TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin AA flight on May 2nd

American Airlines cancelled our May 2nd flight to SXM. Having read that SXM has some COVID 19 cases confirmed, I am not that upset. I am upset that they canceled the flight and never told us. I had called to check the status of our upgrade only to be told that our May 2nd flight no longer was available. They said we had to apply for a refund, which we did, and only then did we get an email saying our flight was cancelled. You would think that if they cancelled your flight they would automatically refund your money.

They don't automatically do anything. We've been on canceled flights where we were rescheduled, lost our non-stop routing as well as our first class seats, and we had to apply for the refund of the fare difference. Then we had to beg for some type of compensation for the inconvenience of having to connect instead of having the direct flight we had booked. I guess they hope some people will just give up.

So my April 22nd flights from Mia have not been cancelled and yet I read this. " Change fees are waived if your traveling through May 31st 2020. You can cancel online and call when ready to re-book. When you buy a new ticket by April 15th 2020, the change fee will be waived if your plans change.

I was informed by most here and elsewhere that in order to get a full refund one must have an email cancellation sent to you as opposed to you cancelling. And yet we know that all flights by them have been cancelled so far until May 6th.

It appears to be dubious and unethical what they are doing plus seeing the previous poster having their May 2nd flight cancelled and ours are 2 weeks before that makes me wonder. Any comments how t handle this correctly please/

I received an email notification from AA that they were suspending flights to SXM until May 6th a week or so ago and posted it here. Even though our flight to SXM isn't till May 8th I appreciated that heads up from them. Surprised you didn't get that notification from them too. Check your profile on your AA account to make sure you have requested notifications.

I read recently that several airlines are only giving a credit to be used now within two years. They apparently have no money to refund all the fares affected by this virus. Perhaps if you really press the issue and depending on the rep you talk to, you might be lucky to get a refund, but definitely no guarantees even if they cancelled the flights. Apparently this is the new normal!

As others stated, check your profile and also the specific flight and make sure notifications are enabled.

SXMWendell had flights to Columbia cancelled by AA and indicated he had a full refund applied to his method of payment after filing for the refund online. He said the way to go about filing was pretty well hidden on the AA site.

I had a Delta flight cancelled for March 20 from SXM. I called Delta on 3/23 (after cancelling myself just to be sure) as I had an e-ticket credit but I wanted a full refund. I got through very quickly (I called very early), explained the situation and was initially told there would be a $200 fee. I again explained the situation that Delta cancelled and the agent went through a supervisor, indicating there would be a full refund to my method of payment. On March 25 I had a "credit pending" notice on my cc and on March 26 the credit in full was posted.

I think a lot of this is how one goes about it, the agent you speak to and while one needs to be persistent, being polite is a great asset as well.

My wife had a R/T ticket to Las Vegas for tomorrow. Flight isn't cancelled but they would have issued a full refund. Since I used a credit voucher and that would have been forfeited they went ahead and gave a voucher for full cost and value of original voucher with a year to use it. Was very happy since flight was not a cancelled flight. This was on Alaska Airlines which is now affiliated with AA in some respects.

Bran,

For what it’s worth, I managed to get trough to AA very early on after reading our flight to SXM via CLT had been cancelled and I, too, was told I would receive the infamous email notifying me of the cancellation.

It never came but I did get a notice of meal selections for our now cancelled flight to SXM so I checked my reservation again and read the SXM leg of our flight was cancelled but we were still scheduled to fly to Charlotte.

I called again and got through quickly and because THE AIRLINE CANCELLED MY FLIGHT, (and even though I did NOT get an email of cancellation), as opposed to me cancelling it, I did receive a full credit back to my cc almost immediately. The agent couldn’t have been more pleasant and it took ten minutes or less from start to finish.

And that would be unlike JB who will only put the money for the cancelled flight home from SXM into their travel bank. And this after they cancelled my original flight on 4/30 and moved me to an unacceptable flight on 5/2.

If I were you I would call AA back and explain the situation and they should be more than agreeable to offering you a full refund to your form of original payment. Or such was my personal experience with them.

Thx. Pat, will do his right now. Appreciate it.

this right now..................duh!

So, got through and was given two sets of ticket numbers and told to go to refunds.aa.com which I did. Entered the numbers in and probably because they are inundated, the site crashed several times. Tried my wife's which was on air miles and was informed to dial another number. So did this and got a nice lady from Dallas who organized the lot for me even though it wasn't strictly her dept and said the miles and tax would be credited back in 24 hours and the refund about 7 days, so we will see. Looking good though. Warning for others who have to go through, this just be very careful if you do this online. First, I would suggest very early am in the morning or well after midnight and watch the checked boxes as they are small and can easily skip the part where you already agree to accepting a 20% voucher(including their terms) for another flight as opposed to checking the box which states "decline".

As a matter of interest, I did bring this up before but no replies. I was reading the contract on my villa rental regarding a full or partial refund, as it clearly states Force Majeure(acts of god, etc) that includes airport closures. It depends how one defines airport closures? I presume it classifies as it's closed to our incoming flight that is cancelled? I did also have the opportunity of not paying the balance on my credit card that is due tomorrow but didnt feel this was ethical.
I honestly can't see us returning this year, mainly because of my wife's health condition and just don't think its worth chancing it further in view of what is going on and until we are totally all out of the woods and who knows what might happen in between so felt I should ask for a refund in the circumstances, even though they are quite happy to re-schedule when convenient.

Obviously like many others, would certainly do this when convenient but would rather have the money in hand so to speak and not rely on any unknowns? Is my thinking flawed here and advice appreciated. Thx.

This was with AA right?

correct.

Glad it worked out for you, Bran, but wish the first Agent had helped you right off the bat. But they are all overworked right now so it’s understandable she had you try to do it yourself.

With reference to airline refunds, I’d far rather have my money in my hands than in their travel banks or vouchers but thinking if you’re dealing with a reputable resort or villa rental, they will probably be willing to work toward whatever resolution you choose. At least I hope they do.

Even though they issued a credit to cc keep an eye on it till it shows on statement. Sometimes it takes another call.

My profile is set up correctly with both email and text notifications. They just don't seem to send things out or at their convenience. When we went to apply for our refunds, we entered all the required data and the system then said that our tickets could not be refunded automatically and we would have to contact AA. When we contacted AA, it took an agent forever to do a "manual" refund and then said it would take 3 to 4 weeks. I don't think we wee told that we had 3-4 weeks to pay for the tickets, when we purchased them.

Just a suggestion as I have had trouble with email notifications before also. Try using a different email address or if you have the option for a secondary, list that as well. People I was with on the island who had cancelled flights with AA did get notification as did myself with Delta. I would get some emails from AA but not flight notifications until I changed email addresses and made sure I had the notification tied to a specific flight.

I think with AA there is also a text or email notification listed on the flight itself, aside from your profile, and that needs to be checked also I believe.

I think SXMWendell indicated his online refund showed up within 2 weeks or so. I will ask him for clarification. He indicated the refund showed up "in about a week".

Did an online refund from AA. It was credited to my CC within 3 days. Full refund.

Update...will not refund but will extend our stay up to 24 months time frame. Suppose that's fair

Just to be clear--are you talking about the VILLA, or AA, as the original post is about AA.

In a prior post Bran said he got a hold of someone in Dallas and got a refund plus miles redeposited from AA.

Mort - Was this for a flight AA cancelled or one you cancelled?

sorry, actually wasn't too clear. The Villa. I would have been more comfortable getting the funds back but something, I hope, to look forward to...............

This was for a flight AA cancelled

Like Pat above our AA flight from CLT to SXP on 4/9 was cancelled by AA. We never did receive an email notification, and when I checked trip details the trip no longer showed up in my account. I have a CLT to Seattle flight on AA 4/29, that still shows up since not yet cancelled by AA. I called AA this morning at 7:10am EST, got through in about 3 minutes. To get a refund you will need your ticket number(s) (each party has a separate ticket number). Pretty simple process (remember this is for flights that AA has cancelled):

1) go to www.refund.aa.com
2) type in ticket number and last name
3) the next screen will confirm your qualification for a refund, BE CAREFUL HERE as someone stated previously, AA automatically checks the box that you are accepting the voucher for your full cost to be used in the future subject to blah, blah, blah. INSTEAD, check the "Decline tell me about other refund options." Even if you want a voucher instead of a refund, CHECK THIS DECLINE BOX (you'll see, wait for it...) Hit continue.
4) the new pop up screen then will offer you an extra 20% on your total if you accept the voucher, meaning if your original cost was $1,000, your voucher will be for $1,200.
5) if you still don't want the voucher then decline it and AA will process your refund, mine back to my credit card.

It only took about 5 minutes for my ticket, and less than 2 minutes for my wife since I knew the process. Print your confirmations, and you're done. Hope that helps.

Like Pat above our AA flight from CLT to SXP on 4/9 was cancelled by AA. We never did receive an email notification, and when I checked trip details the trip no longer showed up in my account. I have a CLT to Seattle flight on AA 4/29, that still shows up since not yet cancelled by AA. I called AA this morning at 7:10am EST, got through in about 3 minutes. To get a refund you will need your ticket number(s) (each party has a separate ticket number). Pretty simple process (remember this is for flights that AA has cancelled):

1) go to www.refund.aa.com
2) type in ticket number and last name
3) the next screen will confirm your qualification for a refund, BE CAREFUL HERE as someone stated previously, AA automatically checks the box that you are accepting the voucher for your full cost to be used in the future subject to blah, blah, blah. INSTEAD, check the "Decline tell me about other refund options." Even if you want a voucher instead of a refund, CHECK THIS DECLINE BOX (you'll see, wait for it...) Hit continue.
4) the new pop up screen then will offer you an extra 20% on your total if you accept the voucher, meaning if your original cost was $1,000, your voucher will be for $1,200.
5) if you still don't want the voucher then decline it and AA will process your refund, mine back to my credit card.

It only took about 5 minutes for my ticket, and less than 2 minutes for my wife since I knew the process. Print your confirmations, and you're done. Hope that helps.

Sorry about the double post all.

Looks like AA changed/streamlined the process I did a couple of weeks ago. Although AA did not cancel my flight but the destination country closed the airports. So I canceled my flight. But I did get notice from AA that my flight was canceled the day BEFORE it was scheduled. I did get a refund to my CC although it was a 2 step process as in cancel the flight, wait a couple of days get back on line to ask for the refund. Never was offered a 20% premium.

Wendell

Pretty much as Newt said, except I couldn't print out a receipt as did it over the phone and agent said my numbers were the receipt, so will chk CC's situation but click on this link to see the unfair practices going on...

https://crankyflier.com/2020/03/26/when-airlines-refuse-refunds-there-will-be-consequences/

Forgotten how to do the link thingy.....

Several US Senators are urging airlines to provide cash refunds. There are articles online from multiple sources, but this one from the NY Post seems to be the most informative.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/31/senators-urge-u-s-airlines-to-issue-cash-ticket-refunds-after-bailout/

I think, if Jet Blue or any other airline, receives any government funds through this recovery bill, they should be forced to take it in the form of a government bank credit just as they’re forcing their passengers to do. It would certainly serve them right.

I am with you on that pat. The NY Post article is on the right track but who knows if it will happen.

Bank credit or check bailout. Not much difference to them.

Hmmm - www.refund.aa.com "can't be reached."

I had and interesting conversation with AA today myself. My flights to SXM was supposed to leave this morning, and of course was cancelled. The card i booked my tickets on had been compromised sometime later after booking and had been replaced, so i thought i would call AA to see if they would process my refund and needed the replacement card number. The nice lady looked up my flight record and i could here her typing and typing, and kept saying sorry it will only take a few more minutes. She came back with sorry, your not eligible for a refund, because my flight schedule change was under an hour! I said mam, my schedule was cancelled. Reply, i can't help you, you could try AA refund on line, have a nice day!

That's when you ask for a supervisor.

It was the end of the work day, and i had been on the phone long enough with other cancellation details. I thought i would call back tomorrow and ask for a supervisor if necessary. I did go online and jump through the refund hoops. It does say i am eligible for a refund , so i completed it.

You might have to call your CC issuing bank and explain the refund you are trying to make with a charge on the compromised card. I bet this is something they have dealt with before if it can't be resolved with the airline supervisor.

Try again, Linda! I was able to connect today and request a refund for the domestic flights we canceled earlier this month. Not sure it it will work, but I have nothing to lose.

Thanks.I will do that at the same time i call about my VRBO refund, for the same reason.