Emergency Landing AA - any recourse?
 

I was booked to fly from Chicago to Liberia, Costa Rica via Miami yesterday.

We took off on time, but 30 minutes into the flight we had a medical emergency landing in Louisville, KY.
The paramedics wisked the affected passsenger off within 10 minutes.

Since we landed 'heavy' ( I assume meaning full of fuel) we had to have an inspection before taking off again. This was done, however the captain said we did not have the proper log book to record this. He was contacting Tulsa to get necessary paperwork. Also the inspection was done by a mechanic, not an official inspector, so Tulsa was again contacted.

We sat on the tarmac over 2 hours while this paperwork snarl was ironed out.

By the time we arrived in MIA, I had missed my connecting flights. I was rebooked to arrive at my destination 48 hours later (all other planes to Liberia and San Jose full).

I was supposed to be a bridesmaid at a wedding, however I would have missed it and elected to simply fly back to Chicago. They were offering no hotel or meal vouchers for the inconvenience; 2 nights hotel room in MIA waiting for the next flight would be on my dime.

I am wondering if there is any recourse? Or do I just eat this $600 ticket? Could I at least ask for miles for the ticket I paid for?

I realize it was a medical emergency, however I wonder whether AA had some responsibility for this 2 hour paperwork issue. If we had arrived 30 - 45 minutes sooner I could have caught a flight to San Jose.
Any insights?

Stuff happens.

The airline certainly must be commended for making an emergency landing knowing full well it could adversely impact everyone on the aircraft. Similarly, the nature of the incident was, I am sure, of such severity that an immediate landing at the nearest suitable field was called for. And a heavy landing would also not be avoided.

Consequently, an inspection was required by law but an appropriate inspector was apparently not available. That appears to be the proximate cause of the delay so the question becomes one of whether the airline should have foreseen the situation and whether an appropriate inspector should have been immediately available at what is an outstation for the airline.

Bottom line is a 3 or 4 hour delay is not all that unusual and I see no responsibility on the part of the airline. In fact, it seems they were did act responsibility and did get the flight to the destination in a reasonable time frame. That certain passengers suffered consequences is not really their problem both ethically and by their contract

Having said that I really would have thought the airline would have done something for the passengers at a minimum maybe providing rooms at the airlines distress rate and a meal voucher or two.

I don't see how they owe you the cost of a ticket; they did, after all, get you to your destination. And you will get your miles. However, a reasonable email to them may result in some additional miles being provided.

I am of the "never hurts to ask" school and would certainly ask AA for a refund, or at the very least, a $600 voucher. Their decisions (however necessary for the sick passenger) and their problems with paperwork caused a 48 hour delay for you, more than just a minor delay.

This was not an "act of God" or weather, more like a mechanical failure.

No, I did not get to my destination. I guess that is really what my question is.

I came back to square one, Chicago, the same day (yesterday) and did not go to Costa Rica as they could not get me there for an additional 48 hours after we landed in Miami.

Would it be inappropriate to ask for those miles, not simply miles to Miami?

Also, as you seem knowledgeable in this area, this issue was not so much with the inspector but with the paperwork and 'log book'. Per the pilots PA announcement, this had to be faxed from AA in Tulsa, and the supervisor at AA to do this could not be found.

I realize I'm grasping at straws somewhat here, it was simply too frustrating to miss the wedding and to have a fruitless round trip to MIA yesterday.

I guess I can always send an email to find out.

"<i>I came back to square one, Chicago, the same day (yesterday) . . . . </i>"

But that was your decision -- not theirs.

I personally think anything to do w/ the flight to Chicago is on your dime -- nothing to do w/ AA. You could ask for some sort of voucher for the delay. I can't really see much more. But good luck anyway.

(Not to poor salt on the wound -- but who books such a short international connection - especially in the winter? I would have flown to Miami the night before or at least w/ many hours between flights)

I did book the day before janis,

You may have heard we had the third largest storm in Chicago history the day before that booking.

My flight was cancelled for Thurs and moved to yesterday.

I could not afford 2 nights stay / cab fares in Miami due to the 48 hour delay.

I guess it was not to be.

OOPs that should have been <i>pour</i> salt . . .

But never mind, you did do the prudent thing booking the day before. But unfortunately 'stuff' happens especially in the winter.

Ah, not getting to your destination is a slightly different situation. And in that case a two day delay could be considered somehat unreasonable.

You were on the outbound leg when the incident occurred and elected to return home because it would not be fruitless to continue. Yes, it was your decision. But others in the same situation have written airlines and claimed a "trip in vain" and thrown themselves on the airline's mercy.

Happened to my wife once when she was booked PHL-BUF with a change of plane in BDL. Purpose was an afternoon meeting with a return in the evening. She got to BDL and a winter storm grounded the BUF flight. She returned to PHL on the next flight and wrote claiming a trip in vain. She got a voucher equal to the full fare paid (they deducted taxes). Very fair.

Give that a try and who know, you may luck out.

As to the paperwork, it seems more an internal AA issue but still getting it done in a couple of hours seems reasonable. I am not familiar with their procedures in detail.

I would mention that to AA when asking for a refund- that you had already let them reschedule you due to the storm, plus it might have cost you another $500 just to layover in Miami and still miss the wedding.

Why would you ask for miles vs a refund, especially if those miles may not work toward getting elite status? Dollars can buy you another trip with miles. Ask for a reufnd. If they say no, ask for a voucher, and if that fails, then ask for a chunk of miles. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Send a letter to Customer service and a copy to the President or CEO of AA. He won't handle it, of course, but it will directed to the right place.

AA made choices that affected your plans in a negative way. They not only couldn't fix it, but it sounds like they didn't even offer to make it a neutral experience (paying for a hotel). It is bad enough you had to waste time flying to Miami. Ask for a refund.

And send me a helper's fee if they do... :-)

I'm sorry to hear you missed your friend's wedding. How disappointing that must be. :(

They'll give you the miles for the whole trip if you ask, and maybe a few thousand extra too. I was on a flight a few years ago where something similar happened, although I didn't miss an event because of it. I merely got to my destination a few hours late. Without my asking, I received an E-mail from AA later apologizing for my inconvenience over what happened, saying that they hoped I understood the need to tend to the emergency, and here are 5,000 extra miles.

They're not going to refund your ticket. You made the decision to return home. I'd probably have done the same thing, but it was your decision.

No airline takes responsibility for what happens to you after you arrive because of delays. It's written into the contract of carriage, which, of course, is written in the airline's favor, not the passenger's. All they're obligated to do is get you to your destination. It doesn't say anything about "on time" or about what happens to you on the ground after you arrive.

This sounds a "perfect storm" of circumstances: the weather that caused you to miss your original flights, the medical emergency, having to land at an airport where AA doesn't have a large presence, all subsequent flights to a tropical destination in the winter being booked solid for 48 hours, the scheduling of the wedding at a time of year when weather can play havoc with travel, ... There's really no one to blame here. It's frustrating, but it happened.

You can ask though. That doesn't hurt. I wouldn't expect anything more than this, disappointing though the whole situation is.

Thank you all for the responses.

Truly, I know AA had no responsibilty for the weather (thats why I didn't even mention that originally).

Also, I commend them on landing so quickly during the medical emergency.
The pilot was very responsive to keeping us updated with what was going on - kudos to him.

I was irritated with the delays from their maintenance HQ in Tulsa, but I realize it was an unusual circumstance.

That's why I didn't even think asking for a refund was in order.
But since I did pay $600 for the ticket I wanted to at least try to get miles.

I've been moping around all day feeling quite sorry for myself. I think I need to attempt to get something out of this 'perfect storm' for mental health reasons!

Thanks again.

BTW,
Anyone interested in a lavender taffeta bridesmaid dress? Never worn!

Hold on. Was this a single ticket from Chicago to Costa Rica, or was the Miami-Costa Rica portion a separate ticket?

If it;s a single ticket, you may very well be entitled to a full refund. If you are traveling for a specific event and the delay would cause you to entirely miss that event, then some carriers (in their contracts, I'd guess) allow you to cancel a ticket when the delay would cause the trip to be "in vain." ("In vain" is the key terminology.)

So, if it's a single ticket, I would write (not phone) to AA Customer Service, give them the flight details of the flights you took and the flights you missed, and explain that a 2-day delay to Costa Rica made the trip unusable for the intended purpose.

If it's a separate ticket from Miami to Costa Rica, this would not be applicable.

Rizzuto,
Interesting!

Single ticket. I have the wedding invitation to confirm if necessary.

Plus I was to fly back to Chi monday morning, so it obviously wasn't a vacation trip.

thanks for the insight. Will use the terminology 'in vain'. It is apt.

No interest in the dress though?

Oh, and if/when you write, I would not go into reasons for any delay leaving Louisville, nor would I say "emergency landing," because it was not an emergency landing. You could say "diversion for a medical emergency," however. (Of those terms, one means a threat to the safety of the flight, and the other means a threat to the health of a passenger.)

Thanks for the buzz words. I will use them!
Will report back on any response.
Thanks again everyone.

Off to drown my sorrows in a bottle of red wine...

Another reason I hate destination weddings?

IT's a trip in vain, and you should able to get the cost of ticket refunded from AA.

<i>IT's a trip in vain, and you should able to get the cost of ticket refunded from AA.</i>

AA doesn't have an official policy on "trip in vain" refunds, but the OP should immediately contact AAdvantage Customer Service (the regular AA switchboard can connect you) and use that term in describing the circumstances. You bought a valid ticket, and through delays caused by AA's internal procedures, and their unwillingness to provide you alternate <i>timely</i> transport to your intended destination, the point of the whole trip was moot. You missed the wedding.

I suspect you'll get some satisfaction from AA - a partial or complete refund, voucher(s), mileage for the entire intended itinerary, maybe even other compensation. Stick to your guns.

So sorry you missed the wedding. What a disappointment for you.

However, as far as being out the money, that's what trip insurance is for, to make you 'whole' if you suffer a monetary loss because of a defined reason or cause. Anyone who has traveled very often over the years will have similar stories of plans being disrupted, I'm sorry to say - I and most of the people I know certainly do.

I hope AA will help you out here to some extent, but their main obligation to you was to get you to your destination eventually but you decided not to go.

Call AA. Ask for a refund. If thru steadfastly refuse, I would t least ask for the miles - original routing credit. Be clear, factual, and calm in the letter. State plainly that the delays madenthe trip impossible and that you request a refund. Don't threaten and be reasonable in the demands (e.g. don't ask or the cost of the dress).

You could also contact an ombudsman like Elliott.org if you don't get satisfaction.

So sorry for your negative experience

Might check with your CC company you paid your ticket with.

Mine has built in Travel Insurance that covers this.

Also might do a "merchant reversal" dispute the charge

with your CC company they will immediately reverse the fee

back to you in the form of a credit and do an investigation.

Sometimes they will satisfy you if you turn the heat up a bit.

In the future might www.insuremytrip.com from $1-2/day

for any eventualities has saved my bacon X 2 this year

Last spring for the Iceland volcano and fall in Ecuador

for civil unrest cancellations.. Good Luck!

Thank you all so much.

I did try to call customer service, but due to the overwhelming number of weather issues, they are not taking any calls.

So I emailed, using 'trip in vain', 'diverted flight due to medical incident' and the best recap:

<You bought a valid ticket, and through delays caused by AA's internal procedures, and their unwillingness to provide you alternate timely transport to your intended destination, the point of the whole trip was moot.>
(Thanks Gardyloo)

Even if nothing comes of this, I feel better for trying.

Hey Queenie,

One other possibility -- if AA doesn't cooperate, send a copy of the whole thing to that guy in the Tribune Business pages who does consumer advocacy. You can find him on the website, he's the "Problem Solver" Jon Yates. Since you're in Chicago, since Chicago is an AA hub, and since there's the human interest angle of missing a wedding, he might take on your cause. Good luck with this!

I wouldn't be too quick to commend AA for making a landing because of a medical emergency. Landing isn't always the best thing to do. Many medical problems can either be stabilized and wait until the normal arrival, or are so serious that making a landing as soon as possible will still be too late. In the former case, the airline wastes the time of all its passengers and puts them at risk by deviating from the normal schedule and procedures. Contrary to the Hollywood stereotype, you don't just dive down and land as soon as someone gets sick.

Anthony, I'm sure all those issues were taken under advisement before the emergency landing was decided upon. I don't know about AA but DL consults with emergency medical staff (at the May Clinic IIR) before making a decision.

I'm sure AA made the best decision for welfare of the ill passenger (and really, in a case such as this, that's all that matters). Without any of us, including the OP, knowing exactly what was wrong, I'll assume AA did exactly the right thing. :)

It's not like there's a full clinic's worth of equipment and supplies onboard an aircraft. Having talked to physicians who tended to an inflight emergency, they both said they were suprised at how rudimentary the supplies were.

UPDATE:
Well I heard back from AA in less than a weeks time.

They have generously given me a travel voucher for the full cost of the flight. I am very pleased.

Thank you all for your insight, and wording suggestions.

glad to hear you had a good result.

thanks to all the posters who provided insight. I hope that this knowledge is useless for me, but unfortunately, I'll probably need it sometime!

<i>They have generously given me a travel voucher for the full cost of the flight. I am very pleased.</i>

Good on 'ya. Way to go.

That's great news! Thanks for reporting back. :)

Superb news!

awesome!

You are welcome.

As I always say, it never hurts to ask! ongratulations, and I hope your next trip goes better.