Refund Information
Refund requests for travel agencies
Address of AA Passenger Refunds
Bereavement and Critical Illness
Government Transportation Request (GTR)
Non-Refundable Ticket Exchanges
Schedule Change or Flight Delay Refunds
Irregular Operations (IROPS) / Cancelled Flights Refunds
Taxes and Fees Refund Requests
Refund requests for travel agencies
Agencies are permitted to process a refund on a non-refundable ticket(s) when following the published guidelines as follows:
· Schedule Change – flight delay of more than 240 minutes
· Irregular Operations (IROPS) – flight delay of more than 90 minutes or cancelled flight
· Customer must be Holding Confirmed (HK) at the time of the change
· Travel Notice – refer to specific event
· Reduction/Suspension of Service – refer to specific protection policy
Travel agencies who process unauthorized refunds are subject to a debit memo. American reservations sales representatives may not authorize exceptions to this policy. The waiver code is limited to 15 characters.
U.S. Agencies Processing through ARC
Process refund through your GDS:
· Valid wholly unused, partially used tickets and tax only refunds should be processed via your GDS
ARC/IAR Refund Exchange Notification (REN):
· If unable to refund through your GDS, you may process in your IAR/Refund Detail Screen
o Input the applicable waiver code on the Refund Detail Screen
· For assistance, contact the ARC Help Desk at 855-816-8003
International IATA agencies processing through BSP
Process refund through your GDS:
· Valid wholly unused, partially used tickets and tax only refunds should be processed via your GDS
o If unable to refund through your GDS, contact your GDS help desk for assistance
BSP Refund Application (RA):
· If necessary, you may submit a BSP Refund Application (RA)
o Input the Reason for Refund and any applicable waiver code on the RA and include why you are unable to process through your GDS
o For instructions on how to access IATA and use BSPLink, contact the local IATA/BSP office
Duplicate ticket refund fee applies. Refer to Duplicate Ticket Refunds.
All Refundable and Non-Refundable tickets are valid for one year from the date of issuance of the original ticket. Expired tickets have no value and cannot be refunded. Refer to Ticket Validity.
Government Transportation Request (GTR)
The GTR must be returned to the government travel agency for refunds.
Refund requests associated with military orders should be submitted through American's Refunds site
Non-Refundable Ticket Exchanges – AA 001
· If the original non-refundable ticketed fare is of higher value then the new-ticketed fare unless stated otherwise in the fare rule, the customer is entitled to the residual amount
· The applicable change/penalty fee may apply on non-refundable ticket exchanges and is deducted from the residual value (difference in fare amount). See fare rules for fee information
· The new ticketed fare is non-refundable and all rules and restrictions apply
· U.S. agencies processing through ARC
· A residual MCO is issued for the remaining value after applicable fees have been deducted from the original ticket value
· The residual MCO must be made payable to American Airlines for transportation only. Show "NON-REFUNDABLE, VALID ON AMERICAN AIRLINES ONLY" in the endorsements box. Failure to include this information on the MCO may result in a debit memo
· Refer to MCO Charge Order (MCO) for complete details.
· International IATA agencies processing through BSPLink
· After applicable change/penalty fees are deducted from the difference of the fare, a refund may be submitted for the remaining value. See fare rules for fee information
· A BSP Refund Application (RA) for the remaining residual amount may be requested to American Airlines for a transportation voucher
· Refer to BSP Refund Application RA Residual for complete details
· Non-Refundable Ticket Endorsement Documentation
· Non-Refundable Ticket Endorsement
Per the Tariff rule/restrictions, ALL non-refundable tickets reissued, must indicate the following in the endorsement box:
ENDORSEMENTS/RESTRICTIONS-
NONREF/CHGFEEPLUSFAREDIF/ CXL BY FLT TIME NOVALUE
Tickets issued with a corporate discount, the tour code box must indicate the CART/AN number or JBID as indicated in the contract via the Exchange/Reissue tool, or via the back-office finishing tool. Failure to include the required corporate information could result in a penalty
Refund Due to Schedule Change for a Flight Time Change
In case of a schedule change when there is a flight time change, travel agents should refer to our Schedule Change guidelines for refund applicability and instructions:
Refund Due to Irregular Operations (IROPS)/Cancelled Flights
If a customer's American or AA*/codeshare flight validated on 001 has been canceled due to an Irregular Operations (IROPS), which normally occurs on the day of departure, but can occur up to 72 hours prior to the schedule departure, and no other alternate flights are acceptable, travel professionals may refund a nonrefundable ticket(s) through normal GDS, ARC, or BSP processing per the guideline below:
Note: If the ticketed scheduled flights were voluntarily cancelled prior to an Irregular Operations (IROPS), the ticket will not be eligible for a refund
Refund all ticket types following Irregular Operations (IROPS) guidelines:
· Refund to Original Form of Payment – Allowed
· Travel Agent to Process Ticket Refund to Original Form of Payment (FOP) using
Waiver Code: SCRFND
Note: If the Revenue/Published/Basic Economy or Bulk/Opaque ticket has been EXCH by AA as an INVOL the refund request must be submitted on American’s Refunds site
Once the agency has accepted and reissued the ticket for the Irregular Operations (IROPS) in the endorsement box on the new ticket, and the customer decides not to travel:
· Refund is permitted when the original schedule change was greater than 90 minutes and the customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) at the time of the irregular operations
· Refund is permitted when the flight was cancelled due to irregular operations and the customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) at the time of the irregular operations
Bereavement or Critical Illness
Tickets may be considered for refund in the event of the death of the customer, immediate family, or traveling companion. American requires proof of relationship for immediate family member.
For complete details refer to Bereavement and Critical Illness Exception Policy
Select U.S. taxes may be refunded for a non-refundable ticket if the ticket is entirely unused. Please review Tax – Non-Refundable Tickets - Refundable U.S. Tax Codes.
In cases where a travel agency is unsure of the refund value to be refunded, a Refund Application must be submitted via BSP as we are unable to pre-audit requests via email. Please ensure the passenger is aware that the remaining ticket value is forfeited once the refund has been issued.
For nonrefundable tickets upon request, American will refund taxes and fees not imposed by the airline, collected at the time of sale of nonrefundable tickets that are not used for travel, as follows.
· For non-refundable fare tickets, any surcharge/Q/ or service fee/YQ YR/ that has been collected will be nonrefundable.
· Taxes or fees will not be refunded if the airline's obligation to remit the tax or fee arises by virtue of its collection of the tax or fee (as opposed to actual travel by the passenger).
· Taxes or fees will be refunded if the airline's obligation to remit the tax or fee depends upon use of the ticket for travel.
Refund requests for travel agencies with NO access to ARC or BSP or passengers who purchased a ticket directly with American Airlines:
· Refunds must be submitted using the online refund form at American’s Refund site. Information contained on this website is subject to change at any time without prior notice. American Airlines shall not be liable for any consequences resulting from your reliance on the information.
Refunds Customer Service Address – U.S./ Canada
American Airlines
Passenger Refunds
4000E Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax Number
U.S. 1-800-892-3447
International 480-693-2759
Email:
Refunds Customer Service – International
Email:
Updated: January 2023