American Airlines

[Transmogrified Tiger]

DING DING Round 2

As American Airlines and BA are part of the same group (BA are operating the flights, AA just took my money) I tried via the back door to access a British Airways lounge for my 12 hour wait in Heathrow.

The lady was very helpful and actually informed me there was a seat on the 14:00 flight from Heathrow to Manchester which would mean I would have to wait maybe 5 hours instead of 12.

So I contacted good old American which SURELY is just a case of "We will transfer you right now.......done" but OH NO......they actually tried to charge me 1000 USD to get on that flight, after they changed then cancelled my original flight.

That is just horrific customer service, I can't even believe they let someone suggest that. It doesn't actually cost the airline anything to change a flight surely.

I REALLY hope they don't lose my luggage on this trip or there may well be an international incident.

Not quite the same but if it helps to commiserate, I had a similar experience with a fake out on reducing a layover with American a few years back. We went to Maui and our flight home was a red-eye leaving at 9:30 PM to Dallas, but then was scheduled for a 12 hour layover there until an evening flight to STL. We didn't have anything else we wanted to do that last afternoon so we got to the airport early and decided to see if we could get out earlier and maybe cut down the layover. The AA people on the phone said by getting on a 7:30 flight we could make a morning connection in Dallas(landing in STL at lunchtime instead of late night), but since it was already boarding they couldn't get us on it and we'd have to do it at the gate(at the opposite end of the terminal). So we sprint across the airport and make it in time, we're able to get on the flight but the people at the gate don't have access to give us a ticket for the connection. We land in Dallas and after talking with the gate and then a long time on the phone, the seat on that earlier connection does not exist, so we've successfully turned our 12 hour layover into a 14 hour layover. Originally the plan was to maybe go see a movie or something to kill time, but we were so worn out we just got an airport hotel room for the day and slept.

[mtcefc]

Currently sat back at my desk first day back after my holiday.

I was due to fly out from Manchester on the 27th to London about 8:30am and then to Boston with British Airways around 11:15.

I was out with my old man for some dinner the day before and he looked on Flightradar and found that the flight from London to Boston was cancelled.

I then shortly after got an email from American Airlines (who I had booked with) advising they had cancelled my flight and the alternative was the next day.

I was straight on twitter calling BA and AA the WORST thing you can call someone for ruining my holiday and causing even more stress/expense.

To be fair, American came back and put me on an earlier flight from Manchester and another flight to Boston with AA.

THEN on the way back, I checked in at STL and explained to the lady at the check in desk I was expecting a 12 hour layover in Heathrow, she asked me to wait for 5 minutes, then she got me on the 2pm flight from Heathrow to Manchester.

I could have kissed her!

The flight was delayed an hour in the end, but even so, she reduced my wait from 12 hours to 4 which was great.

Every time I deal with someone face to face it get's sorted. These generic call centres companies use are useless.

Now, if I can get the cost of the extra night in a hotel I had to pay out because of changes they made, plus the cost of a call I had to make to them which cost me £60 then I will be happy.

So many times I was told things were unable to change and it was total BS.

[mtcefc]

Well, after even more emails and a phone call from American last night offering me a $150 voucher which I refused, I have received an email from British Airways this morning informing me I should expect a full refund for the amount owed.

Pays off to be stubborn I suppose.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

We took the kids to nyc over fall break. Booked a direct flight back Saturday afternoon. Paid an extra couple hundred dollars per person (4 of us) for the direct flight.

American changed that direct flight to a connection in charlotte. No refund. Whatever.

Flight out of LaGuardia was delayed yesterday. We missed our connection. I’ve missed connections before. Never had an issue. It’s inconvenient. But whatever. Get rebooked to the next flight.

Americans solution was a little more assanine than what I was expecting however.

Their solution was to fly us into a different airport 150 miles away tonight. At like 8 pm. I was like….uh, lulz. You’re kidding right. They were not. They don’t have an answer as to how I’d travel that last 150 miles to get back to the he car at the airport we flew out of.

Or…they offered to maybe be able to get us on a flight Monday, definitely Tuesday if not Monday back to Little Rock.

I was like, I can not believe you’re offering these choices like they’re serious.

No thanks.

Ended up driving from charlotte to Little Rock last night/this morning. 770ish miles covered from 11pm Saturday night to noon today.

Still can not believe they legit thought I’d be like oh yeah I’ll fly into a different airport 150 miles away. All good.

[mikechamp]

We took the kids to nyc over fall break. Booked a direct flight back Saturday afternoon. Paid an extra couple hundred dollars per person (4 of us) for the direct flight.

American changed that direct flight to a connection in charlotte. No refund. Whatever.

Flight out of LaGuardia was delayed yesterday. We missed our connection. I’ve missed connections before. Never had an issue. It’s inconvenient. But whatever. Get rebooked to the next flight.

Americans solution was a little more assanine than what I was expecting however.

Their solution was to fly us into a different airport 150 miles away tonight. At like 8 pm. I was like….uh, lulz. You’re kidding right. They were not. They don’t have an answer as to how I’d travel that last 150 miles to get back to the he car at the airport we flew out of.

Or…they offered to maybe be able to get us on a flight Monday, definitely Tuesday if not Monday back to Little Rock.

I was like, I can not believe you’re offering these choices like they’re serious.

No thanks.

Ended up driving from charlotte to Little Rock last night/this morning. 770ish miles covered from 11pm Saturday night to noon today.

Still can not believe they legit thought I’d be like oh yeah I’ll fly into a different airport 150 miles away. All good.

I'd be sending some kind of letter to customer service or the CEO himself. That's absurd.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Welcome to our libertarian Paradise. No rules except the Golden Rule. Thems with the most gold make whatever rules they goddamn want.

[CardsofSTL]

American Airlines is only slightly better than United. But they are the two worst.