Date: May 2008 AAdvantage Status: EXP Fare class: B What happened: IIROPS at ORD. I was connecting MAN-ORD-LGA. My 1:20pm flight cancelled. Finally got to LGA around 12:30am Compensation: 3000 miles .... without asking Comments: Never sent any complaint, but received the following
Quote:
May 7, 2008
Dear Mr. plasticman:
We are sorry| There is no question that the lengthy delay of your flight created
inconvenience for you on May xx. Please know that we have great respect for our
customers time and it is just as important to us to depart on time as it is to you.
Safety will always take precedence over schedules but we will continue to work hard to
keep flight delays to a minimum.
We'd like to offer some encouragement to fly with us again and 3,000 bonus miles have
been deposited into your AAdvantageŽ. You will see the mileage in your account soon
at http://www.aa.com/aadvantage.
Again, we apologize for disrupting your trip. We hope you will give us another chance
to serve you better. We'll see you aboard.
Sincerely,
B. J. Russell
Customer Relations
American Airlines
color me somewhat impressed...I had not expected AA to do anything on some travel that saw more than one departure time delayed and then cancelled due to weather. Aside from the delays being weather related, it was also award travel, so I really expected the letter to simply be more cathartic rather than productive in terms of real results.
It took close to two months, but AA actually responded to my venting about not releasing us to another carrier that had a N/S flight to the destination and came though with a voucher. There were some other customer service issues related to the constant rebooking that took place that day that I also compla...err, noted in the letter.
Yeah, I know the voucher wasn't much (about half of what the flight would have cost), but it seems that in the wake of the groundings, it seems as though they are trying to smooth over the frayed nerves.
I also got compensation for a delay that began as a weather delay (actually a diversion to an alternate airport en route). As a result of incompetence on the part of several people, it became much worse than the weather would have required - culminating in an AA offer to take us from the airport to which we were diverted to our original destination in a bus - arriving an hour after that airport closed for the night and dropping us off in the middle of nowhere with no transportation available (no taxis, no open car rental offices, no bus service, etc.) to anywhere we might really have wanted to go.
I ended up with 9,000 miles compensation after complaining, but I think it was more for the subsequent foul-ups than for the weather delay itself. That sounds like what happened to the OP: it wasn't the weather, it was AA's not putting her on available alternative transportation.
On a separate occasion, I also got compensation for a delay on an award flight. I don't think paid versus award is a big factor in their decision process. After all, anyone who has enough miles for an award paid somehow to get them and is, in all likelihood, a good enough customer to be nice to.
Wow, that's nice of them. When I was delayed 21 hours (included one overnight delay) on two 1 hour flights due to weather elsewhere in AA's system (i.e. not at my point A or point B nor anywhere in between) I wrote to AA customer service and was told to sod off and that they aren't responsible for weather delays regardless of where on earth the bad weather is....
...that they aren't responsible for weather delays regardless of where on earth the bad weather is....
Correct. Weather delays happen, are not AA's fault, and do not of themselves deserve compensation. The compensation, in both my case and as I read the OP's, was for not doing what they reasonably could have done to mitigate its impact on their passenger(s).
Programs: AF FB Gold, SPG Gold, AA EXP, National Exec.
Posts: 561
Date: May 2008
AAdvantage Status: Plt
Fare class: O
What happened: Morning flight out of SJU to SFO via JFK delayed 3 hours due to crew legality. Rerouted via ORD arriving home 2 hours later then scheduled.
Compensation: $100 Gift Certificate
Comments: Quick note to AA letting them know my concern.
how long does comp take after u contact cust service via email? or i guess just a response besides the automatic one they send right after u email them?
how long does comp take after u contact cust service via email? or i guess just a response besides the automatic one they send right after u email them?
Give it 3-4 days, but up to a week or so if they're swamped (read: MD-80 groundings). The email subject seems to start with "I2008/05" for the auto reply (in May 2008) and "R2008/05" for the subsequent personal reply.
So I still have a chance?
I wrote to them 9 days ago, got their auto response but have heard nothing since. I figured they might be back jammed with the MD-80 stuff, but I think 9 days is a little much. Will have to write them again.
how long does comp take after u contact cust service via email? or i guess just a response besides the automatic one they send right after u email them?
Cannot speak to the e-inquiry. I sent a fax with my issues and concerns...it was close to two months. But hey, a response is a response, especially if it comes with a voucher
The other time that I can recall having an issue that got under my skin, I sent a letter snail mail to the DFW address showing on the AA website.
I know lots of businesses use e-forms for customer service issues, but I always have seemed to get a response by actually typing something up for fax or snail mail.
Give it 3-4 days, but up to a week or so if they're swamped (read: MD-80 groundings). The email subject seems to start with "I2008/05" for the auto reply (in May 2008) and "R2008/05" for the subsequent personal reply.
wow, i better call them. one is about a month and the other is a week today
Programs: AA GLD; DL, UA Nothing; Radisson Silver Elite; SPG, Hyatt Nothing
Posts: 85
For purposes of updating the wiki I am posting some results:
Date - January 19, 2008 AAdvantage Status - GLD Fare class - N What happened - AB6 scheduled to take us to MIA went tech in SJO. Flight initially delayed 4.5 hours waiting for arrival of replacement part. Flight then delayed an addition 3.5 hours. Arrived home 10 hours late into New York. Compensation - Initially given (unsolicited) 7,000 miles each, which was increased to 15,000 miles each after e-mails to CS.
Date - April 28, 2008 AAdvantage Status - GLD Fare class - S What happened - AA118 cancelled due to maintenance. Rerouted LAX-STL-JFK. I specifically asked agent who rebooked me whether STL-JFK was nonstop since I recall only STL-LGA was nonstop. Agent said it was. No. It went via ORD, and due to weather in ORD we arrived home almost 12 hours later than scheduled. E-mailed CS and received $400 in vouchers. Compensation Comments
Location: Stuck Between the Moon and PHL or EWR, Riding the Rail from ZFV, Your local Taco Bell
Programs: AA EXP, CO Plat, SPG Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 2,812
Date - 5/18
AAdvantage Status - EXP
Fare class - K (I think... but it was a ticket of >1k)
What happened - Delayed ex-PHL by 3 hours due to thunderstorms. Was to connect to last flight of the day to SEA in DFW. Arrived at 9:45pm, connecting flight shows 10:15pm departure (a 1:15 delay). Got to gate at 9:50pm, flight closed and no AAgents in sight. Called EXP, who called the jetbridge(?), GA would not return to board me - she had no more seats and had removed me. Rebooked for next morning, missed first meeting.
Compensation - Rebooked into F inventory (which would help were I not already sporting 30k from the double EQM promo) on first flight out, offered a room at the Ramada DFW (declined - my brother lives nearby so slept on his couch and drank his beer). Called EXP desk and was transferred to customer relations - given choice of 15,000 miles or $300 voucher. Took the $300.
Comments - GA apologized for her error and said she noted my PNR that she thought I wouldn't make it. That probably helped.
got an email today, so about a week out. just said they were sorry that their AC wasnt working on the plane and we were just miserable in the sju humidity. even the FAs were complaining and asked us to complain to AA. early morning flight, they should have tried to fix it or bring another plane in. the entire 2.5 hrs of the flight was horrible. the milk for the cereal was bad as well. anyways, im glad some of us get some stuff
