No Reimbursement for Canceled Return

August 13, 2013

in Airport Stories

I bought a round-trip ticket from Chicago to San Jose, California on American Airlines… but because of changes in my friend’s departure, I ended up buying another ticket to go out to San Jose on Southwest, figuring I’d just catch the American flight back (that I paid almost $500 for). Suckah! I called to double-check the return flight time or something, and whammo, “Sorry you are not on that flight.”

“What do you mean I’m not on the flight? I paid $500 for it!”

Response: “If you don’t catch the outbound, we cancel you from the return.”

Me: “But I want to catch the return flight AND I paid for it. Don’t you have seats available?”

American: “We have more than half the plane empty; you are welcome to buy another ticket.”

I wanted to spit nails at her. This is why American SHOULD disappear. I am an Emerald status flier. She said, “Read the fine print.” I won’t write what I actually said to her after that comment.

My point is, fine print or not, what happened to customer service? I have over a million frequent flier miles, meaning I’m loyal, the plane is half empty, I paid for the ticket… and they were so astoundingly blasé about it.

I called Southwest and they immediately took care of me. At late notice they gave me a great boarding position (pre-board), etc.

I’m NEVER flying American again unless I have to. And no, apparently they don’t give you back your money in this situation. They should have at least given me half back.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Cheran August 13, 2013 at 10:18 pm

Sorry, but that's standard procedure with most, if not all, major airlines. As an Emerald flyer, I'm surprised you weren't aware of the terms. And just because you have status doesn't mean you can throw the DYKWIA card around and expect them to bend the rules.

I never fly American, but even after doing a quick search on AA.com, I found the following "Cancellation of Reservations" policy at http://www.aa.com/i18n/Tariffs/CGR1.htm#DATE:_08/

C. Failure to Occupy Space:
If a passenger must change his itinerary, he/she must contact AA to determine how this may affect the ticket and remaining travel. If a passenger does not show up for a flight noted on the ticket, AA may cancel his reservations and/or seat assignments on subsequent flight segments.

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The Guy August 14, 2013 at 8:16 am

I'm not surprised to hear this story. I know that most airlines apply this policy. They assume that since you didn't get the outbound flight then you are not likely to be on the return.

You really need to discuss your situation with the airline as soon as you change your travel plans with a strong preference before the airline sees that you are not on the flight.

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Gregg August 14, 2013 at 9:15 pm

OP, I received the following tweet from @POYairport (Big Horn Kid) about the matter:

"Your original AA ticket may still have value–assuming you're willing to fly with them and pay a re-booking fee. Call AA."

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Substantial August 15, 2013 at 6:39 pm

Nothing unusual here, afaik every airline in the world does that. Just goes to show that you should never take anything for granted.

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john August 25, 2013 at 8:52 am

Ohhh the famous line “I’m never flying fill in the blank airlines!” As a gate agent this is my favorite line. I love it because my regulars say it weekly. And I think to myself, see you next week 🙂 and I do.

You’re a quadroplean triple gold to the 10th power – frequent user of American. Chances are if you live in Chicago you will fly American again. You’re not fooling anyone.

Why would you miss your first segment and not inform the airline that you intend to fly back with them?! That’s text book knowledge that an airline asumes you arn’t flying at all. Why would they waste an open seat on your return if you don’t have the sense to give a call.

All legacy carriers hold this policy. And why don’t we talk about the fine print? Take two minutes out of your day and read their policy. Miss their flight and you are on standby. Not to mention the fees. And with Southwest you are not flying out of ORD but MDW!

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James September 14, 2014 at 1:36 pm

Ohhh the famous line "I'm never flying fill in the blank airlines!" As a gate agent this is my favorite line. I love it because my regulars say it weekly. And I think to myself, see you next week 🙂 and I do.

You're a quadroplean triple gold to the 10th power – frequent user of American. Chances are if you live in Chicago you will fly American again. You're not fooling anyone.

Nice to have near monopolies on routes, gates, and airports, isn't it?

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RedHead0186 August 27, 2013 at 11:30 am

Doesn't matter if you're an Emerald flyer or whatever, you still have to abide by the airline's rules. When you purchase an airline ticket, you're agreeing to the terms of service. You didn't abide by their terms of service, so why should they give you special treatment? It sounds like the agent's customer service was just fine-she tried to help you out within the limits of her job and the company's policies, which you chose not to follow.

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