Customer Service

[oliviadeoyl]

I admit it I'm a novice with airline advantage programs. I have an AA Advantage credit card and belong to AA Advantage program. I don't have enough miles for a free trip but I booked online with AA for my trip to PR. Five days later the price for the very same flights had dropped $20, so I went to AA Advantage website but could not negotiate it. I called customer service gave all the facts including my status as a AA Advantage member and was told that to change the ticket price I would have to pay $100. I mistakenly thought that as a member of a particular program I would be able to get the lower fare and I would have expected more from their customer service. What is anyone elses experience with this and how did you resolve it. Thanks
Olivia

[jfrenaye]

The bank actually is paying AA for the points so it is two separate entities. And yes, that stinks, but it is the way of the world. There are hundreds of price changes daily and sometimes you can get burned.

Unless a fare drops more than $100 (the change fee) it makes no sense to fight it.

Its a bad policy, but it has been around for years--they will give you the $$ back, but after they charge their fee. Their fee is set up so that it is the rare case that would result in a refund. You could write a letter to Gerard Arpey (CEO of AA) but I am guessing they would say we are sorry but that is our policy--to give in would result in a huge precedent. However, they might cough up a few thousand more points to keep you as a happy AA flyer

[gerr64]

If it is any consolation, American was one of the last of the major airlines to allow a 'rollover' to a lower fare (difference in fare refunded as a travel credit) without charging the penalty, but they started to charge the penalty a few years ago to 'match' what other legacy airlines were already doing.