Complaint Review: American Air

My husband has a ticket to fly on American Air today March 8, 2013 from DFW to ABQ on flight AA 1203. Due to fever and sinus problems not long after my husband's surgery, we called to cancel the outgoing flight as my husband cannot fly this sick and said we would still like to keep the return flight as I,the wife would drive my husband when better to the destination. WE ORIGINALLY PAID $220.

We were told we had to pay $275 to NOT fly the outgoing portion (a 150 dollar fee and extra 53 dollars plus the difference in purchase in a new one way ticket to  NOT fly the outgoing from DFW to ABQ.)That is egregious, mean spirited, insane and a deterrent to ever flying with American again though we have been loyal for years. Today we paid $120 for a one way with Southwest air for the return. We have flown with AA air alot and overseas since 1989. WHY SO INCREDIBLY MEAN?

We the fading stupid trusting middle class bailed American Air out and not once but 2x the company was stripped of its assets by your hog-in-the-trough corporate leaders. Now AA wants to drive away and hurt customers and your employees. I am happy to write NEWSPAPER articles of your wrong acts towards customers and enter this into the blogs. AA is a nefarious company and I  have  reported them to the FCC, Aviation protection and other agencies and representatives as well. Signed, the wife, and also unless resolved former customer. 

I sent this note to AA corporate office and was on the phone 3 hours in all today to reach a complaint supervisor. All we wanted was to finish the return portion of the leg but we were told it is a change fee problem and no medical excuse. This is news to us but so what, if we do not take the outbound portion of the flight, it still should leave the return portion of the flight. NOTE: though the ticket, as is usual now, is paperless,  no where in the fine print does it state the denial of the return flight if the outbound is cancelled due to medical or does it state unusual and outrageous fees.

Out of the many many flight we have taken, a couple of years ago we cancelled an American ticket due to illness and no fees were forthcoming.I may take them to small claims court since it violates general law regarding health in flight guidelines for flying with sinus infections by governing agencies. Note too, it is less expensive for them to NOT take a passenger out on the first leg.Is American Airlines officially in receivership?  If so I want to know and to whom to send this complaint to. NEFARIOUS HORRIBLE INSANE SOON TO TANK YET AGAIN AMERICAN AIRLINE Can you protect us, the public from the horrible acts and policies of American Air?