jcatman

Not for a change in equipment. IF the departure time changed by more than 120 minutes and that will cause you to miss your "meeting", you may have a case. Otherwise, just go with it.

Booking in advance sometimes comes with hazards. As the 767's are either refurbished or retired, you will encounter future equipment swaps.

Be thankful you are on a 737 with some legroom, and not a 319.

wanderlust4life

What are the dates of your flights? The 77W is operating every day of April in both directions. AA68 is the current flight number and stays the same flight number for LAX-MIA and leaves around the same time as always. AA275 MIA-LAX changes to AA1428 on 12/15/16 and scheduled to leave a little later around 5:15pm. I dont see why you can't still fly on those 77W flights. Did your other flights change forcing AA to change your MIA-LAX-MIA fights because you couldn't make them?

Starting December 15, 2016, there is another 3-class transcon service for LAX-MIA-LAX and its being operated on a 777-200 old configuration. Surprisingly, its being sold as 3-class so booking onto this flight would get the transcon soft product. Too bad the F is aged, and J is angle flat. Still better than the other narrow-body recliner non-transcon soft product flights.

1k650

Are the lowest fares now >$900 ?

Hoosier1710

Try calling AA. I had a similar situation - albeit my departure was cancelled and I was pushed onto an earlier flight (a 738) - and they immediately switched me onto the 77W departure I wanted. You might get a forgiving customer service agent

Global321

I guess I missed it... I thought OP was talking about the am MIA-LAX flight that was a 767. The closest to that am flight time has a new config, two class 777 on it. (Again, talking am flight starting later this month/early November.)

Apologies if my post was confusing. (I will update the post to reference the am flight.)

Fly2Where

I thought I read somewhere, equipment change can cancel ticket...


Indeed.. that's it. my original lax-mia flight are overnight flight, really need the flatbed, if I took the 77W, then i will force to overnight at mia. return mia-lax, if i switch, i will not able to make it to yvr same day.

brewdog11

You're correct. It's clearly spelled out in their Contract of Carriage, Item 4(C)(III).

"(III) RESULT IN A SUBSTITUTION OF EQUIPMENT NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER."

Unfortunately, you'll just have to play the HUCA game and/or educate agents who are unaware of this.

jcatman

That's correct. The accommodation is triggered by a schedule change AND the change of equipment.

A mere change of equipment normally is not enough to warrant any empathy from customer service.

wanderlust4life

Im still a bit confused as to how you pulled that off. You said you were booked in J on a 767 refit flying between MIA-LAX. There is no such thing as a booking in J on a domestic 767 flight regardless of whether it was the old angle flat or new lie flat configuration. Considering that, Im assuming you were originally booked into P class as restricted First. The agent who swapped you from a 2-class First to a 3-class First was definitely operating outside the scope of what they are allowed to do. Even if the agent was 'forgiving,' its plausible to see you lucking out big time in the end if you had been originally booked on a 3-class transcon service flight in J to then be downgraded to 2-class First and then be upgraded into First on a 3-class transcon which technically isnt allowed. You'd have been put into J on the 77W evening service to LAX instead.

Granted, your flight was canceled and so AA did what they are supposed to do by putting you onto the next available flight or reroute to get you to your destination as soon as your original arrival time. But getting your flight canceled and then getting another seat in 2-class First on another flight is one thing. To pull off what you got and end up in 3-class First is extraordinary!! Very lucky!

wanderlust4life

Im sorry having pointed that out but it was really confusing as the OP was referring to the 77W transcon service that has been flying daily for quite awhile now and continues in the months ahead. And referring to the 5 hour delay etc, its only possible to be on the evening flight from MIA-LAX. There are no PTY flights that would arrive into MIA in the middle of the night to allow for the 5 hour delay.

As you mentioned, there is a 772 new config operating temporarily on the route for the month of November from November 4th to November 28th from LAX-MIA and November 4th to November 30th from MIA-LAX. Even though its an new config, since its only 2-class, it can't be sold as a transcon service flight, therefore no extra perks there.

wanderlust4life

What you are referring to are the rules for international flights as pointed out on the website. "Foreign air transportation is governed by applicable tariffs on file with the Department of Transportation."

Domestic flights are bound by the domestic "Conditions of Carriage" where "American will endeavor to carry you and your baggage with reasonable dispatch, but times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. American may, without notice, substitute alternate carriers or aircraft and, if necessary, may alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket. Schedules are subject to change without notice. American is not responsible for or liable for failure to make connections, or to operate any flight according to schedule, or for a change to the schedule of any flight. Under no circumstances shall American be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages arising from the foregoing."

In other words, a flight from LAX-LHR downgraded from 77W to 777 (old configuration) warrants the ability to cancel entire ticket without penalty. A flight from LAX-DFW downgraded from 787 to 737 does not warrant the ability to cancel ticket without penalty or make changes without paying the change fee and fare difference.

For international flights, the equipment change alone does warrant the ability to cancel without penalty. The rules point out that after ticket issuance, it can either be a scheduled 2 hour delay OR an intermediate stop OR an equipment change.

NOW where it gets tricky is when you have booked a ticket involving both domestic and international legs. In theory, agents are only supposed to acknowledge "the equipment change unacceptable clause" for international flights. In practice, however, there are agents that have allowed tickets to be canceled without penalty when there are unacceptable equipment changes on domestic legs when its an international ticket with a fare basis from LAX-PTY via JFK/MIA etc.

Also, canceling without penalty is one thing, but being able to change flights around after the incident without paying anything is another thing.

"IF A CANCELLATION OR A CHANGE IN EITHER AIR OR TOUR ITINERARY IS INITIATED EITHER BY AA OR IT'S TOUR OPERATORS WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE PASSENGER, THE PASSENGER WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF CANCELLING WITHOUT PENALTY, OR REROUTING ON DIFFERENT FLIGHTS TO/FROM THE SAME OR DIFFERENT DESTINATION.HOWEVER, THE PASSENGER MUST PAY ANY ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS RESULTING FROM THE REROUTING."

There is no change fee assessed and almost all LAX-PTY restricted premium tickets come with a $300 fee otherwise. There IS a fare difference applied when rerouting and choosing a better flight.

Aircraft substitutions on domestic routes happen constantly on AA. If everyone were able to switch around their flights and move onto other flights with better aircraft without paying fees and fare differences, than the airline would have never-ending change requests. Granted there are several agents that do bend the rules and waive change fees and fare differences and will put you on your desired aircraft, its just not something to expect and HUCA could take a lot of NOs before you get that one YES.

The reason I know these rules very well is because I just canceled a mileage run from LAX-UIO. My MIA-UIO-MIA segments were downgraded from a 767 lie flat to 757 angle flat. The agents would not let me change itinerary around without paying fare difference and I spent weeks HUCA trying to get an agent to bend the rules. Therefore, I ended up canceling the whole ticket without penalty and received a refund to original form of payment. I then found dates where the 767 was back on the route and rebooked and actually saved a few dollars.

I even had positioning flights on a completely separate ticket to get to and from LAX for the UIO trip and the agent canceled them and waived the $200 change fee and I could use the ticket values toward a new booking. Now that right there is an amazing agent to do that and case in point that rules are one thing and flexible agents are priceless! YMMV

In sum, according to the rules of both domestic flights versus foreign air travel you aren't able to cancel tickets when domestic flights get aircraft substitutions. This is not to be confused with schedule time changes of <90 minutes and >90 minutes and flight length increases etc affecting all flights. Thats a whole separate situation altogether.

Its honestly really great to have these rights when it comes to international tickets. And the vague term "unacceptable" is highly subjective and works to the passenger's advantage. Therefore, under current rules, its actually really easy to cancel an impacted international trip and get money back! Not a travel credit!

At the end of the day, since you do hold an international ticket, you may find an agent that will cancel the ticket without penalty when taking into account that the fare basis is really determined by flying to PTY, an international destination.

rens

[QUOTE=wanderlust4life;27286077]

Thanks for the reply, information, and pictures. Of course. guess I was confused by the term "One World Premium" as I have always heard it referred to as AA/BA. Good to know

Global321

No worries. It is good to correct and clarify posts.

Are you sure about that?

I don't believe there is an aircraft restriction on the 3 transcon routes. When we fly the 767 MIA-LAX we always get amenity kits, printed menus, etc. We already have lounge access, but I think you get lounge access as well...

As a First or Business Class customer, you also have access if you’re traveling on non-stop, transcontinental flights marketed and operated by American Airlines between:

New York (JFK) - Los Angeles (LAX)
New York (JFK) - San Francisco (SFO)
Los Angeles (LAX) - Miami (MIA)

(Source AA, bolding mine.)

Hoosier1710

Hey, my apologies. I went back and checked the original booking email from April, and we were booked for the 763 MIA - LAX leg into P. So yes, we got lucky that the flight we switched into had 3 classes - but not as lucky as if we'd originally been booked in J

hiima

That makes sense, cause it's not really possible for a CSR to change your booking code from say I to P. But a P to P lie flat flight change is pretty possible.