I was wondering if someone could explain to me, in 'blonde' terms, the process and any potentially undesirable consequences of reissuing a DONE4 b4 departure with NRT origin (dealing with AA).

Some burning questions:
- There's no mention of $125 reroute fee in the fare rules for reiss before departure for TC2/3 origin - meaning it's free to reiss/reroute my ticket b4 departure?
- Is the reiss/rerouting b4 dep effectively canceling my existing ticket and getting a new one? If so, do they refund me on the spot for the existing ticket so that I can pay the new fare for the fresh ticket? Or do they just tag on extra taxes and charge that extra amount?

Thanks.

PS - I got myself a modified itinerary just to get an etix so that I can do remote payment and obtain ticket numbers prior to arriving in NRT. Initially I thought I'd stick to etix and not worry about reiss until some point later in the trip. But the AAgent I dealt with was VERY insistent that I'd still get a paper ticket back even if there are only <16 segments left on the ticket when I reiss as they count the TOTAL number of segments including the ones flown (confirmed by a supervisor but it doesn't sound right to me???), which prompted me to think that it might be easier just getting a paper tix from the start w/o $125 penalty.

PSS- Yes I'm well aware that paper tix with AA at NRT with >16 segments means spending at least 90 mins in front of the ticket counter.

PSSS - Why hasn't the 'print itinerary' tab turned into 'print itinerary and receipt' when my etix has already been issued with status "Ticketed - <date>"? AA web services said it's because I didn't book my itin online but I know that's not the reason because I've had plenty of itins booked with AA CTOs and I've always been able to get my receipt on AA.com. NRT emailed me an etix receipt but it didn't have info about validity/endorsements and the like on it.

Sorry for the long and kinda OT OP.

I'd add to QF009's burning questions:

If I re-issue a ticket before starting the itinerary, will I be bound by the new rules (20 segments including surface) or do the old ones continue to apply where the ticket was originally receipted prior to June 30?

If you reissue a ticket before departure, it is essentially a new ticket. This means you are bound by the new rules and new prices.

I suspect it might be something like that. Just waiting for someone to chime in with the payment process, ie assuming prices are the same then - just pay for extra taxes vs pay for a brand new ticket while they take a million years to refund the old one.

edited to add - first intercontinental and preceding flights unchanged.

I think that it counts as a wait for refund whilst paying out for a new one since there is nothing in the rules that says that the fare paid can be applied to a new ticket iirc but if you really want to do it, then phone them and check for certain

Anyway, if there are less than 16 segments remaining, I am pretty sure they can reissue as an eticket if they want to.

Dave

Figured I should call for a definitive answer. Answer was I only pay for new taxes. ATW said to call them 3-4 days before I intend to call in at NRT so that they can set up the instructions in my record. They don't seem to realise that origin TC2/3 do not incur the $150 penalty though - will make sure I draw this to their attention when I call to set up the reiss.

turtlemichael - AAgent 'mmmmed' and 'ahhhed' in response when I asked about the applicable fare rules.

When i pressed the AAgent on this issue, it was mentioned that officially they are supposed to count everything, flown or otherwise. But in practise because AA's systems require handwriting, airport AAgents will try their best to produce etix. So... I guess 90% of the time I should get an etix, then again I remember reading at least one post on here about getting a paper tix back because the AAgent counted everything.

Dave is correct. Don't let anyone at AA tell you that they can't issue an eticket (assuming you have 16 segments or less left) because you had more than 16 originally. It simply isn't true.

I've had a paper ticket re-issued electronically - just got down to less than 17 segments and had AA re-do it as an electronic ticket and turned in the coupons. Absolutely painless.

Next experience was a nightmare. Was assured by the RTW desk that the AC in DFW could do this - 'no problem'. I had 2+ hours to kill on a layover - and used all of it discovering that no-one in DFW (AC, FC counter, supervisor etc.) had a clue how to do it. Gave up and had the prospect of having to do it at NRT at a (much) later date.

At NRT, after much 'polite conversation' with the always-very-helpful-but-actually-hard-to-get-anything-done AA staff, it was concluded it couldn't be done. Persistence paid. 'Yes it can. I know it can - I've had it done'. After more phone conversation between the NRT staff and the AA ticket office in town - voila!. They sent the tickets into town, the Tokyo ticket office re-issued it electronically and, because we had routing changes that reduced the taxes, sent the refund vouchers and the electronic itineraries to our Tokyo hotel. My faith in AA NRT/Tokyo went up accordingly.

Don't let anyone tell you it cannot be done. The problem is most of them don't know how or can't figure out how. I know it's heresy to say it, but they should just reduce the allowable segments to 16, with a 20% cut in the ticket price, and solve the problem once and for all.

Just because AA has problems issuing tickets, doesn't mean that everyone should be penalised who use other airlines for ticketing. Not everyone uses AA

Dave

Yep, at the DFW AC that's the way it is. The only workaround (and it's only a maybe) is to go landside, try your luck at the check-in counters and then get back through security; a royal pain.

Except for those on xONE5s or xONE6s and maybe some surface segments, who'd be left with the intercontinental flights and little else.

I was unaware that other airlines could issue electronic tickets with over 16 segments. I know from personal experience that CX can't. Who can - QF? BA?

I don't see it as being 'penalised' - personally, I'd gladly settle for a 16 segment limit in return for a 20% price cut. Obviously, YMMV. I can get where I want to go around the world in 16 segments and sometimes the 'extra' segments mean we have to take time to go places in order not to waste those segments.

5 minutes in the AC and it became clear they had no clue how to do it ... so I went landside and spent most of 2 hours trying to get it done. Hopeless, utterly clueless. At one point, the agent got the tariff desk on the phone. I tried to point out that it was absolutely nothing to do with tariff but she insisted on calling them. Their only contribution was to tell her that one of the legs (to Montreal) was illegal but 'they'd let it go this time'. Complete rubbish, of course. When I finally persuaded her we needed to get the RTW desk on the phone (and gave her the number), their phone just rang and rang and rang and no-one answered. Eventually, I gave up as I had a flight to Tokyo to catch ... so, yes, you're absolutely right - it's a 'maybe' ...