American Airlines canceled flight compensation

If you’re reading this right now, you probably feel like your vacation has been ruined.

Don't worry—it doesn't have to be all that bad. Cancelations happen, you just need to deal with them productively.

For many people, traveling is the only way to spend a vacation. For some, it’s a chore. They have to put up with it because of work, family, and so on, but they’d much rather stay at home.

It's difficult to say which of the two types of people dislike flight cancelations or delays more. Is it worse to cancel or delay something you're looking forward to, or to delay something unpleasant you know you'll have to do eventually?

No matter your attitude to travel, you're bound to get more than a little annoyed with cancelations and delays. You may roll with it, or you might decide to ask for a refund. If you feel like you deserve compensation for the long hours spent at the airport, the devastation of your plans, or just your bad mood, here’s what you need to know.

How to get a refund for a canceled/delayed flight with American Airlines

You can get refunded if the plane arrives at your destination three or more hours too late, or if the flight has been canceled with less than 14 days' prior notice. This is not set in stone, though — there are always conditions such as bad weather, which can't be influenced by the airline. In those cases, the airline is not liable for the delay of the flight, and it is not obliged to reimburse you.

If there are grounds for asking for compensation, this is what you’ll need to do.

Find airline agents at the airport. Make sure you know exactly what your rights are in that particular case, and ask about the procedure for filing your claim.

Carefully collect all the necessary info — your flight details, the check-in details, and so on — and take it to the claims department of American Airlines. They might still refuse to give you a refund. They are not required to do so by the law, and they’ll likely try to offer to rebook you on the next flight to your destination with available seats. If a later flight is an unacceptable option for you because the delay of cancelation has caused irreparable damage to your plans or opportunities, you can take the matter to small claims court.

Of course, this is an entirely dull and unpleasant process. If you want to go through it by yourself, be ready for difficulties at every step – the airline will not gladly compensate for your discomfort.

How to get reimbursed for a canceled/delayed flight with DoNotPay

Find out just how simple it is to get compensated for delayed or canceled flights.

If you’d prefer to avoid all the hassle, there’s a much easier way to go about it. DoNotPay can do a good portion of work for you, and save you a lot of time and effort. The only thing you have to do is have a quick chat with the chatbot, and you’re done.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the app in your browser.
2. Choose "Customer Service Issues."
3. Write "American Airlines."
4. Choose "Fight the issue for me."
5. Answer a few quick questions about your flight and put in the desired sum of reimbursement.
6. Submit your email address.

It takes you a few minutes, and you're free as a bird, while the app fights your battle. It will provide feedback in 48 hours, and you'll know whether the claim was successful.

As said before, airlines won’t look forward to compensating their passengers, even if the delay or cancellation is entirely their fault. Your claim could be rejected anyway.

If that’s the case, DoNotPay can help you send demand letters to the company in a small claims court. The app will do all the legwork for you. With little to no effort and time spent on the problem, you’ll have a detailed demand letter and all the necessary documentation, which you can use to present your case.

About American Airlines

American Airlines started almost 100 years ago — on April 15, 1926. In the beginning, they only worked as mail-carriers, and later they developed into what we know them as today. In 2013, the American Airlines Group was formed by combining AMR Corporation and U.S. Airways Group. In 2015, they flew for the first time with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and in 2019, their last MD-80 aircraft retired after long 36 years of service.

• Headquarters: 1 Skyview Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76155
• Bases:

1. LaGuardia Airport
2. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
3. Los Angeles International Airport
4. O'Hare International Airport
5. Philadelphia International Airport
6. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
7. Charlotte Douglas International Airport
8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
9. John F. Kennedy International Airport
10. Miami International Airport

• Fleet Size: 945 in service, 229 on order
• Average Fleet Age: 11.1 years

American Airlines compensation policy for overbooked flights

Overbooked flights are a relatively common phenomenon with virtually every airline. The airlines sometimes sell the same seat twice to capitalize on the no-shows. While this practice is undoubtedly morally debatable, it's not prohibited by the law, so you should be prepared to face this issue should it arise.

The airline will probably ask you nicely to give up your seat. They'll compensate for that in some way. They can reduce the price of the ticket, or they could offer any other kind of compensation. If that is worth it to you more than getting to your destination in time, you'll probably accept it.

Word of caution here: before you accept a later flight, ask for details. If they have a later flight that’s not fully booked, it’s okay — you'll wait for some time and then go on your way. If they offer to put you on standby for a fully booked flight, you might be in for a very long wait.

They should also offer free food and drinks, as well as an opportunity to make phone calls free of charge. Otherwise, you’d probably need to spend extra money while you wait for the next flight.

If you don’t want to wait for the next flight, the airline can still force you to do so. In that case, they have an obligation to provide you with a written statement outlining your rights, and they have to compensate you for your troubles.

There’s a catch, though — you mustn’t be late for the check-in, or you won’t qualify for reimbursement.

If you miss a connecting flight because you were bumped on your first one, it requires additional compensation. In essence, they need to make every effort to get you to your destination in as little time as possible. American Airlines will generally offer to reroute you to your final destination if that's possible. Alternatively, they will try to rebook your flight for a later date or compensate for your ticket and give you a return ticket in case you're at the second airport, and you've missed your connecting flight already.

American Airlines compensation policy for canceled flights

If your flight was canceled and you were not notified at least two weeks in advance, you are entitled to compensation.

The company’s first attempt at solving the issue is always to put you on the next flight to your destination. If you need to catch a connecting flight and you’re about to miss it, American Airlines should offer to find you a place to stay overnight, provided you can’t reach your final destination by 11:59 pm.

If the cancelation was caused by factors over which the airline has no control, they won’t arrange a place to stay for you, but they should provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation.

If you don’t want to wait for the next flight, though, you can ask for a refund for your ticket.

American Airlines compensation policy for delays

If the plane is delayed, American Airlines will go through every effort to make you comfortable while you wait. They will provide food, drinks, bathroom, and basic medical assistance, if need be.

If your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late, you are entitled to delay compensation or a refund for your ticket.

American Airlines codeshare partners

American Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:

1. Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
2. Iberia
3. Fiji Airways
4. Etihad Airways
5. Finnair
6. China Southern Airlines
7. Royal Jordanian Airlines
8. Malaysia Airlines
9. SriLankan Airlines
10. Qatar Airways
11. Hawaiian Airlines
12. Qantas
13. Seaborne Virgin Islands
14. S7 Airlines
15. Cape Air
16. Cathay Pacific
17. Japan Airlines
18. LATAM Airlines
19. Air Tahiti Nui
20. Interjet
21. British Airways

American Airlines flight destinations

American Airlines flies to over 150 domestic and international destinations.

How to get in touch with American Airlines customer service with DoNotPay?

If you need to get in touch with American Airlines customer service, you can use DoNotPay to make it easier.

If you feel more comfortable talking to a customer service rep over the phone, you can use the app to get through the troublesome phone queues. All you need to do is access the app from your browser, choose American Airlines, confirm the call, and continue with your life.

The app continues to work somewhere in the background and notifies you once your call has gone through. Using DoNotPay helps you save a lot of time, and be much more productive without having to wait for hours for someone to answer your call.

Other ways to reach American Airlines customer service

If you’d prefer to do things in a more traditional way, you can always contact America Airlines through regular customer service, their website, or social media.

Here is the basic contact info:

• Official website: American Airlines
• Customer service number: 800-433-7300
• Social media: American Airlines are on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. In general, they’re the most responsive to twitter.

If you opt for this route, make sure you keep a cool head, and arm yourself with tons of patience — you’re going to need it.

DoNotPay can do other stuff too!

Getting your flight compensation is not the only thing DoNotPay can do. Let us help you with your other concerns, such as:

• Contesting traffic tickets
• Preventing free trials from billing you by giving you a virtual credit card
• Making DMV appointments quickly
• Suing any company or person in small claims court
• Canceling any service or subscription
• Contacting support at any company without waiting on hold
• Appealing speeding tickets
• Challenging parking tickets

Using the app makes everything much more convenient, so don't hesitate to try it out!

Final thoughts

Cancelations and delays are uncomfortable and annoying, but they sometimes happen. If you're flying at the peak of the season, these issues are more common. If you want to ask for a refund or compensation, you can do it — and with DoNotPay, it’s no hassle at all!