Long but hilarious rant, (
source)
Tl;dr AA Gold Pax freaks out that AA didn't bend over backwards for him, goes on Reddit and claims they had him escorted out of the airport by police.
Full text:
I was scheduled on AA Flight 5361 from Chattanooga, TN to Charlotte, NC on Monday, August 21. The flight was delayed several times due to a maintenance issue, about an hour at a time, ultimately getting canceled a little over 4 hours after scheduled departure. I called the AAdvantage reservations line and was rebooked on the next available flight, a full two days later, and was told I would need to speak to the person at the gate to get a voucher for hotel accommodations until then. I stood in line at the gate, spoke to the gentleman and was told that there were no hotels in the area available due to the solar eclipse earlier that day having drawn in a great number of people. I was sent to stand in another line at the ticket counter to speak with a manager who had “hopefully figured something out”.
After patiently waiting my turn, I was informed there were no hotels available, but even if there were, American Airlines had entered the reason for the delays as “maintenance”, but the cancellation was due to “Air Traffic Control congestion”. As such, American Airlines was under no obligation to offer hotel accommodations, and would not be making any exceptions. This was news to me, and most of the my fellow passengers on this flight who were awaiting our hotel vouchers. As it turns out, the lack of hotels was a lie - there were plenty of hotels, as they started giving them to the passengers on the later canceled flight to Charlotte, which was entered as a cancellation due to maintenance. All that was offered to passengers on our flight was an insincere “sorry for any inconvenience.”
I stayed calm, but forceful in my response of “your answers are unacceptable” with the agent at the ticket counter. I asked how it went from maintenance to ATC issues, and was told to wait a moment. At that point, the person I was speaking with went to get a manager, who continued to tell me there was nothing he could do, where I continued to inform him that was unacceptable, and that I'd like an answer to the question. I was told I was “acting like a child” for continuing to ask my question and to “step away from the counter” so they could help other passengers who “were acting their age”. I politely refused, saying I waited my turn in line and would not step away until I had received an answer as to how this was suddenly changed from a maintenance issue to an ATC issue.
The manger then turned to a colleague and requested they call the Chattanooga police over. I was ordered to step away from the counter by the police. The fact that American Airlines called the police on a passenger in this type of situation was amazing. I was not threatening, not loud, and not violent. I did not raise my voice. I did not lean over a counter or raise a hand. I did not make any hint at physical violence or verbal assault. I did not violate any posted rule or law.
To have the police called was astounding!
For asking questions and demanding accommodations to be covered due to the maintenance, I was escorted out of the airport by the AA manager and two Chattanooga police officers.
After much discussion outside of the airport with the manager, with one officer standing by, I was informed that: - I “don’t understand how customer service works” (even though I’ve worked in customer service) - I was “out of line in [my] requests and actions” - I “continue to act like a child” - I had a “threatening tone” (even if I didn’t use threatening words or language) - I am “a solid guy with a presence that can be intimidating”
I was told numerous time this “wasn’t personal” and that it “wasn’t [his] decision to not accommodate or compensate me. It was American Airlines’ decision, and [he] had no choice but to enforce it. It is American Airlines’ money and [he] can’t just give it away like that.”
At that point, the manager realized I was not a threat and dismissed the police and we stepped back inside to look at alternative options. Again, there were no other flight options out of Chattanooga any sooner. I asked about flights on another airline that American could put me on, but was told that was not an option, either.
I was left with little option in the situation. I asked for my checked luggage back and set out on my own. I easily found a hotel for the evening at my expense, got some rest, canceled my flight (I did receive a full refund), rented a car the next morning and drove 17 hours home.
The Follow-up (regarding having the police called, not the canceled flight - you just gotta roll with that punch):
I decided to reach out to American Airlines and give them the chance to right this situation without sharing any details publicly by asking for: - An apology for the embarrassing public scene caused by American Airlines that was created by calling the police on a non-violent, non-threatening, frustrated passenger. - Compensation for the unnecessarily caustic treatment I received when trying to rectify this situation at the airport.
I tried calling customer service at first and was told I would need to e-mail my concern using the generic form on their website, as they do not handle customer service complaints on the phone, nor is there a specific person you can e-mail. All passengers in all situations must use the generic “Contact American” form to initiate a complaint.
Their response? What seemed to be a slightly tweaked “form letter” that did not address the biggest issue raised – the police having been called. Upon receipt of their reply, I responded right away asking to speak with someone directly to escalate this.
My reply was sent at 10:22am ET on Friday, August 25. At 11:26am ET on that same day, I got a call from Shannon Tatum at American Airlines, asking to speak more about my situation on the phone rather than communicate via e-mail. We spoke for nearly 12 minutes, during which I laid out my concern and why the response thus far has been unacceptable. Ms. Tatum in turn laid out American Airline’s zero tolerance policy for aggressive passengers and why the airline was justified in calling the police, again citing my appearance, though she admits she has no idea what I look like. She refused to transfer me to a supervisor, saying they were available for administrative purposes only, and told me she would note my concerns and share them internally for training purposes, but that was it. We reached an impasse again, and ended the call.
I then summarized our conversation in an e-mail back to Ms. Tatum in an effort to document as much of my experience as possible. Ms. Tatum once again replied, offering an apology that she could not resolve the situation any differently, saying that it was her hope when we spoke to do so. Yet there was no resolution offered other than my being quiet and going away.
At this point, I reflected a bit on things and realized nothing would change their minds – it simply is not in their business model to show remorse, sympathy or even appreciation for loyalty. So with that, I wrote what I am hoping will be my final message to American Airlines asking the most important question of all, and the one they really have not yet addressed at all – why? Why should I ignore this situation and get back on one of their planes? I won’t hold my breath for a meaningful reply to that message.
This situation, caused by American Airlines alone, left a very loyal elite-level passenger stranded, insulted, embarrassed and frustrated. From beginning to end, the service provided in the Chattanooga, TN airport by their employees and by their general customer service team who I was forced to contact, could have been handled more appropriately, and this situation could have been deescalated, if not avoided entirely with better treatment from the Manager or an appropriate response to my initial contact. Instead, I am left wondering why I should ever get on an American Airlines plane again...