I'm not taking AA's side on this, but they are not completely evil or predatory like some of you are making them out to be. They grant fee waivers to their good customers all the time when it makes sense. Think about that next time you want an AAgent to bend the rules for you a little bit.

Ok - what about the next time someone makes a mistake booking a non-refundable ticket and asks AA to cancel/refund it? You think they'll be sympathethic?

Actually, no. Anyone can buy this first class ticket for a lot less than the "list price" which is grossly inflated.

Exactly, that's the consolation they are offering those of us who bought their advertised fare in good faith. Same type of thing was offered me on a scam stock trade by a broker once.

My response so far?

Rejected all offers via phone and requested offer to be in writing. They refused. I will not respond to any offer AA makes unless it is made in writing.

My point:

1. Whether the incomprehensible garble that is the fare rules were visible or not, all the indications that the travelling public rely on to know which cabin they are flying in (i.e. the color coded sections on AA.com, the booking code which clearly says A and FIRST on both AA and QF itineraries) indicated that I was buying a ticket in first.

2. In the age of cut-throat competition and low-ball airfares that other airlines partake it, there was no reason for me to think this was anything but legitimate. Several travel agents I talk to agree.

3. AA's response, IMHO, is woefully inadequate. And I am tired of being told that no one can enter into any conversation about this other than to mechanically read off the "4 options." I am sorry, but do you think AA pays $24,000 for that QF seat? They are grandstanding about "losses" that are really insignificant if, as the AA spokesman said, only a couple hundred of us took advantage of the airfare. Didn't AA just offer $1.4 BILLION to help out JAL?

GIVE ME A BREAK.

I COMPLETELY disagree....AA does very little of late to be proactive in their customer service....I have had other issues with AA with trips recently I have organized for myself and large groups, and now when I write in to complain about hideous booking/ticketing errors or poor treatment, they have mastered the technique of saying "Sorry...Sorry...Sorry...Please still fly with us." No miles, no compensation.

I am seriously considering leaving AA altogether and going with Continental...

I agree but that is not how AA sees it. AA believes that they have control over the pnr so if they have access to it and especially if its on their system, they feel they can do anything about it. AA believes in calling and NOT writing as its a practice they believe in. So if you send in stuff to them, they rarely write back but call back based on the number you provide and they feel that so long as they annotate the pnr, it covers their xxx.


There are obviously some here who have remained quiet about the issue for a very good reason.

That may well be how AA sees it. It all boils down to what I see as a huge hypocrisy, where they take free license to nickel and dime and take advantage of customers, but accept no liability whatsoever for airfares that are publicly viewed. I have also discovered that they annotate PNRs INCORRECTLY, so the customer has no recourse to present their point of view and ensure that it is documented IN FULL in the PNR. Yet another way AA screws over its passengers...

While I have sympathy for those who were not able to get this bargain fare honored, I seriously question how anyone here can say that they "bought their advertised fare in good faith."

Did your travel agents give you examples of other international first class fares this low, or just nod agreement with you? If there's a bunch of them out there to Asia and Australia in this price range, I've been missing out.

I fail to see why some of the doubting Thomases here don't seem to understand the nature of capitalism: The world of capitalism is all about the greatest amount of service for the least cost to the consumer. Sometimes the system abuses us, and sometimes the consumer ends out on top. The guy I sat next to on a recent flight was shocked at AA--if you want to stay in business you HONOR YOUR PROMISES, not look for any and all ways to wriggle out of them.

Please stop making people who jumped on a good deal and now feel angry at AA's "retraction" as cold-hearted.

Nope. I jumped on AA and bought it. Pure and simple. I am saying that the world of commercial aviation in general works COMPLETELY on the premise of deals--even in first and business class.

Does this situation mean that if we see a cheap, so-called "too good to be true" DOMESTIC fare, we now have to wonder whether an AA rep will call because they feel it is too low? How can AA expect any customer loyalty when they are destroying people's trust in their PUBLISHED, VISIBLE airfares?

I appreciate your position. I think if you prevail, we will all win. Let me know if I can help you in anyway. I am not a lawyer, far from it, but I am Texas Resident and would be happy to assist, if location matters for anything

That's very, very kind of you. I just think this situation could be handled much more professionally and still keep most people happy.

Anyone know by the way if AA has had a shake-up in customer relations? They have really gotten awful over the past year...SERIOUSLY unresponsive and aloof.

They're not destroying my trust, and I've flown over 1 million paid miles with them the last 8 years. I don't have the expectation that I can fly to Australia in first class for $1,200, which is basically the price of a coach ticket, and expect them to eat the additional costs in this economy. Didn't someone post upstream that this could cost them a couple million dollars if they honored all the purchases?

Do keep us updated on your negotiations with AA.