I am currently on a DONE4, commenced in mid-March. As suggested on this site, I booked with AA to avoid $+++. In late April (while in the US), I rang AA (once) to change my itinerary from
CBR-LAX-ORD-SFO-ORD-PHX-DFW-JFK-LHR-JNB-WDH-JNB-SYD-CBR to
CBR-LAX-ORD-MSY-ORD-PHX-DFW-JFK-LHR-JNB-WDH-CPT-JNB-SYD-PER-CBR
All changes were correctly reflected on AA.com and I assumed that my credit card would be billed for all the fees (which the agent told me was just $150pp).
The problem came when I tried to check in 2 hours early for the CPT-JNB flight in late July. While the leg was clearly booked, BA check-in agent initially called their ticketing department who, after 20 mins doing who knows what, advised that it and all subsequent legs except for PER-CBR hadn't been ticketed. They told me my only options were to call AA and get the missing legs ticketed or pay the full business class fare to board a plane that day to JNB (plane was fully booked and no economy seats left that day).
:evil:
I rang AA RTW desk (phone bill hasn't arrived yet, but I expect mega roaming changes from Tel$tra), who insisted that all flights were on my booking and that BA should just issue the ticket. BA ticket sales claimed they couldn't call internationally and AA RTW desk refused to call back.
Eventually after 40 mins on the phone to AA (30 of those on hold) while they tried to issue the ticket, they said all would be okay in a few minutes and that it would show up as ticketed in a few minutes. 15 mins later, with only 10 mins until boarding, ticketing still wasn't showing up on BA computer, so rang back.
Explained problem to different AA RTW agent. As boarding time and flight closing time passed, BA advised I would have to pay full fare to use my booked seats or not fly that day. AA said don't pay BA anything because they wouldn't reimburse me and claimed to be working as fast as they could. Eventually, 10 mins after flight closed (20 mins before departure), AA advised that US$191pp in fees from April hadn't been paid ($41 in taxes and $150 change fee). This was despite the fact that they could see that I had added CPT into my itinerary at the same time I had switched from SFO to MSY and that I had flown the ORD-MSY-ORD and JNB-CPT legs. :evil::evil:
Desperate to get on the plane, I gave up arguing and quoted my Australian credit card. 5 minutes later they advised my card was invalid and remembered that the AA RTW desk only accepts US credit cards and gave them that number, just as the battery in my phone died (10 mins before departure). I had been telling AA how late it was and that my phone battery was dead, but they refused to call BA agent's land line. With no other choice, I paid BA the full fare. BA quickly ticketed us and the BA agent then whisked my wife and I through security, into a car and across the tarmac to the plane 1 minute before scheduled departure. Naturally, our bags didn't make it!
Just before descent one of the flight attendents gave me a message that AA had ticketed our leg and BA had reversed the charge for the full fare to my credit card.
My questions:
1. How much should I have been charged in change fees? I have paid a total of US$341pp.
2. Is the $150 fee a fee for changes made at the same time, per leg or something else?
3. I have had no luck with AA RTW desk getting an apology or even an acknowledgement that there had been a problem. How would you suggest I progress - formal letter to AA customer relations?
4. What sort of compensation should I demand or expect? We arrived two hours in case of traffic, but expecting time in the lounge - instead we were stuck at the BA ticketing counter, forced to wait on hold for long periods while the AA RTW staff did whatever and ended up having to wait at JNB until the next flight came in with our luggage.
5. I won't be using the SYD-PER-CBR legs for a few months. Is there anything I should be doing to confirm that these legs are properly ticketed?
CBR-LAX-ORD-SFO-ORD-PHX-DFW-JFK-LHR-JNB-WDH-JNB-SYD-CBR to
CBR-LAX-ORD-MSY-ORD-PHX-DFW-JFK-LHR-JNB-WDH-CPT-JNB-SYD-PER-CBR
All changes were correctly reflected on AA.com and I assumed that my credit card would be billed for all the fees (which the agent told me was just $150pp).
The problem came when I tried to check in 2 hours early for the CPT-JNB flight in late July. While the leg was clearly booked, BA check-in agent initially called their ticketing department who, after 20 mins doing who knows what, advised that it and all subsequent legs except for PER-CBR hadn't been ticketed. They told me my only options were to call AA and get the missing legs ticketed or pay the full business class fare to board a plane that day to JNB (plane was fully booked and no economy seats left that day).
:evil:
I rang AA RTW desk (phone bill hasn't arrived yet, but I expect mega roaming changes from Tel$tra), who insisted that all flights were on my booking and that BA should just issue the ticket. BA ticket sales claimed they couldn't call internationally and AA RTW desk refused to call back.
Eventually after 40 mins on the phone to AA (30 of those on hold) while they tried to issue the ticket, they said all would be okay in a few minutes and that it would show up as ticketed in a few minutes. 15 mins later, with only 10 mins until boarding, ticketing still wasn't showing up on BA computer, so rang back.
Explained problem to different AA RTW agent. As boarding time and flight closing time passed, BA advised I would have to pay full fare to use my booked seats or not fly that day. AA said don't pay BA anything because they wouldn't reimburse me and claimed to be working as fast as they could. Eventually, 10 mins after flight closed (20 mins before departure), AA advised that US$191pp in fees from April hadn't been paid ($41 in taxes and $150 change fee). This was despite the fact that they could see that I had added CPT into my itinerary at the same time I had switched from SFO to MSY and that I had flown the ORD-MSY-ORD and JNB-CPT legs. :evil::evil:
Desperate to get on the plane, I gave up arguing and quoted my Australian credit card. 5 minutes later they advised my card was invalid and remembered that the AA RTW desk only accepts US credit cards and gave them that number, just as the battery in my phone died (10 mins before departure). I had been telling AA how late it was and that my phone battery was dead, but they refused to call BA agent's land line. With no other choice, I paid BA the full fare. BA quickly ticketed us and the BA agent then whisked my wife and I through security, into a car and across the tarmac to the plane 1 minute before scheduled departure. Naturally, our bags didn't make it!
Just before descent one of the flight attendents gave me a message that AA had ticketed our leg and BA had reversed the charge for the full fare to my credit card.
My questions:
1. How much should I have been charged in change fees? I have paid a total of US$341pp.
2. Is the $150 fee a fee for changes made at the same time, per leg or something else?
3. I have had no luck with AA RTW desk getting an apology or even an acknowledgement that there had been a problem. How would you suggest I progress - formal letter to AA customer relations?
4. What sort of compensation should I demand or expect? We arrived two hours in case of traffic, but expecting time in the lounge - instead we were stuck at the BA ticketing counter, forced to wait on hold for long periods while the AA RTW staff did whatever and ended up having to wait at JNB until the next flight came in with our luggage.
5. I won't be using the SYD-PER-CBR legs for a few months. Is there anything I should be doing to confirm that these legs are properly ticketed?
