LAX Red Coat wants more $ for confirmed pax with BP
 

Had fun time today. Had IRROP happen and got booked LAX-JFK-AUS due to ATL flights have no F available. It was even given as an option in the IRROP rebooking tool. Booked, was confirmed, and had BP issued at airport. Then at boarding Red Coat decided that in her "opinion" I needed to pay $2.5k because she didn't feel that the routing was something that should have been offered. Pointed out I held a confirmed reservation, and a BP, and again told me her only option was that I fly out tomorrow on LAX-AUS (would have taken today, but no space, thus got booked through JFK). Agent basically said we can demand payment if we feel like the routing your taking isn't paid for. Again pointed out that it was an option offered not only by reservations, but the online booking tool. Nope "I'm a red coat and it's our duty to collect additional airfare if we feel that you haven't paid for the fare." I didn't really want to go through JFK, but I also wasn't going to fly coach LAX-MSP/ATL/DTW after coming back from SIN. (This wasn't an attempt to get more MQM, just flying the only option with F/J)

I'm upset because 1)I would have taken a flight elsewhere but no F was available at the time, 2)More upset that a Red coat believes she has the power to force collect additional money because she doesn't feel that even in IRROPS you should be able to book it. Especially when you're holding a BP for the flight.

So, what did you do? Pay the 2.5K? Go tomorrow? Bumrush the gate?

Call the diamond line.

I would get her name call the diamond line and board the aircraft. He has no jurisdiction over how much someone pays for the flight. Let him know you would be happy to vdb for 2500 dollars. ;) I believe this thread will become epic just like the saag paneer thread.:D

Yeah that's ridiculous. That red coat should be a no-coat.

Only thing that could possibly make sense here is if an agent manually re-issued your ticket and did not do it properly... Otherwise, sounds like an IDB to me (but good luck collecting).

They tried to tell me the reservation agents only "confirmed" a reservation, that they didn't ticket it. Sad thing is I have the emailed receipt with ticket number listing the flights on it. It's clear that it was EXCH for the new flight that they forced on me, all the while saying no ticket had been issued for the new flights. Went up to the Skyclub and asked for station manager. Got the SC Manager who told me she's also the D1 Director (or whatever her title is). She backed the red coat up saying they shouldn't have confirmed and telling me no ticket had been issued. I pointed out I wouldn't have gotten the BP without the reissue, but she insisted. Basically her word was that I know the web IRROPS tool and it would NEVER give such a connection. When I pointed out it did, and that reservations actually did the booking she came up with a new story. Since I had a wheelchair request they just changed flights to whatever "I told them." Insult on top of everything!

Did you at least get F same day?

This is definitely a screwup on the reservation agent's part. Had the ticket been properly reissued, the computer wouldn't be yelling for an add/collect.

So, continue to escalate I suppose :-(

They may need to bust out the old multicolored ticket/voucher stock to get you sorted :-/

The ticket was reissued. I have the receipt showing the flights and ticket number. Her final story is that the fare rules wouldn't allow it. I had her give me the full rules. It has no restrictions on transfers, and even mentions that there's a surcharge if originally booked with JFK/LAX nonstop. Of course none of that matters in IRROPS.

If fare rules applied in IROPS, I'd have failed to get home so many times I'd still be stranded in Atlanta. :P

For reference, here are the standard constructed routes for LAX-AUS:

MAP CONSTRUCTED LEFT TO RIGHT AND RIGHT TO LEFT
1. LAX-SLC/MSP/CVG-ATL-AUS
2. LAX-SLC/SEA/MSP/LAX/DTT/CVG/ATL-AUS
3. LAX-SLC/MSP-CVG-AUS
4. LAX-SLC-DTT-AUS
5. LAX-SLC-LAX-AUS
6. LAX-SLC-MSP-AUS
7. LAX-SEA/LAX-SLC-AUS

This applies even on a full fare F fare, so the agent must have been trying to break your trip into two separate fares.

Not that it should matter, but out of curiosity, were you traveling on a broken fare? And were you using an instrument (RUC/GUC)?

There absolutely has to be more to this story. No way the redcoat was at the gate trolling the manifest and trying to find weird connections to demand more $$$ from.

...I regret saying that DL might add that to the list of GA duties to make sure they don't have "time" to correctly process upgrades and simultaneously "enhance" revenue.

Also, FWIW, there are now 3 F seats on DL 5805 from LAX-AUS leaving in an hour and a half. If you're still stranded in LAX and arguing with folks, just ignore them, call the diamond line and you should be able to get on that flight without waiting for tomorrow...

Was this a MR on a GUC? Would be a huge win to have SIN - LAX - AUS and then LAX - AUS is departing 5 min late, so use the rebook option in the app to do LAX - JFK (in Delta One) - AUS (F/J) all from one GUC... Maybe the agent thought that was abusive since outside normal fare rules. Doesn't make it right though..

OP - I am so sorry for your experience. I haven't had the best experiences at LAX but have been treated well at the SkyClub, and never had anything this insane happen. I've had some out of the way IRROPS (albeit in coach, but still on a V fare) and no questions at LAX.

I would have pushed for the station manager. I had to speak to the operations manager at LAX to get my issue sorted out eventually. But prior to speaking to him, the DM desk basically fixed things for me.

The Red Coat should be fired. The "D1 Director" also needs a serious rebuke if they gave you such a hard time for what was going to be an empty seat anyways. Report all of this and pursue it seriously, with serious compensation, so it stings them and so they seriously look into it. This should not be acceptable behavior, especially with IRROPs.

OP - did they end up denying you boarding on the original flight? If so, and you had a BP, clearly it is IDB. You should immediately ask them for the compensation at the airport, and if they refuse, file a DOT complaint. This is some serious BS.