ORD-YVR cancelled -- options?
 

My next leg on my ex-IST DONE4 is ORD-YVR on 3rd Sep, returning on 5th, but AA have curtailed the route early, so they've rebooked me ORD-DFW-YVR both ways. This is not particularly convenient + means most of the holiday weekend spent in the air, rather than in Vancouver. I figured instead that I'd go somewhere else (SAN springs to mind) but I'm wondering what my best option to avoid the $75 change fee is? Start at RTW desk? Exec Plat desk? Anyone got experience with negotiating this sort of thing?

Thanks for any advice,
Chris

Yes, but limited. AA bent over backwards to re-route me to my ticketed destination, at the time I wanted, the way I wanted, but that's all. I didn't ask for an alternative destination, so don't really know what they would say about waiving the reissue fee. I doubt it, but no harm in asking, I suppose.

If you have the status I think the EXP Desk is as good a place to start as any.

Definitely start with the AA RTW desk. If it's a confirmed segment I would certainly argue they shouldn't charge you a reissue fee for the change the carrier initiated.

Otherwise you might go ORD-SEA and drive up; 3 hours from SEA to Vancouver, or else ride on the Alaska/Horizon hop. Or visit our fair city instead; see www.bumbershoot.org for happenings that weekend.

Last summer, bound LAX-DFW-ANC, I checked in at LAX to learn the first segment was running seriously late and would misconnect. We were on an AONEx and although LAX-ORD-ANC was do-able there were no A/D seats on the LAX-ORD segment so the agent was talking seriously about calling AS to see if they could accommodate us. Good kid, I, just took the back of the bus. But at least at some point they're willing to use non-OWE carriers.

If you have ticketed ORD-YVR as Sept 3 and AA reroutes you via DFW, the reissue is free. But if you choose another destination, then you'd have to pay the $75 change fee.

I thought AA didn't fly ORD-YVR nonstop.. only UA + AC? Perhaps that's true now, I guess.

Twice a day, summer only. Lots of cruise traffic.

You could ask to be rerouted ORD-JFK-YVR with CX flying JFK-YVR. Arrives at 2 am though, however you get the full CX dinner on this leg (the flight goes on to HKG). Doubt there is any way to waive the change fee if you want a different city instead; this is one of the dangers of seasonal routes (I've been burned several times by changes in seasonal service). You could also try asking for ORD-LAX-YVR (the latter is on AS but codeshares as AA) and I think you could get that (not sure it is any better timewise than via DFW).

AA doesn't fly ORD-JFK

I know its ORD-LGA but that wasn't the point of the reply. ORD-MIA-JFK is about the best way to get to JFK -- rather inconvenient unless on a mileage run. I suppose not connecting the hubs makes sense for AA as almost all of the JFK flights to Europe have a routing available from ORD so there is no need to go via JFK. The lack of JFK-ORD service has aggravated me no end.

Well I spoke with the RTW desk first, and they gave me short shrift, saying it was at the discretion of the airport ticket desk where I get the ticket reissued. So I called the EXP desk, and they put me through to the RTW desk...

I'm guessing that I'm in for a $75 fee then :( unless I find a sympathetic ticket agent who'll be happy to spend an hour in my company to reissue the ticket and not generate revenue for it. Sigh.

Cheers
CT