American Airlines children surcharge???

[pinkerbell]

I'll address this one first, since it is the shortest answer.

The airline doesn't charge for baggage based on age; the OP's title is misleading, and your response reinforces that point. However, if the airline felt the luggage of a segment of the population was more difficult to handle, then they could likely charge for that. However, I doubt simply charging based on age would be defensible in court. In the end, good point, the airlines don't charge based on age of the passenger.

Semantics do matter, especially when a DISer attempts to find the same information using the board's search function. Poor titling leads to several problems such as passing misinformation and preventing others from gleaming good info from a discussion. I'm sorry you don't care, but it does matter.

I'm sorry you felt the need to try and belittle my credibility and knowledge in travel in order to elevate your position, even though there are no reinforcing facts to back up your claims other than "that's how others do it". I am no expert in travel, by any means; however, when I have a question, I know where to get the information. So, let us see what the airlines themselves say instead of how you feel they should operate...





So, instead of railing on it, let's see what the airline actually says about it, shall we?


https://www.aa.com/i18n/customerService/customerCommitment/conditionsOfCarriage.jsp#AcceptChild

Above, I've emboldened the definition of an accompanied and unaccompanied minor. Ok, so the big question is; what ages are your children? As you will see, airlines have different rules on this. For AA, a minor of less than 12 years old may be accompanied by a person 16 years old or more. Otherwise, a special fee (unaccompanied minor) applies.

If the age of the passenger is 12 or less, then a passenger age 16 or more must be on the same itinerary (PNR) to book the ticket online, since the computer has no way of knowing the intricacies you propose. That is why the computer asks you to call a service rep for ticketing. Fair enough?

Now, lets look at "other airlines". I'm not sure who you've flown before (since you used the plural of this word), but lets have a look at Southwest (WN)...


http://www.southwest.com/assets/pdfs/corporate-commitments/contract-of-carriage.pdf

So, it seems WN believes a minor to be a person under the age of 12 (not 16 like AA).

I just did a dummy booking on WN's website, and there is a disclaimer at the bottom that reads:

Plus, WN online booking system considers ages 2+ as an adult, thus it is likely you may have been able to book online for your children, while you can not on AA's site.

As a final data point, let's see what United (UA) thinks about all of this...


http://www.united.com/web/format/pdf/Contract_of_Carriage.pdf

So, United requires someone under the age of 12 to be accompanied by an adult (18+ years old). As such, it is highly unlikely their online booking engine would permit ticketing a minor on their own PNR, and probably requires a call to the ticketing agents to book the flight, as well.

As a data point, this weekend, we booked our flights to Anaheim. I book DW and DD at separate times using Skymiles, and the system would not let me book our daughter online. I had to call a ticketing agent to complete the transaction and get the PNRs linked, thus avoiding the unaccompanied minor fee. So, I guess I do have a little bit of experience with this, but I knew what was happening due to reading the CoC.

It isn't people getting in the way, it is actually the automation. Computers are unable to think and make the sort of intricate judgement calls you require for your travel. As you stated in the first paragraph, people were able to override the system, link the PNRs, and also make changes for irregular operations (irrops) to ensure your family is together.

As for the perceived complication of the system, yes, it does need to be this way. The airline's reservation system is geared to make booking adjustments automatically and in real time to ensure people are able to reach their destination on day of travel. To that end, the system uses the PNRs to recognize and accomplish this action. What you consider to be a hindrance is actually safeguards to ensure the safety and security of minors during travel.

The legacy airlines have sophisticated frequent flier programs, as well as a much larger network than low-cost domestic airlines (like WN, B6 (JetBlue), and Spirit). They need to make flight changes due to weather in Japan and aircraft breakdowns in Dallas. It works very well, and to question the validity of it without respecting the intricacies of the requirements is a bit foolhardy and naive.

People do make it possible, but maybe your request is a significantly more complicated than you are aware and/or others have taken a course of action that may have been less safe for your family. In the end, I encourage you to fly with an airline that meets your expectations. If that is WN, then please stick with them. You vote with your dollars, and if you decide to pay more for an airline you are comfortable with, then that says a lot to the others.

To summarize...

The system works, and works well, given the shear number of changes that occur daily to flight schedules. Airlines have rules to protect themselves and their customers from actions, which likely occurred many times previously.

Just because an action appears to be simple and straightforward within a micro-view, there are other actions that could and would cause great pain allowed to move forward. The online booking engine has certain fail-safe actions built in to prevent the traveling public from harming themselves.

It is paramount for you to read the Contract of Carriage and Terms & Conditions before ranting on a public thread. The answers are available, easy to access, and provide a clear understanding of what the rules are. If you choose not to review the rules, then that is your prerogative, but then there is no basis for complaint.

Finally, please don't passively insult my abilities just because they disagree with your statements and point of you. If your only argument is to belittle me with no idea what my knowledge or experience is, then you may end up looking more foolish.

I wish you luck in your endeavors to get your family to WDW!

I didnt realize courtesy was insulting? That was way to much time spent on something that the following poster summs up very nicely.

Fwiw on United, Alaska, and Southwest I have been able to book my son separately online, then call to link him to me. Oh, Virgin America too. that's where the difference seems to lie. On U or A they had a spot that asked if he was unaccompanied, and by indicating no I was able to move forward. We often book with a combo of miles and cash and different flights, so I find it convenient that they recognize this. Seems American doesn't, or the OP missed the places to indicate this, or maybe having her flight booked through a work TA is the game changer.

unfortunatley, there is no option to opt out online, (I booked the return myself) the ressie must be made with their phone reservations system and depending on who you get the option may or not be given to waive this fee. I feel this is very important for travelers to know. If I didnt already have certian commitments for grounf transportation, etc through work, I would have moved on for sure

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I didnt realize courtesy was insulting? That was way to much time spent on something that the following poster summs up very nicely.







unfortunatley, there is no option to opt out online, (I booked the return myself) the ressie must be made with their phone reservations system and depending on who you get the option may or not be given to waive this fee. I feel this is very important for travelers to know. If I didnt already have certian commitments for grounf transportation, etc through work, I would have moved on for sure

In the past, you could book a child on AA by simply booking an adult fare for the child. You could then call, add the child's FF # and link the reservation to the reservation for the adult. Because the ticket was booked online, AA would not charge a fee for adding the FF# and linking the reservation by phone.

With the Secure Traveller initiative requiring the birthdate of each traveller at booking, this easy work around is no longer possible on AA. It may not be doable on other airlines either.

With AA, one option may be to take the reservation as far as you can online. In the OP's case, put Mom's ticket on hold, put Dad's ticket on hold, then go as far as you can in booking the kid's ticket until you get an error message. Then call Web Services. Web Services may be able to complete the transaction for the kids and both parents. Web Services does not charge the telephone ticketing fee.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

 

[pinkerbell]

In the past, you could book a child on AA by simply booking an adult fare for the child. You could then call, add the child's FF # and link the reservation to the reservation for the adult. Because the ticket was booked online, AA would not charge a fee for adding the FF# and linking the reservation by phone.

With the Secure Traveller initiative requiring the birthdate of each traveller at booking, this easy work around is no longer possible on AA. It may not be doable on other airlines either.

With AA, one option may be to take the reservation as far as you can online. In the OP's case, put Mom's ticket on hold, put Dad's ticket on hold, then go as far as you can in booking the kid's ticket until you get an error message. Then call Web Services. Web Services may be able to complete the transaction for the kids and both parents. Web Services does not charge the telephone ticketing fee.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

Thanks for the tip. This is a destination my Co flys us to occasioanly and this may be a much better approach.