American Airlines cuts over 50,000 summer flights!

[NMTraveller]

Del

Edited March 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Globaliser]

11 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

How do we check if our EZair Athens to JFK is all set? 

  

10 hours ago, nini said:

 

Are you ticketed? Call Princess.

 

8 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

I think so they just changes our flight time two weeks ago to two hours later leaving Athens to JFK. I have time it isn't until Aug. Thanks I will contact TA and ask her to make sure we are all set before we change our JFK to Boston flight on our return.

 

What do you mean by "all set"? The fact that you've had a recent schedule change during schedule change season suggests that the chances of another change (or even a cancellation) are now smaller than they were, but it could yet happen.

 

You know that you're ticketed if you have a ticket number. This will be 13 digits long, all numerical. Cruise line-booked air travel often doesn't ticket your flights until just a few weeks before travel, because that's basically the time when the the cruise line has to pay the airline for the air travel.

[FlyerTalker]

11 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

I think so they just changes our flight time two weeks ago to two hours later leaving Athens to JFK. I have time it isn't until Aug. Thanks I will contact TA and ask her to make sure we are all set before we change our JFK to Boston flight on our return.

 

Sounds like you have two separate tickets for ATH-JFK-BOS.  If so, I hope you are aware of the inherent pitfalls of such an approach.  You won't be able to through check luggage, you will need a completely new check-in for the second flight, and if you have an issue with ATH-JFK, you will be a no-show for JFK-BOS, without any protection.

 

Caveat emptor.

 

 

[latebloomer56]

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

  

 

 

What do you mean by "all set"? The fact that you've had a recent schedule change during schedule change season suggests that the chances of another change (or even a cancellation) are now smaller than they were, but it could yet happen.

 

You know that you're ticketed if you have a ticket number. This will be 13 digits long, all numerical. Cruise line-booked air travel often doesn't ticket your flights until just a few weeks before travel, because that's basically the time when the the cruise line has to pay the airline for the air travel.

Thanks

[latebloomer56]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Sounds like you have two separate tickets for ATH-JFK-BOS.  If so, I hope you are aware of the inherent pitfalls of such an approach.  You won't be able to through check luggage, you will need a completely new check-in for the second flight, and if you have an issue with ATH-JFK, you will be a no-show for JFK-BOS, without any protection.

 

Caveat emptor.

 

 

I'm asking TA for a change with the return flight. Heard we should be ok with our flight out.

Thanjs

[NMTraveller]

On 2/22/2023 at 8:57 PM, Hlitner said:

I admit to being an airline amateur compared to many on this blog.  But, for several years, I have argued that US airlines think of their schedules as advisory and not real. 

This is what they refer to as "unfair scheduling".  This is the practice of airlines scheduling flights that they know they will not be able to fulfill.  I believe that the government is looking into this practice.

[Z'Loth]

I just checked the fare for my flight in January, 2023, and the base fare has increased from $396 when I booked to $522. Is that a indication that my flights are safe? 

[CruiserBruce]

50 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

I just checked the fare for my flight in January, 2023, and the base fare has increased from $396 when I booked to $522. Is that a indication that my flights are safe? 

Nope, doesn't indicate anything at all, except perhaps there is demand for your flight. Flights could be cancelled, or more likely, have schedule changes, for a variety of reasons, sold out or not.

[Z'Loth]

18 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Nope, doesn't indicate anything at all, except perhaps there is demand for your flight. Flights could be cancelled, or more likely, have schedule changes, for a variety of reasons, sold out or not.

 

At least I have flexibility built into my schedule when flying from DFW to FLL and back. I'm flying in on a Friday afternoon for a Monday cruise departure, so unless they change my 12:20 PM to a 7:10 AM flight or 8:35 PM to make me cranky, I should be OK. I have less flexibility on my return trip as my 11:37 AM flight is the earliest that I can utilize, but later flights aren't that much of a problem.

 

Some travelers, however, wish they had my flexibility. 

[waterbug123]

The vast majority of the time, if you are booked well in advance and the airline subsequently cancels your flight, they will rebook at no additional charge on a different flight.  It is rare that they cannot do this, and usually the result of some greater issue beyond their control (an entire computer shutdown, massive weather system affecting a multitude of airports etc.)

 

But what most people don't realize is that you don't necessarily have to take the option the airline gives you.  Use this to your advantage!!

In many instances, a canceled flight is a great opportunity to adjust your travel plans to better suit you.  Research the current option to get you to your destination and find one that works for you.  Maybe you originally wanted a longer or shorter connection at a midway point, but booked elsewise because of the price.  Maybe you've since decided you'd actually like an extra day in Barcelona before that cruise; now's the chance to move your travel day up.   Best bet?  Research and find the option you want, if you don't like the revised option from the airline.  Then call them, and politely and pleasantly explain that your flights were changed due to a cancellation but the option they gave you isn't ideal.  Then present them with the flight(s) you'd like to be rebooked on.  They should be able to do this as long as there are seats available.  And yes, you may even be able to (slightly) adjust your travel dates or or possibly even your destination city without paying more, since the canceled flight was the airline's decision.

[NMTraveller]

This is starting to get old.  It now seems like American is changing my flight schedule almost every week for my vacation this summer.

[FlyerTalker]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

This is starting to get old.  It now seems like American is changing my flight schedule almost every week for my vacation this summer.

 

Guess you should just wait until the week before you fly -- then you won't have to worry about schedule changes.

 

Oh....forgot that part about wanting a low price.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Oh....forgot that part about wanting a low price.

 A lot of changes are done to improve on efficient use of airplanes, crew, landing slots and gates. But we don't want to improve efficiency either.

[NMTraveller]

11 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Guess you should just wait until the week before you fly -- then you won't have to worry about schedule changes.

 

 

I could purchase my tickets a week out,  but then they would change to hourly flight changes 🙂🙂🙂 

[NMTraveller]

19 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 A lot of changes are done to improve on efficient use of airplanes, crew, landing slots and gates. But we don't want to improve efficiency either.

These efficiency gains are somewhat lost by overloading the booking call centers with multi hour delays.  Every time my schedule changes I look and see if there is a better flight that I can switch to.  If so I call up the booking center to change and wait a couple of hours to get a live person.  If I could do this online that would be an efficiency.  But the booking system would not let me.

 

Perhaps changes for a flight once a month would be more reasonable and efficient vs changes once a week.