Question on AA award change additional miles

Suzie

Level 2 Member
Background - made a J award booking with AA on Etihad CAI-AUH-JFK-PHL 330 days out. Due to a schedule change by Etihad - our flight was changed to CAI-AUH-JFK-CLT-PHL.

This morning we decided that we want to leave CAI a day earlier and do a 22.5 hour layover in AUH. Etihad showing availability - AA could not find. Called the Australia AA number and they were able to find - however, they told me that I would be charged an additional 7,500 miles per ticket as the flight is now over the mileage limit. It is still the same routing, just earlier and is a layover not a stopover. The only portion of the ticket they changed was the CAI-AUH portion - the rest stayed the same. They said that since I was flying JFK-CLT-PHL instead of JFK-PHL - it put me over the miles limit. I explained that it was an involuntary schedule change and that we were unable to make the PHL connection from JFK - so AA put us on that routing. They said there was nothing they could do - had to pay the extra miles.

We went ahead with it as we didn't want to lose the seats, but would like to appeal this as it doesn't seem correct.

Would appreciate if anyone could point me in the right direction on how to go about doing this. Or was I given correct info?
 

Cmonman76

Level 2 Member
Never heard of that before but that doesn't mean much. We are on Etihad in Nov from AUH-JFK. (actually MLE-AUH-JFK-CLT-STL) and panicked when they switched from 2 flights per day down to one as some bloggers said on Tuesdays it would not be on the A380. Luckily it still is so far.

I've already had Singapore switch out the 380 (NRT-LAX) a couple years ago right before our flight. It has been an elusive bird to catch.
 

Suzie

Level 2 Member
Yes, that's what happened to us - still on the 380 though, also. It arrives JFK 4:10 PM - too late for our original flight to PHL, so AA put us on a flight through CLT. It was an involuntary flight change.

The only thing I changed this morning was the departure from CAI so that we would have a layover in AUH. Same number of miles - same route. Same class.

I'm not understanding and asking for advice on the best way to address with AA. Phone, email? Any and all suggestions welcome.

Good thing I have international calling on cell as I was on the phone for 1.5 hours to Australia. The agent was doing all she could but couldn't over ride the system.

Fingers crossed for both of us that we are on the 380! We are on a Saturday flight.
 

Cmonman76

Level 2 Member
Yeah, we were on the original flight getting into JFK around 10am, now around 4pm and too late to connect to anything. So AA has us on morning flights home the next day. So I booked a couple cheap Delta coach ticket to get us into STL late that night and will probably cancel the JFK-CLT-STL legs. I don't want to have to spend the night near JFK.

I used google voice for booking my Etihad tickets with the Austrailian AA agents.

This is our second "Big" trip since really getting into the points game. We used BA Avios for first class STL to LAX. The transferred MR to Singapore to go LAX-SIN-MLE in First with a stopover in Singapore for two nights and then pooled and used Hilton points for 5 nights at the Conrad in the Maldives. Completing the basically around the world trip from MLE-AUH-JFK on Etihad first apartments. We leave the end of October and I am so excited. It's our 20th wedding anniversary in Dec so this is our celebration of that.

Are you in Egypt long? That would be cool to visit.
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
Are you in Egypt long? That would be cool to visit.
I'm anxious to hear about this, too. I got myself all inspired about a month ago thinking I had found a way to visit Egypt and Jordan as safely as possible, basing most of the trip on a Nile River cruise. But it started to mutate more and more into a land-based trip (that's where all of the Really Good Stuff is, eh? On land!). The State Department website really paints a dire picture for US travelers to both countries, but I got the more acute heebie-geebies from the Egypt warnings. I had crossed that trip off the near-term list, then added Jordan back on with other nearby areas. Still collecting data (hence the interest in hearing more about the @Suzie trip) but leaning towards postponing the Egypt/Middle East visit. And I really want to go there!

But to bring that all up here veers the thread off the original topic. So I won't. :) :)
 

Suzie

Level 2 Member
Yeah, we were on the original flight getting into JFK around 10am, now around 4pm and too late to connect to anything. So AA has us on morning flights home the next day. So I booked a couple cheap Delta coach ticket to get us into STL late that night and will probably cancel the JFK-CLT-STL legs. I don't want to have to spend the night near JFK.

I used google voice for booking my Etihad tickets with the Austrailian AA agents.

This is our second "Big" trip since really getting into the points game. We used BA Avios for first class STL to LAX. The transferred MR to Singapore to go LAX-SIN-MLE in First with a stopover in Singapore for two nights and then pooled and used Hilton points for 5 nights at the Conrad in the Maldives. Completing the basically around the world trip from MLE-AUH-JFK on Etihad first apartments. We leave the end of October and I am so excited. It's our 20th wedding anniversary in Dec so this is our celebration of that.

Are you in Egypt long? That would be cool to visit.
If you cancel the JFK-CLT-STL leg is that a change fee since it is a new arrival destination? Your trip sounds awesome and I'm interested in the details of your flight redemptions. We have a similar trip in mind for the future with SIN and then on to Bali.

Our current plans for Egypt are 12 full days on the ground. Sighting seeing our way from CAI to Abu Simbel. Flying between a couple stops and possibly a 3-4 night cruise. Have not solidified the itinerary yet. The trip is late March/early April.
 

Suzie

Level 2 Member
I'm anxious to hear about this, too. I got myself all inspired about a month ago thinking I had found a way to visit Egypt and Jordan as safely as possible, basing most of the trip on a Nile River cruise. But it started to mutate more and more into a land-based trip (that's where all of the Really Good Stuff is, eh? On land!). The State Department website really paints a dire picture for US travelers to both countries, but I got the more acute heebie-geebies from the Egypt warnings. I had crossed that trip off the near-term list, then added Jordan back on with other nearby areas. Still collecting data (hence the interest in hearing more about the @Suzie trip) but leaning towards postponing the Egypt/Middle East visit. And I really want to go there!

But to bring that all up here veers the thread off the original topic. So I won't. :):)
@knick1959 - We traveled to Jordan a couple of years ago and due to all the warnings hired a driver. Things were fine and I wish we had just rented a car. We stayed away from the Syrian border (we happened to be there when the cruise missiles were launched), but nothing we wanted to see was there anyway. We spent a few nights in Qatar last year and walked around the souq's late at night (11:00 pm) and never felt threatened. We leave for East Africa next week and will be on the DRC border. That situation seems to have worsened. I'm not worried but cautious, and I will admit to buying evacuation insurance for the first time.
 
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