AA flight cancelled, rerouted via Westjet

[wheatbix]

I had a flight yesterday all with AA to go Calgary - DFW (Business) - Orlando (First) - Miami (First) - Port of Spain (Business) which should have netted me 310 SC's on Qantas if I've calculated correctly using the new rules. In addition to that there is a return part of the booking to go POS - LAX later this week.

The first leg YYC - DFW got cancelled and I got rerouted Calgary - Toronto - Port of Spain all on westjet economy. Now I understand I can make a claim for original routing credit with Qantas, however does anyone think there's any chance of getting anything (like a travel voucher) out of AA seeing as I paid for a business/first ticket and ended up flying economy?

 

[RooFlyer]

Wow, that's some change of routing :shock:. As to your question, I would pursue the issue with AA. (As an aside, this illustrates how thin the OneWorld network is in Canada and NW USA.)

Just by way of wondering, did you have the opportunity to discuss the alternative routing or was it a case of 'take it or leave it'? Off the top of my head, there may have ben an option of Alaskan YYC-SEA-DWF then AA on to Port of Spain, all with Business available except YYC-SEA

 

[wheatbix]

There was a brief discussion but very slim options, even given the opportunity to depart the next day (but I'd have had to pay for a hotel out of my own pocket). Other option was down to LA, across to Newark airport, shuttle across to JFK, then down to MIA, POS but it would have taken significantly longer then the option with westjet, included a big overnight layover in New York and was half economy anyway.

 

[MelUser]

How much notice did AA give you?

 

[wheatbix]

No previous notice (email or phone). It was a 2:35pm flight, and I didn't realize it had been cancelled until I arrived at the check-in counter at 1pm.

 

[RooFlyer]

No previous notice (email or phone). It was a 2:35pm flight, and I didn't realize it had been cancelled until I arrived at the check-in counter at 1pm.

As a OW Emerald, I'd rip right into 'em frankly.

 

[MelUser]

OUch - that worries me - I often set up at least 2 flights are landing from OZ. On way back I have 3 in a row before boarding 94 back home.

 

[JohnK]

That's a serious devaluation of routing and I would extremely unhappy.

Original Routing Credit should help.

 

[wheatbix]

I emailed Qantas on Monday with my original itinerary and a copy of the revised boarding passed and received a pleasant reply yesterday letting me know my request had gone through. Checked my account and all the original flights had been credited. I'll send an email off to AA and see what they have to say. Hopefully the return leg goes smoother!

 

[dk4]

I assume the original booking was an Instant Upgrade. IME on these discount first class fares, when you encounter an issue and are rerouted onto an alternative carrier by AA, it will always be in Economy on the other carrier, regardless of whether F seats are available on that flight or not.

AA expects you to be thankful for the alternate carrier reroute, as generally mere Economy travellers will get nada from them, except reroute to next "available" AA flight...and if it's weather related, forget about it... AA will not be willing to help much beyond next "available" anyway (and that may be days away, at your expense / sleeping in the airport).

 

[wheatbix]

@dk4 - the original booking was in discount business and first. AFAIK instant upgrades are a thing of the past? There was another option which included a business class leg on air canada, but it was a major hassle. They were trying their best, but as RooFlyer mentioned it really is slim pickings for travel on OW carriers in Canada.

 

[wheatbix]

For those that are interested - this is the response I got. Accompanied a few weeks later by a US$251 AA Travel Voucher. Definitely better then nothing seeing as it was partly a status run to begin with.

[TABLE="class: c35"]
[TR="class: c12"]
[TD="class: c13, colspan: 2"]Dear Mr. ----:

[/TD]
[TD="class: c15"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: c10"]
[TD="class: c1, colspan: 3"]

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: c17"]
[TD="class: c1, colspan: 3"] Thank you for contacting Customer Relations. We welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
We are disappointed to learn that we let you down on August 17. At the same time, we're glad you took the time to let us know about your cancelled flights, how they were handled and the downgrade. As a company committed to our customers, input such as yours is critical to our continued success.


We are sorry we didn't get you to your destination as planned and realize how frustrating this must have been. The on-time departure of our flights is one of our most important service goals and we will continue our efforts to improve our record. To avoid inconveniencing our customers, we make every effort to contact you to advise of any change to your scheduled itinerary. Regrettably, depending on when the change in scheduled operation occurs, sometimes it is not always possible to make telephone contact prior to your arrival at the airport. I am sorry that you weren't notified about your flight change.


No doubt you were also disappointed when you weren't accommodated in the First/Business Class cabin as expected. The ticket you purchased was a restricted fare that allows for First Class seating when available. When a customer travels in the coach cabin due to an involuntary seat change, equipment change, routing change, flight cancellation, or missed connection, they are eligible to receive a travel voucher. The voucher value shall be equal to $0.10 per mile, or $50, whichever is greater, for each flight segment flown in the downgraded cabin. Refunds will be rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount. Please allow at least 30 days for international mail.


Mr. ----, your business means a great deal to us and we want to ensure that your travel is always pleasant and without difficulty, whether you are traveling on American or one of our partners. Please don't be discouraged from continuing to travel with us often. In turn, we will do our best to meet your expectations.

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[scheps]

Careful with the vouchers, it is not the easiest to use.

Make sure you know the code for your voucher, because they wouldn't know, and will likely convert it to an OU then you will end up paying extra.

BTW did you get your SCs? because it sounded like a YUPP if those things still exist.