Prove Me Wrong: American Airlines is the worst domestic airline

[Updawg 2261]

Well, when we had to fly home from London in 2018 earlier than scheduled because Mrs. Brat broke her arm and had to go home for surgery, the BA flight crew would not allow her to move into one of the several empty seats in business class just a few steps from her premium economy seat for more comfort. She was half sedated with hydrocodone but was still uncomfortable not being able to stretch out more.
Not to mention BA charged me a $1,500 fee to change our return flight to Austin because of her accident.

Good thing the premium class peeps weren't made uncomfortable by her.

[Sam Lin 3540]

On 11/26/2019 at 7:22 AM, msbesq said:

About $5.50. It’s not the amount, it’s the idea of a “nice” airline charging for a very simple amenity. 

Lulz at BA being considered a "nice" airline. It and AA just brought up the last 2 places in an airline survey, even behind Spirit and Easyjet.

[DFWTexEx 274]

I have good status on AA and generally they treat me well. Living in Dallas, I don't have much of a choice for my trips.  

But, I would agree with the OP because of one thing:  the flight attendants wearing black/navy hose with black flats.  It's an abomination.

[Ghost of LL 15469]

One Mile at a Time has a shockingly bad review of AA's First Class Flagship product DFW-HKG.

On the one hand, I can't say I'm surprised.  The domestic business class product is just fine, especially compared to intra-European F flights (which are just economy seats with the middle seat blocked off).  But I honestly can't see American flight attendants pulling off the level of service that one expects in international F.

At the same time, you're a real fucking airline.  How hard can it possibly be to train up a group of FA's to give the level of service that one expects on such a flight.  Especially when you're touting it as your "Flagship" service on your flagship route.

[gsoda3 3234]

One Mile at a Time has a shockingly bad review of AA's First Class Flagship product DFW-HKG.
On the one hand, I can't say I'm surprised.  The domestic business class product is just fine, especially compared to intra-European F flights (which are just economy seats with the middle seat blocked off).  But I honestly can't see American flight attendants pulling off the level of service that one expects in international F.
At the same time, you're a real fucking airline.  How hard can it possibly be to train up a group of FA's to give the level of service that one expects on such a flight.  Especially when you're touting it as your "Flagship" service on your flagship route.

That's bad but unfortunately par for the course. It's why we always fly Cathay even though it necessitates a stop on the west coast .

[Ghost of LL 15469]

27 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

One Mile at a Time has a shockingly bad review of AA's First Class Flagship product DFW-HKG.
On the one hand, I can't say I'm surprised.  The domestic business class product is just fine, especially compared to intra-European F flights (which are just economy seats with the middle seat blocked off).  But I honestly can't see American flight attendants pulling off the level of service that one expects in international F.
At the same time, you're a real fucking airline.  How hard can it possibly be to train up a group of FA's to give the level of service that one expects on such a flight.  Especially when you're touting it as your "Flagship" service on your flagship route.

That's bad but unfortunately par for the course. It's why we always fly Cathay even though it necessitates a stop on the west coast .

That's my experience, too.  I'm flying out of AUS, and I'd probably prefer to go through DFW.  But you're exactly right--I'll go out of my way to fly CX or JL to Asia rather than AA.  And as bad as people think BA is, I'd much rather fly BA than AA to Europe (I'd prefer LH to either, but they're really proud of that flight out of AUS, and the fares reflect it).

[Wiler77 1556]

30 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

(I'd prefer LH to either, but they're really proud of that flight out of AUS, and the fares reflect it).

I've flown that 3 times this year, and each time the fare was within $200-$300 of a United flight connecting through Houston or DC.  If I was paying for it, that may make a difference to me, but for business I don't find the fares to be unreasonable.

[DallasGatr 216]

As a monthly INTL AA passenger I have to second the motion that its all about the F/A's.  The normal service is polite yet not intrusive.  The outliers are the extremely helpful/friendly attendants or the surly former SS guards who really don't GAF.  I had the latter yesterday on my MIA-MAD flight in biz/first.  Really annoying when thousands are spent on a one way ticket for seriously horrid service.  And the Flagship lounges are good for one thing, a pretty good and unlimited booze selection.

[DFWTexEx 274]

6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

One Mile at a Time has a shockingly bad review of AA's First Class Flagship product DFW-HKG.

On the one hand, I can't say I'm surprised.  The domestic business class product is just fine, especially compared to intra-European F flights (which are just economy seats with the middle seat blocked off).  But I honestly can't see American flight attendants pulling off the level of service that one expects in international F.

At the same time, you're a real fucking airline.  How hard can it possibly be to train up a group of FA's to give the level of service that one expects on such a flight.  Especially when you're touting it as your "Flagship" service on your flagship route.

I have flown first class DFW-HKG.  This review is pretty spot on.  The seat is actually terrific  I enjoyed how it swiveled into a desk facing the window.  The mattress pad and blankets were nice. I slept well. 

But the flight attendants had no idea this was a premium cabin.  It’s true that they barely spoke to you and when they did it it was just a few words at a time.  Their duties were executed but there was absolutely no sense of hospitality or charm.  

[Gil Bang 25894]

Writing this from Premium Economy on an AA LAX-EZE. Service has been pretty fucking good. Food was good. Seat is pretty nice. FA is bringing my beers and whiskey 2 at a time. Left on time.

[blacklab 11843]

how are you flying to easy E? Thought he died of aids

[XYZ 2154]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Writing this from Premium Economy on an AA LAX-EZE. Service has been pretty fucking good. Food was good. Seat is pretty nice. FA is bringing my beers and whiskey 2 at a time. Left on time.

Enjoy the very favorable exchange rate. And don’t get mugged. Or killed.

Edited December 31, 2019 by XYZ

[Gil Bang 25894]

The starboard shitter in between business and premium is the biggest, nicest airplane lav that I’ve ever seen.

 

[gsoda3 3234]

19 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

That's my experience, too.  I'm flying out of AUS, and I'd probably prefer to go through DFW.  But you're exactly right--I'll go out of my way to fly CX or JL to Asia rather than AA.  And as bad as people think BA is, I'd much rather fly BA than AA to Europe (I'd prefer LH to either, but they're really proud of that flight out of AUS, and the fares reflect it).

same.  we don't even look up fares for any other route when we go to england.  it's the BA from aus to lhr.

[Rougarou 594]

I only fly business class these days when I fly international and from my experience I’d rather fly American business class than BA business class. It’s just slightly nicer of a cubicle and the leg rest is better and feels more secluded. Just feels like on BA especially if you are in the aisle and not a window business class seat, I wake up every 90 minutes. I consistently leave LHR on American metal and wake up as we were over Charlotte or Florida or every time and it is always nice.

[McCroskey 1493]

14 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

The starboard shitter in between business and premium is the biggest, nicest airplane lav that I’ve ever seen.

 

Better than the upper deck front lav on an A380? 

[DCA_HORN 725]

I thought the 767 handicap lav was the way to go?

Do you want that in the can? No, I'll have it right here.

[Your Mom 4791]

12 minutes ago, DCA_HORN said:

Do you want that in the can? No, I'll have it right here.

Avatar close to checking out. 

[Bullneck 18983]

On 8/10/2019 at 6:03 PM, Shaggy3.0 said:

He’s a baller.  Ballers ride the A Express to Howard Beach, then train into the terminal.  

LIRR might get you there (Jamaica) the fastest.  The E will get you there, too.

On 8/28/2019 at 9:06 PM, Shaddie said:

I swear to god I hate you “people”. I have over 2 million actual miles in the last 20 years. 

You are fucking cattle. Get over it. You have no rights. 

I am racist. I hate tourists. You stand in the middle of a concourse and stare at shit. I hate summer time cause those “people” seem to get more abundant. 

Thank god Parker changed upgrade system on AA and now most of my last minute flights get upgraded so I don’t have to sit with the “unwashed masses” in back. 

In other words quit fucking up my world. 

 

 

LOL.  He's honest about how he feels.

Edited January 1, 2020 by Bullneck

[Bullneck 18983]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:10 PM, bigup2dahorns said:

 

What are the odds they'll sell your info?  

A. 0-99%

B. 100%

[Homercles 10205]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:59 PM, DallasGatr said:

As a monthly INTL AA passenger I have to second the motion that its all about the F/A's.  The normal service is polite yet not intrusive.  The outliers are the extremely helpful/friendly attendants or the surly former SS guards who really don't GAF.  I had the latter yesterday on my MIA-MAD flight in biz/first.  Really annoying when thousands are spent on a one way ticket for seriously horrid service.  And the Flagship lounges are good for one thing, a pretty good and unlimited booze selection.

The one at LAX is great for airplane spotting too, I love getting to see widebody metal (or composite) up close and the push/start process in that narrow alley.  Also saw Henry Winkler in there coming back from HKG once. 
 

Last long haul trip in J was coming back from HKG and the purser was an exceptional, and very flaming, dude.  They closed the awesomely huge lav on the starboard side behind the mini-cabin...turns out a guy flying back from China had completely vomited blood all over it and it was an incredible mess.  The purser was kind, compassionate, informative, helpful and a great conversation for the rest of us.  That was the exception.  He thought the Chinese genetleman was coming home to die, and had somehow evaded the temperature sensors they have in the terminal.  Glad I didn’t see that.  

[DallasGatr 216]

I pray for the male homosexual flight attendant. Generally speaking they are far better than your run of the mill cat rancher you get in the premium intl cabin. They really seem to take pride in their job.

[Ghost of LL 15469]

I only fly business class these days when I fly international and from my experience I’d rather fly American business class than BA business class. It’s just slightly nicer of a cubicle and the leg rest is better and feels more secluded. Just feels like on BA especially if you are in the aisle and not a window business class seat, I wake up every 90 minutes. I consistently leave LHR on American metal and wake up as we were over Charlotte or Florida or every time and it is always nice.

I think your opinion is going to change when the BA flight to AUS switches to the A350 with their new business class product. I think that change comes in March.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Homercles 10205]

BA was the premier J product for me when I was traveling to India back in 06/07...I’d fly AA to LHR in the old 77E product that was in 2-3-2 with non lie flat giant chairs and tiny ass screens, then BA to BLR and the difference was night/day.  Can’t believe I once did DFW-HKG in those old AA seats...after that when flying to MNL I made sure to transit in LAX so I’d be on CX where the herringbone seats were claustrophobic but I always had aisle access and modern IFE.  
 

Of course now AA and CX 77W have those reverse herringbone seats in 1-2-1 and the hard product is about the same.  Both of my non-work long haul flights recently have been in those seats across the pacific and it’s very comfortable.  Things have come a long way in general, just sucks I don’t do upper class business travel anymore.  

[Macanudo 12925]

In full agreement that American sucks ass.  Has a 4:20 pm flight out of Amarillo to DFW get cancelled at around 9:30 IN THE FUCKING morning because of the storm that didnt hit Dallas until around 6:00.  Then when they rescheduled me my connecting flight to Houston was to HOU and not Bush.  I live 20 minutes NE of IAH and 60-90 minutes from Hobby.   Spent forever on hold getting that fixed (the AA app sucks ass and is virtually worthless.

Rescheduled DFW flight was supposed to leave at 6:00.  It gets delayed until 10:00.  My connecting flight was supposed to leave DFW at 10 so I get another notification that the later flight has been rescheduled back to Hobby.  I call again to deal with that and when I finally get through, they tell me the AMA-DFW is cancelled.  This is 8:00.  By the time I get off the phone they still haven't updated the board at the gate.  So I ask the gate agent and he's clueless.  He does some typing on his computer and sure enough, its cancelled. And had been since 7:30.  But either he didnt check or he wasn't told.   So they rebook me for this morning with a connection to IAH that gets me home around 2:30.  Only other earlier flight has like a 20 minute turnaround.  We left AMA 30 minutes late so I would have missed that short turnaround anyways. 

When I get on the plane I get another alert that I'm rebooked for the connection to a 12:30 flight.  Yay, I get in a little earlier.  boarding in AMA this morning took almost 45 minutes because the gate agent was struggling with the ticket reader.  If people had phones she insisted on scanning their boarding pass.  She sucked at it and couldn't make them work.   When another AA agent told her let us do it ourselves, we flew right by. 

I realize this was weather related and AA was not entirely at fault but why were SWA flights to LUV still going out as late as 8:00?  Was the original plane coming to AMA so delayed that early that they knew it couldn't to AMA?  I know I risked the chance of just being stuck at DFW last night instead of in AMA for another night and honestly I'd prefer AMA under these circumstances but damn if AA doesnt know shit about what they do.

So I'm sitting here at DFW eating overpriced Pappasitos and wondering when I wont feel like it's too early to start drinking.

[Guest Lobo]

It's 11am on a Saturday at an airport that's already been serving alcohol for 4 hours... what the hell are you waiting for?  

Edited January 11, 2020 by Lobo

[gecko 1104]

Not a humble brag but I flew UA business class from Newark to Lisbon last week and it was by far the worst BC experience ever. I think UA knew it sucked because I haven’t even received the usual annoying survey about the flight

On the plus side I’m returning on TAP A330 neo in BC. Should be nice but still have to deal with Newark. God what an embarrassment of an airport

[The People’s Elbow 707]

1 hour ago, gecko said:

Not a humble brag but I flew UA business class from Newark to Lisbon last week and it was by far the worst BC experience ever. I think UA knew it sucked because I haven’t even received the usual annoying survey about the flight

On the plus side I’m returning on TAP A330 neo in BC. Should be nice but still have to deal with Newark. God what an embarrassment of an airport

I’m assuming you flew direct. I also recently flew UA to Portugal and remember seeing that EWR-LIS direct being serviced by what I assumed were older 757 or 767s with older seating configurations. 

I purposefully flew through Frankfurt to get the newer Polaris 1-2-1 seating configuration. Worth it IMO. 

[Prepuce of Doom 20982]

This lady did a shit job of presenting her case, but I have had this exact same thing happen to me multiple times with AA's website, only to have the "problem" fix itself when I quickly book using a different computer. 

Fuck American Airlines in the goatass. 

~~~~~

https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2020/01/13/no-lift-off-for-lawsuit-alleging-trick-pricing-on-american-airlines-website

 

No Lift-Off for Lawsuit Alleging Trick Pricing on American Airlines' Website

This putative class action lawsuit accused American Airlines Inc. of using website cookies and algorithms to systematically trick customers into accepting contracts at lower prices before hiking them up at the last minute, but the court found the claims didn't hold up to scrutiny.

By Raychel Lean | January 13, 2020 at 04:46 PM

A putative class action lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida that could have affected airlines across the nation has nosedived, succumbing to a summary judgment from U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman over a lack of evidence.

The ruling clarified confusion over whether filling in an online form was akin to entering into a contract with a company.

Named plaintiff Margaret Schultz from Palm Beach County accused Texas-based American Airlines Inc. of using website cookies and algorithms to systematically trick customers into accepting contracts at lower prices, before hiking them up at the last minute. But the court found those allegations didn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Schultz’s breach of contract lawsuit claimed that at 7 p.m. on May 25, 2017, she found a flight from Washington, D.C., to Miami for $197, but after she clicked “pay now” an error message said the transaction couldn’t be processed. Schultz alleged the price shot up to $297 and ultimately became $379, which she paid. The suit claimed that happened because the airline’s computer engineers manipulated price data.

“American has ascertained, through millions of observations of millions of flight bookings on its website and other forms of data mining, that once consumers decide on an airline, departure airport, arrival airport, flight time and price level for a specific seat, they will likely pay a higher price for the same seat to avoid stress associated with changing their flight,” the complaint said.

But Altman found that testimony from the plaintiff “blatantly contradicted” electronic records from American Airlines that said it had sold its last $197 fare at 3:39 p.m.

Schultz claimed this was the third time this had happened in five months, but didn’t have screenshots of related transactions or error messages. Instead, she offered “substantively identical” pages from a dummy transaction that allegedly showed a similar price hike.

Schultz claimed she spent 55 minutes deciding on a ticket, according to Altman’s ruling, which said it wasn’t enough that she repeatedly insisted under oath that she’d seen the $197 fare at 7 p.m.

The plaintiff didn’t dispute the accuracy of those records, and instead claimed the website must have malfunctioned. But that argument didn’t fly.

“Schultz, in short, asks this court to accept as true her wholly-uncorroborated, self-serving testimony—even though the thrust of that testimony is, given the objective documentary record, implausible,” Altman wrote. “This the court cannot—and will not—do.”

Even if there had been a glitch, Altman found that clicking “pay now” was not akin to entering into a binding contract with American Airlines, as it represented the fifth stage of a six-part process — the final part being the “finish” page. After that, American Airlines argued it then has to check whether customers have sufficient funds, take their payment and confirm regulatory authorities had cleared them to fly—none of which happened in Schultz’s case.

When a browser click on a flight advertised on American Airlines’ website, the system is designed to hold that fare for a 15-minute period, while the potential customer decides whether to accept it.

But Altman stressed this doesn’t mean American Airlines offered Schultz a specific fare that she could claim at any point, because an airplane ”cannot accommodate every person who might want a seat on a particular flight.”

Rather than amounting to a contract, the ruling said the defendant’s 15-minute hold was a way of policing abuse while adhering to the laws of supply and demand.

“Without it, a consumer who was not sure whether she would need a particular flight could, months before that flight, fill out AA’s online order form to near-completion and then leave the web browser open for weeks (or even months) at a time—until she was ready to pull the proverbial trigger and click  ‘Pay Now,’ ” the ruling said. “ This cannot be the law.”

Plaintiffs attorneys Mason Kerns and Jeremy Block of Mason Kerns Law in Miami and Robert Burkett Jr. of Burkett Law Office in Fort Myers said they plan to appeal.

American Airlines has denied any wrongdoing, but declined to comment. Humberto Ocariz of Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Miami and Elizabeth Marks, James Brandt and Michael Bern of Latham & Watkins’ New York and Washington, D.C., offices handled its case.

 

[elfenix 34169]

On 1/13/2020 at 2:08 AM, The People’s Elbow said:

I’m assuming you flew direct. I also recently flew UA to Portugal and remember seeing that EWR-LIS direct being serviced by what I assumed were older 757 or 767s with older seating configurations.

where would that flight land?  azores?

[The People’s Elbow 707]

3 hours ago, elfenix said:

where would that flight land?  azores?

Lisbon, though if you’re going to the Azores, perhaps knock on the cockpit door and ask if they’ll drop you off on the way. Worth a shot. 

[Gil Bang 25894]

so, today a Delta 787 left LAX for china, and had a problem.  They headed back to LAX, and along the way, dumped some fuel.

 

 

 

 

On a bunch of school kids on a playground.

[Sbbruin 21704]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

so, today a Delta 787 left LAX for china, and had a problem.  They headed back to LAX, and along the way, dumped some fuel.

 

 

 

 

On a bunch of school kids on a playground.

Yep, kids rained down upon.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/17-kids-injured-after-delta-jet-dumps-fuel-l-playground-n1115586?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR2msK7CxCcT8dWJtFVXlt3cay0oitsrcolZJT14FRpUpTRmb1nT_RYxVYE

[InkaUtexas 25486]

So was he really in trouble or just pissed off and decided to drop fuel on the future? 

[DaysOff 7843]

They had a problem and were returning. 5000 feet is typically high enough to vaporize fuel. Guess they forgot to close the dump valves. I have no idea how that system works on a 787.

[InkaUtexas 25486]

Yeah, and heading on a long flight. Reason I ask is they came straight back per FLIGHTRADAR 24 vs. going off somewhere and dropping away from the city. 

Thanks for the insight. 

[Gil Bang 25894]

8 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yeah, and heading on a long flight. Reason I ask is they came straight back per FLIGHTRADAR 24 vs. going off somewhere and dropping away from the city. 

Thanks for the insight. 

yeah, the ocean is quite close to LAX

[InkaUtexas 25486]

3 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

yeah, the ocean is quite close to LAX

Maybe this dude was flying 

[SuperSport 1328]

Not to be that guy, but Delta doesn’t operate 787s.

[DaysOff 7843]

I thought they didn't either, but saw reports on another pilot forum as well. Whatever widebody it was took a piss on kids.

[Longhornmaniac8 255]

It was a 777.

[Surly Bevo 24692]

Guess that pilot thought that Whitney Houston was full of shit.

[gsoda3 3234]

Don't they take off heading west over the Pacific at LAX?

[Gil Bang 25894]

weird.  It was reported widely to be a 787. 

Oh well, I stand corrected.

 

Meanwhile, y'all may have heard that the new President of Mexico decided that the country cannot afford their own "Air Force 1", so he put their 787 up for sale for about half of what they paid for it...140,000,000 IIRC.  So, they flew it up to the Victorville boneyard (Mojave desert) and parked it, and nobody bit, so, they spent a million on maintenance to get it flyable again, and it's back in Mexico today. 

[The People’s Elbow 707]

8 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

Don't they take off heading west over the Pacific at LAX?

No. At LAX, they take off going straight up because of the jet stream and nearby mountains. It’s really bizarre. 

[TornACL 7674]

47 minutes ago, The People’s Elbow said:

No. At LAX, they take off going straight up because of the jet stream and nearby mountains. It’s really bizarre. 

Team VTOL

[Telegraph_it 3353]

WSJ agrees with this thread. I must get very lucky when flying United because they are taking up the rear with American. 

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-of-2019-11579097301

[gsoda3 3234]

6 hours ago, The People’s Elbow said:

No. At LAX, they take off going straight up because of the jet stream and nearby mountains. It’s really bizarre. 

am i not understanding or is my meter not working today?  everytime i've flown out of LAX, be it to asia or back to texas, we've gone out over the ocean.  

 

i found this on google...

Quote

Aircraft will usually need to take off into the wind for lift and performance. At LAX, aircraft typically depart to the west due to the prevailing westerly wind conditions.

 

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

4 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

am i not understanding or is my meter not working today?  everytime i've flown out of LAX, be it to asia or back to texas, we've gone out over the ocean.  

 

i found this on google...

 

Sarcasm

[Prepuce of Doom 20982]

I've flown out of LAX backwards a few times - felt surprisingly weird to do.