What’s American Airlines Irregular Operations Policy?

American Airlines Irregular Operations (also known as Schedule Irregularities or simply shortened to IRROP) is a delay or cancellation to your flight prior to departure.

However, these are specifically unforeseen issues that happen to an airlines schedule (be it an issue with a plane i.e. mechanical issue or external factors such as weather) and is completely out of the airline’s control.

Read More About Irregular Operations

What do the Policies say?

Defining what an American Airlines Irregular Operations is…

This is important as your rights commence (aside from statutory rights) commence from when the airline policy deems it to be an IRROP.

American Airlines defines an IRROP as a delay or cancellation to a flight schedule up to 72 hours prior to the scheduled departure. As such, anything outside this window would be classed as a schedule change which have their own rules.

Re-booking Rights

• Policy state that on domestic and international travel, passengers may “change continuing or return travel dates to maintain the original length of stay prior to the accommodation”.
• If you are booked on an American Airlines (not American Eagle) flight, you may book the first available flight or one up to 7 days after the originally scheduled flight time.
• If you are booked on a Codeshare Flight with British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines or Finnair you may book 1 day prior or the first available day after the originally scheduled flight time.

Above rules changes slightly if you are booked in either First, Business, Premium Economy or a fare basis considered an ‘Up Fare’

300-mile Rule

If you wish to use the 300 Mile Rule – In short, you may rebook up to 2 hours prior to the departure time to/from any city within an approximate 300-mile radius of the origin/destination

Note: you are responsible for any incurred expenses if they elect to change with a 300-mile radius as American Airlines does not compensate for this type of change

Trips in Vain

If you are flown to an intermediate point, through a stop point or land in a diversion city due to an irregular operation, which may not get you to your final destination, you may choose to discontinue your journey and return back to their origination city.

Examples:

• Customer is flown to their connection point; the connection flight is subsequently cancelled
• Diverted to another city; flight cancelled or delayed

Note: Trip in Vain’s can provide you the option of returning to your origination point and seek a potential refund

Refund Policies

A non-refundable or refundable with cancellation fee ticketed fare may be eligible for refund if:

Delays

• There is delay causing an invalid or missed connection for onward travel
• The flight is delayed 90+ minutes
• If the flight is delayed 0 to 89 minutes non-refundable fares are not refundable and those that are may do so minus the cancellation fee.

Cancellations

• If a customer’s American or codeshare flight has been cancelled due to a schedule irregularity and no other alternate flights are acceptable tickets can be refunded.
• If the ticket has been reissued the ticket can still be refunded so long as long as the delay was 90 mins or greater and/or the flight was cancelled on the original schedule irregularity.

Relevant Policy Documents