Atkitch

I just booked a ticket I may or may not need, so I chose "Main Cabin Flexible". The site said that this is a refundable ticket. However, once I booked, nothing at all in the email, the manage trip screen, or the formal printable receipt says the words "flexible" or "refundable". How on earth can I prove this is a refundable ticket if I need to cancel?

rucksack

There's a link to view the fare rules as you're going through the booking process. If you booked recently and the same fare class is still available, the easiest way to view the fare rules would be to go through the motions of booking it again and click on that link.

If that's no longer possible, there are still ways to find the fare rules, but it requires a few more steps:
1. Find the fare basis by looking up your receipt here: https://www.aa.com/your-receipts/
2. Use ExpertFlyer (subscription required) to look up the fare rules using the fare basis you found in step 1

You may also be able to look up the fare rules using ITAMatrix (free but not the most straightforward). To use ITA matrix, enter your itinerary details and click the "Advanced Controls" link under the destination field. Under the "Outbound extension codes" and enter this (without quotes): "F ..FAREBASIS" where the red text is the fare basis you found in step 1. This might not work if the fare basis you purchased is no longer available.

Atkitch

Thank you. I just think this is SO weird. We are bound by the terms of the ticket, and printing something before you buy it isn't exactly proof, not that anyone would know to do that in the first place. I paid extra for a refundable ticket - the least they could do is provide a receipt noting exactly what it is that I bought. I guess airlines will just never cease to surprise me.

USFlyerUS

AA makes this painfully difficult. It shouldn't be that hard to add a link to the fare rules post-purchase, but for whatever reason AA doesn't, as far as I've been able to tell.

TWA884

Delta does not make it any easier.

From a "Your Flight Receipt" email of a fully refundable ticket which was bought as a backup to an AA ticket in the aftermath of AA's operational meltdown at the end of October;Nowhere in the confirmation email does it state that the ticket is refundable. Googling the fare rules did not result in any useful information. All that being said, AA was running smoothly on the date of the flight, so the DL reservation was cancelled a few hours before the flight and the ticket refunded.

ijgordon

That said, Delta DOES note in the email receipt if the ticket is non-refundable - it will say RIGHT above the text you quoted:
NONREF/CHNGS PERMITTED
Or similar.
If that text is missing, then it's refundable.

TWA884

And how is someone who does not frequently fly on DL supposed to know that?

The language which I quoted above appeared right below the ticket cost itemization and total amount.

The point is that DL does not make it any easier tell than AA if a ticket is refundable.

Happy

I am trying to book a fully refundable itinerary. In the past I believe there is a link in one of the booking screen to go to the fare rule page. But I cannot find such a link exists anymore. The option is just Lowest vs Flexibke. When choosing Flexible then there are Flexible and Fully Flexible. Nowhere can I find a link to Fare Rules. There is only Price and Tax information right under the price on the right side side bar in the old spot where the Fare Rules link used to show up.

Can someone point me the location on the screen the link is located? Or AA takes away the fare rules? i.e. no longer accessible even at booking time?

PS

The fare rules now are at the bottom of the Final Payment Screen! Fare code is QVAJZRU3. Is this a fully refundable, as nowhere in the Fare Rules has any $ figure for either Change or Cancellation.
The only restrictions I see are, changes/cancellation must be made before departure as usual, and there are Embargo Dates on travels.

When I choose a fully flexible fare, the Fare Rules screen is a BLANK! It does not even have a fare code like starting with Y. What gives?

xliioper

Flexible and Fully Flexible are both refundable. Flexible fares just have more restrictions like advance purchase requirements (found in the fare rules) and you'll pay a fare difference if you make a change and no longer meet them or there is no longer original booking inventory in the fare bucket you booked. There used to be some refundable fares with a fee for refund on a few routes (like JFK-LHR), but these look to all have been eliminated post-Covid. Any fee for refund will be found in Penalties section of fare rules. Refundable fares don't actually use the word "Refundable" in the fare rules (this isn't unique to AA). This is the text to look for in the Penalties section (using ITA Matrix for fare rules as the formatting is much cleaner than aa.com). You can use Advanced controls on ITA Matrix to look up specific fare basis codes and their fare rules.



This is what the fare rules say for non-refundable fares.

ijgordon

I have definitely seen refundable-for-a-fee fares on other carriers recently, for TATL (ex-US, FWIW). I just haven't looked at a wide array of AA fares.
It still pays to review (and save) the fare rules.

Happy

xliioper Thank you so much for the clarification.

I do see the Flexible fare codes have 14 days before departure restriction, and the embargo dates. The purpose of booking a fully refundable ticket is to preserve a xed ticket value so I can use it sometime in 2022, hopefully. I think the restrictions are more relevant should one wants to change the dates on the same itinerary down the road. The 14 days / embargo dates do not matter as the value preserver would be xed first then use the value to book something else.

However I do not see Advance Control on ITA Matrix... all I want to see is a easy to understand Fare Rules!.

ITA options on fares only have the cheapest to PE, to Business/First, it does not have options to choose Cancellation permitted (refundable). How do I generate such fares so I can examine the fare rules?

I hope I understand it. Input the AA Fare Code to ITA Advance Control box of Fares, need to use the hard to understand Syntax, then it will pull up the MUCH Easier to read Fare Rules. Though the language is not as simple as your example, but the following is exactly what I am looking for!

Category 16: Penalties
CHANGES/CANCELLATIONS CHANGES/CANCELLATIONS PERMITTED.
NOTE -
-TICKETS MUST BE REISSUED FOR ALL VOLUNTARY CHANGES.
-CHANGES RESULTING IN A HIGHER FARE MUST BE ADD COLLECTED.
-IF THE CHANGE RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE THE DIFFERENCE MAY BE REFUNDED TO THE ORIGINAL FORM OF PAYMENT WITHOUT PENALTY. -CERTAIN DOMESTIC REISSUE PROVISIONS MAY BE OVERRIDDEN BY THOSE OF AA INTERNATIONAL FARES.
-FULL REFUND WILL BE MADE OF WHOLLY UNUSED REFUNDABLE FARE TICKETS.
-FOR PARTIALLY USED TICKETS/ THE REFUND WILL BE THE AMOUNT PAID MINUS THE NORMAL ONE-WAY FARE APPLICABLE TO THE TRANSPORTATION USED.

Thank you very much! Really really helpful!

Centurion

There are fully flexible first class fares that AA deceptively sells as fully flexible that incur a $500 fee refund penalty for each direction.

paul21

Example of what I've seen (not including any C19 waivers, etc.) for a F TATL ticket:

AA fare

• Refund: charge $400 before departure, non-refundable after departure
• Changes: no fee

BA fare

• Refund: charge $200 before departure, non-refundable after
• Changes: $500 fee