Picture of the Week #8: LAX-SYD in Qantas First Class for $1200 r/t

• American will honor the fare level that was originally purchased with travel in Coach Class on the same itinerary.
• If the customer does not wish to do that, American will offer other deeply discounted fares in either First or Business Class. The First Class discount offered for travel from the U.S. to Australia, for example, is approximately 36 percent less than the normal fare mentioned above.
• If the customer does not wish to do either of the options above, American will provide the customer with a full refund of the original ticket price and proactively offer to reimburse the customer for any out-of-pocket expenses that they cannot recover themselves – including cancellation penalties and other expenses. The customer will have to provide proof that they cannot recover these expenses.
• No cancellation, change fees, or penalties will be charged to the customer by American Airlines.
• As a gesture of good will, American will also provide each customer with a $200 travel voucher good for future travel on American Airlines or American Eagle.

While I would like to have seen AA honor the fare in First Class and would likely have fought hard to make that happen if I had taken advantage of this deal, I am impressed that they came out almost immediately and dealt with the issue.

The resolution is not ideal, but at least those who got in on the deal should be able to get a $200 travel credit for each ticket they booked.

You can read Kralev's article on this topic here.

Note to self: check the MR forum and check it often!