LHR/MEL/Europe FF

I feel bad for the OP and hope they get a speedy resolution.

It is however a timely reminder for anyone in the same boat where IRROPS forces a change in itinerary... one of the first things to do on arrival at your destination is to check the validity of your ticket back to make sure the agent has correctly done it. being able to select seats or choose meals does not mean a reservation has been ticketed.

NervousWreck

I am still not sure how to check the validity of the ticket back in cases like these. If everything looks good on the AA website and seat selection and meal selection works, what are the possible red flags?

Mwenenzi

Always check with the operating carrier. But can be hard to do. Operating carrier PNR (FJ) can be different to the issuing/marketing carrier PNR(AA) for the same flight [Depends on GDS-IT systems used].
Were the FJ flights a FJ flight number or AA flight number (codeshare)?

Antarius

Disagree. OP paid 1600 for FJ services and those were rendered. Initiating a charge back will be a waste of time and cause confusion.

The 1600 should be disputed on the original 4000. AA sold the ticket, they are responsible for this.

USFlyerUS

Agreed. A charge back to FJ is not appropriate and almost surely won't succeed. FJ sold a ticket for services, and those services were used.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Bookings (reservations) can exist, with full functionality (like selecting seats), but unless they are 'paid' you won't be able to fly. Paid = ticket number against the booking. It's a call to the operating airline to ask them if they have a ticket number and if the booking is good to fly.

NervousWreck

It was a AA flight number (code share)

view-with-a-room

In the original post you checked the AA app, not the website. Helps if you stick with one story. The website often displays more data so check the website, not the app. As noted, call the operating carrier(s) and the booking carrier for confirmation the ticket does not need to be reissued. Arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to arrive for international flights and check in immediately. If the ticket needs to be reissued the check in at the airport will not work. The inability to check in online is of no consequences for international flights. Be somewhat resourceful. Certainly isn't out of the realm of reality for an individual to have access to a pennies per minute calling app such as Skype.

For issues with the travel industry such as airline two good options are "hang up call again" and "your mileage may vary". Escalating issues doesn't work very well. The agent will note the file and the airline ceases to work with the customer. The airline doesn't have a vested interest in the customer after the customer repeatedly states they will never fly with the airline again. At some point you cut off the nose to spite the face.

Regardless, you made the decision to book another ticket. You purchased the ticket from AA and the recourse to the issues with the ticket was with AA, not the operating carrier. In the event the issue was not addressed in time the next best option might be a departure the next day. But then we have yet another complaint...

Often1

The advice to dispute the $1,600 FJ ticket is completely wrong. Rather, file a partial dispute of the AA charge ($1,600 of the $4,000 tickets). If indeed AA used the flight segment to cover your outbound, then FJ was entirely justified in denying boarding and requiring you to pay for tickets back home. An FJ dispute will be denied in very short order.

As to timing, while US law only requires card issuers to provide 60 days, most provide a good deal longer depending on circumstances -- some up to a year. Here, where you have a complex set of facts and attempted to resolve with the vendor first, you may well have some luck.

ijgordon

I’m not 100% convinced of this. One of the dispute options is that “I already paid for this via another means” (or similar wording). That other means is the original AA ticket you bought which FJ seemed to refuse to accept.

That said, if you’re really convinced AA is to blame (which seems to be the case) then by all means pursue the refund with AA, via chargeback/DOT/SCC.

USFlyerUS

This is meant when you pay the same vendor using, for example, a paper check and credit card -- i.e., the same vendor received more than one payment for the purchased product. I don't believe this is meant to cover situations where you pay a different vendor for what is, in effect, a different product (ticket on FJ vs ticket on AA).

I really think the solution to this will be a refund of the original return value, assuming the facts are what we believe them to be. I am somewhat concerned that, if the OP didn't arrive 3 hours before scheduled departure as recommended, AA may say this could have been resolved had he done so. It's hard to say.

Often1

But, if the FJ agent and backup paperwork is to the contrary, it's not the case. There was no ticket for the FJ segment and thus FJ denied boarding. The new tickets were a new transaction. The same paperwork OP has will torpedo his chargeback claim.

view-with-a-room

The information provided by FJ to the customer is gobbledygook, for lack of a better term. Itineraries requiring reissue are an incoherent list of segments prior to the reissue. The screen viewed by the customer service representatives are nothing like the screens viewed by the customers. I worked with a travel department and watched the travel agents click away for hours in a language unlike no other. FJ did the customer a disservice. The customer needed to call AA to fix the ticket.

ashill

The customer tried! AA didn’t answer their phones before the FJ deadline (unclear, and mostly irrelevant, whether it was check in or boarding time). OP had two choices that were apparent: buy a new ticket from FJ or not fly that day.

And with no ticket available to use and no ability to contact AA, it’s not even clear to me that FJ did the OP a disservice. What could FJ have done without a ticket attached to the reservation?

SamOF

What on earth are you talking about? An "incoherent list of segments"?

The agent showed the OP the ticket status, which was EXCH on the segment in question, and OPEN on the other segments. That's all we need to know here.