Forced to buy a second ticket, while I had travel credits with A.A. !!

[Roberta Mann]

My brother, his wife, and I were to travel to Orlando in February of 2021. We are all 65+ seniors. We purchased our tickets 11 months before the trip. We thought Covid-19 would be under control within those 11 months. But it was not. So we cancelled our trip, received our American Airlines credit and reschedule our trip for November 2021. Imagine my surprise when American Airlines would not transfer the credit for the cancelled trip to the new trip! I was told I had to use the cancelled trip within one year of purchase. That would mean I must travel before April 9th of this year. A matter of weeks.
I am an American Advantage Airlines member, I purchased the tickets within American Airlines credit card, and I have a history of flying American Airlines. If this is the way they treat Advantage members, I shudder to think how they treat the general public. It is a small amount of money $306. You would think they would not lose loyal customers for that amount. Go figure.

 

[Neil Maley]

What was the exact date you bought the tickets? And did you buy basic economy or regular economy tickets?

 

[VoR61]

What you have experienced is common among airlines. They extend credits and vouchers one year from the purchase date.

However, you can escalate this using the contacts provided in this link: American Airlines
be sure to start at the lowest level and that you give each contact one (1) week to respond before escalating to the next level
politely state only what they "need to know" in order to understand your experience and your request quickly (3-5 minutes)
offer to provide documentation at a later time as some technology systems will quarantine emails that contain attachments

EXAMPLE
"I am writing to you today because my efforts to resolve an issue with customer service have been unsuccessful. Here are the details:

• In March of 2020, my brother, his wife, and I purchased tickets to Orlando for travel in February of 2021
• Because of our age (65+) and the pandemic we cancelled our trip and received our American Airlines credits
• When we attempted to reschedule our trip for November 2021, we were advised that we had to use the credits within one year of purchase (by April 9th)

I would very much appreciate an extension of the credits through December 31st of 2021.

Thank you for your time and consideration"

I would suggest that, when you write, you do not use phrases like "I am an American Advantage Airlines member. I purchased the tickets within American Airlines credit card, and I have a history of flying American Airlines. If this is the way they treat Advantage members, I shudder to think how they treat the general public. It is a small amount of money $306. You would think they would not lose loyal customers". When negotiating, it is consider best practice to be very polite and simply state the facts.

Please take the time to update this thread as you progress toward a resolution. Your feedback is important to the forum advocates (volunteers).​

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[jsn55]

You have plenty of time, so follow VoR's excellent guidance. Be polite, patient and persistent. There's no loss to the airline when extending a credit. But the first-tier agents can't do anything but follow their procedures manual. Unfortunately, the loyalty game only goes one way with an airline and AA is known for having customer service that doesn't compare well to United and Delta. I am making the assumption that you didn't purchase the rock-bottom-price tix in the first place. Please let us know.

 

[Roberta Mann]

What was the exact date you bought the tickets? And did you buy basic economy or regular economy tickets?

April 10,2020

 

[Neil Maley]

April 10,2020

Did you call back to talk to someone else at AA? According to their policy, you should have been able to use those credits.

Use the information VoR have you and start writing to AA.