My point, exactly. If the parents were not going to listen to anyone, what else could/should the airline have done to ameliorate the situation in flight?
The "authority" of the FA might have made the parents listen, especially if the FA threatened to use that authority and have "authorities" waiting upon landing. I believe the FA carried more strength (and responsibility) in this situation, and I believe the OP has a legit gripe with AA (the FA) for not working to ameliorate the situation on board.
As I read through these threads and the original post I do start to think about the episode as a safety issue. Children running around with the seatbelt sign on (particulary if the a/c was rolling through turbulence) becomes a recipe for disaster. At some point if the parents would not abide by the FA's request, it becomes a matter for the Captain who is ultimately responsible for the safety of the a/c and paxs.
I am sure that even these dumb witted parents would have reacted if the Captain or First Officer had come out and told the parents to cease the children's behavior or the authorities would detain them upon arrival. Even if the Capital/First Officer choose to have that relayed through the F FA.
And yes maybe that pisses off a couple of EXPs, but would the Captain rather be part of an investigation determining why a child was seriously injured or even killed when the child was up and moving when the seat belt sign was on.
While we can appreciate your request for an adjustment of your ticket cost in light of your disappointment, we must respectfully decline.
Your requesting cash back is why you got the answer you got. As a 6 1/2 year member of Flyertalk, you knew that there wes absolutely no chance of that, and it would get a response like this, but you sent it anyway, and got the response that you (and we) would have expected.
If you had sent a complaint asking for miles or stickers (or just sent a complaint, not asking for anything), you would have likely gotten miles or stickers.
When someone starts a thread to rant about American responding in a way that we all know they will respond, I usually chalk it up to being new to Flyertalk and not knowing as much about how American works. When the OP is a long-time member, I really wonder why they would do such a thing.
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Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then they beat you with experience.
Your requesting cash back is why you got the answer you got. As a 6 1/2 year member of Flyertalk, you knew that there wes absolutely no chance of that, and it would get a response like this, but you sent it anyway, and got the response that you (and we) would have expected.
If you had sent a complaint asking for miles or stickers (or just sent a complaint, not asking for anything), you would have likely gotten miles or stickers.
When someone starts a thread to rant about American responding in a way that we all know they will respond, I usually chalk it up to being new to Flyertalk and not knowing as much about how American works. When the OP is a long-time member, I really wonder why they would do such a thing.
While I feel the complaint is legit, I agree with everything above. I think the OP is due some comp, but not a refund.
Location: Palm Beach, FL/Hungary 2MM AA EXP, CO GOLD, Kempinski PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 218
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3Cforme
Demand cash compensation from any U.S. airline and they'll go all 'Contract of Carriage' on you. To expect a refund for the presence of unruly children is naive.
I did not ask for cash but rather a voucher reflective of the circus on board. On a $1200+ plus fare x 2 I thought it was reasonable. The FA's strongly suggested we write in and promised an incident report.
I note AA not choosing sides = AA does not value EXP's or revenue first customers. Got it!
In response to my letter complaining that 2 screaming kids used first class as a playground, hit my wife, jumped between seats, disregarded seat belt signs, and ruined a flight for 2 revenue First Class passengers who are both EXP's I received this. At least we all now know where the passenger stands.
Copied from op initial message. Doesn't this now become a safety issue (bolded phrase) and now fall within the "disobeying a fa" "rules" and now become aa's problem. For example, a small child unbuckled can get seriously injured in extreme turbulence.
If a parent disobeys an FA, they could be subject to penalties.
What can they do to a kid that does this? Did you want them to divert and have the kids arrested?
Your requesting cash back is why you got the answer you got. As a 6 1/2 year member of Flyertalk, you knew that there wes absolutely no chance of that, and it would get a response like this, but you sent it anyway, and got the response that you (and we) would have expected.
If you had sent a complaint asking for miles or stickers (or just sent a complaint, not asking for anything), you would have likely gotten miles or stickers.
When someone starts a thread to rant about American responding in a way that we all know they will respond, I usually chalk it up to being new to Flyertalk and not knowing as much about how American works. When the OP is a long-time member, I really wonder why they would do such a thing.
I note AA not choosing sides = AA does not value EXP's or revenue first customers. Got it!
Well, I would certainly hope that they wouldn't choose sides based on "EXPness" or "revenue first customers" or any other DYKWIA terms. What if the EXP revenue first pax had been the parents- should AA side with them on that basis? If they were to choose a side, it should be based on the merits of the situation. In yours, you (and the other pax) were clearly in the right, and that should have been the basis for any side choosing, not DYKWIA.
The "authority" of the FA might have made the parents listen, especially if the FA threatened to use that authority and have "authorities" waiting upon landing. I believe the FA carried more strength (and responsibility) in this situation, and I believe the OP has a legit gripe with AA (the FA) for not working to ameliorate the situation on board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
I am sure that even these dumb witted parents would have reacted if the Captain or First Officer had come out and told the parents to cease the children's behavior or the authorities would detain them upon arrival. Even if the Capital/First Officer choose to have that relayed through the F FA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenjaminNYC
While I feel the complaint is legit, I agree with everything above. I think the OP is due some comp, but not a refund.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mvoight
If a parent disobeys an FA, they could be subject to penalties.
What can they do to a kid that does this? Did you want them to divert and have the kids arrested?
The more I read this, the more it seems that this was beyond just an annoyance, and more along the lines of a safety issue. While the FAs seem to have talked to them, they could have done more, and brought more authority to bear. And, no, the kids would not be liable to answer to the authorities, but the parents would. having a captain come out to make their "options" clear to them would have been a good solution. Yeah, I think some comp is due for AA's failure to use more authoritative means.
Absolutely a safety issue. Escalate and include the lame response. I don't know that a refund would be in order, but a proper acknowledgement and some form of compensation would be.
Absolutely a safety issue. Escalate and include the lame response. I don't know that a refund would be in order, but a proper acknowledgement and some form of compensation would be.
Great. On that basis can I expect some compensation whenever grown adults climb all over me to get to the toilet when the seatbelt light is on?
Got it!
