AMERICAN AIRLINES RESPONDS:

We regret that we may have to change our equipment at the last minute for operational reasons. On this occasion, owing to unforeseeable circumstances, we were unable to offer the retrofitted B767 aircraft. To ensure a timely departure of our flight, we substituted the aircraft with a non-retrofitted B767.

Our check-in team at Manchester offered to change the passenger’s seat back to the main cabin, which would have allowed him to receive a full refund of what he had paid for the upgrade. The passenger declined, and decided to fly in the business class cabin from Manchester to Chicago.

We apologise for the inconvenience this caused the passenger. As a gesture of goodwill, our customer relations team compensated Mr Ali with 7,500 miles. We look forward to welcoming him again on an American Airlines flight.