Phone booking fee waived for partner awards?

[Mattg]

I've just been informed by a call centre AAgent that there would be a $60 phone booking/ticketing fee for a partner airline award that can't be booked online. Previously this fee has been waived for partner awards booked over the phone that cannot be booked online. Is this a new policy or is it just a case of HUACA?

On the plus side, the AAgent was super helpful and competent, so that was at least a nice change from my experience booking an EY award this morning...

 

[The Flying Brick]

I've just been informed by a call centre AAgent that there would be a $60 phone booking/ticketing fee for a partner airline award that can't be booked online. Previously this fee has been waived for partner awards booked over the phone that cannot be booked online. Is this a new policy or is it just a case of HUACA?

On the plus side, the AAgent was super helpful and competent, so that was at least a nice change from my experience booking an EY award this morning...

NO and NO.

I've had this problem come up before and every time time has been due to the incompetency of the AA (or US Airways) staff member.

The conditions for AA Award bookings for Partner awards are very simple ((taken from the website today):

"The American Airlines Reservations Ticketing Service Charge will be waived for all members redeeming miles for awards that cannot be booked on aa.com" as shown on the AA website.

HUACA if this idiot doesn't understand the conditions of the Award program of the employer that they are paid to work for :down:

Better still - complain loudly and demand to speak to their supervisor if they try to charge you a fee in breach of their own program's conditions.

 

[Mattg]

Well I just got this same AAgent again, and I'm now convinced that it was just her - not a new policy. She was completely incompetent this time - didn't listen to me at all and once again tried to charge the phone booking fee.

I was looking for a business award seat from Europe to Australia (which usually costs 85,000 miles). She put me on hold for ages, then come back to me with a routing via JFK/LAX on AA in "coach" for 200,000 miles, quoting the taxes in "Europe dollars". :-|

HUACA is definitely in order on this occasion...