AA April flight changes

They did it again! If you are traveling AA in April strongly advise you check your flights.

Since we knew we’d have to connect for midweek travel, I was so excited to be able to fly out of and back into our local regional airport rather than having to make the trek into JFK for their typically very early departures.

Just checked our flights and noticed their red lettered schedule change warning on our reservation. It seems there are no decent midweek flights into HPN (or NYC for that matter.....) that will get you there from SXM without over-nighting in CLT. It looks like we’ll be giving back those AA FF tix home and exploring options that don’t require over-nighting anywhere. Gonna give it a few days for the CSRs to figure it out before I get on the phone with AA. Guess we’ll end up on JB whether we want it or not.

Sorry you lost your flights, Pat!! Guess I'd better go check mine and see if there are any changes for May..

Edit--Mine is still the same, d*mn it..

We’re still good to SXM but coming home is another story. It is what it is and we do have the JB option but didn’t want to do JFK if we could avoid it.

It's always somethin', huh??

Sorry about that pat. I know you were pretty happy with the original routing.

I have been checking my flight for March, via PHL, and all has remained the same but we all know it can change at the drop of a hat. AA down and Delta back home.

Every time I read a post about disruptive flight changes I'm happy to live in the North East and have my flight to SXM booked on Jet Blue. Of course now that I've typed this I'll probably get my first ever change in 5 years from them. LOL

Don’t even go there, RonDon, since JB is usually my Plan B even if not my preference but I really didn’t want to fly into JFK if I could avoid it. Will give it a serious look after Christmas.......

But you are right in that we, in the northeast, do have a lot of options most of the rest of the country doesn’t have.

We've given up on flying out of our closest airport, as every time we book a flight, it's changed to something that doesn't work at all. Crazy that they'll schedule something that arrives after your connection departs! We just make the two-hour drive to Raleigh and spend the night if the flight's an early morning one. As much as I look forward to our vacations, and we take plenty of them now that we're retired, I never look forward to the flights.

Sorry Pat. No surprise, but that doesn't make it better.

Like you said, enjoy the holidays and then make your decision.

P.S.
It actually doesn't seem like we have a lot of choices any longer.....
(a 3 1/2 hour flight has grown in leaps and bounds)

When flights are delayed, rescheduled or canceled, many passengers are forced to rearrange transportation. In situations like these, the airline must either cover all the expenses and fees to reroute you or give you a full refund—even if you bought a non-refundable ticket or were rebooked on a different carrier. So, if the only seat left on the next flight out is first-class, it’s yours without costing a cent.

Bran,

We were booked into our regional airport, an easy 25 minutes from home and allowing us to avoid the greater NYC airports and the hour to hour and a half ride it typically takes to utilize them. We are booked on FF tix and I know AA will reinstate the miles and upgraded seat costs but that’s really not the issue for us. There are no other flights into HPN that night so we are forced into either over-nighting in CLT or rebooking on another airline. Sounds like JB it is but with their new fare structure our frequent flyer tix with them still end up being a more expensive option than the AA ff tix were.

For now I think I’ll just sit tight and wait until the holidays are over. I can’t believe AA will stand with those current schedule changes but knowing they often do whacky things, nothing will surprise me.

Pat,
Understand, but sometimes it’s actually worth getting a Supervisor, explaining that “they have done it again” and forcing you to overnight, you are loyal to them, but being forced to book another airline, yada, yada, bla, bla, and see what they can come up with, even being upgraded!!! And quote them what I stated originally. 85% of people traveling today don’t know their rights. Nothing to lose!

It happened to us as well. Now we arrive in SXM at 3:45 PM instead of 1 PM, and now have to overnight in Charlotte on our way home. Overall, not too bad and we are still in First Class, so will go with the flow. It's an unusual situation, and hopefully things will get back to normal next summer.

sxmbeachlover--Your overnight on the way home, I assume you are going to have to pay for that yourself??? Or not?

When we have had to overnight due to change it was on our dime.

I don't think this is a new thing. We have not used our miles, because of the ridiculous schedules in quite
a while.
We are willing to loose them and pay another airline.

Thank you Pat for alerting me to the AA flight changes. My husband and I were booked for April. Just checked with AA and found out that, with their schedule changes, we cannot get from SXM to Pittsburgh without overnighting somewhere. I, regrettably, cancelled our trip. We are booked at LePetit in Grand Case. This would have been our first trip back to St Martin since we stayed at LeEsplanade in 2017. I feel so bad about cancelling this trip. Hopefully we’ll do it in April 2021. Grand Case is our favorite town in the Caribbean.

We found a direct flight from Philadelphia for early May about 3 months ago. They were changed a few weeks ago, taking us through Miami. Knew it was too good to be true, but at least we will still get to visit one more time.

Our May trip was originally booked from SEA to Philly then to SXM. They changed us to sea to CLT to SXM which I originally wanted but booked the Philly one because of price. Was very happy with the change. My over night is a redeye out of SEA. Returning through CLT and then to SEA. No overnight so far.

Sorry this happened to you Pat. I decided to check mine seeing it was around the same time frame. There was a minor change, only delaying the flight from CLT to BDL by a half hour. Instead of 11:50 we get in at 12:25AM. It did get the heart beating though as in red it read, "overnight connection". I believe instead of getting in on the 7th, we technically get in on the 8th.

A couple weeks ago my AA April outbound flight changed equipment and is now leaving like 20 minutes earlier and arriving 20 mins. later ( longer lay over) in SXM. Yesterday My return flight to PHL changed slightly and am arriving home 10 mins. earlier. , I never received an email notification, but just happened to check.

I didn’t receive any type of notification from AA concerning schedule changes. If it weren’t for Pat’s post on this site, I would have never thought to check on my flight status.

Yes same here. I caught the first one myself, and the second one after this post. These posts are always good reminders to chek up on your flights from time to time.

On a few select dates from PHL, AA replaced the 757 with a wide body 767. Not every day and not every flight has been impacted.

Check your settings with your AA account and may sure you are signed up for flight alerts. Sometimes I get notification and sometimes I do not.

I'm signed up for every kind of alert they offer, and yes sometimes i get the flight changes and sometimes not. my equipment changes were for the commuter flight portion. I went from two rows of two to a one and a two row job. What aggravates me the most is when they do that, they split me and my wife's seats up.

Just as an after-thought, I don’t generally get a specific notification, possibly because I check regularly? But I do always get the red lettered notification on my actual reservation. Are people saying you get an email or text regarding changes?

And for any that were helped by the original post, I’m glad since that was what I hoped for. I know there are many travelers who make their plans and don’t bother checking until sometimes it’s too late to make suitable changes.

Yes Pat, sometimes i get an email telling me of changes to my reservation. And thanks, these post are good reminders no matter which airline it is you are using.

Yes, thanks to Pat for alerting me to this change. I usually get notifications of flight changes through Expedia. This time I arranged flights directly with AA. If it weren’t for Pat’s post, I probably wouldn’t have checked on my flights until April! What with the flight changes and the unrest on the French side of the island, I’m thinking of looking elsewhere for a week on the beach. Luckily I still have time to make alternate arrangements. Thank again, Pat.

I have always had an email from AA and other airlines of scheduled changes. But it is good advice to check them out yourself because sometimes the email comes long after the change was made which gives you more time to call for adjustments and seating if your seats aren't acceptable before the seats you want are no longer available.

Aloha Pat,
If you do end up going via JFK on JB I highly suggest you get there in time or take the time to check out the TWA Hotel right there, it is pretty awesome if just walking through and not staying there although staying there with a runway view is fantastic.

Cheers!

I suppose I should check, but I'm pretty sure we will have to pay for the overnight.

In my experience, if the airline is paying, you don’t really want to stay in that hotel. It is usually a crap hotel, and rarely one which you would have chosen.

I would be shocked if you didn't have to.

You are so right Bahston. . We ended up overnighting in Charlotte several times on AA’s dime. The worst smelliest rooms I ever slept in. That’s why I decided to cancel our trip to Grand Case because of the AA schedule change.

If you're forced to overnight because of an unscheduled delay, then the airline will put you up in a hotel on their dime. In my experience, it's one you would never choose to stay in on your own.

It is not just April. We leave on May 2nd and they changed our flight (#2478) out of Charlotte from 9:40 to 11:42. On the way back on May 9th, they changed the flight from 12:40 to 2:25. On both flights they changed our seats from preferred to cabin. When I called and asked to be placed back in the same seats we originally had, they charged us $180 for the same seats. We are trying to start using Delta, or United for future trips.

True if it happens on day of travel by if they changed you and you accept that change you're on your own. Been there done that before even talking to a supervisor.

"On both flights they changed our seats from preferred to cabin. When I called and asked to be placed back in the same seats we originally had, they charged us $180 for the same seats."
That is when you demand to talk to a supervisor.

We did talk to a supervisor and got nowhere.

Wow. I've always had results with a supervisor.

We got a call back today and they offered us small vouchers ($$) for future flights. Getting an offer of the limited vouchers, on future flights, is kind of like being offered a free meal at a restaurant that just gave you food poisoning. The last three times we have used AA, we have had cancelled flights, changed flights, delayed flights, changed seats, no seats and forced overnight layovers. We now have seats for our May trip but that could change at anytime.

Are you truly in First? Or is this Business.

If First, which flights?

gary

Your AA experience sounds a lot like ours. Wish we had more choices from Eastern NC.

We are thinking of trying Delta out of Myrtle Beach and flying through Atlanta.

We used Delta in Nov. no problems at all, and we were on Delta due to AA screwing badly with the itinerary we originally booked.

We flew Delta out of Raleigh and through Atlanta this past trip, and it was much better than our recent AA experiences (on several different routes, not just trips to SXM). Even so, our flight from ATL to RDU on the return was delayed about an hour. No explanation was given.

We prefer Delta, as well - but prefer CLT to ATL

Also Delta flights for us generally almost double what AA costs - so we go AA

we had an 'equipment change' on our upcoming flights - but suspect that it is due to not selling many 535am flights from Memphis to CLT - could change back again if that changes

Just checked our flights for our May and July trips. No changes and no overnights unless you consider the red eye flights getting there.

So!

I spent the better part of an hour on the phone this morning with an AA CSR today and we were able to resolve all the issues with our April tickets that arose from the latest batch of AA schedule changes. All miles were restored to our FF accounts and refunds for all the taxes and seat upgrades will be returned to our CCs shortly. The irony of all this is the AA reps are just as appalled by these flight changes as we travelers are but I have to say - I think the CSR I was dealing with would have given us the plane if she could have accommodated us without over-nighting us somewhere or putting us on after midnight arrival flights. She checked every possibly routing we could have used for the various relatively local airports we can conveniently use but sadly, the end result was the full refund and restoration of miles and dollars, at least for our return flight. We are still holding on to the outbound flight, at least for the time being until they manage to totally mess that one up.

So whether I like it or not, it’s AA down and JB home. For now........

I received notice today that AA refunded the full price of my cancelled flights to/from St Martin. I had purchased the non-refundable fares ($1,650 for 2 RT from Pittsburgh) but they easily gave me the refund due to their schedule changes. I was glad to get the refund, but I’d be happier if my planned visit to Grand Case we’re still on.

Scubaman, You are one lucky dude, you seem to be the only one who is never affected by any of AA's rotten schedule changes! Why is that?

We have had troubling schedule changes before and when that happens I'm like a dog on a bone. Maybe they have me red flagged to not mess with me.

Glad you got it resolved and hopefully there are no more changes.

I was wondering if there is not another airline that you can take?
It's a shame to cancel your vacation.

I had the same thoughts as The_Lurker.

Could you connect into JFK and use JB or Delta? Or perhaps Newark and United? I’m certainly not happy with the AA changes and the resulting chaos they always create but I would be hard pressed to cancel my trip because of them if there was any other way.

I don’t know about anyone else but I usually notice these changes on a Sunday so needless to say, I’ve got my fingers crossed that this weekend won’t bring about more.

Susancat: No clue what your dates are and I'm assuming a Pittsburgh departure but I checked one Sat-Sat flight (4/11-18) from PIT on Delta and there is a one stop (Atlanta) r/t with decent times

I would assume they have similar flights on other dates

I’m planning our trip from April 15-22. Although I found a decent flight from Pittsburgh to SXM, I couldn’t find an acceptable return flight. Our original schedule had us leaving SXM at 2:25 and arriving in PIT at 9:10. Since AA canceled this return flight, the best I can find gets us into PIT the next day. I’ve already contacted LePetit Hotel to cancel our reservations. I feel so bad about not visiting Grand Case this year, but will definitely try for our next vacation. Grand Case is our favorite town in the Caribbean.

That's to bad.

Something to consider, which may work for some, is to take a voluntary overnight on the way home. If time and budget permits, perhaps breaking up the return trip by overnighting in Miami and having a nice dinner in South Beach may work. Or Lauderdale, or Atlanta, etc. It will take the pressure off of clearing Immigration and Customs and then making a connecting flight, and it will open up a whole range of flights for the next day. I understand that doing this is out of the question for many, but it may work for some. Something to consider.

Always a good option if time allows.

The overnight would work BUT, again, Delta has a return flight on the 22nd that gets into PIT a tad after midnight......no overnight needed Yup, it's a pain to get in that late but it's less of a pain than not going at all.

We are returning to BOS just about the same time in January . I chose that flight because of the 3 hour layover in ATL...less stress about getting off SXM in time to make a connection

I agree with Bahston- when our flights were "reconfigured", we chose an overnight in Phoenix (where we have family) with an early afternoon departure.

The cancelled AA flights made getting back to Pittsburgh more difficult for sure. I calculated that inconvenience with the fact that the French government is not trying to mitigate the problems in St Martin in making my decision to look elsewhere for a beach vacation. I really feel bad about not returning to Grand Case this year...this wonderful little town needs all the tourism it can handle right now. It’s just not for me right now. My husband and I are in our 70’s. We first visited Grand Case in 1982. If we were still 29 we would be there fighting the fight. For now, we’ll look elsewhere....hopefully next year we’ll feel comfortable returning to St Martin. Thank you to all on this message board for your commitment to my favorite island.

Grand Case isn't the only place to stay on island to enjoy the island. Stay elsewhere and drive to Grand Case on days you want.

Susancat,

I get it! The airline flight changes and cancellations are one very definite set of problems. The unrest on the island is a whole other issue but the bottom line - if you’re not comfortable being there in the area you want to visit, then choosing another destination was a good move on your part.

Time for all of us to back off and leave this one alone. ‘Nuff said!

Thanks again, Pat.

Yes, but lately many of those options, in a word, suck - more and more. And despite what the rest of the country may think, we're all more in the same place than we've ever been. A choice of suck vs. suckier vs.suckiest is becoming more common for all of us.