My son won't be able to fly Thursday due to getting the flu. Can we get our money back for the ticket?

As long as you cancel the ticket before the departure time, you will definitely be able to get some portion of the ticket as a credit towards a future flight at the very least. How much of that $500 will remain, though, depends on the ticket that was originally purchased -- if it was a non-refundable ticket, you could lose $150 or more in change fees when the new ticket is rebooked; however, the change fee could be less than that, or even zero if it was a refundable ticket. The only way to find out how much credit will remain will be to contact American directly.

When you do call them, you will also wish to inquire as to what the fare rules for your son's ticket say regarding illness. Many non-refundable tickets have provisions in the fare rules allowing the change fee to be waived in the case of illness, so long as a doctor presents a note stating that the passenger is unable to travel due to said illness. While it is not the same as a full refund, this is the best chance you have to retain all of the value of the ticket for future use (of up to one year from original purchase).

You should contact AA reservations at 1-800-433-7300 as soon as possible, and definitely before the scheduled departure time. (If you don't call before then, the ticket automatically cancels and all value is lost.) Explain to them the situation and see what your options are -- at this point, they're the only ones who can help you.

EDIT: Given that American does not allow name changes on its tickets, even with the payment of a fee, the advice that Rick gives to sell the ticket through a broker or via eBay/craigslist is extremely poor, because it's not a realistic way to get rid of a nonrefundable ticket.

It will depend on the tickets that were bought and if you have travel insurance or not.

If you have travel insurance you may be able to get full or partial credit or refund for the flight. If you do not have any travel insurance, if it depends on the ticket type. If it was a cheapo ticket that does not allow refunds or changes you won't get anything back.

If you bought the ticket go straight to the travel insurer (if you have it) or if not the airline. If you didn't buy the ticket contact the person who did to find out the details.

Hope you manage to get something back but doubtful :(. Hope your son gets better!

Nope.

Not unless you paid full fare, whats known as Y class and it's highly unlikely you did, especially if you bought them 3 weeks ago. Airlines don't make money giving refunds, if they did for you, can you imagine the carnage?

All that plus, that plane will have an empty seat they can't resell this close to the day of the flight. A full fare ticket cost is 3-5 times what you probably paid and when you spend that kind of money, they allow you to make changes with no charge. My advice would be eBay, Craigslist or a ticket broker.

I would contact AA reservations and explain your problem. It would help if you had a Doctors note that your son was seen. Good price to pay compared to 500 bucks..))

You will have a couple options after talking to them.

We are aware that this will be a problem for the near furture....make sure you log the time,date and the person you spoke to when calling..they will update your record/

Here's how to determine if your ticket is eligible for a refund or flight credit:

https://www.refunds.aa.com/

Note that you must cancel the flight; don't forget.

Nope, you will need to contact your insurance company. If you have no insurance, your stuffed.