Welcome to the "2013 Guide to, and listing of, compensation" thread!

(The 2012 thread is currently closed, but can easily be accessed here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html)

In keeping with tradition, we'd like to ask members to report their compensation in the following format:

Date
AAdvantage Status
Fare class
What happened
Compensation
Comments


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MODERATOR'S NOTES

• Please, do NOT post names of non-management employees, in accordance with FlyerTalk TOS (q#69) "Respect the privacy of non-management travel service employees by not referring to them by name."

• For the Guide to, and listing of, compensation (consolidated) prior to 2012, please see here.

• JGR01 has created a spreadsheet parsing posts in this thread from 2003-2007, available for download HERE.

• AA's official policy regarding compensation for delays, cancellations, and diversions is as follows (thanks to tom911 for posting):

Quote:

DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS AND DIVERSIONS

American Airlines will provide customers at the airport and onboard an affected aircraft with timely and frequent updates regarding known delays, cancellations and diversions and will strive to provide the best available information concerning the duration of delays and to the extent available, the flight's anticipated departure time.

We are not responsible for any special, incidental or consequential damages if we do not meet this commitment.

When cancellations and major delays are experienced, you will be rerouted on our next flight with available seats. If the delay or cancellation was caused by events within our control and we do not get you to your final destination on the expected arrival day, we will provide reasonable overnight accommodations, subject to availability.

In extreme circumstances, it is possible that a flight will cancel while on the ground in the city to which it was diverted. When this happens you will be rerouted on the next American flight with available seats, or in some circumstances on another airline or some other alternative means of transportation. If we are unable to reroute you, reasonable overnight accommodations will be provided by American, subject to availability.

American will provide amenities for delayed passengers, necessary to maintain the safety and/or welfare of certain passengers such as customers with disabilities, unaccompanied children, the elderly or others to whom such amenities will be furnished consistent with special needs and/or circumstances.

• The U. S. Department of Transportation's official policy regarding compensation for delays or cancellations is as follows (thanks to hillrider for posting):

Quote:

Contrary to the belief of some, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for “damages” when flights are delayed or canceled. Compensation is required by law only when you are “bumped” from a flight that is oversold. Airlines almost always refuse to pay passengers for financial losses resulting from a delayed flight. If the purpose of your trip is to close a potentially lucrative business deal, to give a speech or lecture, to attend a family function, or to be present at any time-sensitive event, you might want to allow a little extra time and take an earlier flight. In other words, airline delays and cancellations are not unusual, and defensive planning is a good idea when time is your most important consideration.

• Flights to/from Europe carry specific compensation rights, as outlined at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passen.../en/index.html

AA Forum Moderator Team

 

What was wrong with the 2012 thread?

 

It was sooooo last year...

 

hahahaha

 

We just lost a decade of history by starting a new thread for the same issue. If anyone wants to browse past compensation they now have to look in TWO places, the old thread and now this new one. NOT particularly helpful. What do we gain by starting a second thread? Can you just keep the old one open? I realize it was started by a banished member but still, it was helpful data.

 

OK, I will make the first 2013 post and am asking for input from everyone out there. Despite how much I really travel this is the first time I truly got screwed over by a cancellation. Normally I leave myself enough lead time to avoid this mess.

I got called from my job to fly to West Palm Beach to replace a sick co worker for the next day. They purchased a flight that was occurring four hours later. I put the upgrade request in (got it for both legs). The flight was from SAN to DFW to PBI.

The 1400 flight from SAN was slid to 1830 due to maintenance - ensuring ill never make my connecting the flight. Barbara M (a wonderful AAngel at the Admirals Club) just through hoops to and rolls me to the next flight before I even get off the plane. By the time I reached the AC she had several options for me - none however, getting me to PBI in time. I was rebooked in F class to DFW to ATL then Y class on delta into PBI the following morning.

Got to DFW but was told they would have to cancel the work I needed to do in PBI because I wouldn't make it in time. Unfortunately, I had hotel reservations now too late to cancel in PBI.

They wound up RONing me in DFW and provided me vouchers for a hotel and food and booked me on a flight the next morning. In coach. Q class. I was provided seat 8D. Just checked in and my seat was given away - sticking me in seat in the middle back near the toilet.

I never asked for compensation before but a little ticked I had my seat reassigned. Plus I lost money on the no show at the hotel plus the cancelled work evolution that I was intended to cover.

Thoughts?

 

While it's rare for there to be comments on moderation in a public thread, I realise that many members may wonder why this was done. While some may disagree, many members have communicated privately to the moderators that mega-threads often end up as hundred-page-long storehouses of outdated information. We respect that, in some cases, there are useful details in some of those older posts, in other cases we feel that current experiences will probably provide the best guide for people looking for detail on what to expect in compensation. The old compensation thread was nearly 10 years old when it was closed--compensation from that long ago may have nostalgic value (and thus will not be deleted), but it isn't relevant to passengers looking for detail on what can be expected today.

With the strife at the end of last year having come to a close, current year experiences will soon begin to appear, and those will be most useful. The 2012 and earlier thread will not be deleted, it has merely been closed, and people looking for historical experiences need only click through to that thread to find them.

Any future comments would be welcome via PM.

~Moderator

 

You paid for a coach ticket and got a coach seat. Yes, it sucks to lose your upgrade, but IMO no compensation is due. Upgrades are nice when you get 'em, but you cannot expect to be reimbursed when you do NOT get an upgrade (or even when an upgrade is rescinded) and you end up flying in the class for which you paid.

 

Dec 26th 2012
AA EXP
Fare Y
DFW-MZT flight cancelled due to weather
10,000miles and reroute with Aeromexico in Y (had to contact CS to get the miles)

 

Thanks!

Did you have to use the "magic phrase" ("I request Original Routing Credit for an involuntary reroute") or did the CSR figure it out on their own?

 

EXP on a discount A fare. Inbound AA flight was delayed by 3+ hours which would cause a misconnect, next AA flight would arrive the morning after the scheduled flight and F was full. I asked about other carriers and ended up in Y on a B6 direct flight.
15,000 miles, ORC and customer relations sent an inquiry to see if a partial refund would be due for the downgrade.

 

EXP on domestic discount coach ticket.
All 4 segments were delayed due to "maintenance". One segment canceled and rerouted. Arrived 5 hours late outbound, 2 hours late inbound.

Sent email to AA Customer Relations about how I'm tired of pilots making up "maintenance" issues just to inconvenience the customers. Received form letter response and $200 travel voucher.

 

Suprisingly, they figured it out on their own!

 

I have received compensation without asking on many flights with long mechanical delays. However, on 2 such flights, when I have been rebooked, I have received no such compensation. Even when the new flight arrives several hours after my original scheduled flight. In those instances the original flight was delayed, not canceled.
Of course when I have written I have received extra miles.
Have others had this experience?

 

You do realize that the pilot actions of this nature stopped quite a while ago, yes? (Of course, this may have been a well-played feigned outrage knowing it was false just to get the comp- well done )

Cheers.