The Un American (Airlines) Way

Is it just me, or does American Airlines suck? I know business is tough these days, but AA seems to be trying to screw themselves over with just horrid customer service. Here's my story: I was flying from Fla. to NYC today when I got a call at my Fla. home telling me my 3pm flight was not going to leave until 6:30. While I was not thrilling to the delay, I was at least glad AA had its act together and gave me a ring.

That was the last time I will ever think kindly of American Airlines.

A few hours later as I am finally on the way to the airport for my delayed flight, I decide to give AA a call just to make sure we're still on sked to leave at 6:30. You can imagine how happy I was to find out the flight was now cancelled. Here I am, with a first-class ticket no less, and the knuckleheads had no sense to call me a second time to tell me of the latest change. I only found out because I called. Seems one courtesy call is all you get with AA.  I tried to remain calm and ask them what other flights I could catch. And this is where I nearly went ballistic; the customer service rep told me there was no flight tonight, or tomorrow, or any time. Seems that because they had decided to cancel the flight (mechanical problems, not the weather mind you) I was now simply on my own to figure things out.

AA had no interest in helping me. Look, I know problems happen, but what kills me is that they were so absolutely unhelpful. Deserting their customers when they have to cancel a flight seems like the perfect way to LOSE THEIR CUSTOMERS FOR GOOD.

Which is what has happened with this customer. I guess my mistake was giving AA a chance, when my gut told me to stick with Jet Blue. I love Jet Blue. Talk about great customer service! So from now on, I am no longer a flag-flying American Airlines customer. I will never fly with AA again.

Comments

[Debbie]

Suze,

Yes, AA does suck, as do all of the legacy carriers, but alas it's what we have to put up with if we want to travel in the front cabin. (Just for the record, I get upgraded due to status & miles, not $$) I presume that you are an Exec Platinum with AA, and as such you should be "taken care of" - especially on a paid F ticket! I'm sorry you got the bum's rush on this one. There is certainly no excuse for the lack of follow-through on AA's part.

The legacy carriers have cut their services to the bone, and now some of them are even outsourcing their customer service to third world countries. Nothing against third world countries, but when you outsource to a third party who is not familiar with the product, you are asking for trouble.

I've heard wonderful things about JetBlue, but haven't flown them because they don't service LAX, my home airport. If you can suck it up in coach, at least you know what to expect, and you know you'll be charged a fair fare, even if it's a walk-up fare. Neeleman sure knows what he's doing! Otherwise, get used to crappy customer service, no pillows & blankets, and possibly a cold, boxed meal in first class on AA and the other legacy carriers.

[Susan]

AA is the pits! I've accumulated miles with them but every time I try to redeem them, there aren't any flights available. They also have very few non-stop flights to the Caribbean. You get stuck with a layover & pray that the plane will actually take off. It's basically 50/50.

I recently read that they're hiking fares to offset the cost of jet fuel. This is going to hurt them big time. Who's going to pay more for an already lousy service? Not me, that's for sure.

[Rachel]

Yes. AA is horrific. I've flown twice with them (second time not by choice) and both times my experience was deplorable. The customer service is terrible and the attitudes of their employees need to be adjusted - BIG TIME!

[Poet]

The All American Customer Service System

Airlines, TV companies, credit card companies, banks... it is all the same - FRUSTRATION!

Having never had cable TV I had finally decided to take the plunge because I wanted to see Suze’s show on CNBC. Looking around for the cheapest rate, Time Warner ($39.95/month) was a bit cheaper than Direct TV ($41.99/month) for their basic packages. It read in the WB brochure that all channels were not available in all areas. So I specifically asked if the 4 channels that were important to me were part of the Basic package (CNBC, The Science Channel, National Geographic and the History Channel). The customer service rep said indeed they were. Got the cable installed and discovered that 2 of the 4 channels were not part of the package. Called customer services and was told I could get all 4 channels if I upgraded to another package that was $59.95. I already felt $40 was a lot of money for me to pay monthly, $60 was out of the question. Feeling frustrated and cheated I packed up the equipment and walked to the WB drop-off center and returned it and cancelled my contract 5 hrs after it was installed.

Called Direct TV and told their customer service rep what I had just been through with Time Warner and asked if the 4 channels I wanted were part of their Basic package. I was told they were. Being less trusting now, I repeated the name of the 4 channels I wanted to make SURE they were part of the package. Indeed they were. The dish was installed and I enjoyed the promotional offer (all premium channels free for 3 months). I then discover that The Science Channel is part of the Plus package. Hm…. Calling back customer services I found out that it was NOT part of the Basic package, so once the 3-month promotional deal is over I will lose it. Here we go again.

Sick of it all, I decide get rid the DTV system as well and try to hijack a friends TV some Saturday nights to see Suze’s show. Then the service rep tells me I have to pay for the Plus Package for the 24 hours I had had the service. Say What? I had never signed up for the Plus plan even. He insisted that my contract said I have the Plus plan that costs $46.99. I had been told the Basic plan was $41.99 + taxes and that came out to $46.99. He informed me there are no taxes for their services in my area (beloved Manhattan!). That made me wonder about the previous rep’s lack of professional knowledge or blatant lies when telling me it was taxes…?
At this point I was livid and in a not so pleasant voice growled:
1. I was signed up for a more expensive package then I had requested.
2. I was told the extra charge tacked onto the Basic package was taxes – while there is no tax for my area.
3. I was misinformed that all the 4 channels I had specifically mentioned I wanted were part of the Basic package – which they were not.
4. I was told I would be able to use my VHS/DVD player as usual with the DTV – which I am not (you can’t watch one channel and record on another at the same time with DTV and you cannot program the DTV remote for a VHS/DVD combo player only a separate VHS or separate DVD player).

………… and now you want me to pay for a package I did not even order!?

He then mentioned a package that was not listed in the brochure for $36.99. It has 2 of the 4 channels I wanted, including CNBC. Plain tired of the struggle I decided to take it as it was less than all the other plans and I still got Suze’s show, which was the reason I wanted to sign up in the first place.

I have found that whatever industry you deal with, airlines, TV companies, banks, etc., they are utterly pleasant and helpful to get you signed up to fork over your money to them. But once they have your commitment little negative quirks keep coming out of the woodworks and then they are not so helpful any longer. Imagine if my bank would have given me a call to say” “We see that you have recently signed up for Direct Deposit through your work. You now qualify for Free Checking with our Easy Checking plan. Would you be interested in switching from your current plan?” But hell no! I found that out by accident. They do, however, make the effort to call to offer services I do not need or cannot afford.

It makes me feel a sense of learned helplessness, as one company does not seem much better than the other.

Looking forward to learning more and seeing The Suze Orman Show for the first time tonight!

[Allie]

Yes - American Airlines is absolutely awful! I will never fly with them again.

Here's what happened to me:
During the holidays last year, my boyfriend and I were flying to visit my family. We were scheduled to arrive several hours before my sister, who was flying into the same airport. As we were waiting during our layover, an American employee made an announcement asking for volunteers to take seats on the next flight out, one hour later, for $200 voucher. My bf and I had always wanted to do this, but never had been able. We called my family who told us to go ahead and take it, then they could pick up us and sis at the same time. So, we volunteered.

After we volunteered, the American Airlines employees were VERY rude to us and the other volunteers, calling our names and making us stand by the counter for nearly an hour, and just glaring at us and then ignoring us when we tried to ask what was going on. When they finally decided to speak to us, we learned that the flight we would be on was not an American flight, but a flight with another airline, in a different terminal that we'd have to catch a bus to get to.

Since we had stood waiting for so long, the flight time was only a half hour away, so my bf and I and the other volunteers RAN out the door, jumped onto a bus that was just about to drive away and arrived at the other terminal 15 minutes later. There was a huge line, and it seemed there was almost no way humanly possible that we'd make the flight. We ran to the guard in front of security and showed him our "tickets" (American had told us they were tickets) and he shouted, "Those aren't tickets. They're vouchers. You're gonna have to get in line!"

When we asked the other airline if we could get taken care of without waiting as our flight was about to leave, another employee said, "Well. Looks like you won't make your flight!"

Only after a very vocal man in our group insisted several times did the other airline process us. After that, we had to go through security again (another huge line) and we found out we were ALL targeted for extra security because we had volunteered to give up our seats on the American flight - I guess that qualifies as suspicious behavior.

Finally, after FINALLY getting through security, we all sprinted in our stocking feet, to the gate our flight was leaving from, and they were just finishing boarding (late, luckily for us.)

In summary, the American airlines employees had to have known we'd have little chance of making the flight, in another terminal, in that short amount of time. They deceived us into thinking it was an American flight and that switching would be easy. The turmoil we went through (especially since it's a long trip to the airport for my parents and I was so worried they'd be stuck waiting for us or coming back the next day) was not worth the $200.

When I contacted American customer service later to complain about the deception and the way we were treated, they were curt, rude and did nothing to try to make up for our horrible experience. In short, other than using our vouchers (if we can even use them) we will NEVER, EVER fly on American again.
Allie
P.S. - I recently flew Northwest and had a very pleasant experience. I have also heard great things about Jet Blue. In fact, they bent over backwards to help my sister make her flight recently after her taxi got stuck in traffic and it took her 3 hours to get to the airport. So everyone, beware of American Airlines!!!

[Richard]

I agree. I had a similar all time horrible experience with Delta Air Lines, on both legs of the trip. I will never fly Delta again.

FYI: maybe it's just mine, but the dark font on the blue background for the comments page is very hard to read.

[Anthony Bidwell]

I flew United Airlines on 2 trips in 1993 & 1997. On those trips to Orlando & Frankfurt, I had absolutely no trouble & OUTSTANDING service. I would be glad to fly the friendly skies again.

[Laura]

I had a similar experience coming into Dallas/FW during an ice storm. After we had sat on the runway for about 30 minutes, AA decided not to fly our plane, and everyone was told to get off. That was it. Everyone was on their own to secure other flights. A few of my fellow passengers had to go to other airlines to get a flight. After trying unsuccessfully at the AA ticket counter to get a flight, I did eventually get one with American...which left at 1 am. The flight attendant on that plane had informed me that their plane had been in service all night to and from my destination, with no delays or cancellations due to the weather. So, I never understood the reason for the first flight being cancelled.

Also, every AA flight I have taken into Dallas/FW has been at least 15 minutes late.

[Jason Murdock]

I think the nicest thing I can say about American Airlines is piss useless. I hold the same thoughts for Continental Airlines, and I've hate them since I was 8 years old (I'm not 30, so that should say something). I think my worst experience with American Airlines was a trip from my home in VA to Memphis, TN. Number one they didn't have any direct flights, which should have been my first warning. I had to go to Chicago to get to Memphis, which should have been my second warning.

Anyway, the weather was nice, it was mid summer. No storms at all, anywhere. I know, I checked before I got on the plane. The flight was delayed for 3 hours "due to weather". I asked where the weather issue was, and was told in Chicago. Being the technomonkey I am, I pull out of Blackberry and check again. Jack and squat. Nothing. Chicago was clear as could be. I pointed this out and was told that that information was wrong that they had major storms there (possible, but my info had been updated 20 minutes ago). I sit there and wait for three hours while I hear all kinds of nasty noise, as if the plane is being worked on. I know they were lying to me and everyone else. Sadly, they couldn't just come out and tell us something was wrong with the plane, we're having fixed, all is well.

I wont even mention the trip home. Needless to say I was late for work the next day I was supposed to be back.

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