 2020 or within 1 year of date the ticket was issued, whichever is earlier.
- The change fee will be waived but you may still owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
Change or cancel online
Here's how:- Find your trip
- If your trip is eligible, you'll see 'Change trip' or ‘Cancel trip’ in the top toolbar
We’ll send an email that includes your ticket number after you cancel your trip. Keep this handy so you can refer to it when you call to rebook.
Call to rebook
After you cancel your trip online, please call Reservations when you’re ready to rebook. You’ll need:- Your ticket number (American tickets have a 13-digit number that begins with ’001’)
- Your 6-character confirmation (also called a ‘Record Locator’)
• AA Award Travel - Per multiple first-hand accounts (including by dstan), under the above General Travel Waiver, AA Award Travel booked before March 1 for travel between March 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 can be canceled for a full refund of all fees and taxes paid AND free redeposit of miles (reinstatement fee waived).
Change Fee Waiver for Flights Booked between March 1, 2020–March 30, 2020 (extended 3/5)
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...conditions.jsp
Terms and conditions
If you purchased a ticket on American Airlines between March 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. CT and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT, you may change your flight once without paying a change fee. Tickets must be purchased for travel between March 1, 2020 and January 30, 2021.Exception policy
- We will waive the change fee only on published Non-Refundable Fare tickets.
- Tickets must be purchased between March 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. CT and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT, with original travel between March 1, 2020 and January 30, 2021.
- Changes must be made prior to the departure of your original flight.
- New travel must be completed within 1 year of original ticket issue date.
- Any difference in fare will apply.
- Change your trip online or by calling Reservations.
This waiver is valid only for tickets issued on American Airlines ticket stock. Tickets can be identified by a 13-digit ticket number beginning with American Airlines code ’001’. Tickets issued by other airlines with a different carrier code (ticket numbers not beginning with ‘001’) are subject to the waiver policy of that airline.
This policy excludes bookings through AAdvantage® award tickets.
American Airlines Vacations packages purchased between March 1, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. CT and March 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT, also qualify for the one-time change fee waiver. Changes must be made prior to the departure of your original flight. Any difference in fare or hotel rate will apply.
Contact American Airlines Vacations
Updated: March 9, 2020
AA Trip Cancellation & Coronavirus: Discussion & Questions
Mar 16, 2020, 8:42 am
#316
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: RDU
Programs: AAdvantage, National Executive
Posts: 99
Mar 16, 2020, 9:11 am
#317
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SAN
Programs: AA CK, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 839
We booked and paid for our business class flights, Spain-USA-Spain, in mid-July last year. We were originally due to travel in early May this year. If I'm reading the conditions right, the only option we have, unless the flight is cancelled by AA, is to cancel and rebook, but we'd have to travel by mid-July, which is rather nonsensical and also penalises us for booking early. I hope I've got this wrong. We can't afford to lose over £5k over this!
Thanks for any advice.
Thanks for any advice.
Mar 16, 2020, 9:19 am
#318
Join Date: May 2017
Location: DFW
Programs: AA Plat Pro, HH Gold, National Exec
Posts: 41
Got a call from American yesterday regarding my DFW-LHR-PRG flight that was supposed to leave Wednesday. It was a proactive call from them as I had not called yet. They canceled my flight and also put in to have my miles (upgrade) refunded for all 3 tickets.
Mar 16, 2020, 1:19 pm
#319
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
To me better not to cancel anything until the last possible time. The operators may be cancelling or changing the service which should/may make it easier for a refund, hopefully in cash.
Mar 16, 2020, 2:47 pm
#320
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: AA Plat Pro, Hyatt Globalist, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriot Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 83
I apologize if this is have been asked but my wife booked at ticket on 3/5 to travel to San Diego with us on a trip that we are no longer taking. My son and I booked our travel back in February. It looks like with our tickets we can cancel and re-book something up until 12/31/20. Can my wife do the same with her ticket or will she need to book something before the scheduled departure date of 4/3/20?
Mar 16, 2020, 4:32 pm
#321
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: American, United, Hilton Honors, Hyatt, SPG, Marriott, hertz, Dollar
Posts: 7
Web Special cancellation.
Has anyone had to cancel a flight using miles but with a Web Special which allows no changes? My flight JFK to LHR is not until the middle of May but I'm pretty sure it will be cancelled. Obviously I'll wait for a few weeks to see if it's cancelled by AA but just wondering if anyone else has had this situation. Too bad....I got a great deal.
Mar 16, 2020, 6:15 pm
#322
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: AMEX Plat, Hyatt Explorist, JetBlue Mosaic, Wyndham Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 169
Has anyone had to cancel a flight using miles but with a Web Special which allows no changes? My flight JFK to LHR is not until the middle of May but I'm pretty sure it will be cancelled. Obviously I'll wait for a few weeks to see if it's cancelled by AA but just wondering if anyone else has had this situation. Too bad....I got a great deal.
Mar 16, 2020, 6:21 pm
#324
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 21
https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/?anc...&title=refunds
Mar 16, 2020, 6:26 pm
#325
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 42
If they cancel your flight then it will be fully refundable. The refund can be requested at:
https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/?anc...&title=refunds
https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/?anc...&title=refunds
Mar 16, 2020, 7:25 pm
#326
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Northern Virginia
Programs: US DM, UA MP
Posts: 78
Has anyone had to cancel a flight using miles but with a Web Special which allows no changes? My flight JFK to LHR is not until the middle of May but I'm pretty sure it will be cancelled. Obviously I'll wait for a few weeks to see if it's cancelled by AA but just wondering if anyone else has had this situation. Too bad....I got a great deal.
Mar 17, 2020, 3:32 am
#327
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 15
Hi, I wonder whether anybody can help me. I bought flights from Boston to Augusta for the Masters, which have now been moved/cancelled, depending on the numerous posts out there. According to the AA page, I can only change the date once and have to fly by December 2020 or a year of issue, whichever is sooner. These tickets were bought in January 2020, so if the Masters are completely cancelled this year, will I lose the airfare? I tried the aa.com/refunds function, which tells me these tickets cannot be refunded, they were normal economy seat, not fully flex.
Can the vouchers be transferred to another name, then I could potentially find someone else to use them this year?
My flights are in April, so Reservations don't want to help me at present but do I just go ahead and cancel and hope for the best?
Thanks & Kind Regards
Can the vouchers be transferred to another name, then I could potentially find someone else to use them this year?
My flights are in April, so Reservations don't want to help me at present but do I just go ahead and cancel and hope for the best?
Thanks & Kind Regards
Mar 17, 2020, 5:02 am
#328
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: Once a somebody now a nobody
Posts: 514
Apologies if this topic has been asked before but has anyone cancelled an upcoming trip where the tickets were purchased using a Barclays Red companion cert? I booked the tickets in March 4th for travel over Easter. I'm assuming I can get a voucher for the fare and the companion $99+tax...which is good with me. Just want to see if anyone has any data points before I call.
Mar 17, 2020, 5:14 am
#329
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,670
Hi, I wonder whether anybody can help me. I bought flights from Boston to Augusta for the Masters, which have now been moved/cancelled, depending on the numerous posts out there. According to the AA page, I can only change the date once and have to fly by December 2020 or a year of issue, whichever is sooner. These tickets were bought in January 2020, so if the Masters are completely cancelled this year, will I lose the airfare? I tried the aa.com/refunds function, which tells me these tickets cannot be refunded, they were normal economy seat, not fully flex.
Can the vouchers be transferred to another name, then I could potentially find someone else to use them this year?
My flights are in April, so Reservations don't want to help me at present but do I just go ahead and cancel and hope for the best?
Thanks & Kind Regards
Can the vouchers be transferred to another name, then I could potentially find someone else to use them this year?
My flights are in April, so Reservations don't want to help me at present but do I just go ahead and cancel and hope for the best?
Thanks & Kind Regards
Mar 17, 2020, 6:32 am
#330
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: AAdvantage Exec Platinum, Hertz #1 Club Gold Five Star, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 2,038
Apologies if this topic has been asked before but has anyone cancelled an upcoming trip where the tickets were purchased using a Barclays Red companion cert? I booked the tickets in March 4th for travel over Easter. I'm assuming I can get a voucher for the fare and the companion $99+tax...which is good with me. Just want to see if anyone has any data points before I call.