Schedule Change

Travel Agency Procedures

Schedule Change Processing Guidelines

A Schedule Change is a planned change that may occur more than 72 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure. Examples - Change of flight times, change of equipment or carrier, flight cancellation due to a reduction in frequency, etc.

Whenever this occurs to a ticketed customer's itinerary, American Airlines will try to offer alternate protection whenever possible, maintaining the original ticketed origin and destination, including original length of stay.

It is important to note that due to nuances in Schedule Change system processing between other airlines and different GDS systems, our AA PNR may not always reflect the most recent other airline schedule change information.  For these scenarios, please continue to follow the indicated guidelines within this policy based on the schedule change that was received in your agency PNR.  Although the other airline schedule change may not appear in our AA PNR, these flights are still reported to AA for auditing purposes.

Additionally, American’s automated re-accommodation will queue all received schedule changes to the booking source for notification. It is the responsibility of the booking source to accept the schedule change on their customer’s behalf, notify the customer of the change, and reissue or revalidate the ticket as applicable. If an alternate preferred flights is booked following our Schedule Change policy guidelines, the Reissue/ Revalidation (if applicable) must be done at time of rebooking.

Note: If the only change is to the flight number, the customer does not qualify for alternate flight re-accommodation or refund.

·         A reissue is not required for tickets containing AA Prime space only, and online check-in will not be affected.

·         If the ticket contains AA*/Codeshare or OA Prime flights, the ticket must be reissued.

Return to top

SalesLink Self-Service

Schedule Change checks the itinerary of your schedule change PNR to ensure the new flights meet American’s schedule change guidelines. SalesLink either revalidates the ticket (Revalidate American Prime Flights) or confirms your newly rebooked flights conform to the Schedule Change guidelines by adding PNR remarks. As an industry standard, the travel professional will continue to annotate SKCHG in the endorsement box when reissuing the ticket. 

Schedule Change service requests guidelines:

·         The cut off time for Domestic is 2 hours

·         The cut off time for International is 3 hours

·         Bookings that reflect the “C/” in the Name Field (Groups of 10 or more and Corporate bookings) will need to contact the Group and Meeting Travel (GMT) desk.

SalesLink Schedule Change Options:

1.    Revalidate AA Flights:

·         SalesLink will revalidate the ticket and add PNR Remarks

·         To qualify for a Revalidation, the segments intended to revalidate must be AA Prime – same inventory – same routings (including connection point)

2.    Reissue AA Flights:

·         SalesLink will verify that the new flights meet the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

·         This option would apply when the AA Prime flights don’t qualify for a revalidation (connection city change, for example)

·         When the AA Prime flights do not qualify for a revalidation, a reissue is required

3.    Reissue 300-Mile:

·         SalesLink will verify that the new flights meeting the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

·         When a change to origin or destination is allowed, Reissue 300-Mile will verify that the new flights meet the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

Return to top

Schedule Change is 60 minutes or less

General Guidelines

·         For Basic Economy – refer to Basic Economy

·         If ticketed as a non-stop itinerary, may rebook non-stop or connecting

·         Must offer another flight on the same travel day as the affected flight*

·         At no time is it acceptable to book on a non-JB, non-oneworld carrier*

·         OA*/Codeshare segments are not allowed

o   For example:

BA*7053 LHR MAD  915A 1245P

OPERATED BY IBERIA                                      

*Any exceptions to the above guidelines will be listed below

If the overall schedule change was 60 minutes or less, please follow the suggested rebooking options as described below: 

·        AA Prime

·         Offer another AA Prime flight, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

§  If ticketed as a connection, may offer non-stop when same ticketed inventory is available

·         Offer alternate AA*/JB flight, maintaining same or equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the first available flight the day before or day after, maintaining the same inventory

·        AA*(Codeshare)

AA*/JB
Affected flight is operated by a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·         May offer another flight wholly on AA Prime or AA*/JB, maintaining same or equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

·         May rebook the ticketed AA*/JB flight on the operating JB prime flight when the codeshare equivalent is no longer offered, maintaining the same ticketed inventory and same routing

·         If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the day before or day after, maintaining the same inventory

AA*/Other

Affected flight is operated by an AA codeshare carrier (which may include 3M/6E/9K/AS/AT/CX/CZ/EI/FJ/G3/GK/HA/JA/JQ/LY/QR/RJ/TN)

·         Offer another AA*codeshare flight on the same ticketed operating carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

o   When the codeshare is no longer offered, you may rebook on the prime flight of the same ticketed operating carrier, maintaining the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         Offer alternate AA Prime or AA*/JB flight, maintaining same inventory or equivalent RBD, for the same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·        AA/OA Prime

AA/JB
Affected prime flight is a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed JB prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         Offer alternate flight on AA Prime or JB Prime flight, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the day before or day after, maintaining the same inventory

AA/oneworld Prime (non-JB)
Affected prime flight is a oneworld carrier (AS, AT, CX, MH, QR, RJ, S7, UL)

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed oneworld prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         Offer alternate flight on AA Prime, AA*/JB, JB Prime, or any prime oneworld carrier flight that is allowed within the fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

AA/Non-oneworld Prime
Affected prime flight involves any other airline with whom AA has an Electronic Ticket Agreement

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA Prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·         If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

·        OA Ticket Stock

Note: Always verify the schedule change guidelines with the validating carrier

·         May offer another flight on the same ticketed OA carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

·         If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

·         If the customer prefers a different carrier or alternate route, please refer to the validating carrier (the carrier that represents the ticket stock)

Return to top

Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes)

General Guidelines

·         These guidelines also apply when the schedule change causes:

o   An invalid connection

o   A nonstop flight changed to a through flight or connecting flight

o   A through flight changed to a connecting flight

o   A change in operating carrier

o   A change in departure or arrival city (this does not include change to connection city)

o   A codeshare flight is no longer confirmed and alternate codeshare is no longer offered

·         For Basic Economy – refer to Basic Economy

·         May offer co-terminals for AA Prime flights only if the flight times are closer to the original schedule

·         If the customer has chosen an alternate co-terminal airport, they may use that airport for their continuing or return journey. This change must be made at the time of original ticket reissue

·         May add/remove an alternate connecting point within valid fare routing for the destination on the original ticket

·         May offer another flight on the same day or within 1 day before or after the customer’s affected original departure time*

·         AA destinations with less than daily service may book 1st available for that market before/after the original scheduled flight

o   May change their return and/or continuing travel dates on AA or AA*/oneworld® to match original length of stay, maintaining the same ticketed inventory

·         OA*/Codeshare segments are not allowed

o   For example:

BA*7053 LHR MAD  915A 1245P

OPERATED BY IBERIA   

Note:                                  

·         A refund is not permitted for a schedule change less than 241+ minutes

o    For all refund qualifications, refer to Refunds

·         At no time is it acceptable to book on a non-JB, non-oneworld carrier*

*Any exceptions to the above guidelines will be listed below:

If the overall schedule change was 61 minutes or more, please follow the suggested rebooking options as described below: 

·        AA Prime

·         Offer any available AA Prime flight, including American Eagle and affiliates, in the lowest available inventory, up to H for main cabin

·         For Premium Cabins, (First, Business, Premium Economy), if the same inventory is not available, may book the lowest available inventory in the same cabin as ticketed

§  If the ticketed cabin is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in any inventory – rebooking to the higher cabin is allowed when/if the original ticketed cabin becomes available

·         May book within 24 hours of the original departure or up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

·         May offer co-terminals for AA Prime flights only if the flight times are closer to the original schedule

·         When no other AA Prime, offer an alternate flight on AA*/JB or JB Prime, which must be within 1 day before/after the original departure time, maintaining same origin/destination as ticketed, in lowest available inventory, up to and including H for main cabin

·         When no other AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime flights are offered, offer AA*/oneworld, or oneworld Prime flights, which must be booked within 1 day before/after the original departure time, maintaining same origin/destination as ticketed, same ticketed inventory

·        AA*(Codeshare)

AA*/JB

Affected flight is operated by a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·         Offer any available AA*/JB flight, including their affiliates, in the same ticketed inventory – if the ticketed inventory is not available, may book in the lowest available inventory of the ticketed cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

§  If the Premium ticketed cabin is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in any inventory – rebooking to the higher cabin is allowed if/when the original ticketed cabin becomes available

·         Offer any available JB Prime flight, in the same ticketed inventory – if the ticketed inventory is not available, may book in the lowest available inventory of the ticketed cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

·         May book AA*/oneworld flight or oneworld prime, maintaining same origin/destination, same ticketed inventory or equivalent RBD inventory for ticketed fare when booking oneworld prime

Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/oneworld or oneworld prime carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·         May book up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

AA*/Other

Affected flight is operated by an AA codeshare carrier (which may include:3M/6E/9K/AS/AT/CX/CZ/EI/FJ/G3/GK/HA/JA/JQ/LY/QR/RJ/TN)

·         Offer another AA* codeshare flight on the same ticketed operating carrier, maintaining the same inventory and same origin/destination

o   When the codeshare is no longer offered, you may rebook on the prime flight of the same ticketed operating carrier, maintaining the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

o   Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/non-JB carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·         May book AA Prime or AA*/JB or JB Prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to H for main cabin or equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare when booking JB Prime

·         May book AA*/oneworld flight or oneworld prime, maintaining same origin/destination, same ticketed inventory or equivalent RBD inventory for ticketed fare when booking oneworld prime

§  Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/oneworld or oneworld prime carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·        AA/OA Prime

AA/JB
Affected flight is a prime Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/ IB/JL/QF)

·         Offer any available AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime flight in the same or lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to and including H inventory for main cabin

·         May book AA*/oneworld flight or oneworld prime, maintaining same origin/destination, same ticketed inventory or equivalent RBD inventory for ticketed fare when booking oneworld prime

§  Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/oneworld or oneworld prime carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·         May book up to 2 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

AA/oneworld Prime (non-JB)
Affected prime flight is a oneworld carrier (AS/AT/CX/MH/QR/RJ/S7/UL)

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed prime carrier, AA Prime, AA*/JB, or AA*/oneworld, in the equivalent RBD inventory, maintaining same origin/destination

·         If available, may book wholly AA prime flights, replacing OA Prime flights, in the same inventory or equivalent RBD of the ticketed fare

·         Offer any available JB Prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare

·         Offer any available oneworld prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

AA/Non-oneworld Prime
Affected prime flight involves any other airline with whom AA has an Electronic Ticket Agreement

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA Prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

§  If original ticketed inventory is not available, must contact that OA for overbooking, or treat as a voluntary change

·         Rebook on valid Other Airline that is allowed within the ticketed fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin and destination as originally ticketed

·         If customer requests alternate carrier not allowed in the fare rules, follow normal handling processes for voluntary changes(s) including all applicable collections

·         If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

·        OA Ticket Stock

Note: Always verify the schedule change guidelines with the validating carrier

·         Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed
 

·         If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment
 

·         If the customer prefers a different carrier or alternate route, please refer to the validating carrier (the carrier that represents the ticket stock)

Return to top

Basic Economy

Follow the General Guidelines based on the length of flight time change. See exceptions below:

·         AA Prime flights must be rebooked in B inventory for Basic Economy fare types

·         AA Prime flights with less than daily service may book the 1st available flight up to 7 days before/after the affected flight, and it must be booked in B inventory only

·         AA*/JB flights with a schedule change that is 60 minutes or less may book 1^st available AA*/JB flight within 1 day before or after the affected flight

o   When booking on AA Prime, itinerary must be booked in B inventory only

o   When booking on AA*/JB, itinerary must be booked in the original ticketed inventory  

·         AA*/JB flights with a schedule change that is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes) may book the 1st available AA Prime or AA*/JB flight up to 7 days before/after the affected flight

o   When booking on AA Prime, itinerary must be booked in B inventory only

o   When booking on AA*/JB, itinerary should be booked in original ticketed inventory, or lowest available inventory up to and including H inventory  

§  When AA*/JB flight no longer exists, may be booked on JB Prime in original ticketed inventory, or lowest available inventory up to and including H inventory

Basic Economy fares booked in "B" class must remain in "B" class when eligible for self-service rebooking due to unacceptable schedule change. If "B" class is unavailable, please find an alternate flight where B class is available.

Changes after Schedule Change Acceptance

Rebooking:

When the agency has accepted the schedule change on their customer’s behalf, and have either:

·         Reissued the ticket for the schedule change annotating SKCHG in the Endorsement Box –OR-

·         Revalidated the ticket for schedule change using SalesLink - Schedule Change – OR-

·         Revalidate AA Flights or AA Auto-Revalidated the ticket

Then, the agency may exchange the ticket by annotating SKCHG in the Endorsement Box under the following conditions:

·         The original exchange is unacceptable to the customer

·         If a customer was protected beyond their original travel time or date and an earlier flight becomes available

·         A subsequent schedule change occurs 

–OR–

·         The agency may refund the exchanged ticket if the original Schedule Change met the parameters for refund.  See Travel Agency Refund Processing Guidelines

Return to top

Reduction in Frequency (i.e.. Day of Week) / Suspension of Service

General Guidelines

If the Schedule Change is due to an AA, AA*/Codeshare, or AA/OA Prime* Reduction in Frequency (Day of Week), Suspension of Service, or withdrawal from a market, and No Protection Agreement is in place, Travel Agent may rebook as follows:

AA Prime, or AA*/Codeshare

·         Offer the 1st available flight before/after the affected flight, using the same ticketed operating carrier, same origin/destination, and maintaining same inventory as ticketed

·         Offer the 1^st available flight before/after the affected flight the affected, using AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF), maintaining same origin/destination, and may book in the lowest available inventory, up to and including H in the main cabin

·         Offer to reroute customer same day via an alternate connecting city or next available connecting or non-stop flight. May book the first available connecting flight the next day if new flights require an overnight

·         AA destinations with less than daily service; may book 1st available flight before/after the original scheduled flight for that market

·         Offer alternate AA*/codeshare flight, maintaining same inventory and same origin/destination as ticketed

·         When no other AA* flight exists, it is ok to book on the original Operating Carrier’s Prime Flight in the equivalent RBD for the ticketed fare

§  RBD is the booking code validation/inventory specific to the ticketed fare

·         If AA/AA* codeshare/JB Prime flights are no longer offered, it is ok to book on an ‘other’ airline as:

§  oneworld Prime, must be allowed within the ticketed fare rule and the correct RBD inventory for that carrier must be used

§  OA Prime (non-JB, non-oneworld), must be allowed within the ticketed fare rule and the correct RBD inventory for that carrier must be used

§  Travel Agent should ensure a record locator is received from the other airline prior to ticket exchange

*AA/OA Prime included in Itinerary:

If the original ticketed Other Airline prime segment results in an invalid connection or no longer offers that service, and no protection agreement is in place, Travel Agent:

·         May rebook on valid Other Airline that is allowed within the ticketed fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin and destination as originally ticketed

§  AA must have a valid interline agreement with this secondary carrier and the new segment(s) booking class must be valid for the fare ticketed.

§  If RBD inventory is not available, must treat as voluntary change or refund

·         Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the Other Airline. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

Additional Categories

Revalidation

Revalidation can only occur on American and American Eagle Prime flights and is not applicable if any part of the itinerary involves codeshare space.  Typically, the AA Reaccom tool will revalidate eligible itineraries through automation and will send an SSR advising a reval has been performed. For example: 

For schedule changes which occurred prior to January 16, 2022:

·         ATTN AGY TKT ALREADY REVAL BY AA PER SCHD CHNG ddmm (date)

For schedule changes which occur on/after January 16, 2022:

·         ATTN AGY TKT REVALD FOR AA FLIGHTS ONLY PER SKD CHG ddmm (date)

This action does not prevent the agency from revalidating again should the customer find the change unacceptable.

Travel Agent Guidelines for Revalidation

When the customer does not accept the new itinerary, the itinerary may be changed according to Schedule Change guidelines as provided in this document. Once the itinerary is changed, the ticket may be revalidated via SalesLink.

Tickets Eligible for Revalidation:

·         American and American Eagle® prime flights only 

·         Change in flight number

·         Change in flight departure/arrival time

§  City pair and inventory must remain the same

·         Change of date

§  1st available flight as close to the original departure time as possible may fall on different date due to last flight in/first flight out, or reduction in frequency

Return to top

 Determining Length of Flight Time Change

The flight time change is determined by the length of delay to the new connecting flight and its overall effect on the total directional travel time which may be unacceptable to the customer, per the example:

Example:

1 AA3266L 27MAY Q CIDORD WK2 245P 400P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

2 AA3661L 27MAY Q CIDORD*SC2 1115A 1230P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

3 AA2610L 27MAY Q ORDTUS WK2 515P 657P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

4 AA 712L 27MAY Q ORDTUS*SC2 713P 859P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

·         Customer was leaving at 2:45pm and arriving at 6:57pm
= Total travel time of 4 hrs and 12 min

·         Now the customer is leaving at 11:15am and arriving at 8:59pm
= Total travel time of 9hrs and 47 min.

Even though neither of the flights changed by greater than 4 hours, the total directional travel time was affected by more than 4 hours, which makes the ticket eligible for refund.

Return to top

Schedule Change results in change of airport

There may be times when a customer is protected to/from an alternate airport when there are no other options to the customer's ticketed origin/destination. This automation process is designed to provide the customer with a confirmed reservation on another flight, instead of leaving them without any protection. 

 When this occurs, and the customer does not accept the provided protection, you may:  

·         Offer an alternate flight to the same protection city (must be on AA Prime)

§  If the protection offered was booked on OA*/AA, the alternate flight must be booked as OA*/AA

·         Offer an alternate airport within a 300-mile radius from the original affected flight

·         Offer the customer a refund

Return to top

300 Mile Radius

There may be times when a schedule change occurs that is unacceptable to the customer.  If there are no acceptable options to the customer’s original ticketed AA or AA*/JB origin/destination, agency may rebook to an alternate AA, AA*/JB, or JB Prime airport that is within a 300-mile radius of the affected ticketed city and within the same country.

Rebooking to an alternate airport is allowed only under the following conditions:

·         Service to the ticketed airport has been discontinued

·         The Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ min)  

·         The Schedule Change creates an invalid connection

·         The Schedule Change creates an extended connection time that is greater than 4 hours (241+ minutes)

§  Please note that if there is a valid connection within the same origin/destination with an arrival time within 1 hour of the original ticketed schedule, 300-Mile Radius does not apply

·         The Schedule Change creates an involuntary overnight at a connection city

·         The Non-Stop flight changes to a connection and the new routing within a 300-mile radius offers a Non-stop

Rebooking guidelines:

·         If the customer has chosen an alternate airport, they may use that airport for their continuing or return journey – this option must occur at the time of the exchange

·         The new flight must be rescheduled for the same ticketed date of travel, but may be earlier or later than the original scheduled departure time

·         Book the same or lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

·         If unable to book in the same cabin as originally ticketed, an alternate flight must be selected

·         Endorsement Box requirement – SKCHG/300M

Return to top

Flight changes from non-stop or through-flight to a connection

·         Follow the ‘Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour  guidelines

Return to top

Schedule Change – Instant Upsell Handling Procedures

Use the procedures shown below for customers who purchased an Instant Upsell (IU) for their ticketed flights directly from American on aa.com.  The IU is issued as an EMD with a separate document number therefore it does not affect the ticket issued by the agency.  These upgrades are booked in either F, J, or W inventories and can be identified by the following SSRs in the PNR:

·         OTHS INSTANT UPSELL ANCILLARY EMD ISSUED 001xxxxxxxxxx  

·         OTHS AGENCY RETAINS CONTROL OF TKT FOR REISSUES

When a Schedule Change occurs, automation will rebook the customers in the upgraded cabin when available. Agencies are responsible for handling Schedule Changes sent by AA to PNRs containing an IU. The following procedures apply:

Travel Agency Procedures

When the customer accepts the Schedule Change as protected by AA:

·         Ticket must be reissued by agency as ticket cannot be revalidated

o   Agency is responsible for advising customer of the schedule change

o   Reissue the ticket in the upgraded inventory as accommodated by AA

o   Special Waiver Code Required:  SKCHG/IU

§  SKCHG/IU must appear in the Endorsement Box of the new ticket or be subject to a debit memo

When the customer does not accept Schedule Change as protected by AA:

·         Schedule Change is 60 minutes or less

o   Offer another AA Prime flight, same origin/destination, same travel day, and maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

§  If same Instant Upsell inventory is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare

§  Note: When downgraded, you may advise the customer to submit a refund request for the IU EMD number(s) via AA Refunds website

·         Waitlisting for Instant Upsell cabin is not applicable

o   If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the first available flight the day before or day after, same origin/destination and maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

o   Any changes outside the above guidelines would follow Schedule Change Guidelines for 60 minutes or less rebooking in the lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare

§  Note: When downgraded, you may advise the customer to submit a refund request for the IU EMD number(s) via AA Refunds website

·         Waitlisting for Instant Upsell cabin is not applicable

·         Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes)

o   Offer another AA Prime flight, same origin/destination, same travel day, and maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

§  If same inventory is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare, or lowest available inventory up to H for main cabin

§  Note: When downgraded, you may advise the customer to submit a refund request for the IU EMD number(s) via AA Refunds website

·         Waitlisting for Instant Upsell cabin is not applicable

o   May book within 24 hours of the original departure, or up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight, maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

o   May offer co-terminals for AA Prime flights only if the flight times are closer to the original schedule

o   Any changes outside the above guidelines would follow Schedule Change Guidelines for greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes) rebooking in the lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare, or lowest inventory up to H for main cabin

§  Note: When downgraded, you may advise the customer to submit a refund request for the IU EMD number(s) via AA Refunds website

·         Waitlisting for Instant Upsell cabin is not applicable

Endorsement Box Requirement for Instant Upsell:

o   Agency is responsible for advising customer of the schedule change

o   Ticket must be reissued by agency as ticket cannot be revalidated

o   Special Waiver Code Required:  SKCHG/IU

§  SKCHG/IU must appear in the Endorsement Box of the new ticket or be subject to a debit memo

Return to top

Co-Terminals/Multiple Airport Cities - AA Prime Flight Only

Customers who are traveling to/from a co-terminal location may be changed to an alternate co-terminal airport, if requested, for AA Prime or AA*/Codeshare segments only, provided the flights times are closer to the original schedule. The use of other airline prime flights are not allowed.

Return to top

MCT Issues (Minimum Connecting Time)

On occasion, the minimum connecting time will change for a given city.  When this happens, a Schedule Change will not be processed, however, the itinerary will now reflect Invalid Minimum Connecting Time (MCT) – AA or AA* (any AA Codeshare)

When this occurs on American, American Eagle®, or AA* (any AA Codeshare) Itineraries, may use the guidelines for Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour

Also, when the schedule change results in an invalid connection and the minimum connecting time can no longer be met, may use the guidelines for Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour

Return to top

Refunds 

When a customer requests a refund due to an unacceptable Schedule Change, the refund should be processed via your GDS.  For eligible tickets, the waiver code for a schedule change refund is: SCRFND

Refer to Travel Agency Refund Processing for more information

Determine eligibility for refund below:

Schedule Change is 240min (4 hours) or less:

·         Refund is NOT allowed

·         Refundable fares with a cancellation fee – May refund to original form of payment (FOP) minus the cancellation fee

Note: Valid Tickets originally issued prior to April 8, 2020 are eligible for refund if they had a schedule change of 60 minutes or more.

Schedule Change is greater than 4 hours (241+ minutes)

If the overall directional schedule change was 241 minutes or greater, you may:

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

Schedule Change results in the change from a Non-stop or Through-flight to a Connection

If the non-stop flight changes to a connecting flight, with no other similar non-stop alternatives, you may:

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

Schedule Change results in a Change to the Operating Carrier

For example, if the flight changes from AA*/IB operated to an AA*/BA operated flight, or from AA to AE (American to American Eagle), you may:

·          Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

Note:  This does not include a change to the type of equipment

Schedule Change is due to an AA or AA*/Codeshare Reduction in Frequency (Day of Week), Suspension of Service, or withdrawal from a market

For example, if the ticketed flight changes from operating daily to operating 3 times a week, or if the schedule reduces from 3 days a week down to two, or a market suspension is introduced, or the flight is no longer operating due to withdrawal from the market, you may:

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

Schedule Change results in a change of airport

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment applies for change of airport for origin or destination – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment applies for change of connection airport when change is greater than 241 minutes

A schedule change which results in an invalid connection due to the minimum connecting time (MCT) standard is no longer met

This type of schedule change is considered an illegal connection.  When invalid connections occur and there is no connecting flight on the same day that allows for a 4 hour or less change to their total directional travel time, you may:

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

A Schedule Change which results in a change of the ticketed cabin (downgrade)

For example, if the customer was ticketed for First Class and was downgraded to Business Class or was ticketed for Premium Economy and was changed to Main Cabin, you may:

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

o   This includes the whole ticket (no longer using the ticket)

·         Submit ticket(s) for partial refund adjustment post-travel for the affected downgraded segment

For Refund requests on partial tickets, including just the downgraded segment, Travel Agent may process by: 

·         ARC Agencies: submit ticket to American Airlines Refunds for downgrade refund

·         BSP Agencies: submit the Refund Application (RA) form through BSPLink, add downgrade information to the comments on the RA

Note:  If the passenger has accepted a compensation voucher at the airport for the downgrade or for the inconvenience of the downgrade and the passenger travels on that ticket (ticket is now used) and now the passenger is requesting additional compensation for the downgrade, please direct them to Customer Relations.

A Schedule Change which results in a cancelled flight (UN/WK status) and no replacement/protection flight was provided

·         Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the change

Note: This option does not apply when a replacement/protection flight is provided as part of the schedule change within the same or a subsequent transaction

Travel Agency Refund Processing Guidelines

Return to top

Updated: November 2023