American Airlines (complaint)

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

My Wife and I are using American Airlines for our visit to Dallas and then to Nashville in a few weeks time.
I was informed that there is a small change in schedule,I was not altogether happy and Upon telephoning the Customer relations I was informed that If I wanted to change to another flight I would have to pay about $100.
It would seem that AA can change the schedule with no refund and I can change the schedule at a charge.
I eventually have been e mailing their customer relations for the past 5 days and all I get is an electronic reply telling me that they are dealing with the matter.
I wonder if there IS a customer relations department.
Anyone else had any dealings? Thanks
Billy.

I know this is not a steel subject,there did'nt seem to be any other place to post.Please excuse.

Carroll Hale · From: EastTexas, USA

mostly fly continental when I fly....only cause houston is closest ap.......in my own honest opinion.."all the airlines...SUCK"...pardon my frankness...just based on my past experiences...
ch

Danny Kuykendall · From: Fullerton, CA, USA

Southwest may not have the most updated jets or the best boarding procedure, but they're always on time and customer friendly. You would get an actual person(from inside this country) if you called and complained.

The only airlines to continuously make a profit the past 20 years.

Danny

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

My trip to Nashville scared me to death.

Overbooking? Sheesh.. on every leg at least 5 people had to be "bought off" by a free motel room, meal, and whatever..

EVERY seat was filled, EVERY overhead compartment had been filled by the time 2/3 or the people got onboard.

You could feel the aluminum airframes flexing from the weight on takeoff and landing. Aluminum only bends and unbends so many times..

No more for me, thanks..

Wink

EJL

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Carroll's assessment in the second post above sums up my experience. There's no good ones anymore.

All the airline staff I have dealt with were good efficient folks. They are often in stressful situations, with no good solutions.

They're stuck with their company's policies, just like we are. I always treat them with respect.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I just flew home on American Airlines...did someone say SUCK!... yeah that's about it,and between them and the TSA I don't have a pickup on my E9th neck,Maybe the post office will deliver one today?After being on one the worst flights ever 15 below zero didn't look so bad when I finally got home.
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

The change fees have become fairly common if not standard practice, as has mediocre customer service. Even with the $100 tacked on I'm sure your fare is lower than can be had from Cincinnati, where Delta has about a 90% lock on the market.

Selfishly speaking, I hope you all keep flying so that we at GE Aviation can keep selling more engines. Smile

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Emmons Lashley LeGrande II

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Maybe domestic flights are different as far as over-bookings go...I am not sure. However, when I fly overseas to Norway, my airline of choice is KLM...the Dutch airline. I must have flown a dozen times with them and I have yet to have problems of delayed flights (except for de-icing in the winter), overbooking or less-than-polite personnel.

As a side note, I would like to mention a flight I had with AA in 1988. I flew out of Chicago in this little tub of a prop airplane. The seats reminded me of picnic chairs. However, the pilot touched down so lightly on the tarmac in Cedar Rapids, that I felt absolutely NO difference between being in the air and being on the ground. My hat off to this pilot wherever she is...

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Today people want everything to be cheap. I don't totally blame the airlines for bad service. Flying has become like hauling cattle.

Welcome to WAL-MART AIR.

The airlines spend billions on some of the most expensive equipment in the world __ airplanes, millions of gallons of jet fuel, aircraft maintenance __ plus salaries for thousands of pilots and other employees.

Regulation would be a good answer __ since safety is a big concern in this industry.
Example: If you are going to X destination, the seat must cost Y number of dollars to the passenger. The airline could charge more, but not less.

Save competetion for those industries who don't have to meet the levels for expertise and safety as the airlines.

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

Billy - I've booked with AA and paid up front for Dallas. Which flight were you booked on?

KB

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Ken,
We are on flight AA51 Gatwick to Dallas 1015 on Wed 12th March.
We return DFW to Gatwick 27thMarch.
My beef is that I booked this flight months ago and shorly after I booked a return Dallas to Nashville.
AA changed the departure of the return flight from Dallas making it an hour early.The resultant time between the arrival from Nashville and the departure from Dallas is obviously shortened.Customer relations say I SHOULD have sufficient time to make the connection but also say that since both flights are not on the same itinery,it is up to Me to ensure arrival at the correct time.The simple solution is to get an earlier flight from Nashville,that is when they say I need to pay extra.I have mailed them daily saying I should get a refund for THEM changing the schedule and would be happy to let them keep it to make the change to an earlier flight from Nashville.
I doubt if I will ever get a reply.

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

I fly weekly with my lap steel. Southwest Airlines is the best value in my opinion, in all respests. If you check in online 24 hrs. in advance of your flight you can usually get a low boarding number. They've changed the boarding system and broken it up into groups with a number system. I'm usually about the third one on the plane with plenty of overhead space for the steel. Very Happy

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

The last time I flew from Oakland to Birmingham, England, I went via Houston and Newark. The plane leaving Houston was so late that it would have missed my connection at Newark by about an hour. "Not to worry," said the lady at the reservations desk, "the flights out of Newark are running so late that I can transfer you into a flight that should have taken off an hour and a half ago." I ended up arriving early, via a connection that was theoretically impossible. Shocked

Next time I do the trip I'll take my usual route, Oakland to Seattle, Seattle to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Birmingham. Although travelling via London is theoretically faster, if you add in the land travel, flying via Amsterdam cuts hours off the journey. Very Happy

KLM is the way to go. Very Happy

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

The only international flying I've done (a few Mexico fishing trips) has been via United and/or Mexicana, and II had no problems with either one.

Domestically, I used to fly United due to a corporate account more below), but nowadays fly almost always Southwest or Delta. My favorite, though, is a small one called Midwest Express (now "Midwest") - when I had to make LA-Chicago treks every couple of weeks, I'd fly Midwest into Milwaukee (they don't fly to Chicago) and drive down to my destination north of Chicago proper. Almost the same drive, and Midwest is 100% business-class seating at coach prices. So for a fraction of United's cost, I'd fly in a wide leather seat with complimentary everything. One of the company VP's clued me in and I never used United again.

Add to a comment above regarding herding cattle; flying on an airliner is really taking a very fast bus someplace. Why people expect to be treated like royalty or want better food is baffling to me - you're paying to get from point "A" to point "B" safely. I think it's asinine to spend several hundred dollars extra for wider seats and free drinks, but I guess some folks can burn money and not care.
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No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

Billy - do let us know if you get a response to your emails.

Ken

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Ken,
At the moment the only thing I can recommend about the customer relations department at AA is the speed of their electronic reply.
I have still to ascertain the existance of any Humans in the organisation.
I notice that the other posts on this thread make mention of flying experiences but no one has said they have had any contact with the elusive(non existant?)customer relations department at AA.
In spite of this We will see You in Dallas.
Billy

Jeff Agnew · From: Dallas, TX

Billy,

Two things you might try. First, the main telephone number for AA is (800) 433-7300, which obviously you can't use. But try one of these UK numbers:

United Kingdom - (44) 8457-789-789 (Outside London - NBR charged at the local rate)

United Kingdom - (44) 208-814-4230

These are reservation numbers. Call one and either tell them to transfer you to a customer service agent, or better yet tell them you were speaking with a CSR and they just transferred your call to the main number by mistake instead of to a supervisor in customer service. Ask to be transferred back to customer service.

Second, there is a fax number for AA customer service: (817) 967-4162. That's a local Fort Worth number so it has to be going to corporate headquarters here in Texas rather than to a call center in Abu Dhabi or Bangalore. Often, a company will respond to a fax or letter faster than an e-mail for some reason.

Just thought of one other thing. There may be enough time left before your trip to send what The Consumerist calls an Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb. Scroll to the bottom of that linked page for a list of e-mail addresses for AA executives. Send them all a concise, rational account of your problem and ask them to solve it.

Good luck, and I hope to see you in Dallas.

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Jeff,
Many thanks for the info.
I did speak to customer relations about a week ago and got nowhere,perhaps I am making a mountain out of a molehill but I just thought that I could have been treated a bit better.
I will be at Dallas and look forward to seeing You there.
Billy

Bo Legg · Posted 20 Feb 2008 12:24 am

Where airlines are concerned you must have tolerance bordering on usity. I have opted not to fly to Dallas this year but rather commute the 500 miles by GMC ¾ ton Savanna extended van loaded with Sho-Bud parts and one suitcase. I shall endeavor and most assuredly will sell enough Sho-Bud parts to amply cover my convention and traveling expense and perhaps enough left over to retire.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Bo! Thank you! My new word for the day, heck, for the month is "usity!" I'm a voracious reader, but I'd never come across that one.
1) Adj. A tolerance to something. Means that you have grown to tolerate anything.

Stephen Silver · From: Asheville, NC

When I fly I enclose the following note and a drawing highlighting the cross shafts.

So far, so good. And I know they open it up and take it out cause I put clear tape at critical points

Dear TSA or other Baggage Handlers

Thank you for taking good care if you must remove or inspect this Pedal Steel Guitar. It is rather fragile with many moving critical parts.

Should you need to pick the guitar up from it's case, please do so by the cross shafts as I have highlighted in the drawing below. Picking it up by any other means may damage the unit and be very costly to repair.

I appreciate your care in handling my "baby" This is how I earn my living.

If you need to contact me, my cell phone is xxx xxx xxxx and it will be on until push back from the gate and as soon as I arrive at my destination.

Stephen Silver
xxx xxx xxxx

Friday February 22 Southwest Flight 1379 San Jose, CA -- Las Vegas, NV

Saturday February 23 Southwest Flight 441 Las Vegas, NV -- San Jose, CA
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Life is mostly Attitude and Timing

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

hi again,
I have resurrected this post to let everyone know that American Airlines did e mail Me the other day which was about four months after I had complained,They did assure me that they understand the need to maintain good relations with their customers and that sometimes things take a little time.
Should I send a letter of complaint in advance of purchasing next years ticket?

Billy

Charles Curtis · Posted 26 Jun 2008 4:27 am

This morning, at breakfast, a friend told me that on a flight to Mexico City they charged 4 bucks for a cookie.

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