LGB now a transcon on AA?
 

OK, so it is a transcon. But when I booked my ticket, the T&C did not include LGB in the list of places you could not fly from. I have the printout in front of me.

The OneWorld brochure on the website says only one transcon allowed between selected cities on the East and West coast. It doesn't say between all cities.

And I have copies of the Explorer rules from when I booked my ticket, which clearly defines a transcon as travel between cities in column A (East Coast) column B. LGB is not in either column (though the rate desk say it is now).

Any thoughts? Should I dig my heels in and insist on the LGB routing? (given I already have a JFK-LAX). I know its a loophole, but I got there before they closed it!!!

Sounds like you have the high ground. It can't hurt to assume they'll immediately see the correctness of your position and give you what you ask for.

OTOH it's a really cheap segment if you have to pay for it.

[This message has been edited by JohnAx (edited 07-22-2003).]

My copy of the OWE Star File rules from April, 2002, show LGB as one of the west coast cities but it wasn't there in the rules of November, 2001. When was your ticket issued?

Don't the rules say "cities" not "airports"? Hence LGB is part of the same "city" as LAX, in the same way that a ticket booked to SFO can be used to SJC or OAK, and NYC can be EWR, LGA or JFK?

Well, they do say "cities" but then they specify airports, to wit (from Star file):

Actually, I booked it in November 2002. I have a copy of the rules handed out to TAs from both May of that year (thanks to ScottC) and from November (thanks to my TA). Interestingly SNA isn't on there either. (and I thought Long Beach was outside the city of Los Angeles...?)

After about an hour or so on hold, BA still refused to budge, stating the rules re: LGB and SNA were in place in November. Its crazy that they have a published error in the rule book that I can evidence but still won't budge.

Incidentally, for anyone traveling after Sept 3rd, AA is starting a direct flight to PHL from PSP. Now that is not in any rule books.

Too late for me though. I'm going to Phoenix and driving the rest, now.

However, when ever these cities get listed here they end up on the next set of rules. In reality there are MANY MANY MANY east and west coast cities not on the list.

rich << who always wondered how las vegas and toronto made the list of trans con cities.

Agree with ex-mo that if it was in the star file rules before the ticket issue, then you can't make the change regardless of terms that the TA had. Many Asian based FT'ers continue to refer to the $75 change fee because that is what they had obtained from a TA even though that changed to $100 more than a year ago and is in the star file rules. And we know that anytime a fee goes up, the airline has the final say.

I always thought the transcon rules were there not to stop us doing transcons per se, but rather to stop us clogging up the premium routes like JFK-LAX. Hence the ability to fly from lesser airports (on lesser planes).

I agree with you headinclouds, that's why I have a drive ahead of me. But its still annoying! Incidentally, the change fee that was quoted to me several times yesterday was $75.

On 24 June this year, CX at HK airport charged me HKD570, which is US$75 to reroute a DONE3. CX current published version of the rules say explicitly $75.

The current Star File (available here: http://www.hardlink.com/~markdu/OWFi...eExplorer.html ) also specifies USD75 for changes.

headinclouds appears to be suffering from the resulting damp.


[This message has been edited by christep (edited 07-23-2003).]

Surely one wouldn't drive cross-country simply because a transcon LGB-JFK was denied? I haven't checked in the last few weeks, but not long ago the one-way fare on AA in coach was under $200.

It appears as though both SNA and LGB were added between November, 2001 and April, 2002. IAD was also added during that time, although subtly by replacing DCA with WAS.

Well, UserMark's star files for the Global Explorer state $100 change fee, so I assumed that also applied to the OWE. The AA RTW desk told me it was $100. If $75, that is great for us. Sorry. But, as you had the ticket issued after the change in the list of cities, I doubt that you will be successful in your challenge.

[This message has been edited by headinclouds (edited 07-23-2003).]