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American Airlines grrrrrrrr (1 Viewer)

Galileo

Galileo

Footballguy
I just got an email notification that American has changed my travel plans for a trip I have planned for September.  They have changed my flight which puts me on a different type of plane, which screws up my seat selection, and gets me to my destination 3 hours later than originally planned.   WTF?   :hot:

 
Lufthansa just threw us a curve last month as well.  Our return flight in September was supposed to have 3 hour lay over in Dallas with the initial flight leaving early in the am.  Then they send us an e-mail out of the blue that they are putting us on a non-stop departing at 8:30pm.

 
Last time (and the last time) I flew American, they did the same thing, screwing up a carefully considered and short vacation- morning flight changed to evevning....and moved all of us to separate seats. So my then 3 and 7yos we're sitting by themselves. Wouldn't do anything about it ahead of time because the new flight was full. Also didn't do anything about  it at the gate, because... the flight was full. Wtf  We had to ask fellow passengers (which shouldn't  be such a big deal...but given  the insanity people show on flights wasn't something we felt we should have to do) once on board to switch seats. First person was very considerate, but it was pulling angry bear teeth to get the person next to our freaked out 7yo to shift like for like seats. Not one American airline staff member helped at all, and of course wanted money to allow us to preboard with our kids. #### them.

 
I have friends that swear by American and my experience with them is meh like all the other airlines I fly on.  Expect the worst, but hope for the best.

 
We always fly American and generally have good results with them but yeah, when you book well in advance they have a habit of changing flights if they don't fill the plane by a certain date. Not sure if other airlines do the same thing.

 
El Floppo said:
screwing up a carefully considered and short vacation
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This.  Instead of arriving at my destination at 7:30 PM, I will not arrive until about 10:30 effectively washing out that evening.  I have had flights change by a few minutes before, but near as I can tell, it looks like they completely eliminated the flight I booked and put us on the later flight.

 
Generally have had good experience with AA. But The plane switch happens maybe once a year.  You need to watch the reservation - especially if it is made several months out. Automatic notifications don’t always work. Delta sucks for me - will never fly them again. But regardless of airline if there is a meeting or commitment I can’t miss, I fly out the day before.  Continental was excellent but United ruined them.

 
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Phil Elliott said:
Generally have had good experience with AA. Delta sucks for me. But regardless of airline if there is a meeting or commitment I can’t miss, I fly out the day before.  Continental was excellent but United tuined them.
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Yeah I'm the opposite.  Delta has been by far the best airline for me with AA the worst.  Funny how things work for different people.

 
Got a text from American the day I was flying back home that my flight was going to be delayed an hour.  No big deal, thanks for the heads up, much appreciated.  Took my time at my meeting, headed to the harrrrrrrport, turned in my rental and guess what?  That flight was NOT delayed one hour.  :hot:

Had to do my best begging and pleading to get a boarding pass, then reenact OJ hurdling seats to make my flight.  Made it by a cunny hair, but my lord, that wasn't necessary at all.  Technology is great, but phantom texts saying the flight is delayed when it's not?  No thanks.

 
I've flown a lot over the years with a lot of airlines... they're all pretty much the same. All have their share of dhole employees, bad customer service reps and dumb policies.  Generally speaking if you stick with one airline they treat you better, but usually not quite as good as people feel they're entitled to. 

 
General Malaise said:
Got a text from American the day I was flying back home that my flight was going to be delayed an hour.  No big deal, thanks for the heads up, much appreciated.  Took my time at my meeting, headed to the harrrrrrrport, turned in my rental and guess what?  That flight was NOT delayed one hour.  :hot:

Had to do my best begging and pleading to get a boarding pass, then reenact OJ hurdling seats to make my flight.  Made it by a cunny hair, but my lord, that wasn't necessary at all.  Technology is great, but phantom texts saying the flight is delayed when it's not?  No thanks.
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OJ was known for something before that sports memorabilia heist? 

 
I try to avoid AA as much as possible.  Making people take stuff out of one bag and place it into another is just a joke.  If one weighs 48 and the other 51 doesn't seem logical that 2 suitcases under the total weight of the two is sufficient not to try to charge more?  (50lbs per suitcase)

 
General Malaise said:
Got a text from American the day I was flying back home that my flight was going to be delayed an hour.  No big deal, thanks for the heads up, much appreciated.  Took my time at my meeting, headed to the harrrrrrrport, turned in my rental and guess what?  That flight was NOT delayed one hour.  :hot:

Had to do my best begging and pleading to get a boarding pass, then reenact OJ hurdling seats to make my flight.  Made it by a cunny hair, but my lord, that wasn't necessary at all.  Technology is great, but phantom texts saying the flight is delayed when it's not?  No thanks.
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Had a similar thing happen to me, but I think it was on Delta.  Got false info through the app.  Fortunately, I was already at the airport since it happened during a layover.  I was able to easily check validity.

 
Wife was trying to cancel one of my twins tickets today since he is not able to travel.  600 dollar ticket was worth 175 voucher ... but the voucher was only for the 14-year-old.  WTF?  Oh, and had to be used by end of December.   I asked if I could just keep the seat and do some major man spreading?  

 
SHIZNITTTT said:
Wife was trying to cancel one of my twins tickets today since he is not able to travel.  600 dollar ticket was worth 175 voucher ... but the voucher was only for the 14-year-old.  WTF?  Oh, and had to be used by end of December.   I asked if I could just keep the seat and do some major man spreading?  
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Hell no.  They're going to sell that seat again to some standby guy when your son fails to check in.

 
We had a 6am flight on Jet Blue and received an email saying our itinerary was changed. Our new flight was at 645pm. Cancelled and went with Southwest. Didn't want to lose what basically amounts to a fulls day vacation. 

 
I was booking a flight on aa.com today and pushed PAY only to be directed to a page that said error and try later.  They've been having major computer issues for the last couple of days.  Of course, when I checked back a couple hours later, the price was up ~$100 so I called to complain and they refunded me the increase.  

 
LAUNCH said:
I try to avoid AA as much as possible.  Making people take stuff out of one bag and place it into another is just a joke.  If one weighs 48 and the other 51 doesn't seem logical that 2 suitcases under the total weight of the two is sufficient not to try to charge more?  (50lbs per suitcase)
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I think they do that because of weight restrictions for the baggage crew. My family had a 52 pound bag once and the woman checking the bag didn't charge us for it, but did slap a 'overweight' sticker on it. She said they have to inform the baggage crew and said they can get a lot of heat if a bag is over and isn't tagged.

In your case, the person checking the luggage probably didn't care about the fee so much they were a rule follower. IE, probably didn't want to get the wrath of the baggage crew union if they don't tag an overweight bag, and probably thought they'd get in trouble for sticking a tag on the bag if it wasn't paid for. 

 
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LAUNCH said:
I try to avoid AA as much as possible.  Making people take stuff out of one bag and place it into another is just a joke.  If one weighs 48 and the other 51 doesn't seem logical that 2 suitcases under the total weight of the two is sufficient not to try to charge more?  (50lbs per suitcase)
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I think most airlines do this.  It's an OSHA issue.

 
Galileo said:
I just got an email notification that American has changed my travel plans for a trip I have planned for September.  They have changed my flight which puts me on a different type of plane, which screws up my seat selection, and gets me to my destination 3 hours later than originally planned.   WTF?   :hot:
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AA is turning over most of their fleet right now and mothballing MD80s and older 737s as they ingest all the USAirways A320s they had on order prior to the merge, among other moves mainly to reduce the seat pitch across coach.  

I'm pretty sure you would qualify for a free flight change or cancellation if the itinerary changed that much.  60 minutes is the FAA rule cited on flyer talk.  AA will usually honor a change request on as much as a 30 minute change and refund seat assignment fees.  

If you get a bad CSR, just HUCA.

 
Brony said:
I've flown a lot over the years with a lot of airlines... they're all pretty much the same. All have their share of dhole employees, bad customer service reps and dumb policies.  Generally speaking if you stick with one airline they treat you better, but usually not quite as good as people feel they're entitled to. 
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This.  They all suck, but suck less if you stick with one and get status.  And of course some issues are more airport issues than airline issues (says the guy who tries to avoid SFO in favor of OAK whenever possible).  But changing flights on you just sucks, I've never had that happen.

I fly just enough to not get status that makes a difference but still experience the crap.  Got my first "Passenger Bill of Rights" situation last month on a United flight where, after a 2 1/2 hour delay, we boarded a plane at O'Hare then sat on the tarmac for 2 hours.  All while telling people that, since we pulled 100' out of the gate, we had to stay in our seats.  They then had to pull back up to the gate and let us off for 30 minutes (and by this time all the bars were closed).  We got back on and waited another hour before finally taking off.  Good times.

I once had United lose my carry on luggage after insisting I check it as I boarded.  The overseas call center was happy to inform me that after 24 hours they could help me with some compensation.  Of course I was in Atlanta for about 16 hours total for an interview.  Men's Wearhouse made a lot of money off of me the next morning (and btw demonstrated incredible customer service).

My favorite, not airline specific, is the "everything is TSA Pre Check" line at some airports, which really means nothing is.

 
However bad AA is, United is worse.

I love that Southwest used to be the "budget" airline, and now it's the most fully featured and most comfortable.

 
Pipes said:
Yeah I'm the opposite.  Delta has been by far the best airline for me with AA the worst.  Funny how things work for different people.
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Yes, and US Airways management is not helping AA. 

 
Phil Elliott said:
Generally have had good experience with AA. But The plane switch happens maybe once a year.  You need to watch the reservation - especially if it is made several months out. Automatic notifications don’t always work. Delta sucks for me - will never fly them again. But regardless of airline if there is a meeting or commitment I can’t miss, I fly out the day before.  Continental was excellent but United ruined them.
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This thread made me check my reservation I made in May for a trip in September. Yep, all flights changed, leaving one hour earlier than I wanted and the connecting flight layover was over an hour, now 30 minutes. No text message, no email. Cue OJ running for my connecting flight.

 
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SFBayDuck said:
They all suck, but suck less if you stick with one and get status. 
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I have no allegiance to a particular airline.  I only fly once or twice a year, so I'm never achieving any kind of status.  I just choose the flight that gets me to where I want to go in a reasonably economical way and as directly and time efficient as possible.  I am willing to pay up a little more for a direct flight.  This is why I am scheduled on American.  It was the only direct flight I could find and the time was right in my wheelhouse...was being the operative word.

 
FBG26 said:
I think they do that because of weight restrictions for the baggage crew. My family had a 52 pound bag once and the woman checking the bag didn't charge us for it, but did slap a 'overweight' sticker on it. She said they have to inform the baggage crew and said they can get a lot of heat if a bag is over and isn't tagged.

In your case, the person checking the luggage probably didn't care about the fee so much they were a rule follower. IE, probably didn't want to get the wrath of the baggage crew union if they don't tag an overweight bag, and probably thought they'd get in trouble for sticking a tag on the bag if it wasn't paid for. 
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Flying United last week, as I was going through the process to check our only bag, I noticed it weighed 51.5 lbs. Hit the option for "overweight" thinking it would be some kind of sliding upcharge, and it was an extra $200! No thanks, I'll put my second bag of Swedish fish and extra book in my carryon.

 
RUSF18 said:
Flying United last week, as I was going through the process to check our only bag, I noticed it weighed 51.5 lbs. Hit the option for "overweight" thinking it would be some kind of sliding upcharge, and it was an extra $200! No thanks, I'll put my second bag of Swedish fish and extra book in my carryon.
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I usually have about 30+ pounds in my back pack.  If you are wearing it and standing comfortably they likely won't ask to weigh it.

 
They all suck, but some much more than others. I'd put American at the bottom, easily, followed by United. I'm fortunate to live where Alaska flies, they are heads and shoulders above the competition, IMO.

 
I fly a 250000 miles a year on American and have never had a flight changed, even back when I was a commoner without status. 

 
Abraham said:
I fly a 250000 miles a year on American and have never had a flight changed, even back when I was a commoner without status. 
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I don’t fly quite that much, but already have 75k miles this year and have been executive platinum for several years. I’ve never had a flight changed either. There are a fair amount of delays though. I’m on a plane right now that was two hours late leaving. But, getting first class upgrades pretty much every flight makes just about anything easy to deal with...

 
American Airlines strikes again! I was supposed to fly home to Cleveland from Las Vegas on Saturday. A cancelled flight, delayed flight and ensuing missed connection have me currently sitting in a Chicago area hotel hoping for a smooth departure this afternoon. 2 F’ ing days to get home. 🤬. The OP here from 2018, was nothing but minor inconvenience compared to this absurdity. 2 freakin days lost.
 
Galileo said:
American Airlines strikes again! I was supposed to fly home to Cleveland from Las Vegas on Saturday. A cancelled flight, delayed flight and ensuing missed connection have me currently sitting in a Chicago area hotel hoping for a smooth departure this afternoon. 2 F’ ing days to get home. 🤬. The OP here from 2018, was nothing but minor inconvenience compared to this absurdity. 2 freakin days lost.
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And people wonder why I have only flown about 2-3x in the last 10-15 years, since 9/11 it's really been downhill
-The absurdity of leaving people stranded at an airport, way too much assumption on the airline's part that all passengers can easily find and book hotel rooms for the night, shocking!
Have not gotten on a flight in probably 5-6 years, before the Covid for sure
 
Galileo said:
American Airlines strikes again! I was supposed to fly home to Cleveland from Las Vegas on Saturday. A cancelled flight, delayed flight and ensuing missed connection have me currently sitting in a Chicago area hotel hoping for a smooth departure this afternoon. 2 F’ ing days to get home. 🤬. The OP here from 2018, was nothing but minor inconvenience compared to this absurdity. 2 freakin days lost.
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Knock on wood, as I've never had any issues with AA, but my Mom's AA flight to Chicago which was supposed to be Thursday morning got canceled outright and she had to wait until Friday afternoon to fly.
 
Because I needed to get back sooner than later due to a looming hurricane in FL, I called American to get an earlier flight while in Philly. I was on hold for at least 3 hours and finally just hung up. Cancelled my flights, took the credit and used it for “new” flights. They are one of my least favorite airlines next to Alaska. They gave me a 12 hour “delay” from San Diego to Portland. Ended up catching a Delta flight that time.
 
Lawyer types…shouldn’t AA owe me some amount of compensation? They graciously told me to submit a claim for reimbursement on the extra night of hotel in Vegas. I am sure I will spend a bunch of time and effort trying to recoup that. They did provide a hotel in Chicago, so won’t need to be reimbursed for that. But what about two days worth of time lost. Shouldn’t there be some value to that for which AA should be liable. They were supposed to deliver me to my destination on Saturday. Hopefully they will deliver me on Monday (I say hopefully because I am not there yet…). Original flight was cancelled because of a “crew issue” I was told. Delays causing the missed connection the next day were a combination of an undisclosed “mechanical issue” and sitting on the tarmac for an extra half hour waiting for another plane to clear our gate.
 
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…and now they have added an hour to our flight time in order to fly around a storm is what I am told. At least I am on a plane that will eventually land in Cleveland. I think…
 
Galileo said:
Lawyer types…shouldn’t AA owe me some amount of compensation? They graciously told me to submit a claim for reimbursement on the extra night of hotel in Vegas. I am sure I will spend a bunch of time and effort trying to recoup that. They did provide a hotel in Chicago, so won’t need to be reimbursed for that. But what about two days worth of time lost. Shouldn’t there be some value to that for which AA should be liable. They were supposed to deliver me to my destination on Saturday. Hopefully they will deliver me on Monday (I say hopefully because I am not there yet…). Original flight was cancelled because of a “crew issue” I was told. Delays causing the missed connection the next day were a combination of an undisclosed “mechanical issue” and sitting on the tarmac for an extra half hour waiting for another plane to clear our gate.
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Welcome to the world of air travel. They will usually offer some sort of compensation if the delays are not weather-related, which is sounds like these weren't. Generally if you complain they'll offer you some miles, which might not be useful to you if you never want to fly AA again. But they aren't obligated to give you anything for "lost time." This includes under the new rules issued a couple of months ago.

ETA: To be more clear, the new rules on comp won't apply since you accepted the alternate flights.
 
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