getting a refund for voluntary J to Y downgrade?

[Happy Dude]

Has anyone had any experience with this?

I booked SJU-MIA-DFW ("business class & higher with restrictions"). I paid a USD$150 change fee to change my AA J flight forward by a day and there was no J available. Didn't mind too much although paying to downgrade still doesn't seem all that fair. Anyways, I would like to claim a refund for the difference in J and Y fare, not the change fee, for the SJU-MIA sector. Check-in staff put me on upgrade list and the MIA-DFW leg came through whilst on board. Check-in staff also said it's possible to claim a refund for the difference (obviously not for the MIA-DFW) and that SCs and points will not be affected, which I took to mean that they'll credit as J. Of course, the SCs and points have now credited as Y.

Thought I'd test the water here for precedent before I start sending emails....

 

[eastwest101]

No experience personally here - but your reasoning seems very sound to me. You are being very generous in copping the "change fee" in my opinion. Downgrades are not very common or popular so I expect you may have a bit of a fight to get this complex matter sorted out as it is an unusual series of downgrades and upgrades in the same ticket(?).

 

[serfty]

Complicated ... your fare was for DFW/SJU, not DFW/MIA and SJU/MIA.

How much are you anticipating?

 

[moa999]

You also initiated the change and accepted that J wasnt available.

 

[Happy Dude]

No experience personally here - but your reasoning seems very sound to me. You are being very generous in copping the "change fee" in my opinion. Downgrades are not very common or popular so I expect you may have a bit of a fight to get this complex matter sorted out as it is an unusual series of downgrades and upgrades in the same ticket(?).

I wasn't overly impressed at the time about the fee and tried to bargain the trade-off. I suppose it's complex but doesn't need to be. I didn't realise, and it was not explained, that my ticket would be changed other than the date and the seat. Dunno why the SCs and points earning were changed, but that probably wouldn't have mattered anyways. It would have been different if the SJU-MIA upgrade had come through as then I'd feel the exchange was more equitable.

Complicated ... your fare was for DFW/SJU, not DFW/MIA and SJU/MIA.

How much are you anticipating?

Actually the fare included a few other places but the SJU-MIA-DFW was the last leg and were all on the same day. I note the difference between discount J and full Y for SJU-MIA is around $200.

You also initiated the change and accepted that J wasnt available.

Indeed, eyes wide open here. I was keen to get home a day earlier though, so I'm really just following up on the check-in agent's suggestion of a refund for any fare difference.

 

[serfty]

...

Actually the fare included a few other places but the SJU-MIA-DFW was the last leg and were all on the same day. I note the difference between discount J and full Y for SJU-MIA is around $200.
...

In that case it's not possible to give an accurate reply without the actual booking origin and destination.

For example, for November I have booked an LAX-xLAS-xORD-xEWR-xMIA-SJU fare for USD503 (Now $523). NYC-xMIA-SJU is currently $527.¹ So by not giving the full routing it's difficult to give a reasonable indication.

¹ FWIW, LAX-\\-NYC in First Class is from US$997

 

[Boris spatsky]

I was downgraded on both legs from J to Y on ATL-DFW-SFO in 2010. Wrote to AA and was sent a $300 voucher which could not be used as you could only use it on an AA metal international flight, which i could not easily fly on. So, useless basically.

I also complained to QF as it was a codeshare. They op-uped me from J to F A380 LAX-SYD. That made up for it!

 

[v8Statesman]

I was downgraded on both legs from J to Y on ATL-DFW-SFO in 2010. Wrote to AA and was sent a $300 voucher which could not be used as you could only use it on an AA metal international flight, which i could not easily fly on. So, useless basically.

I also complained to QF as it was a codeshare. They op-uped me from J to F A380 LAX-SYD. That made up for it!

Voucher still valid????

 

[Boris spatsky]

Strictly says no name changes allowed. And it expired a few months ago anyway