Several weeks ago I received a call that my 41 year old son was in ICU in a Chicago hospital and was not expected to make it thru the night.I needed to get from Evansville Indiana to Chicago immediately. I checked the rates on line and it was $1400.00 to get a flight to Chicago that was leaving in a few hours. I than called the airline giving my FF# and was able to get a fully refundable exchangeable fare of $400.00 RT based on the nature of the emergency.I already had a non changeable or transferable reservation for the end of Sept to go to Chicago to attend my GS football game but I honestly never mentioned it or thought about it in my panicked state.I flew To Chicago and was able to be with my son for 2 weeks before he passed away. In that time I changed my return ticket 2 times with no problem. My DH came for the funeral so I drove back home with him not using my RT.When I was home for a few days I called AA and talked to a lovely lady named Maureen.She asked if she could call me back and she did about 30 minutes later.Not only did American refund my return ticket amount from the ticket I did not use but they also totally refunded my original non refundable ticket in full.I was so grateful at the kindness I received from American that I just wanted everyone to know that not all airlines are just about the money.

Thanks to American Airlines and to Maureen for showing that there are good and kind people even in places where we don't expect them to be.

Sorry for typos.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm also glad you received some kindness at a time like that from the airline.

It would be very nice of you to write a letter to AA commending those who treated you so well. They hear a ton of complaints but this could go in the personnel files of Maureen or whoever else assisted.

Letsgo, I am so sincerely sorry to read of the loss of your son. As a mother my heart breaks for you.

And yes, kindess in time of need is more than appreciated, it is something that is never forgotten.

Inspite of people complaining about Northwest when I called them for my son-in-law and daughter that needed to get to Rome immediately due to my son-in-law's mother being on her death bed Northwest was wonderful and helped so much with such a stressful event.

I agree that a letter to American Airlines would be a nice gesture and it might encourage more kindness to their customers when they sadly have a problem as you did.

Again my sincere sympathies letsgo. I hope you and your husband are taking good care of yourselves through this most difficult time in your life.

Very sorry to hear your terrible loss.

I am glad that American Airlines has come though for you during this difficult time. If you don't feel like writing a formal letter, you can always go on their website and click on "Contact Us". I'm quite sure you can drop them a compliment note electronically.

That's true, yk but a hard copy seems to make more of an impact in my past experience contacting AA.

letsgo39, I am so sorry to read about the loss of your son.

How awful it can be dealing with an airline at a time like this, having to fly to get where you need to be--if only we could blink ourselves there. I'm glad to read American worked with you and made your experience less stressful. Thank you for sharing your story with us, it does my heart good to know.

Very sorry to hear about your loss. That must have been unbearable. Kudos for AA for accommodating you and doing a great thing!

My condolences on the loss of your son, what a hard, hard thing.

Thank you for sharing your AA experience. We hear so many of the "bad" stories, that it is truly nice to hear when an airline comes through for a customer, with gracious dignity. When you feel up to it, I do hope you will let them know.

I am sorry to hear about your loss.

Thanks for posting a positive story about AA. That is why they have been my airline of choice for years and why I have over a million miles on them and banked (and most used) in their FF program. They make mistakes and they do things that can be irritating but they are a good airline.

My recent experience also shows that. We were returning from Costa Rica with a connecting flight in Dallas. Major storms forced us to divert to Houston to refuel and it was assumed we would never make the connecting flight. The weather had also delayed departures in Dallas so when we arrived we were met at the gate by AA and everyone that was on the same connecting flight was escorted to a back door or the terminal, bussed across the tarmac to the other terminal where the departing plane was being held just for us, and escorted up the steps on the outside of the jetway to board the plane. Wonderful service and got us home the same day and after all that only about 2 hours late.

Letsgo: I am so sorry to hear about your son. I wish you comfort.

letsgo39 I am deeply sorry for the loss of your son.

I am impressed that in such tough economic times AA was kind to you. About 10 years ago my friend's mother was killed in a fire. I rushed to her home and among other things I helped her find a plane ticket from TX to Iowa. At that time neither of us had a home computer, so I called every airline I could think of. AA offered the best bereavement fare with flexible terms and she was able to take the next plane out.

Thank you for sharing your story during these difficult times.

Letsgo I am so sorry about the loss of your Son. I wish I had seen this post earlier. Please know many people have you in their heart and prayers.

And AA went above and beyond. I find that heartwarming and makes me want to use their airline more often.

Thanks for taking the time and energy to give them the due.

Thank you for all your kind wishes and prayers.