Granitebox

Really? Do you have any concept of the number and volume of people, like you, that expect exceptions to be made for the rules and get upset when someone tries to explain why you can't do it?

I literally see people for asking for something almost EVERY time I am checking into a club, easy to spot, the desk agent is stuck trying to help someone who gets emotional really quickly and tries to explain why their request is different than the 10 others in the past hour.

Wexflyer

As I said in my OP, there were my first "US" flights, and we only took them because of the merger. Onboard we were welcomed to "American Airlines", the livery was AA, we have AA PNRs, and the flights were said to be AA. On AA the PNRs could be linked, and I would be fine - what I asked for is routine. Given that background, I think my expectation that AA rules applied is reasonable. And if we are not entitled to sit together in "Preferred" seating then I think we **were** entitled to a different reception, rather than greeting us with "why did you not take care of this earlier," and proceeding downward from there.
One other detail is that the flights to Ireland were paid business.

Doc Savage

You won't find me defending UselesS Air; almost all the times I've been forced to fly them they've FUBARed the flights up completely. I was hugely disappointed with the merger.

As I said, the agent sounds very poor. In cases like that, it may well be best to break off the interaction and try something else so they don't put something spiteful in the record. On the phone, you can HUACA. At a desk, not so much.

Grab a glance at the agents name tag and email in a complaint, hopefully the agent gets some retraining.

Wexflyer

I was traveling on AA tickets on what were said to be AA flights (said so onboard). There were three lounge agents with no one else to deal with, in an almost empty lounge. Forgive me for having made a routine - and valid - AA request, on my paid AA itinerary.

CPRich

PHL has it's own attitude, and it's not exclusive to Lounge agents - I think it goes along with the entire city.


btw, continually repeating "my AA trip", "AA announcements", "AA livery" doesn't change who your ticket was purchased from and which rules apply.

Segments

And might only serve to annoy whomever you are asking for assistance from since you were flying US metal under US policies. I'm sure legacy US agents are as equally aggravated with this merger as are we as legacy elites. So yeah, reminding us we are "lesser than" isn't going to win you any extraordinary favors.

Wexflyer

Very true. I purchased the tickets from AA.

Wexflyer

I never made any assertion that you are anyone else is "lesser than". I was just pointing out that "US", to the extend it still exists, **presents itself** as being AA, so it is only reasonable for anyone to expect that AA rules apply.

Segments

Per the OP a codeshare flight was purchased. Not an AA flight. As someone who flies enough to have elite status AA you surely understand the difference and are aware the merger is not complete.

VonS

Last week, I was treated so poorly at the PHL Admirals Club that I actually sent a complaint to AA. The woman working there told me that she was a USAir employee trying to bring AA standards up to the US Airways level. Mrs. Know-it-all knew absolutely nothing and was the least helpful person I had ever encountered at an Admirals Club. The best part was when she tried to convince me that I am not Platinum. I will go out of my way to avoid having to connect in PHL.

JDiver

Whom to write?

Who's the Admirals Club Boss?

Jim Moses
Managing Director,
Premium Customer Services
4333 Amon Carter Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76155

USFlyer26

That sucks. I've had great experiences with all of the agents in PHL except for one who always works in the A West Club. She acts like she's doing you a favor by showing up to work.

s0ssos

It sounds like she's just like most of FT. Rule #1: assume the OP is wrong.

MSPeconomist

Now I'm confused. If your flights were paid business class, issues of preferred versus choice seating shouldn't arise, or does US designate special seats in the business class cabin as preferred and choice? Regardless, business class isn't very big and all seats should be decent, so why does it matter so much to you?

BTW, I agree with the comments that PHL airport and especially US at PHL has its own ingrained bad attitude. Maybe it can be blamed on the city as a whole and its attitude......

Arsey00

US phone agents can link PNRs and nonstatus companions inherit the highest status. Be I pretty new to US myself, I've no idea whether this has always been true or if it's an AA policy brought over that not all agents are aware of. Perhaps a phone call could help.

However, I sympathise with the OP. I've hoped for help in various oneworld lounges and have yet to find a lounge team as empowered as the AAngels. The ticketing agents of any OW airline always seem to be able to help, but when flying AA the lounge is THE place to get things done and it's just not so elsewhere. If, in due time, this becomes the way of things throughout the New American, pmUS flyers might might become as used to it as pmAA flyers are now. And be just as annoyed when they find a dragon...