I wonder if I'm alone with this problem? On March 10, I had a first class ticket on AA 7223, a JAL operated code share from JFK-NRT, connecting to a CX flight to Taipei. When I arrived at the JL counter (over an hour before departure), they denied boarding, saying that althought AA had ticketed me and issued a seat assignment, the AA computer never communicated with the JL computer. I got the AA exec platinum desk on the phone and they confirmed to me and JL that I was ticketed on the flight, but JL still denied boarding and booked me on an All Nippon flight two hours later. Fortunately it was early and I made my connection. JL refused denied boarding compensation saying that any mixup was American's fault and American, other that depositing 5,000 miles in my account has not been able to offer the explanation I've asked for, even after a direct fax to Michael Gunn, the marketing guy. Is this common? It's never occured to me before and I want to know how I can avoid having it happen again in the future.

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Jerry R

As long as you have a tkt with an OK in the status box, even if your reservation could not be found, you are due denied boarding consideration from American, for being bumped off their(AA's) flight.

What's the going rate for international FC bumps? Often depends on how well you can negociate.

The other thing that needs to be considered tho, is how late did they get you to your destination vs. what was originally scheduled?

In the history portion of the American reservation, there would have been a JAL record locator. Sounds like it was just convenient for them not to be able to find the reservation vs. bump one of their own
premium cabin psgrs.



[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 04-18-2001).]

and there you have a much better answer than i could have come up with. Anyone else have some additional advice? Thanks tvl4free for the assist.

rothsteg .. welcome to FT.

Only 5,000 miles compensation when you had a First Class It'l ticket and that happened sounds way off beam to me.

In these days of e-tickets of course, tvl4free's method will not help you if you don't have a paper ticket with "OK" box checked. (And paper ticket will read 'HK1' as well.)

My advice is to do what I ALWAYS insist upon. And that is to ask for and receive a fax from carrier before you fly, showing dates, times, flights, and SEATING that is pre-allocated to you, to show me I do indeed have a 'HK' confirmed booking, and am not waitlisted. I have never had a problem with this, except from Lan Chile, but hmmm. Back to first world major carriers, they will all do this in my experience, some better than others. The fax United sends is superb, showing distances flown, your MP number, type of aircraft, meals etc. And best of all it says right on it - Seat 15B - NonStop - United Business/CONFIRMED.

No, it does not guarantee what happaned to you will not occur, and no it will not stop airlines overselling seats, but a faxed printout from a day before you fly showing you as having "seat 2B First/Confirmed" from JFK-NRT is pretty powerful stuff to (a) wave around at gate/club, and (b) send in to the airline afterwards in your case.

I had such a fax last flight SYD-LAX. I checked in right on 45 min It'l deadline, and they had already allocated 15 either G/H to another pax. Showed the fax to check-in desk. By the time I got to plane that pax had been asked by purser to move to C downstairs as there had been "an error" in seating.

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~ Glen ~

all good advice, and, indeed, in the above case, I had a print out form American Express showing the seat assignment and had American Airlines on the phone telling JAL that the reservation and seat were confirmed, but JAL insisted that American Airlines, although issuing me a confirmed ticket, did not properly interact with JAL and therefore, they were not obligated to board me. The conflict between the code share selling airline and the code share operating airline is the oddity in this situation and my question is whether others have run into it and how they've dealt with it.