An American Airlines passenger showed up at the airport on time. Their flight took off on time and landed on time. They made it to their connecting gate – but the airline told them that because of a “delay” they wouldn’t be allowed to board. Their seat was given to someone else. And they were forced to add 7 hours onto their trip, flying to Dallas via Moline, Illinois.
On Thursday they flew from Traverse City to Chicago O’Hare, enroute to Dallas – Fort Worth. While still at the gate in Traverse City, they received an email from American Airlines saying they were “rebooked due to a delay.” Only there was no delay.
The flight was on time, and it still showed that way in the American Airlines app – so when they arrived in Chicago they went to their connecting gate.
I walk over to my original gate, where my ORD to DFW flight was to depart from, 20 minutes before [the start of] boarding, only to be told that the flight was full and I don’t have a seat. There wasn’t a delay at all. …I was supposed to arrive in DFW at 11am, but now due to this rebooking, I was flying from ORD to Moline, IL, and then Moline to DFW, except my arrival time in DFW is 5:45pm.
Actually, they had even more of a buffer than planned – the Chicago to Dallas flight was delayed!
The passenger complained to American Airlines. I believe that this is an involuntary denied boarding and under government rules they’re entitled to cash compensation.
- They had a confirmed reservation. They checked-in on time. They arrived at the departure gate on time.
- American couldn’t get them to their destination within one hour of the original flight’s arrival time.
- So they are entitled to 400% of the one-way fare, not to exceed $2,150. And this is payable in cash, not miles or vouchers.
He relays, though, that American says that since the rebooking was the result of a ‘delay’ no compensation was due.
What appears to have happened is that American’s system thought the passenger was going to misconnect, and they rebooked him proactively. They do this before customers actually miss their flight! That reduces the workload at the gate, which supports having just a single agent working at gates and saves money and it helps accommodate other passengers more quickly who may also have delayed or cancelled flights and need seats.
This is the AURA or “AUtomated ReAccommodation” tool and it works predictively. As American described it in internal documents,
AURA utilizes a concept called discovered inventory, in which it identifies passengers that are certain to misconnect and utilizes that available inventory for protecting other passengers who may need that space.
They take passengers off of flights who haven’t missed them yet, but where the airline is ‘certain’ they will misconnect, in order to give those seats to other passengers. “PRNG Update” in a reservation means that AURA tool has run:
However if the passenger was at their connecting gate at least 15 minutes prior to departure with a ticket and confirmed seat assignment, and American refuses boarding, Department of Transportation regulations do not have an ‘automated re-accommodation tool’ exception’.
I reached out to American about what happened with this reader, and an American spokesperson told me they’d get in touch with the customer,
We want all of our customers to have a positive experience during their travels with us. A member of our team will be in contact with the customer to learn more about their experience.
In fairness to the airline, two years ago I was hearing from customers who had things like this happen thanks to the automated re-accommodation tool more frequently than I do now. That could be random, or it could be that mistakes like this don’t happen as often. But for passengers that this happens to, it’s incredibly frustrating. I’m glad the airline will be in touch – far better than butting heads with customer service or having to submit a consumer complaint to DOT.
I’m actually a fan of AA and fly them often. But I will say that their customer service can be seriously hit or miss. Back in February, I was flying CHS-CLT-LAX with a friend who was booked on a separate ticket. At roughly 8am on the morning of the 11am flight, I get an email saying that my flight has been cancelled and I’ve been automatically rebooked to CHS-DCA-LAX. My friend was booked on basically the same original ticket just a later times. I had to go through two complete idiots at AA customer service who refused to book me to the same flights as my friend even though there was plenty of space. When I pointed that out, suddenly the flight from CHS was landing too close to the time of boarding for the LAX leg. Naturally I questioned, “Then why was my friend booked on the same flights?” No answer. I hung up and called again, and got an agent who happily moved me to the same flights as my friend and even got us seated next to other. Her response to the close landing time—“I wouldn’t dawdle on the way but you should be fine.” Fortunately to date, that’s been my only bad experience with AA. Hopefully that will remain the case in the future.
We had 6 first class seats. Flight was a bit late. We RAN to connecting flight and one of our seats were given away. We were at the gate when they gave that seat away. RIDICULOUS! Hence, we all had to wait. American sucks!
Another scheme by American is when you get to gate on time, the gate agent says you are not checked in and you don’t have a seat. This happenes on specifically on overbooked flight. The objective is to sell your seat for a higher price. Question: if you are not checked in, how did you get to secured area??! Then they put you on standy by for the next flight without a seat. That means you don’t have a seat to go for later flights and have to wait at airport for each flight to complete boarding and then say, we don’t have a seat for you! Action: do not trust American App. When you checkin, document, get a photo, get a print out. Make multiple documentation!
I would file a complaint with DOT immediately. Mistakes happen but then the do the company should own it.
This happened to me a while back when traveling to LAS for the Consumer Electronics Show. The connection in CLT was transferred to two days later even though I was at the departure gate on time. After much arguing I was accommodated with a middle seat instead of my upgraded first class seat that they gave away.
Its been years since I flew American essentially for this reason. I was flying BOS-ORD-MSP. The flight from Boston was a little behind schedule but landed with time for me to make it to the connecting flight. I ran, arrived 10 minutes before departure to see the plane pulling away from the gate. When I asked what the heck had happened, the gate agent said, “We didn’t know where you were.” I replied, “You knew exactly where I was. I was on the flight from Boston, which you also knew had landed.” Then, the honest answer, “We called your name. That’s all we are required to do.” That last part — “That’s all we are required to do.” — is what killed AA for me. It was the last flight kd the night, and I spent the night sleeping on the floor of ORD. Haven’t flown them in more than a decade. Horrible.
This just happened to me. The pilot announced a weather delay at the start of a flight to DFW. American rebooked my connecting flight for the next day. The weather cleared, we arrived on time. It was a tight layover and not just gate change but terminal change, they would not let me on the flight. They said I was already rebooked and would have to go to a different gate to rebook back to original flight and would not make it. Gate agent would not rebook me to original flight.
Same thing happened to us. Flight from Palm Springs was delayed 6 hours. We had checked in the prior day and printed itinerary showing seat assignments from PSP to DFW to Ft Lauderdale. They upgraded a couple in economy to our seats leaving from PSP. Fortunately, they were able to get us different seats. We asked (politely) the couple why they bumped us from the seats we booked months earlier.. The lady said she had no idea why and AA just notified them they had been upgraded. But the gate people worked it out and we sat separately in front and behind the couple.
Furthermore, the original delay caused us to miss the connecting flight to Ft Lauderdale. They autobooked us to Miami instead. When we talked to the support guy, he said that that’s the best they can do and, literally, if we don’t like it, we can can fly with any carrier! Nasty person in a nasty job. However, when we arrived at DFW, we talked to a live support person and she said, “No problem, I’ll book it”. Again, delayed flight but got us to Ft Lauderdale where we could board the cruise ship. Bottom line: we were originally booked to arrive in Ft Lauderdale at 5 pm. But actually arrived at 2 am. Furthermore, they sent our luggage to Miami, not Ft Lauderdale. They were able to deliver it 11 am later that day. Highly Recommend: schedule a generous time buffer if you book a flight for a cruise so you AND your luggage can board the ship on time!
This “publication” really seems to have a bone to pick with AA. Your headlines are for nothing but to grab the attention of future trolls. An operation that is devoted to safely getting millions of people where they want to be is. It likely to get everything perfect.
People are constantly searching for an angle to make a buck or get free miles.
After a 36 year flying career, I know the professionals behind the scenes that are totally committed to getting people there safely. My thousands of hours in simulators usually with one or two engines burning and over the Pacific —— likely will never get mentioned here. But one guy has his seat removed as he’s getting to the gate will spark more whiners to join the fun.
I was issued a duplicate boarding pass on another flight after my flight was cancelled. My name and another passenger with a similar name were assigned the same seat. Since she was booked originally booked for that flight, she got the seat and I was ordered off the plane (even though I was already seated) and the flight attendant threatened that if I didn’t get off immediately, she would get security and the police. I had to wait 8 hours for the next flight out. 2 months of complaints to customer relations, the CEO (no response) and DOT (response), I got what’s I was entitled to: a full cash refund! You have to fight for your rights. It was AA’s mistake and they should be held accountable. Will not travel AA again because of how rude and nasty they were to me on the plane. Being publicly embarrassed, threatened and humiliated and not giving me an explanation until I was off the plane is unacceptable!
This is nothing.
I was stuck on a plane in North Carolina unable to deplane because the ground crew wasn’t allowed to secure the plane due to weather.
My connecting flight was delayed as well because of weather.
When I finally was able to get off the plane and tried to get on the other plane, they told me the seat was giving away.
They knew I was on the first plane. It was an American airlines plane, they knew I was on it. They didn’t care.
One less day in Rome
AA has done this for years. I made it to the gate in Charlotte on time and they gave away my seat. They offered a hotel room and transportation. The hotel they offered was not in Charlotte but somewhere 25 miles south in South Carolina. The transport voucher was never given and the Ubers ended up being much more expensive than the hotel. Live and learn. Never take the ‘free’ room.
Kind of sad American wouldn’t of helped make things right without a media outlet calling them out about it.
This happened to me on 4/20/25, Easter, going home from IND – DFW – XNA! The system bumped me to a flight to XNA on the morning of 4/21, even though my IND to DFW flight was NOT delayed and landed on time at DFW. Plus the DFW – XNA flight WAS delayed!
The person who SAVED ME was Kay, from the customer service number. I talked to her while i stood in line at Customer Service in the A Terminal. She couldn’t book a seat because it was less than 2 hours until the flight.
However, she DID get me confirmed on the flight.
I sent the new Chief Customer Experience Officier, #Heather Garboden,
an email through LinkedIn, and have not received a reply.
Very frustrating and stressful for the customer, not to mention potentially expensive if you don’t know these parameters to get reimbursed by the airline.
Customer service will always be a people business.
Moral of the story: Always get PAPER Boarding Passes, that is proof that you checked in timely.
With the knowledge that you guys were together, had first class ticket, were already on the way to the connecting flight and still did that to you is absolutely atrocious! I don’t know what were your itineraries and plans. Just thinking if it was me and my family and not only we already had paid/confirmed reservations at the hotel but also at sites or events to be at at exact timings and even worse that if you miss the first site/event you might ruin the entire subsequnet day to day plans, made months in advance, for everyone, is beyond me as I would have gone beserkly postal on them for doing that to me and my family! No money will compensate that feeling and treatment.
Daughter and 3 others just got denied boarding in AA. Picked out randomly to be bumped from an overbooked flight. She was told that if she signed a document saying she chose not to board voluntarily she would get rebooked with a $500 voucher. She had no other choice at that point. She missed her connecting flight to Asia. They rebooked her … but her luggage was on the flight she got bumped from and so she landed in Asia with no baggage for 5 days. American Airlines can go pound sand.
Delta did this to me on a delayed connection last winter. I ran to the connecting gate and arrived as they were still boarding. They had already given my seat away because they thought I wouldn’t make it and forced me to spend the night in Minneapolis
Same exact thing happened just as Lisa Newton described. What can be done in a situation like that? I stood in line for an hour at customer assistance and they refused to pay for a hotel referring to weather even though the weather was fine!!!
Just as Lisa Newton explained, but a day later. AA referenced bad weather while there has not been bad weather for at least 12 hours and not even close to any of my flights, departure or arrival airports… I wonder what can be done with them?
You guys need to understand the AA system. Employees that override the automation risk punishment. Yes, you read that right. If an employee fixes the automation’s mistake, they can get in trouble. That can lead to termination.
Now, the primary reason these fake delays are happening is ATC rerouting. The pilot’s put a new route in the system for weather, traffic or whatever. Then the aircraft’s FMC recalculates the landing time and sends it to the dispatcher. That is automatically relayed to the main system and used to determine whether passengers will arrive on time.
The problem with that is that sometimes the pilots can fly faster or obtain a shorter route that helps everyone reach their connections as planned.
The other mistake, that is common, is when the pilots update the arrival time while climbing. The FMC might use the current ground speed (which is slower than in cruise) to determine the flight time. Pilots do this to get the gate they are parking at. But it will cause the system to assume the aircraft is late and may rebook you.
Mistakes happen but refusing to make it right until it gets escalated is inexcusable.
Jon +1
Thanks for the explanation FormerAApilot, but I never had trouble with the delay, even the overnight stay. It sucks but flying by default is a complex and risky endeavour and I respect that. The problem is creating a system that is forcing and rewarding lies, customer intimidation, and a lack of responsibility. If AA admits their mistake, compensates me for the damage, I can live with that…
Same thing happened to me. Flight was delayed leaving Athens Greece and AA assumed I would not make the flight. Get off the flight and I was told by an agent they did not have any rebooking info for me (they did for others) and that I should go to the gate (my mobile app still said I had my assigned seat). I was able to clear customs and still get to my gate more than 15 minutes before boarding. Gate agent was extremely rude and not helpful. Called the EP Customer Service and they actually told me that I had been rebooked because the system thought I would not make my flight. In theory, I get how this could be helpful, my feedback would be why not rebook after boarding has started that way the passenger has a chance to at least check in and let the gate agent know they were able to make it. American never got back to me but like I said the EP customer service was very sympathetic and helpful. Worst part, after flying from ATH to JFK the system booked me on a flight to DCA where I would have to spend the night and then get on another flight to MIA. Why not just book me on the next direct flight even if it was the next day since no scenario I could get there the same night. Mistakes happen but the way they are handled can make them less frustrating. AA royally screwed this one up. I worked with an agent in the Admirals Club who booked me on a direct flight the next morning and was very helpful.