A passenger flying American Airlines out of Orlando Melbourne International Airport says he was effectively removed from his flight thanks to understaffed and unresponsive employees. “Rules are rules.”
- He arrived at the airport roughly 50 minutes before departure—within American’s published 45-minute cutoff for checked bags at most airports.
- There was no one at the check-in counter. Eventually, an employee emerged from the back – he says that she was eating food as she came out.
- After handing over his ID, she told him he had missed the baggage cutoff by two minutes and could not check his golf clubs.
American Airlines Check-In Counter
Thinking quickly, the customer handed his golf club bag to his friend that had taken him to the airport to ship them separately and headed to TSA. But his mobile boarding pass had been deactivated. His electronic check-in was canceled.
He rushed back to the check-in counter, but once again there was nobody there. A TSA screener tried to help, taking his ID to the gate to try to get his boarding pass reinstated so he could clear security and fly – but he says the agent there refused. (Sidenote: screen shot your mobile boarding passes.)
Security Checkpoint
The passenger called American but they directed him to… airport staff. The flight was boarding at this point, but he went back to the hceck-in counter and the agent had since returned carrying Dunkin’ Donuts and a coffee, ignored him, and went straight into the back office.
Ultimately, he was rebooked onto a later flight. He had been flying first class, but was downgraded to coach since no first class seats were available.
- It seems to me that this is an involuntary denied boarding, entitled to cash compensation of 400% of the one-way fare up to $2,150 under Department of Transportation Rules.
- American would probably say that he failed to present himself at the gate 15 minutes prior to departure and therefore was a no show and not entitled to compensation.
He was checked in and at the airport in time – American is the one that cancelled his check-in because he tried to check bags in at what appears to have been 43 minutes to departure (which American’s systems will actually allow, even though it’s after the published cutoff).
Cancelling a boarding pass to prevent a customer from reaching the gate isn’t supposed to be an end-run around paying involuntary denied boarding compensation. American involuntarily bumps more passengers than most other U.S. airlines combined.
At small airports, check-in counters aren’t robustly staffed and where flights aren’t run throughout the day they won’t be staffed all day long. Agents may also juggle ticket counter, gate, and operations duties. American only operates 3 peak daily flights to Charlotte via their subsidiary PSA.
American Airlines Regional Jet
Still, if the passenger was present before check-in cutoff, leaving the counter unmanned was a failure on American’s part. And so was cancelling his check-in.
While the passenger tried to check bags ‘too late’ that’s also only because the check-in counter wasn’t properly staffed. He reports being in line waiting for an agent more than 45 minutes prior to departure. The correct answer here, since American seems to be ignoring the complaint, is to file with the Department of Transportation which at least should escalate the response that the airline provides.
Also be aware that American’s actual check-in cutoff times are more generous than what they publish on their website, and three years ago they finally programmed kiosks to be able to do what agents could do.
If you’re taking a domestic connection to an international flight, self-service kiosks will apply the international cut-off for bags. So if you show up for your domestic flight and try to check bags 50 minutes prior to departure, you’ll still need to see an agent.
If you miss the baggage cut-off time for your flight, think up a good excuse, be nice, and generate sympathy from the agent you’re talking to. It’s actually still possible to override even these minimums, but only “by a supervisor with a 7 sine in QIK.”
Dude needs to get to the airport earlier.
The SIDA badge office at BHM (Birmingham AL) airport used to play these exact games.
Fun fact; dishonest employees don’t like it when you loudly tell their supervisor about it in the next room.
At least they did it for donuts, usually, spite alone is enough of a reason… *sigh*
The real question: What kind? …Boston cream? Apple fritter? Homer Simpson style?
If he was already online checked in and still had time to board sans golf clubs why would his BP get deactivated? Security in small airports like that take maybe 5 minutes, 2 minutes with PreCheck.
No he was late. He arrived with a 5 min buffer, lots of other things could have also gone wrong. He should have managed his time better
That’s a pretty crappy way to treat a well-behaved, 1st class ticket holder who follows rules and has contingency plans – that would cost him a lot of money, but obviously that wasn’t a concern. Why wouldn’t you do everything to keep a customer that isn’t price-sensitive or an asshole to agents? This is why we’re all quick to pull out our cameras and record this crap – even those of us who don’t want to be annoying.
She should have shared her donuts with him at the very least.
@Katie gets it… sharing is caring.
Anyway, back to what matters… jelly donut? Old fashioned? Cruller?
Richard nailed it
A video of standing at the empty counter calling out for a service representative posted to social media might light a fire under someone at American.
Or not…
The lesson I learned by reading this. Make a video and video the time on the kiosk, if that has a clock. If not, the airport clock or departure board’s clock.
As a teeny share holder of many years with AA (ie. never a profit/check seen) this story sickens me, because to me this is NOT how we treat our customers, let alone someone paying a first class fare. The excessive imo gate check in/baggage check in times are clearly totally in the airline’s best interests to keep things moving and to strive for on time, which helps everyone in general, but we all know “stuff” happens to delay us and there was still plenty of time to help this person. I suspect, per the story that this is an airport where nonticketed individuals are allowed to go to the gates…since the passenger handed it off to his friend…but I wonder why (small aircraft?) it couldn’t just simply be gate checked? As for staffing, that issue was addressed. It’s possible I imagine that the staff didn’t get a break, maybe had low blood sugar, for whatever reason needed to eat SOMEthing to keep going and staying on the job since no one else was showing up or available….but one also has to be aware of the image being projected to customers. Or for crying out loud, offer the poor distressed customer a doughnut! Apologize, offer a reason for why you’re eating in public view. But wiping out the ticket? Not nice. Was this customer nice and the wipeout done out of spite? I don’t know. Where’s Uncle Bob? (Crandall)
By a few minutes? For a first-class passenger? Oh, hell no.
Every time a story like this is seen in *any* media, AA loses customers. The other majors are, in general, just better at running business.
The MLB airport Menzies staff that ground handles AA is just awful – rude, does things wrong all the time, and just lazy. I’ve seen the upgrade list cleared incorrectly a few times I’ve been there – skipping over #1 because #2 was at the gate asking if they could be upgraded, skipping over parties of two rather than asking them if they want to split. On the other hand, the Delta agents (employees, not contractors) are wonderful. That Menzies staff needs to get fired or trained to be professional!
50/50. I wouldn’t be a huge complainer in this scenario. Certainly wouldn’t be looking for national attention. If you travel with sports gear like I do, you miss some flights because of it
Should have bought a ticket on another later flight out of MCO, gone to AA gate and demanded to get on plane. AA agents would be in obvious IDB position at that point.
And, for those of you who blame him, you are part of reason we get crappy customer service and ridiculous rules.
Next time fly any other airline but American.
“Dude needs to get to the airport earlier.”
“If you’ve never missed a flight, you’re getting to the airport too early.” Gary Leff
Years ago I had a connectioning flight inAtlanta on Delta. My incoming flight was late, and the airline assumed I couldn’t make the 15 minute cut-off for boarding my connecting flight. I hustled and made it….but the aircraft had closed the door early and wouldn’t re-open it. It was the last flight of the evening. I requested denied boarding compensation and was denied. I asked for the contract of carraige and to speak to a supervisor, who was sympathetic but stated the airline would never honor the request. He pointed me to the passages of the contract that grant the airline broad discretion to alter the schedule. I could have made a court claim, but likely would have lost. Essentially, without an aggressive FAA or legislation protecting passenger rights, we’re all at the mercy of the carrier. The only rights we have are those that are enforcible.
He was blued, screwed, an tatooed by AA
There should be someone at the Ticket Counter as long as there is a Flight at the gate. That employee abandoned his/her position, which is wrong, and in my mind should be a matter for the Airline’s management to become involved. Each traveler is important, regardless of the cabin they will occupy. I would also suggest they speak with the gate agent to question why this traveler’s F/C seat was released prior to boarding. Ticket Agents are on the front line and as such, they have the ability and responsibility to make sure the customer’s experience begins on the right foot. It would have made a big difference if this employee had contacted the gate agent to alert them that the passenger was in the airport and on his way to the gate. Granted, things have changed in air travel, and the time posted and required for gate arrival and check-in are set for a reason. But, again the ticket counter should not be unmanned if a flight is still at the gate! This was unacceptable customer service from the start. The Airline should own up to this fact and offer some renumeration.
The actual quote from Reddit is “Finally, she walks back – yet she is holding a bag of Dunkin’ Donuts and a coffee, sees me and goes straight to the back. I’m sure ALL of this is on camera.” That’s different from “American Airlines First Class Passenger Shows Up On-Time, Gets Kicked Off Flight When Agent Vanishes For Donuts” Nowhere in the original story from Reddit indicates that the person had donuts in the bag. Not sure how can even state what was inside the bag. In general, I wonder if bloggers are purposefully inaccurate for SEO purposes.
As Mike P points out, this blog commonly promotes the “if you’ve never missed a flight, you’re spending too much time in airports “ mantra. So no problem, right? He’s avoided wasting his time. All good.
@No Aloha – “she’s holding a bag of Dunkin’ Donuts”
Thanks for the advice that we should be nice to them in order to be permitted to board our flight.
Show up to the airport two hours or more before your flight. Always print your boarding pass.
We seem to be only getting one side of this story. We have no idea if he really showed up on time (ROUGHLY 50 minutes?). We have no idea if he was nice or a complete jerk. Really no idea if any of what he said happened the way he said it happened. And, Gary, you want him to waste the department of transportation’s time on a situation that was at least as much his fault as the airline’s? AA does a lot of bad crap, this is the least of it, if it happened
Sorry, American… ya blew it.
Why have cut-off times if you’re not going to honor them? The passenger played by the rules, but you did not.. and then have the nerve to defend the incompetence?? This is why I don’t fly anymore.
I love that Gary takes this guy 100% at his word. No way he is lying to cover a mess up. Has to be true, right? Only reason someone would do that is if they advocate arriving to the airport as late as poss……:wait…..oh……now I get why you believe him.
@No Aloha – it was a Dunkin’ Donuts bag. I guess it could have contained her knitting or a portal into another dimension, but my guess is donuts.
Always print a boarding pass. Things can happen to your phone.
The DOT does not respond to those complaints…or any complaints. And yes – even pre-Trump.
Maybe AA isn’t paying their agents for service after the cutoff time like the FA’s getting paid when they close the door?
That’s what happens when you fly American and show up to the airport with not much time to spare.
At regional airports, AA (really the regional carrier operating on their behalf) is guilty of understaffing. Your ticket agent is your gate agent, and if they could make it work, they would have them loading luggage and refueling the plane.
I witnessed a guy completely lose it because the ticket agent left a few minutes early to handle the gate so the guy was going to miss his connecting flight to see his daughter on father’s day.
AA, like many other airlines, has given customer service a backseat.
I understand his frustration. My daughter & friend had a flight on Frontier this past July. They were checked in online 4-5 hours before their flight. We arrived at the airport approx. 2 hours before flight only needing to get baggage tags at Kiosk & drop bags off. One of the girls has no issues – tag for her bag printed & she was ready. The kiosk said it was printing the other girl’s baggage tags, but nothing printed. Tried again. Kiosk said it had already printed & to contact a Frontier Rep. We had to wait in line for 1 hour 20 minutes just to get to a representative. When we got to the counter & explained the issue, I was charged $25 for the fee they charge to talk to someone at the counter. They also charged me $75 for a bag being 4 lbs. over – which we would’ve been able to adjust between the 2 bags if their kiosk hadn’t broken earlier – but they would not allow me to take anything out of the bag. The Frontier representative told me that we should’ve gotten to the airport earlier! This is after explaining that we were only talking to them b/c of their Kiosk’s malfunction! When I filed a complaint with Frontier, their response was to ignore their responsibility for causing the entire issue. – They said the $25 charge was for talking with someone at the counter & $75 for a bag being 4 lbs. over!
The deactivated BP is a problem here. Even if the customer “didn’t present themselves on time”, the fact that it was because the agent overrode their OLCI is a real problem and I’d argue that’s on AA.
That being said, AA has a real problem with that checked baggage threshold combined with undermanned desks. My brother got stuck in this situation once – they got to the airport in plenty of time but then got stuck with a massive check-in line for the first flight bank – which is itself often a problem if AA doesn’t open well in advance of the first flights (e.g. if the first flight is at 0500, a nominal 0330 opening time with a big line – even one or two flights that go luggage-heavy can get backed up – can be nerve-wracking).
As to the customer cutting it fine? That can happen for all sorts of reasons, some of which are entirely outside of a customer’s control. Traffic is the most obvious, but other things can happen as well.
Ten bucks we can guess the color and size of the AA person.
I fly frequently for my job; I’ve flown nearly 200,000 lifetime miles with American, and nearly 120,000 miles with delta;
Flown quite a few with united and southwest too, and I can absolutely say with 100% certainty that as of the last few years, American Airlines is horrible. And they do a indeed have some very rude gate agents, especially in Birmingham…
Our travel lady at work is the one booking these flights based off of best prices, time schedules, etc.
if I had the choice I wouldn’t ever fly with them again.
@Fred — Sir, people of all sizes and races love donuts. Are you trying to outdo our other resident bigot, @Walter Barry?
I had similar bad experiences with AA. I will never fly that airline again.
Stop thinking everyone else should wait on you just because you are going first class. You can afford first class stop complaining.just stop complaining cry baby no one going to wait on you get it together. By the way how was your wait and coach. I hope you got the seat by the restroom at the rear of the plane.
American Airlines made a lot of really unacceptable mistakes in this example. However if you are not at the airport in line at least 2 hours prior to departure that’s on you. Count on lines for the airline as well as TSA lines.
To Gary the author you are mistaken about bag cutoff being flexible. The computer system literally shuts down at the 45 minute bag cut off. There is NOTHING the agent can do to override the system. It is technically possible for a supervisor to override this but he/she could lose their job if they do it. He:she WILL be reprimanded by AA headquarters as will anyone who does this and could possibly be fired. Again, if the PAX chooses not to be at least two hours prior to departure that is their own fault. Even on very small airports. Also EVERYTHING absolutely EVERYTHING including late bags is about safety.
So Gary, you putting out this misinformation regarding bag cutoff time make’s my job that much harder because it will result in angry, misinformed pax.
Triple check your facts Gary. Traveling is difficult enough for passengers and airline employees.
I dare you to contact me regarding this or at the very LEAST correct this misinformation you are spreading on your blog.
show up 2 hours early like they tell you to..oh wait, rules dont apply to entitled white guys. Bet he doesn’t put his electronics in plane mode either
As an American Airline employee you cannot “deactivate” a boarding pass. You’d have to cancel the trip itinerary which comes back to the employee and they would lose their job. American does a lot of really bad stuff and doesn’t seem to care about their employees or the passengers. This is at the upper management level. The people I work with do care about passengers and try to make the travel experience as pleasant and seamless as possible. Somebody commented about taking that first class passengers honesty. If he wasn’t behaving like a jerk than he should have received more care and compensation. I guess we’ll never know unless the video of the day is viewed.
No, this is BS. This has happen to me and my husband the last three times. We try to check our golf bags and no one is ever in priority. Then we have to stand in line with everyone flying coach. Not knocking coach but when your priority they should have people to assist you.
It’s a honeytrap. They are hoping one day one of the customers becomes irrate enough that they can get them falsely arrested by continuing to push their buttons and refusing them customer service. A person will feel betrayed and attacked, and at this point they call airport police, and just before airport police arrives you will feel a sandy thing sprayed in your mouth or someone with a bag with a zipper open with huff will walk by and you get really dizzy. At this point someone becomes condescending and you can barely talk. They’re hoping to see someone get shot in front of them so they can brag to their friends what they did. They also received favors in the form of jobs this way. It aligns with terrorist activity, and given it is at an airport, shouldn’t TSA be making sure this DOESNT happen? Costco is set up this way (one person at the entrance, two at the produce section, and one or more at the registers.). Wal Mart has the same set up. These random terrorists are waiting for people to get high off the off-gassing in the store hoping for the next event they can put on the news. People call it gaslighting….If you examine it in all honesty, it is in fact terrorist activity.
We only have so much power.
A BP cannot be “deactivated”
The entire trip would have to be canceled which would lead back to the agent which could result in termination as we never cancel anyone’s itinerary they have to call the airline directly to cancel a trip.
Gary has a lot of misinformation here. As an American employee some of his statements are completely inaccurate and will only lead to pissed off passengers airport at least 2 hours prior to take off that is on you. Always, always count on long lines to check bags as well as long TSA lines. I work in a very very small airport and have seen many people come in 5 minutes before bag cutoff. Don’t do it and don’t blame the airline for your poor planning. Yes, there is traffic and road closures and snow and…
Plan ahead. If you’re legit late we WILL do our absolute best to accommodate you and get you on the next flight. Be aware that smaller airports cannot always get you out in a timely fashion. We are booked solid in the summer and winter. You may not be able to get out for days. Not our fault. Leave a day before you’d like to get home. Especially if it’s a ski trip. It’s called WEATHER!
And be nice, we do not have to take any crap and we will not allow you to travel if you’re not civil. Goes both ways. I will let you know I have seen atrocious behavior from American employees in other stations and am appalled by it.
Moral of the story: American Airlines sucks. It is so sad, but I’m afraid they will always suck at this point. United and Delta have left them in the dust, with mostly miserable employees that are not given the training and tools needed to succeed.
I’ve been flying (all over the world) since I was 6 months old. I live in the DFW area and almost always fly AA. I did some fairly heavy travel for business for several years…so I say this as a seasoned traveler. If you show up for your flight 50 minutes before departure (20 minutes before boarding) then you had better be a CK pax. I don’t cut it closer than 75 to 90 minutes before departure.
I think that parts of his story don’t really wash, but who knows. I have seen similar behavior from time to time, especially after AA acquired US Airways.
American Airlines does suck. I’ve had several awful experiences flying with them and it’s always at the Charlotte airport. They offer flights with ridiculously tight layovers. But I booked one anyway, only after calling the airline to ensure I’d be able to catch the connecting flight. I was told “they wouldn’t schedule a layover that’s customers couldn’t make.” Sure enough, it was tight but I made it to the gate , only to be told it was too late to board, even though the plane was still at the gate. Bottom line is they overbooked the flight and had me and someone else booked for the same seat so first come, first served.
Another time – Charlotte as well – I was booked on the first morning flight. It got cancelled due to plane problems. I was rebooked on FIVE MORE FLIGHTS that day. The second was also cancelled for plane problems. The rest due to weather. The last one I actually boarded the plane (10pm) and we were waiting to take off – for 45 minutes. Then we were told the crew timed out. The plane wasn’t going anywhere and the whole flight had to deboard. I was stuck there for the night. So yeah – American Airlines sucks.
It’s unlikely I will ever seek to fly American unless I have to.
Alaska first class out of HNL. Three or four flights leave at about the same time. Properly at the airport two hours before the flight and if not for first class and the generosity of strangers I’d have walked across the ocean.
Can’t imagine what happened to the working class pax.
Simply not enough staff, period. Predictable and fumbled by Alaska.
Welcome to American, where we care the least and screw up the most and are never reprimanded for it so we just keep doing it, yaayyy. I’ve seriously had some of the worst experiences with them sucking hard at their jobs and even being belligerent for it….oddly the story doesnt cover the demeanor of this passenger but seems he was pretty calm headed when dealing with them and just tried his best to surmount a terrible situation with terrible lazy oafish people.
Normally I dont get so upset but this article oddly reflect a few of my attempts to fly American and it’s wild to see how consistent their incompetence and bad attitude is (Never had these issues with Delta and even other comparatively worser airlines btw).
Normally it’s a 2 hrs before the flight boarding that you’re meant to be at the airport. That way there’s no issues. The fact that this dude thought it was his right to get a pass because he’s first class doesn’t change the fact that dude came in during the ladies lunch or breakfast. He’s no more special than the rest.
I’m gonna say there is more to the story as usual..
MLB is my home airport. AA ticket and gate activities are Menzies employees. I have stood many times at the ticket counter for 5 minutes waiting for an agent to materialize from the back room.
The protocol at MLB for AA is to announce that the ticket counter/baggage check-in is closed at 45 minutes prior to the flight departure, at which time the counter agent heads up to the gate to assist with boarding. Until that announcement is made, the counter is open. After the counter is closed, if you can get your suitcase/item through TSA, they will check it for you at the gate as it’s a CRJ 700/900 plane and they have to valet tag all rollaboards anyways. Thinking that TSA isn’t going to let golf clubs through though.
The OP should have taken a photo showing the time and the lack of counter agent if he was there before the 45-minute cutoff. It’s amazing what a timestamped photo will do for making things happen.
BTW, yet another typo in your fat-fingered article. Don’t you have spell check?
I have never been treated as poorly by airline agents as I was by AA staff in DFW a few years back. I haven’t flown with them since, and will avoid flying with them if at all possible forever more.
Every time I hear a story like this and AA is involved, I will assume the passenger is completely truthful.
If you DON’T give a rip about providing GOOD SERVICE to PAYING CUSTOMERS, then you deserve NO PAYCHECK AND NO JOB. PROBLEM SOLVED. This person could have been helped, with no issue, had someone cared. That is terrible customer service. What goes around comes around. Hopefully negligent workers get what they deserve.
I’ll never fly American Airlines again. Customer service is terrible, and the flight attendants are rude. I left from Columbia, South Carolina, going to Washington, D.C., for surgery and asked for wheelchair accommodation on the return flight, which was the next day. Upon boarding the airplane my son and I took our seats. There was a gay Latino flight attendant with whom I had no problem with his sexual identity. The problem came when he started snapping his fingers & pointing. My son said Dad, he’s talking to you & I told my son, No, he wasn’t until he opened his mouth & said something, he better move his ass up the aisle. My son said there might be an air Marshal on the plane, and I replied You have good trouble and bad trouble, and this is good trouble. I’m not responding to anyone who’s acting like I’m a dog; the attendant left. When we arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, no wheelchair was unloaded on a runway, and I had to walk to the terminal. I just had low back surgery.
Thanks, American Airlines, you’ve definitely lost a customer here.
The mans an idiot, the traveling public are idiots! You can self check bag in MCO. And DOM AA does not have FC anymore its all BC.
When I fly the first thing I do is take a picture of ware my car is parked and then I head in. If AA doesn’t take care of this gentlemen he needs to consult with an attorney, and the attorney can subpoena the video of when the gentleman arrived, and when he went to stand in line and I definitely know there are cameras at every check in counter so then you’ll be able to see when the check in counter was and wasn’t staffed. Cameras don’t lie
I don’t care if he was first class or lower class.
Is this what passes for customer service in our current culture?
“The mans an idiot, the traveling public are idiots!”
The irony is delicious.
I took AA and paid for First class for my return trip because I am disabled and would need more room and more help. Let me tell you, I was left at the arrival gate for almost an hour and asked many employees to help. (I was in a wheelchair) then, when they finally got someone to take me to my connecting gate, I was left there for over an hour with unmanned gate. When they finally got someone at the gate I went to her and requested to be taken down at the very first so I could get seated. She said someone will come for you. I waited and waited … everyone else boarded Noone came. I had to drag my carryon all the way down the plank I was in excruciating pain . And it caused me further problems. I contacted AA. And they told me that because the woman said they would be back for me …. leaving a disabled woman to the very end of the boarding …having paid first class to avoid these b issues in the first place… they did NOTHING for me. I took it higher and still, NOTHING. I did not know who to contact after that. Im almost in tears right now writing about it… Ill never fly AA again.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.. This is why all these stories get posted on my FlipBoard ” Documenting the Downward Spiral of American Airlines” and why I sold off my > 200K AAdvanrage Miles. I will no longer fly them I check in as soon as allowed and get to air port super duper early because my whole life, I have had a passion for Air Ports. All that said, AA inexplicably found it necessary to last minute change my very expensive refundable First Class checked in seat, which I printed with time stamp as soon as check in window opened, from 1A to 35 D, obviously in main cabin with no financial compensation, not that I would have accepted it
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.. Always wear innocuous recording device — it keeps you in line, too and always print Internet time stamped BP.
This is why all these stories get posted on my FlipBoard ” Documenting the Downward Spiral of American Airlines” and why I just sold off my > 200K AAdvanrage Miles. I will no longer fly them I check in as soon as allowed and get to air port super duper early because my whole life, I have had a passion for Air Ports. All that said, AA inexplicably found it necessary to last minute change my very expensive refundable First Class checked in seat, which I printed with time stamp as soon as check in window opened, from 1A to 35 D, obviously in main cabin with no financial compensation, not that I would have accepted it
Always arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before the domestic flight.
I wouldn’t fly American if the tix was free
I really love View from the Wing! Great information, good solutions and the articles feel balanced, giving both sides the airlines and the consumers point of view.
Technically the guy was in time and I do agree AA was in the wrong.
But if you show up to ANY airport 5- minutes before cutoff you get what you deserve.
Arrive two hours early at all airports and don’t get written up in VFTW.com looking like an idiot.
A reason to check your ticket before checking in is to see if anything has changed on it. If the changes are unacceptable, get it refunded. That is what I have done in the past and even made a new reservation that was cheaper and at better times.
AA out of Houston Hobby made everyone stand around for an hour or more that had checked bags- just left everyone there and closed the desk. I fully believe that this man’s experience is nit in any way unusual for AA in smaller airports. Their service is atrocious.
AA has absolutely the worst customer service of any airline….. I avoid them like the plague
I think everyone is missing the most important customer point. This man was there before the cutoff. There was no one working the counter to check his bag, no matter what kind of bag it was. If AA is going to strictly enforce the cutoff time, there should always be someone at counter until they reach the cut off time. Just because the agent didn’t show up until after that window closed (by 2 minutes) it should not be on the passenger. He acted within the rules. The employee didn’t do their job as should be required.
American Airlines is the worst. My teenage (at the time) daughter was flying with them and they canceled the flight. She went to the customer service desk to ask for help rebooking the flight and they told her to go online, find a flight, and come back and they would help her (after she stood in line again) A nearby Delta rep heard the conversation, saw the look of panic on my daughter’s face, and helped her book a Delta flight about 2 hours later. Needless to say, we have flown Delta ever since. Professionalism and Assistance go a long way…AA needs to learn that.
Am I just growing older and grumpier or is customer service in steep decline today? And I am not limiting my criticism to retail servers. Poor service and communications span everyday life from political governance to civil service, from professional medicine to jurisprudence, from fiduciaries to mortuaries it seems as though society has become a society of narcissists who focus on self pleasures at the expense of others. But it’s more than self pleasure, it is inflicting various degrees of hate on others.
And this is why I no longer fly American Airlines. It is systemically poisoned by its own employees who are angry and useless for paying customers!!
Fly United!!! They don’t slam the door in your face 17 minutes prior to takeoff! Just one of my many experiences on American!!
Union Strong!!!
THIS IS WHY I will never Fly Ameeivan Again.. Air Mike’s pulled First class seat taken away a yvfrim me by another passenger who “wants to fly this side instead! , and above all, NY Mother was a Stewardness in 1947, my Brother Became a Pilot in 1978 and flew 727 and MD80S TILL 2008, AND I built the first 777 for American. Younger Bro became an AurMarshall ND then TSA HOMELAND SOECIAL gent for Air MarshL serves. So I got the ultimate diss , even when over booked before the new
Compensation Guide came out. Nope, no American or United. Only Alaska for me or I’ll drive their!
This is the type of treatment that haw resulted in me not flying anywhere for the last 27 years!! I understand that it has become significantly worse during that time. It used to be that “common carriers” were held to a higher standard. Time to bring that back and then some! Ridiculous behavior, and excuses.