Can i claim back fees forced to pay for missed connecting flight in 2022

daniel-2412

I was wondering if anyone can help please, in 2022 we went on a trip to America, (which i had won!) we went to Florida in august 2022. unfortunately when it was time to return, there was bad weather and by the time the flight got in we had missed the interconnecting flight. we as others were then waiting in Chicago. i am disabled with spinal nerve issues and there is also a child with ADHD and Autism in our group. i went to speak to the lady at the desk to get information on our flight now and was told that the seats had all been reallocated and none of us were now sitting together. I explained that we had already made American airlines aware of our disabilities and that as half our group had disabilities they knew we needed to be sitting together. The lady told me there was nothing she could do and that if we now wanted to sit together that we would have to pay to do so. Seeing as we had no option as an autistic child would not get on a plane and sit alone next to a stranger and that i needed to have help for my disabilities. we paid $490 to sit in two rows Infront of each other two in each so we were at least as close together as we could be. i have read on here before that you may be able to reclaim for delays or cancelations etc. when we got to Chicago they actually kept us on the tarmac for an hour as we had missed our slot and this along with the weather was why we missed the connecting flight. i hope this is enough information for someone to tell us our rights etc. i know its now nearly two years later but had no idea you might be able to claim this back. I'm assuming this would also be covered under the equality act of 2010?. please understand, we are grateful for winning the trip i would never be able to afford to go otherwise as i solely am on benefits due to disability and the holiday was amazing, but i had to go into debt to pay for this seating. if i hadn't asked we would never have known and probably not been able to get on the flight. thank you all so much for any help and guidance it is appreciated.

eskbanker

daniel-2412 said:

i have read on here before that you may be able to reclaim for delays or cancelations etc. 

[...]

I'm assuming this would also be covered under the equality act of 2010?

Any rights you have will be those granted under American legislation, so neither the UK Equality Act nor the UK/EU flight delay/cancellation regulations will apply to internal US flights on a US airline.

Voyager2002

Which airline were you using?

Even under UK and EU law (which would apply if you were using an airline based in Europe) there is no compensation for delays caused by weather or similar.

Westin

Voyager2002 said:

Which airline were you using?

Even under UK and EU law (which would apply if you were using an airline based in Europe) there is no compensation for delays caused by weather or similar.

OP indicates American Airlines.

daniel-2412

it was american airlines

eskbanker

daniel-2412 said:

i went to speak to the lady at the desk to get information on our flight now and was told that the seats had all been reallocated and none of us were now sitting together. I explained that we had already made American airlines aware of our disabilities and that as half our group had disabilities they knew we needed to be sitting together. The lady told me there was nothing she could do and that if we now wanted to sit together that we would have to pay to do so. Seeing as we had no option as an autistic child would not get on a plane and sit alone next to a stranger and that i needed to have help for my disabilities. we paid $490 to sit in two rows Infront of each other two in each so we were at least as close together as we could be.

If you were told that you were unable to sit together unless you paid to do so, despite having made the airline aware of disabilities, then it would probably have been worth contacting their special assistance team, preferably at the time, or failing that, on arrival home.

They may be less sympathetic two years later (it'll obviously be harder to discuss the matter with the staff concerned) but no harm in trying:

Contact the American Airlines Disability Team

Call us if you had a special-assistance issue on a previous trip

800-892-3624

https://www.americanairlines.co.uk/i18n/customer-service/contact-american/special-assistance.jsp

Perhaps worth familiarising yourself with the relevant US legislation first (and letting AA know you're aware of it):

 Air Carrier Access Act

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) is a law that makes it illegal for airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability. The Department of Transportation is responsible for enforcing the ACAA, which applies to all flights to, from, or within the United States.

To get a copy of the ACAA regulations (Part 382), you can:

• Call the hotline for air travelers with disabilities at 800-778-4838 or 800-455-9880 (TTY)
• Call the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 202-366-2220 or 202-366-0511 (TTY)
• Write to the:
  Office of Aviation Consumer Protection
  1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
  Washington, DC 20590
  United States
  
• Visit the Aviation Consumer Protection Division website

Aviation Consumer Protection Division Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

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Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights

This Bill of Rights describes the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act and its implementing regulation, 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 382.

Read the Bill of Rights Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines.

https://www.americanairlines.co.uk/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/special-assistance.jsp#aircarrierassistanceact

daniel-2412

thank you all for your help