Exchange 15,000 bonus miles for 10,000 EQMs for IROPS?

Just thought I'd see what you all think about this. I know EQMs are a touchy subject, so please be nice and remember that we're all friends here!

AA 945 DFW-SCL 7 Dec 9:45pm scheduled departure was delayed for one reason by 1.5 hours-ish and then for another reason for another 2-hours-ish, then the plane was taken out of service and other equipment was not available until the next day. They gave us vouchers for either the Grand Hyatt DFW or some other hotel off-site (obviously I scored the Grand Hyatt), a $7 food voucher, which is a bit pithy but more than nothing, and told us to be back at 8am the next morning for 9am departure. Flight delayed until 11:45am for yet another reason, but we took off and arrived safely with an outstanding crew (hard to find on that route).

The day after the flight an email arrived apologizing for the flight delay and telling us that 15,000 bonus miles had been deposited to our accounts. Overall, AA did everything they had to do for us, and I really wasn't all that put out, but I wrote to CS and asked, very nicely, if they would consider converting the 15,000 bonus miles to 10,000 EQMs, since that's what I'm short to hit EXP. No response yet. If it doesn't happen I won't be crushed, but you can't get something if you don't ask for it, right?

What do you think they'll do?

 

I think you'll get a nice refusal, with verbiage about how many AA elites go on mileage runs in order to maintain their status.

 

I'd do a mileage run (and have many times in the past when I lived in the US), but the only flights out of my home airport on AA are SCL-DFW or SCL-MIA, and they take too much time and fares aren't good. Definitely good mileage, but not the stuff of mileage runs.

I'll keep my fingers crossed until I hear back from them. I'm anticipating the "no," unfortunately.

 

Best of luck on the request, as you said, it doesn't hurt to ask.

That being said, I've never seen AA give out EQM as an apology for poor service/issues, and to be honest, I hope they don't. If folks thought the complaining at UA was bad when they were handing out vouchers for broken reading lights, just wait till people find out AA is giving out EQM for flight delays.

 

That was exactly what I thought, DD, when I made the request. While being so close to EXP without being able to make it is painful, it would also cheapen EQMs, and I fight hard for mine. That said, as Plat and having had a 1 for 7 success rate on domestic upgrades in November and December, and 0 for 4 for international upgrades in the same timeframe, I'd do almost whatever it takes to get to EXP - the benefits of Plat just don't present themselves now that the elite ranks are so swollen. Therein lies my motivation to try for EQMs any way I can!

 

And if they do, somehow, some way, see it in their hearts to grant my request, you'll never hear it from me!

 

With double elite mile credits at the moment, I can't imagine it not being worth a mileage run. The SWU's alone are worth the cost of your mileage run many times over.

 

It's the time that's tough. Book a Friday night departure-Sat AM arrival, Sat PM departure-Sun AM arrival for either destination and check the fares - currently $2868 before tax. That's out of my reach. I would LOVE to spend my weekend on a mileage run and in the ACs, but for $3k I can't. I think that comes to around $5 per EQM earned, which is usually not a good deal for a mileage run, but for EXP I'd do it.

Any sponsors for my flights on 28-29 Dec?????

 

Too bad LAN earns at 25% for low fares within south america.

 

It was a special case, of course, but they did give us add'l EQM on OWMD1 when we were delayed out of SEA

 

I'm not sure "special case" even begins to describe that. They were just looking for a reason to hand out EQM

 

I was going to say that I'd never heard of AA giving out EQM at all, but I see above that they did for OWMD1. It's certainly not something they do as a matter of course.

 

It's still pretty much still "never." They don't so this, they won't do this. MedaDo is so clearly an outlying example, it doesn't inform the OPs chances at all-- wont happen.

 

I suspect that if the flight hadn't been delayed, they'd have found some other reason to give out that 10K EQM. OWMD doesn't even fit in to the comparison group of AA compensating for service and delays.

 

That certainly matches what I thought.

It also seems to me that AA doesn't go in for creative compensation. E.g., they'll do a full or partial refund of miles used for an award, and will award RDM, and reimburse for incidental expenses, but so far as I know nothing out of the ordinary.