American Airlines changed our flight

I just received an email from American Airlines informing us the have changed our flight from San Juan to JFK after our cruise. When I booked it was a non stop and now its going to Miami with a 3hr layover. Going to make the end of the cruise a long day..Is this common with airlines? Maybe we have been lucky to haver been changed before..should i call airline and see if there is an earlier flight? Leave san juan 330pm..

Schedules for most major American airlines are firmed up a few months before the flight. Before that you're​ booking based on projected schedules. It's always been that way since deregulation.

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It happens a lot. You might want to look and see if they have any non stops that would work for you or a different set of flights that have better connections. Then call the airline and tell them what you prefer. They will usually switch you or refund your purchase price. Yet another reason to hate the legacy carriers!!

I just received an email from American Airlines informing us the have changed our flight from San Juan to JFK after our cruise. When I booked it was a non stop and now its going to Miami with a 3hr layover. Going to make the end of the cruise a long day..Is this common with airlines? Maybe we have been lucky to haver been changed before..should i call airline and see if there is an earlier flight? Leave san juan 330pm..

How about doing your own research before you call AA. Do you now know what the various schedule options are between SJU and JFK?

If you call AA and just say "what's available", do you think you will get better response than calling and saying "I was on AA xxx and was rerouted onto AA xxx. I see that there is AA yyy at suchandsuch a time. Would you see if we could instead be routed on that, rather than what you assigned us".

When you have a schedule change/reroute - ALWAYS do your research first before calling the airline. Determine your priorities of what options you might have instead.

Thanks for all your great responses and advice..I rebooked an earlier flight with less layover time.Should shave 3 hours off the time of the flight they gave us..I dont usually book so far in advance but this trip I booked in November for an October flight..again thank you cruise critic members

AA is doing away with their JFK-SJU non-stops---I believe in June.

And, check out the news about AA adding more rows to their planes now. There are some of the rows that will specifically feel the pinch of a couple less inches of leg space!! I don't fly AA, so I didn't pay much attention to a site to tell you, but it is happening.

And, check out the news about AA adding more rows to their planes now. There are some of the rows that will specifically feel the pinch of a couple less inches of leg space!! I don't fly AA, so I didn't pay much attention to a site to tell you, but it is happening.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/travel/new-planes-american-airlines-will-add-seats-reduce-space.html?_r=0

Thanks for all your great responses and advice..I rebooked an earlier flight with less layover time.Should shave 3 hours off the time of the flight they gave us..I dont usually book so far in advance but this trip I booked in November for an October flight..again thank you cruise critic members

Glad it worked out for you, but keep watching your flights - you could easily have another one or two schedule changes between now and October. Probably not as major as this past one, but watch out that the time from disembarkation to your first flight isn't shaved too close - AA doesn't care that you have a fixed disembarkation time.

And, check out the news about AA adding more rows to their planes now. There are some of the rows that will specifically feel the pinch of a couple less inches of leg space!! I don't fly AA, so I didn't pay much attention to a site to tell you, but it is happening.

Ouch, like it's not bad enough now. On my recent long haul flight back from my Med cruise, I could not even extend my tray table flat for meal service because the passenger in front of me had her seat extended back as far as it would go (which, of course, isn't very far in cattle class....)

On domestic flights I can put up with less legroom and less comfy seats for a 2-4 hour flight. But sitting in a sardine can for 10+ hours is not much fun.

And, check out the news about AA adding more rows to their planes now..

I thought it was just the 737-Max order which is 100 planes (+40 option) that all don't show up at once.

I don't believe they are modifying their current 944 active aircraft. I will let someone else figure out the odds of getting 29" row when you can select your seat and use SeatGuru (our your website of choice) prior to selection.

Ouch, like it's not bad enough now.

Just from the opening posts of a few threads currently on the first page of Cruise Air:-

When is the best time to book these flights? Does Air Alaska ever have sales?

Flight wise, which city would offer better flight prices, flying in and out Rome or Barcelona?

So, when has everyone gotten the best price for this type of trip?

I thought it was just the 737-Max order which is 100 planes (+40 option) that all don't show up at once.

I don't believe they are modifying their current 944 active aircraft. I will let someone else figure out the odds of getting 29" row when you can select your seat and use SeatGuru (our your website of choice) prior to selection.

So, you have to choose between a new plane with less legroom or one of the nasty old planes?

Not everyone who flies knows about SeatGuru, etc. Many just select from that picture on the airline website that pops up when you go for seats. Someone has to get stuck with those "choice" seats...

But at least nobody has to look far to see why airlines have to do this to compete with each other. Just from the opening posts of a few threads currently on the first page of Cruise Air:-

While I'm sure it is not directly related, I cannot help but wonder if the recent furor over one way airlines foster profitability, overbooking, has prompted AA to seek out this new way. Again, I'm sure it is not directly related, but we can be sure that every attack on their existing cost cutting and revenue enhancement measures prompts the airlines to seek new cost cutting and revenue enhancement measures.

Maybe they will save them for the "E" fare people - the basic economy. You can't select a seat already, you board last. No one in their right mind will select a seat with a 29" pitch instead of 31".

Two articles with details on AA's new seating plans.

LINK HERE

LINK HERE

Maybe they will save them for the "E" fare people - the basic economy. You can't select a seat already, you board last. No one in their right mind will select a seat with a 29" pitch instead of 31".

There are already people who choose 31" instead of 34" on Delta at least... All that takes is charging a small increment for the extra 3".

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Both cruises we took last year had major changes to one or more legs of our flights. One was booked eight months out, the other 10 months. We got good prices on both, so it was worth the added hassle.

As FlyerTalker mentioned, knowing what's available before you call is better than going in blind, if you choose to reschedule.

I believe that a point will come with one of the Legacy Airlines where they will stop the race to the bottom. That Airline will then differentiate itself with better seats, service, and of course higher prices. I believe a larger spread, than present, will appear between low cost carriers and service carriers. I'm not sure that those trying to play both sides will be successful. The public will soon brand them.

I believe that a point will come with one of the Legacy Airlines where they will stop the race to the bottom. That Airline will then differentiate itself with better seats, service, and of course higher prices. I believe a larger spread, than present, will appear between low cost carriers and service carriers. I'm not sure that those trying to play both sides will be successful. The public will soon brand them.

It's already happened. Soon after 9/11 American decided to offer "More Room Throughout Coach", every seat had 34" pitch or similar and it was a fraction more expensive. Not enough people went for it and within a few years every aircraft had been switched back.

Similarly there have been international operations with discounted business class fares. Almost all of them have failed. Maxjet and Silverjet in the mid 2000s went under and L'Avion only survived because British Airways bought them. La Compagnie are another airline from the same cloth but have dismal loads and I'm surprised they're still about after a few years as operationally they seem to be quite a shambles.

The people have spoken, they want cheap fares and would be happy to sit in a bucket of crap if it saved them $10, you just have to read half the threads on here to see that. If you want a better experience domestically airlines already offer this. It's called first class.

It's already happened. Soon after 9/11 American decided to offer "More Room Throughout Coach", every seat had 34" pitch or similar and it was a fraction more expensive. Not enough people went for it and within a few years every aircraft had been switched back.

 

Similarly there have been international operations with discounted business class fares. Almost all of them have failed. Maxjet and Silverjet in the mid 2000s went under and L'Avion only survived because British Airways bought them. La Compagnie are another airline from the same cloth but have dismal loads and I'm surprised they're still about after a few years as operationally they seem to be quite a shambles.

 

The people have spoken, they want cheap fares and would be happy to sit in a bucket of crap if it saved them $10, you just have to read half the threads on here to see that. If you want a better experience domestically airlines already offer this. It's called first class.

I agree, for us, if we cannot get there from our local airport (TTN) then we go to PHL and will go first class as the thought of doing it otherwise is too painful for me...

I even just signed up for GE/Pre so to avoid the long lines through TSA whenever possible.

bon voyage....

I believe that a point will come with one of the Legacy Airlines where they will stop the race to the bottom. That Airline will then differentiate itself with better seats, service, and of course higher prices. I believe a larger spread, than present, will appear between low cost carriers and service carriers. I'm not sure that those trying to play both sides will be successful. The public will soon brand them.

It's already happened. Soon after 9/11 American decided to offer "More Room Throughout Coach", every seat had 34" pitch or similar and it was a fraction more expensive. Not enough people went for it and within a few years every aircraft had been switched back.

History may in due course identify one possible wrinkle in this trend: premium economy. True premium economy, that is, not the "extra legroom" seats that have until recently been all that US airlines have been offering. PE is far from being business class, but does offer better seats, service and higher prices than normal economy. As a small additional cabin on aircraft on which economy continues to suffer the effects of the ever-lower fares demanded by passengers, this concept has become extremely successful - to the extent that even the US airlines are now having to adopt it. It's a difficult tightrope for an airline to walk if it is not to cannibalise its business class revenue. But it is both profitable, and a good alternative for those economy passengers who are actually in practice prepared to put their money where their mouths are, and stump up some extra cash for a better experience.

Exactly. History has proved that this does not work.

 

History may in due course identify one possible wrinkle in this trend: premium economy. True premium economy, that is, not the "extra legroom" seats that have until recently been all that US airlines have been offering. PE is far from being business class, but does offer better seats, service and higher prices than normal economy. As a small additional cabin on aircraft on which economy continues to suffer the effects of the ever-lower fares demanded by passengers, this concept has become extremely successful - to the extent that even the US airlines are now having to adopt it. It's a difficult tightrope for an airline to walk if it is not to cannibalise its business class revenue. But it is both profitable, and a good alternative for those economy passengers who are actually in practice prepared to put their money where their mouths are, and stump up some extra cash for a better experience.

I just posted something similar on another thread. The cost of first/business on TATL flights is generally not within my budget as traveler that prefers to make more frequent but less expensive trips across the pond. But I would pay for the true premium economy whenever it's available. (Having been upgraded to the Delta "Economy Comfort" a few times, I see no reason to pay extra for that, however....)

I just posted something similar on another thread. The cost of first/business on TATL flights is generally not within my budget as traveler that prefers to make more frequent but less expensive trips across the pond. But I would pay for the true premium economy whenever it's available. (Having been upgraded to the Delta "Economy Comfort" a few times, I see no reason to pay extra for that, however....)

I would also pay more for a true premium economy.

Does anyone know when DL is going to start it's product and on which routes? http://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-delta-premium-economy-2016-11

I would also pay more for a true premium economy.

 

Does anyone know when DL is going to start it's product and on which routes? http://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-delta-premium-economy-2016-11

When it was announced I believe they said it would start in the fall of 2017 on "select routes." I've been waiting to book a round trip to Rome, hoping Delta would have it available but so far they don't; no idea if it's too early or that's not a "select route."