Jun 13, 2013, 6:55 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Transportation Voucher, "MCO" FAQ
Transportation eVouchers
Link to aa.com eVouchers Terms and Conditions page
Link to aa.com eVoucher page
General Information
Glossary: MCO - Miscellaneous Charges Order
AA issues e-vouchers to those in US 50 states, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as of 28 Nov 2019. Printed green vouchers are still used for those residing elsewhere at this time.
Transportation vouchers issued by American Airlines or American Eagle® are valid for travel on American Airlines, American Eagle and American Airlines codeshare flights (AA*).
These vouchers are also valid for travel on oneworld® itineraries (including oneworld affiliates that must be booked as a codeshare flight marketed by a oneworld carrier) where American Airlines or American Airlines codeshare flights (AA*) is the international carrier.
Note: For oneworld itineraries, international flights are defined as transatlantic, transpacific and flights to and from South America. Flights to and from Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, or Central America are not included.
Travel agents may accept American Airlines vouchers (042/043) for full or partial payment for a ticket as an "exchange" document/ticket. If the voucher is less than the ticket the additional monies are collected. If the voucher exceeds the ticket cost an MCO will be issued for the difference as a residual indicating non-refundable and for American Airlines transportation only. Valid one year from date of issue ((you must encumber the voucher before one year has expired since issuance*). There is no change fee / ASC associated with using a voucher. Updated 18 Feb 2015.)
The original post, provided by member IceTrojan, has been placed here so members can edit and update as necessary. Information below has not necessarily been updated; be aware.
FAQ: AA Vouchers
Q. How do vouchers work on AA?
They are treated just like cash towards valid purchases.
Q. What can I use the vouchers on?
Yes, travel vouchers can be used toward the American Airlines and American Eagle flight portion of your trip, but may not be used to purchase any of the non-flight components of your trip such as hotels, rental cars, transfers, activities or insurance. Travel vouchers are not currently accepted online, but may be redeemed by calling AAVacations at 1-800-489-4810.
Q. Can I use the vouchers for ANYTHING else?
No.
Q. Really?
Yes, really.
Q. Are there restrictions on purchasing airfare?
Unlike other airlines that place restrictions on certain fares/dates/times/routes, AA vouchers are just like cash, so you can use them to buy all fares that are available for purchase.
Q. How long do I have to use the vouchers?
One (1) year from date of issuance.
Q. I can't use my voucher in time. How can I extend the expiration date?
AA automatically extended the expiration of some vouchers in 2021. If your expiration date was between January 1, 2021 and May 31, 2021, the new expiration is March 31, 2022.
If you still need to extend the expiration, spend at least part it on any of its valid uses listed above. For example, pay for a cheap throwaway ticket, a speculative ticket, or a 500-mile upgrade certificate. Any unused amount will be sent to you as a new voucher with a new 1-year expiration date.
Q. What if I lose a voucher?
Sorry, you're out of luck. Treat your vouchers like cash.
Q. Can I use the vouchers to buy tickets for someone else?
While vouchers are non-transferable, you may buy a ticket in someone else's name, so long as you are the one presenting the voucher (either by phone or personally at a ticket counter/office). If someone else presents the voucher, the ticket MUST be issued in the name of that on the voucher.
Q. Is there a fee for using the vouchers?
It appears that ticketing at an airport ticket office is still subject to a charge of $30, unless you are EXP.
Note that if you are EXP, these "booking" fees are waived (and any Agent that tells you otherwise is wrong). (thanks SquareDanceGuy)
Note that if you have booked the ticket online and go to the airport to apply a voucher, there are no fees either, regardless of status. (thanks RogerD408)
Q. What happens to the taxes?
This depends on the type of voucher. The following voucher codes are exempt from some of the taxes: Basically, if you use these vouchers to pay for the whole cost of your fare, you will lower the overall costs as some of the taxes do not apply. (thanks uncle wiggly) If you make a partial payment with vouchers, then the associated taxes will likewise be reduced by the same proportional amount. (thanks marshall)
OU is the only voucher taxable, as it's issued against the unused portion of a ticket that has been exchanged (amongst other things). (thanks hillrider)
Q. What if the value of my vouchers exceed the value of my fare? Do I lose it? (thanks ffay005)
Unlike some* other airlines, you do NOT lose the residual value of your vouchers. If the residual value is more than $5, AA will mail you another voucher back as change, and this voucher is valid for one (1) year after its issuance. (thanks whynotfly) *golfmad added the word "some" based on post #440.
Q. How many vouchers can I use at one time?
According to one AAgent, nine (9) was the maximum number of vouchers accepted by the system.
Q. I bought AA tickets from a 3rd party (e.g., travel agent, internet travel site, Priceline/Hotwire). Can I use the vouchers retroactively?
No.
Q. How long does it take to process the vouchers?
After they receive the vouchers, AA will process them within 1-3 days, so it's really dependent on how long it takes the mail to arrive to Florida. AA reservations will accept the vouchers for a phone booking, if the reservation made is at least 12 days prior to departure. It's recommended that if you need to ticket within 2 weeks that you go directly to an Airport Ticket Office, which can process your voucher/s immediately.
Q. How do I apply vouchers to a reservation I have on hold on AA.com?
US: up-to-date in March 2021, UK: up-to-date in January 2022
American Airlines
M.D. 8A701
Fort Worth, TX 76155
USA
The return address for those in the UK and the rest of Europe, who have agreed to send their voucher(s) to AA in the UK, is:
American Airlines
100 Old Hall Street
The Plaza, 7th floor
Liverpool L3 9QJ
United Kingdom
On the envelope under the return address, write:
<Date of first flight, in DD Month format (e.g. 01 Jan)>
Attach a sticky note to the vouchers with the following details:
<First flight number, e.g. AA1234>
<Last name>
<Booking record locator, AKA booking reference>
(Notice: vouchers are not processed sequentially based on date of the voucher/s being received by AA, but rather on flight dates. Flights may show as "Ticket Pending" once the voucher has been applied, and at some time prior to flight (two weeks is usual) it will show "Ticketed" and you should be able to see your ticket number, beginning with "001", in your receipt from your itinerary at aa.com or in your e-Ticket. Also notice that you should photocopy your voucher/s prior to mailing them.)
Q. What if I entered a Business Extra number?
You will have to contact Business Extra to apply the vouchers. Their number is 1-800-433-1790, and they are available 5:00 AM - 12:00 PM, CT, 7 days a week.
Q. What if I live outside the United States and I want to use vouchers?
As the vouchers are in US Dollars, it's probably most convenient to call the US reservations number for a new booking denoted in US Dollars, thus avoiding any currency conversion, except any associated with your credit card. You can call your local reservations number or visit a local Airport Ticket Office (ATO). Beware that there's not a large network of ATOs.
In all likelihood, you will be asked to mail your voucher(s) to AA, so if time is of the essence, you should consider going directly to an ATO, who can process it/them immediately.
Q. How do vouchers work on AA?
They are treated just like cash towards valid purchases.
Q. What can I use the vouchers on?
- Airfare on American Airlines (inc. American Eagle), codeshares, and oneworld itineraries where AA is the international/"governing" carrier.
- 500-mile domestic upgrade stickers (at the airport only).
- Co-payments for upgrades or reduced mileage awards.
- Excess baggage fees.
- Special handling fees (e.g. checked pets), with a traveling passenger (i.e. not cargo).
- Change fees, provided an additional collection of the fare is also being made.
- In the UK, Belgium, Germany and France, vouchers are accepted for Net fares.
- In Switzerland, vouchers are accepted on Q and L class Net fares only.
- In Ireland, vouchers are accepted in Q, O and L class Net fares only.
Yes, travel vouchers can be used toward the American Airlines and American Eagle flight portion of your trip, but may not be used to purchase any of the non-flight components of your trip such as hotels, rental cars, transfers, activities or insurance. Travel vouchers are not currently accepted online, but may be redeemed by calling AAVacations at 1-800-489-4810.
Q. Can I use the vouchers for ANYTHING else?
No.
Q. Really?
Yes, really.
Q. Are there restrictions on purchasing airfare?
Unlike other airlines that place restrictions on certain fares/dates/times/routes, AA vouchers are just like cash, so you can use them to buy all fares that are available for purchase.
Q. How long do I have to use the vouchers?
One (1) year from date of issuance.
Q. I can't use my voucher in time. How can I extend the expiration date?
AA automatically extended the expiration of some vouchers in 2021. If your expiration date was between January 1, 2021 and May 31, 2021, the new expiration is March 31, 2022.
If you still need to extend the expiration, spend at least part it on any of its valid uses listed above. For example, pay for a cheap throwaway ticket, a speculative ticket, or a 500-mile upgrade certificate. Any unused amount will be sent to you as a new voucher with a new 1-year expiration date.
Q. What if I lose a voucher?
Sorry, you're out of luck. Treat your vouchers like cash.
Q. Can I use the vouchers to buy tickets for someone else?
While vouchers are non-transferable, you may buy a ticket in someone else's name, so long as you are the one presenting the voucher (either by phone or personally at a ticket counter/office). If someone else presents the voucher, the ticket MUST be issued in the name of that on the voucher.
Q. Is there a fee for using the vouchers?
It appears that ticketing at an airport ticket office is still subject to a charge of $30, unless you are EXP.
Note that if you are EXP, these "booking" fees are waived (and any Agent that tells you otherwise is wrong). (thanks SquareDanceGuy)
Note that if you have booked the ticket online and go to the airport to apply a voucher, there are no fees either, regardless of status. (thanks RogerD408)
Q. What happens to the taxes?
This depends on the type of voucher. The following voucher codes are exempt from some of the taxes: Basically, if you use these vouchers to pay for the whole cost of your fare, you will lower the overall costs as some of the taxes do not apply. (thanks uncle wiggly) If you make a partial payment with vouchers, then the associated taxes will likewise be reduced by the same proportional amount. (thanks marshall)
OU is the only voucher taxable, as it's issued against the unused portion of a ticket that has been exchanged (amongst other things). (thanks hillrider)
Q. What if the value of my vouchers exceed the value of my fare? Do I lose it? (thanks ffay005)
Unlike some* other airlines, you do NOT lose the residual value of your vouchers. If the residual value is more than $5, AA will mail you another voucher back as change, and this voucher is valid for one (1) year after its issuance. (thanks whynotfly) *golfmad added the word "some" based on post #440.
Q. How many vouchers can I use at one time?
According to one AAgent, nine (9) was the maximum number of vouchers accepted by the system.
Q. I bought AA tickets from a 3rd party (e.g., travel agent, internet travel site, Priceline/Hotwire). Can I use the vouchers retroactively?
No.
Q. How long does it take to process the vouchers?
After they receive the vouchers, AA will process them within 1-3 days, so it's really dependent on how long it takes the mail to arrive to Florida. AA reservations will accept the vouchers for a phone booking, if the reservation made is at least 12 days prior to departure. It's recommended that if you need to ticket within 2 weeks that you go directly to an Airport Ticket Office, which can process your voucher/s immediately.
Q. How do I apply vouchers to a reservation I have on hold on AA.com?
- Call Web Services at 1-800-222-2377 or 1-918-832-1384 (6:00 AM - 2:00 AM CT, 7 days a week). In the UK, call 08-45-601-0619 (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM UK time, Monday-Friday).
- Give them the PNR and tell them you would like to apply vouchers.
- They will give you instructions on how to send the vouchers in.
- Pay any balance with a credit card.
US: up-to-date in March 2021, UK: up-to-date in January 2022
American Airlines
M.D. 8A701
Fort Worth, TX 76155
USA
The return address for those in the UK and the rest of Europe, who have agreed to send their voucher(s) to AA in the UK, is:
American Airlines
100 Old Hall Street
The Plaza, 7th floor
Liverpool L3 9QJ
United Kingdom
On the envelope under the return address, write:
<Date of first flight, in DD Month format (e.g. 01 Jan)>
Attach a sticky note to the vouchers with the following details:
<First flight number, e.g. AA1234>
<Last name>
<Booking record locator, AKA booking reference>
(Notice: vouchers are not processed sequentially based on date of the voucher/s being received by AA, but rather on flight dates. Flights may show as "Ticket Pending" once the voucher has been applied, and at some time prior to flight (two weeks is usual) it will show "Ticketed" and you should be able to see your ticket number, beginning with "001", in your receipt from your itinerary at aa.com or in your e-Ticket. Also notice that you should photocopy your voucher/s prior to mailing them.)
Q. What if I entered a Business Extra number?
You will have to contact Business Extra to apply the vouchers. Their number is 1-800-433-1790, and they are available 5:00 AM - 12:00 PM, CT, 7 days a week.
Q. What if I live outside the United States and I want to use vouchers?
As the vouchers are in US Dollars, it's probably most convenient to call the US reservations number for a new booking denoted in US Dollars, thus avoiding any currency conversion, except any associated with your credit card. You can call your local reservations number or visit a local Airport Ticket Office (ATO). Beware that there's not a large network of ATOs.
In all likelihood, you will be asked to mail your voucher(s) to AA, so if time is of the essence, you should consider going directly to an ATO, who can process it/them immediately.
Obsolete posts from 2014-2015 have been archived to: ARCHIVE: Transportation Voucher / vouchers / "MCO" FAQ and master thread.
Older obsolete posts from 2013 and before, can be read in: ARCHIVE: Transportation Voucher / vouchers / "MCO" FAQ and master thread (consol.).
Transportation e- and paper Voucher / vouchers / "MCO" FAQ and master thread
Feb 28, 2019, 7:02 am
#616
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: CHI
Posts: 501
I booked a flight with my $800 paper voucher and after receiving my voucher in FL, AA ticketed the itinerary. After hearing nothing from them about the remaining value on the voucher (it's over $600)- I called them to learn that they won't mail paper vouchers as it was in the past and they'll issue me an eVoucher instead. Have been waiting for my eVoucher over promised 72 hours so far.
Something must be broken with that switch from paper vouchers to eVouchers
Something must be broken with that switch from paper vouchers to eVouchers
Mar 9, 2019, 7:47 pm
#617
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 6
Question 1: I mailed my voucher to the Florida office via certified mail and AA signed for them on 2/22. It has been 2 weeks now and our flights have not ticketed yet, should I be concerned? (Our flights are not until July)
Question 2: I have read through the wiki and the last year+ of posts and I did not see a clear answer. When I called in to apply the voucher the AAgent did not change the taxes, will the Florida office adjust them when they process the voucher? The voucher was for $500 and the ticket was $508 + $84 in taxes.
Thank you!
Question 2: I have read through the wiki and the last year+ of posts and I did not see a clear answer. When I called in to apply the voucher the AAgent did not change the taxes, will the Florida office adjust them when they process the voucher? The voucher was for $500 and the ticket was $508 + $84 in taxes.
Thank you!
Mar 14, 2019, 8:10 am
#619
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,903
Did AA change the way taxes are calculated when using a paper voucher?
I've bought 4 tickets with paper vouchers in the past. Every time they reduced the taxes to around $10 for domestic flights. Last year for example, I bought LAX-BOS-LAX and paid $9.00 tax exactly. This year I have the exact same flight, but they reduced the tax from about $45 to about $34, not $9.
Is this something new?
Edited: I think I see why. The voucher didn't cover the whole ticket, so not all the tax could be removed.
Last edited by rrgg; Mar 14, 2019 at 8:16 am
Mar 23, 2019, 6:55 pm
#620
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Andover, MA, 01810
Posts: 1,972
but I want a paper voucher
I recently redeemed my paper DV vouchers and got eVouchers for the residual, which was a surprise. So far AA does not want to send me a paper voucher upon request. I want paper vouchers for many reasons. They seem to have much fewer restrictions than eVouchers, but the main reason is that eVouchers do not seem to have a type (DV, OU, CI, etc). I am concerned that when I redeem the eVoucher, I will not get the tax savings that I would have gotten if I used a paper DV voucher. Has that been other people's experience? Do eVouchers have a type that we just don't see online? Has anyone been successful in persuading AA to still send the residual as paper?
Mar 30, 2019, 10:08 pm
#621
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,689
Does AA Paper Voucher residual value issued electronic extend expiration
Does AA Paper Voucher redeemed and has residual value that is issued to electronic voucher extend the expiration? Example: If I redeem a paper voucher that expires in April and has a remaining value that is reissued in electronic form. Will this extend the expiration date another year?
Mar 30, 2019, 10:53 pm
#622
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
Does AA Paper Voucher redeemed and has residual value that is issued to electronic voucher extend the expiration? Example: If I redeem a paper voucher that expires in April and has a remaining value that is reissued in electronic form. Will this extend the expiration date another year?
Apr 1, 2019, 9:23 am
#625
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: CHI
Posts: 501
I recently redeemed my paper DV vouchers and got eVouchers for the residual, which was a surprise. So far AA does not want to send me a paper voucher upon request. I want paper vouchers for many reasons. They seem to have much fewer restrictions than eVouchers, but the main reason is that eVouchers do not seem to have a type (DV, OU, CI, etc). I am concerned that when I redeem the eVoucher, I will not get the tax savings that I would have gotten if I used a paper DV voucher. Has that been other people's experience? Do eVouchers have a type that we just don't see online? Has anyone been successful in persuading AA to still send the residual as paper?
I suspect that they legally have to address the tax concerns the same way, regardless of the voucher type, as the issuance was a tax-restricted issue. Of course, I do not know for certain - interested to hear what comes of this.
Apr 8, 2019, 11:09 pm
#626
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 256
Thanks to all the info in this thread!!
I decided to redeem my transportation paper ticket voucher in person to avoid the mailing headaches.
The agent had to make a phone call and get walked through the process but it was all done after about 5 minutes thanks to having my reservation already on hold from aa.com.
No idea how they determined the taxes though. as the ticket was 711 (voucher covered 600 of it) and taxes of 98 dollars were added... seems pretty high to me.
I would think that taxes can only be charged on the amount paid for in cash. And not against any of the voucher amount.
111.00 dollars was paid in cash so 98 dollars of taxes added doesn;t seem correct..... i'll attempt for a refund in the over charged taxes just to see what happens.
I decided to redeem my transportation paper ticket voucher in person to avoid the mailing headaches.
The agent had to make a phone call and get walked through the process but it was all done after about 5 minutes thanks to having my reservation already on hold from aa.com.
No idea how they determined the taxes though. as the ticket was 711 (voucher covered 600 of it) and taxes of 98 dollars were added... seems pretty high to me.
I would think that taxes can only be charged on the amount paid for in cash. And not against any of the voucher amount.
111.00 dollars was paid in cash so 98 dollars of taxes added doesn;t seem correct..... i'll attempt for a refund in the over charged taxes just to see what happens.
Apr 9, 2019, 1:35 am
#627
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 255
Thanks to all the info in this thread!!
I decided to redeem my transportation paper ticket voucher in person to avoid the mailing headaches.
The agent had to make a phone call and get walked through the process but it was all done after about 5 minutes thanks to having my reservation already on hold from aa.com.
No idea how they determined the taxes though. as the ticket was 711 (voucher covered 600 of it) and taxes of 98 dollars were added... seems pretty high to me.
I would think that taxes can only be charged on the amount paid for in cash. And not against any of the voucher amount.
111.00 dollars was paid in cash so 98 dollars of taxes added doesn;t seem correct..... i'll attempt for a refund in the over charged taxes just to see what happens.
I decided to redeem my transportation paper ticket voucher in person to avoid the mailing headaches.
The agent had to make a phone call and get walked through the process but it was all done after about 5 minutes thanks to having my reservation already on hold from aa.com.
No idea how they determined the taxes though. as the ticket was 711 (voucher covered 600 of it) and taxes of 98 dollars were added... seems pretty high to me.
I would think that taxes can only be charged on the amount paid for in cash. And not against any of the voucher amount.
111.00 dollars was paid in cash so 98 dollars of taxes added doesn;t seem correct..... i'll attempt for a refund in the over charged taxes just to see what happens.
Apr 15, 2019, 10:30 pm
#628
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: MEL
Programs: QP NB
Posts: 217
Using AA paper vouchers
We received compensation vouchers due to delayed flights last year. Now I am looking to use them and AA codeshare flights seem to price out at 4-5x normal prices on AA.com and I can only see flights to/from the US.
Being based in Australia, can the vouchers only be used on flights to the US or could I book say a RTW fare through AA and credit towards that?
Being based in Australia, can the vouchers only be used on flights to the US or could I book say a RTW fare through AA and credit towards that?
Apr 18, 2019, 4:31 pm
#629
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AAdvantage Lifetime Gold/Some Years Platinum
Posts: 995
(tl;dr: AA counter agent fumbles voucher redemption, tries to soak me for $152 in ticketing charges and jacked-up fare, ends up completely blowing $1500+ sale.)
Here's my disappointing and frustrating story about (unsuccessfully) attempting to redeem a paper voucher in-person at DFW this afternoon. It does end with a nice twist, though.
The original plan is standard enough - book a reservation online on aa.com, place the trip "on hold" until the next day, then go to the airport with the voucher in hand and pay for the trip - $109 on the voucher, and the remainder with a credit card. So far, so good, and nothing I haven't done before without issues. (FWIW, the total cost of the trip is over $1500, so it's not chump change.)
However, when I get out to DFW (at the far low-end of the A gates, in the unlikely event anyone AA-related spots this and wants to confirm my tale of woe), I clearly won the anti-lottery with my selected agent.
First, she tells me that I will have to pay a $35/person ticketing fee, even with the paper voucher, for a total of $70 extra.
Second, she tells me that I will have to pay the current pricing for the tickets, which works out to $82 more than what my confirming e-mail for the hold stated.
(At this point, I point out that this will now cost me MORE to use the voucher than the value of the voucher, and that I would be better off simply walking away and paying for the original held reservation online.)
Third - She drops the bomb that "When you go online and pull up your reservation, you'll have to pay the new price." As it turned out, for the first time in our interaction, she was correct. My reservation, both on the app and on aa.com, now had the new, higher price attached. She had somehow gone in and REPRICED my reservation at the prevailing fares, so I could no longer get the price at which I had held the reservation.
At this point, of course, I give up and walk away. Unfortunately, I can no longer just mosey on down to the next counter and fish for a more experienced agent, since my original pricing is gone gone gone.
Back in my car, it takes an 18-minute phone call to get my original pricing reinstated, during which they confirm that I should NOT have been charged a ticketing fee, that I should NOT have been required to pay the prevailing fare at the time of purchase, and that I most definitely should NOT have had my held reservation repriced from under me.
At the end of the conservation, the (very helpful) phone agent offers to take my payment info, and even to give me an address to mail the paper voucher for redemption. I decline this offer, and instead cancel the reservation completely. Why? The twist, of course.
During the 18-minute call, with many lengthy holds, I go onto delta.com and find the same trip with similar timing available for nearly $400 less - a fare that was not available a day earlier. Booked and done before the final return from AA phone hold.
Granted, I'm still out the 2+ hours it took me to drive out there, waste 20 minutes with the counter agent and another 20 on the phone with AA, then drive back in what had become Metroplex-style rush-hour traffic, due to the delay.
But AA got a significant monetary punishment for jacking me around, and I saved $$$ in the end. Justice served, or something like that.
Here's my disappointing and frustrating story about (unsuccessfully) attempting to redeem a paper voucher in-person at DFW this afternoon. It does end with a nice twist, though.
The original plan is standard enough - book a reservation online on aa.com, place the trip "on hold" until the next day, then go to the airport with the voucher in hand and pay for the trip - $109 on the voucher, and the remainder with a credit card. So far, so good, and nothing I haven't done before without issues. (FWIW, the total cost of the trip is over $1500, so it's not chump change.)
However, when I get out to DFW (at the far low-end of the A gates, in the unlikely event anyone AA-related spots this and wants to confirm my tale of woe), I clearly won the anti-lottery with my selected agent.
First, she tells me that I will have to pay a $35/person ticketing fee, even with the paper voucher, for a total of $70 extra.
Second, she tells me that I will have to pay the current pricing for the tickets, which works out to $82 more than what my confirming e-mail for the hold stated.
(At this point, I point out that this will now cost me MORE to use the voucher than the value of the voucher, and that I would be better off simply walking away and paying for the original held reservation online.)
Third - She drops the bomb that "When you go online and pull up your reservation, you'll have to pay the new price." As it turned out, for the first time in our interaction, she was correct. My reservation, both on the app and on aa.com, now had the new, higher price attached. She had somehow gone in and REPRICED my reservation at the prevailing fares, so I could no longer get the price at which I had held the reservation.
At this point, of course, I give up and walk away. Unfortunately, I can no longer just mosey on down to the next counter and fish for a more experienced agent, since my original pricing is gone gone gone.
Back in my car, it takes an 18-minute phone call to get my original pricing reinstated, during which they confirm that I should NOT have been charged a ticketing fee, that I should NOT have been required to pay the prevailing fare at the time of purchase, and that I most definitely should NOT have had my held reservation repriced from under me.
At the end of the conservation, the (very helpful) phone agent offers to take my payment info, and even to give me an address to mail the paper voucher for redemption. I decline this offer, and instead cancel the reservation completely. Why? The twist, of course.
During the 18-minute call, with many lengthy holds, I go onto delta.com and find the same trip with similar timing available for nearly $400 less - a fare that was not available a day earlier. Booked and done before the final return from AA phone hold.
Granted, I'm still out the 2+ hours it took me to drive out there, waste 20 minutes with the counter agent and another 20 on the phone with AA, then drive back in what had become Metroplex-style rush-hour traffic, due to the delay.
But AA got a significant monetary punishment for jacking me around, and I saved $$$ in the end. Justice served, or something like that.
Apr 18, 2019, 4:36 pm
#630
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
