Just wanted to come back here to add that I've had several more interactions over the telephone with the Five Star folks and have been extremely disappointed. Frankly the service is terrible. It's not that the phone reps are unfriendly or anything. They are perfectly nice and personable. The problem is that they are horribly uninformed and provide all kinds of wrong information. When challenged, they often stick to their position instead of checking with other knowledgeable personnel. Here are some examples of the wrong information about ORD that I got from various agents:
1. Five Star reps can't meet anyone at terminal 5 because AA doesn't use it. (Fact: all AA international arrivals use terminal 5.)
2. The inter-terminal train operates inside security. (Fact: that train is outside security.)
3. International arriving passengers don't have to re-clear security when making domestic connections. (Fact: international arriving passengers at any US airport must re-clear security when making domestic connections.)
4. It's not possible to get from terminals 3 to terminals 2 or 1 without leaving security. (Fact: terminals 1 through 3 are all connected airside, i.e. one can walk from any terminal to any other without leaving security.)
5. Five star service is only available when flying on AA metal. (T&C says the service is available for any itinerary involving a segment ticketed and operated OR marketed by AA.)
6. We don't help with interline connections. (Fact: Five Star web page says connection assistance is available for interline connections.)
To add insult to injury, the Five Star office has ignored an email I sent them in February with some questions about the assistance my family will receive during their trip.
So we have misinformed agents consistently giving wrong information about AA's second largest hub and emails from a customer being ignored. Despite the name, the service they provide over the phone (and email) is anything but "five star."
