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American Airlines changes Erica Remer’s flight without telling her. Now she’s trying to get a refund for the original ticket. Why won’t the airline help her?

Q: I booked a flight from Lisbon to Cleveland on American Airlines that was supposed to arrive around 5 p.m. The airline first changed the arrival time to 5:20 p.m., which I was fine with.

But then they changed it again to 9:22 p.m. My husband only discovered this change a week before my trip. I never got an email notifying me of the change.

This late arrival completely threw off my plans, so I had to book a new flight on United Airlines, which cost me an extra $900.

When I called American Airlines, an agent made it seem like getting a refund would be no problem, so I submitted a request through their online form. To my dismay, American Airlines rejected my refund request and only offered me a flight credit that expires in a year.

Given that I had to buy a whole new ticket because of their unannounced schedule change, is there any way I can get a full refund from American Airlines? — Erica Remer, Beachwood, Ohio

A: You should have received a clear and timely notification about your flight change. According to American Airlines’ conditions of carriage, the legal agreement between you and the airline, you’re entitled to a full refund if the carrier reschedules your flight by more than four hours.

The airline should have notified you of the schedule change before your departure. While they notified you of the first, minor change, the lack of communication about the second, more drastic change, is unacceptable.

When you contacted American Airlines to address the issue, the agent should have sent you a written confirmation of your refund eligibility. Instead, you received a verbal assurance — followed by a written denial.

While nonrefundable airline tickets generally don’t qualify for cash refunds, significant schedule changes, especially those involving international flights, often warrant exceptions. The Department of Transportation (DOT) mandates airlines to issue refunds for “significant” delays. Under its new consumer protections adopted last year, that’s defined as any change exceeding six hours from the original departure or arrival times. But this doesn’t apply to cancelled flights, and a look at your itinerary suggests American cancelled your flight and rebooked you on a different one. For a cancelled flight, you always have the option of a full refund.

The bottom line: American Airlines can’t keep your money and offer you an expiring flight credit. A brief, polite email to one of the American Airlines executives I list on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org, may have helped you get what you deserved. After reviewing your correspondence, I noticed that it looks like you were stuck talking to an AI bot.

I contacted American Airlines on your behalf. The airline reviewed your case and issued a full refund of your original flight to your credit card, which you requested. It was too bad that it took my team’s intervention to achieve this outcome. If you’re ever in this situation again, remember to cite the airline’s contract of carriage and DOT rules to get what you deserve.