AA and Expedia

Old Feb 6th, 2008, 05:45 PM
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AA and Expedia

Hello,

This is probably a no-brainer question but please bear with me. I've always booked my flights from AA's website mainly because they are quite good in informing about changes or cancellations. This time, while searching for flights, I found the exact same flights I have on hold at AA at Expedia but $200/person less. There are 4 of us travelling so that's a little chunk of change.Have never used Expedia before- read both good and bad experiences from people who bought from them. However, can I call AA and ask them about the price differential or is Expedia essentially a consolidator, hence can offer the lower price?

I appreciate your comments and many thanks.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 05:59 PM
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AA,com has the lowest fare guarantee.

Here are the details:

Q: What is the AA.com Lowest Fare Guarantee?
A: If you make a qualifying airfare purchase on AA.com and then find a lower American Airlines fare for the exact same itinerary on another website with a difference of $5 or greater, American will refund the difference in fare and give you a $50 Promotion Code to be used toward a future flight purchase. The lower fare may not be available on AA.com, and the claim form must be submitted by midnight Central Time on the same calendar day that the ticket was purchased on AA.com. The itinerary must also originate in the domestic 50 United States and be on American, American Eagle and AmericanConnection flights only, with purchase through the AA.com website. For full details, please go to www.aa.com/guarantee.

Q: How do I submit a claim for the Lowest Fare Guarantee?
A: First, ensure that the lower fare is at least $5 less than the airfare purchased on AA.com and is the exact same flight, itinerary, cabin and class. Next, fill out all required fields of the online claim form that can be accessed at www.aa.com/guarantee, or by visiting the AA.com Web Services Help Center located in the 'Contact AA' tab on the top of the AA.com homepage. The claim form must be submitted by midnight Central Time on the same calendar day that the ticket was purchased on AA.com.

If we are unable to verify your claim, please ensure you also have the complete web address (URL) and a printout/screenshot of the itinerary confirmation page of the other website where you found the lower fare.

Q: What is a screenshot and how do I print one?
A: A screenshot captures the graphic image that appears on your monitor. To print a specific screenshot, go to the web page you want to print and select "File" and then "Print" from your browser toolbar.

Q: Can I submit a claim by calling AA.com?
A: No. Claims may only be submitted via the online claim form at AA.com and not through any other e-mail address or any AA phone or fax number.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 06:05 PM
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How nice of you to inform regarding AA's Lowest Fare Guarantee, AA!

Hope Joy sees it!!!


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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 06:08 PM
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Thank AAFrequentflyer...I was hoping you would see my message.

OK, I have no problem with the itinerary, flight and cabin being exactly the same as that from AA.com but I am unsure about the class..... is this a "fare code" because Expedia does not give the fare code on a "hold" itinerary??

Thanks again.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 06:18 PM
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There was a great debate about just that on flyertalk.com couple of years ago when aa.com came out with this policy.

At the end it was proven that it's not the fare class, it's about the cabin. As long as the expedia.com fare is a published fare in Y, J or F this guarantee will work as advrtised.

I have not book an AA airfare on expedia but are you sure you can't look up fare code before you book it? As long as it's "published" and not opaque/consolidator fare, the guarantee should work as long as you follow the directions.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 06:22 PM
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I just want you to know that I have never done it myself, so please don't come back and call me names if something goes wrong...
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 06:28 PM
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No, of course I won't. You help a lot of folks around here and I will dig deeper on that expedia thing before I even buy the tix.

Thanks again.
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Old Feb 7th, 2008, 06:06 PM
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Let us know how it shakes out, Joy!

-raspberry
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Old Feb 9th, 2008, 09:49 AM
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I have bought AA air on Expedia with no problems. I wasn't aware of the price guarantee, but know I probably wouldn't find the time to go thru the trouble of taking advantage of it, so that is why I book lower fares directly with Expedia. It's still definitely good info to know though.

I recently purchased SXM to JFK on AA via Expedia and then had to change my dates. The only additional charge (aside from the $100 change penalty) was $5 for booking with an outside consolidator.

I've also booked other airlines via Expedia (if they show cheaper fares) and have never had a problem.
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Old Feb 9th, 2008, 12:16 PM
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Hi raspberryberet,

I've actually chickened out from booking at aa.com because I was afraid I may not fulfill ALL the requirements for the "low fare guarantee" especially with the booking class..... and then I am stuck with the higher fare.

I actually saw the same flights not only on Expedia but also travelocity and priceline (NOT the name your own price, but the regular booking thing)and when I went back to aa.com, it still shows fares $200-300 higher than those online booking agents.

I may bite and book through one of these.
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Old Feb 9th, 2008, 05:55 PM
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Joy,
I wouldn't worry about booking with Expedia; I've never had a problem with them or any of the other big sites like travelocity. Every business is going to have dissatisfied customers.
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