On AA cancellations

I just got off the phone with an AA ticketing agent. Last year we booked two Business/First class seats for our mid-April annual trip when they first went on sale. Because of the early purchase date we actually got a great price for those prime seats and with all the changes that took place prior to the present situation, we were able to get exactly the flight I wanted from our regional airport connecting through CLT into SXM. I was psyched....

Not so much at this point!

I didn’t have to wait on hold and got a call back in less than ten minutes. The reservation agent I spoke with was aware of the problem and couldn’t have been more helpful or sympathetic. She was able to assure me that when AA cancels your flights you are entitled to a full refund in the form of original payment even if it was sold as a non-refundable ticket. And that’s where the good news ends........ If the airline has NOT OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED you of the cancellation via email you have to consider it as still a go until they do so.

They are well aware of their own publicity blurbs of a return date of May 6 and flight is no longer listed in the AA schedule for the dates as planned BUT it hasn’t officially and technically been cancelled so if I cancel myself now I have to take a credit for future use. Needless to say I’m waiting for the airline to issue a cancellation email.

I don’t know if any part of this might be helpful to others but that’s their latest policy. I did try to point out they had cancelled their flights through CLT but that was apparently too general and there needs to be a specific flight cancellation.

And in the meantime, I’ve gotten an email from JB with regard to rescheduling our return flight for the same trip. Not so sure I’m ready to deal with them yet so I think I’ll wait a while for that one.

Thanks for the note. We booked all the way back in August, for flights at the end of May, at a bargain basement price. Regular old seats, no first class for us! I wasn't sure what would happen, if we tried to cancel now, whether we could even get airline credit, at this point, IF they are flying the route by when we were scheduled to fly. I haven't really thought about it that much, just kind of waiting to see what happens. It seems clear that if THEY cancel the flight, they have to give you your money back. We are not scheduled to go down until the end of May, so perhaps they will reinstate flights by then. And perhaps we'll want to go. Two months from now is an eternity away.

Thx for that clarification. I had a feeling about this and therefore didn't cancel anything. However, don't you feel that by mentioning this very important info on their site was their duty to do so or even in these scary times the almighty dollar and their survival and not necessarily ours is their main achievement. Perhaps, but wtfdik. But they need us as much as we need them, the airline business that is and although I have never had a problem with AA on this particular route, it ain't right. Also, although this possibly should be on a new thread, its somewhat related. I won't just re-book immediately for say in July or Nov/December. I hope I am not wrong but after Irma, how many owners of restaurants(one of my main reasons for going, particularly on the French Side for me) will just say we have had enough and closing. I know life always goes on, but after what they have been through, I won't blame them for starting up elsewhere.

Restaurant closings are NOT the fault of the location. Wherever they would have been for this issue would not been an ideal location. I will grant that closings for many other areas for the virus are a first strike but for SXM it is strike two....and a recent strike two at that

I never said it was the fault of the location!!

Thanks for the update pat. I am hoping Delta comes through since I was a victim of them cancelling and I will deal with United when things settle down. You seem to have very good luck in getting decent agents.

We are to arrive May 8th with tickets purchased last June hoping to still go. Not going to do anything till they cancel on me if their May 6 date is extended. My return for 28th is with miles so those would just be redeposited but both my July flights are on my credit card and hoping all this is settled before that.

May 8th is our arrival... Fingers crossed...

Thanks. Have toes crossed too.

After spending time on the phone with AA this morning and being the eternal optimist that I am, I decided to log into my AA reservation page hoping against hope that maybe my phone call might have stirred something up and a cancellation might now be mentioned. The only new item in my reservation was the offering of the lunch menu selections for our already cancelled but not formally acknowledged by the airline trip. Really? Ya gotta’ chuckle.....

Supposed to fly to the island on AA on June 22. I'm not optimistic but am hopeful that things will be mostly resolved by then. Good luck to those of you who are supposed to head that way in May.

We are experiencing the exact same thing for a flight to Rome on May 5. When I look at my itinerary on the AA app, I see my flight from Columbus To JFK and then the return flights from Rome later in May. The flight from NY to Rome isn’t even listed in the itinerary. Can’t cancel yet because they say it’s not cancelled.