Frequent flier gets miles back
On Dec. 21, 1998, I used frequent flier miles toward purchasing two tickets on American Airlines for a flight from Tampa to Frankfurt, Germany, on March 21, returning April 11. Three days before departure, I had emergency surgery to repair a leaking aorta aneurysm, and my wife phoned and canceled the reservations. She was told by the reservationist that the tickets would be valid for one year for use only from Oct. 15, 1999, to May 15, 2000. The reservationist never mentioned the date of issuance as being the cutoff date for using the tickets.