I recently shared some exciting news about why I had to cancel our flights to Fiji and Vanuatu which were booked with AA miles.
When you cancel an AA award you are given time to rebook your trip or you can pay a fee to have your miles redeposited into your account.
At the moment our tickets can still be rebooked but with the time window allowed for this, its highly unlikely that we’ll be able to do so.
I’d like to have my miles redeposited to my account but would rather not pay the fee. (We’re talking $200 in total, $150 for the first ticket and $25 for each additional ticket.)
When I canceled my flight, I asked the AA Gold rep if there was any chance that the redeposit fee could be waived. I was told it is possible but I’d have to write to AA Customer Relations and make a request.
I immediately filled out a form at AA.com and explained my situation. We canceled our flight reluctantly since Kim is pregnant and can not fly due to medical reasons. I requested that the redeposit fee be waived and offered to send in a doctor’s note if needed.
I expected to wait a very long time for a response. (Due to our awful experience when Lucas’s stroller got broken during our AA flights to Grenada. Find out if AA compensated us.)
I was happily surprised to receive a response in around one week!
We received a positive e-mail from AA. Here is the key detail:
As a one-time courtesy, we will consider waiving the fee to reinstate your miles on your award tickets.
AA is asking for specific documentation from Kim’s doctor on their letterhead or prescription pad, advising their recommendation that she not travel.
It was also stated that this is not normal practice and the consideration is an exception as a courtesy due to the circumstances.
Final Thoughts:
I have to say that I am impressed by American Airlines for a couple of reasons.
- They got back to me promptly.
- They are showing some flexibility (and humanity) in hearing out our situation and not just saying no to my request based on their general rules.
Kim now needs to get a note from her doctor which we’ll then send in. Hopefully AA will then approve the redeposit fee waiver and I’ll have close to 300,000 AA miles back in my account!
