Jan 18, 2015, 9:30 pm
Last edit by: hurnik
Contacting AA Customer Relations & Discussion
Contacting Customer Relations, complaints and related issues
N.B. AA and US combined Customer Relations as of 20 January 2015
Wrong thread? Need AAdvantage Customer Service? Contacting AAdvantage Customer Service master thread (link)
NOTE: AA and US consolidated their main Customer Relations contact process January 2015. Whereas previously US CP and AA EP / EXP could contact Customer Relations by telephone, that is no longer possible.
To register complaints, one must use the e-form linked to here: Email AA Customer Relations (pops up AA e-form); there is no publicly published telephone number to call for AA Customer Relations. NOTE: form limited to 1,500 characters. Invalid character or empty required information field causes form refusal.
You may specify you want a reply within this form; if you do not do so, it is quite possible you won't receive an acknowledgement of your communication. The initial reply may be a mere acknowledgement; if there is a case number, record it and use it in future communication
Also note replies from AA Customer Relations can not be autoreplied to. (Clarification here):
It appears that AA is using bot-generated replies to your complaint form. You CAN reply to that email if you want to get your complaint routed to a real person. Otherwise, the bot-generated email will simply issue an apology, and nothing more (no compensation). Once you reply to that auto-generated email, you should get a team member response in a few days.
It has been suggested separate issues be addressed by sending separate customer contact forms. Unfortunately, employees can easily conflate separate issues or stop reading after the first one.
One can include a telephone number and ask AACR call back. They will likely do so, but it will require you to monitor your phone until they call.
Contacting Customer Relations, complaints and related issues
N.B. AA and US combined Customer Relations as of 20 January 2015
=Q. What is the difference between AA Customer Relations and Customer Service?
Posted some time ago, still relevant: What is the best avenue to file such a complaint? Is it AAdvantage Customer Service, or AA Customer Relations? Each one seems to have its own email comments form on AA.com. When using these forms, are they usually pretty good about responding? If not, is there an email address I can directly email in a situation like this?
Reply by AmericanAirlines View Post:
Good question. American Airlines has 2 departments: one called Customer Relations and one called AAdvantage Customer Service.
AAdvantage Customer Service is for assisting AAdvantage members with account issues (address changes, mileage posting issues, etc…) American Airlines Customer Relations is for addressing customers past travel experiences (delays, employee issues, etc…)
...
Stephen @ AA
At one time, AA maintained an occasional and official "helpful lurker" presence, comprised of more than one person, with the FlyerTalk handle AmericanAirlines; AA has chosen not to maintain such a presence on FlyerTalk.
Posted some time ago, still relevant: What is the best avenue to file such a complaint? Is it AAdvantage Customer Service, or AA Customer Relations? Each one seems to have its own email comments form on AA.com. When using these forms, are they usually pretty good about responding? If not, is there an email address I can directly email in a situation like this?
Reply by AmericanAirlines View Post:
Good question. American Airlines has 2 departments: one called Customer Relations and one called AAdvantage Customer Service.
AAdvantage Customer Service is for assisting AAdvantage members with account issues (address changes, mileage posting issues, etc…) American Airlines Customer Relations is for addressing customers past travel experiences (delays, employee issues, etc…)
...
Stephen @ AA
At one time, AA maintained an occasional and official "helpful lurker" presence, comprised of more than one person, with the FlyerTalk handle AmericanAirlines; AA has chosen not to maintain such a presence on FlyerTalk.
Customer Relations
Our Customer Relations department is dedicated to addressing customer comments and unresolved concerns. The Customer Relations department will respond to our customer’s written complaints within 60 days. Customer Relations can be reached at:
U.S. Mail/Overnight Mail American Airlines Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax: 480-693-2300
Email AA Customer Relations Opens in a new window (link)
Our Customer Relations department is dedicated to addressing customer comments and unresolved concerns. The Customer Relations department will respond to our customer’s written complaints within 60 days. Customer Relations can be reached at:
U.S. Mail/Overnight Mail American Airlines Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax: 480-693-2300
Email AA Customer Relations Opens in a new window (link)
NOTE: AA and US consolidated their main Customer Relations contact process January 2015. Whereas previously US CP and AA EP / EXP could contact Customer Relations by telephone, that is no longer possible.
To register complaints, one must use the e-form linked to here: Email AA Customer Relations (pops up AA e-form); there is no publicly published telephone number to call for AA Customer Relations. NOTE: form limited to 1,500 characters. Invalid character or empty required information field causes form refusal.
You may specify you want a reply within this form; if you do not do so, it is quite possible you won't receive an acknowledgement of your communication. The initial reply may be a mere acknowledgement; if there is a case number, record it and use it in future communication
Also note replies from AA Customer Relations can not be autoreplied to. (Clarification here):
It appears that AA is using bot-generated replies to your complaint form. You CAN reply to that email if you want to get your complaint routed to a real person. Otherwise, the bot-generated email will simply issue an apology, and nothing more (no compensation). Once you reply to that auto-generated email, you should get a team member response in a few days.
It has been suggested separate issues be addressed by sending separate customer contact forms. Unfortunately, employees can easily conflate separate issues or stop reading after the first one.
One can include a telephone number and ask AACR call back. They will likely do so, but it will require you to monitor your phone until they call.
Compliment, Complaint, or Comment
Contact Information (including)
• Past Flight Experience
• Praise/Compliments
• Concerns/Complaints
• Suggestions/Communication
"We want to be sure we hear from you. Please verify that you are on the correct country version of aa.com, by checking the country flag displayed at the top of the page. Then submit your comments or inquiries using the link below: "
Email AA Customer Relations (pops up AA e-form)
See this page
(Limited to 1,500 character.)
Other Contact Information
Mail/Overnight mail
American Airlines Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Previously: Phone: 817-786-3778 and Fax: 480-693-2300
Need help with something else?
Contact Information (including)
• Past Flight Experience
• Praise/Compliments
• Concerns/Complaints
• Suggestions/Communication
"We want to be sure we hear from you. Please verify that you are on the correct country version of aa.com, by checking the country flag displayed at the top of the page. Then submit your comments or inquiries using the link below: "
Email AA Customer Relations (pops up AA e-form)
See this page
(Limited to 1,500 character.)
Other Contact Information
Mail/Overnight mail
American Airlines Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Previously: Phone: 817-786-3778 and Fax: 480-693-2300
Need help with something else?
- Upcoming or current travel
- Special needs / Disability assistance
- Frequent flyer program
- Delayed baggage
- Refunds
- Help booking online
- American Airlines Vacations
Who's the boss?Executive Contacts (Christopher Elliott - link)Primary Contact
Vincent Carcaterra
Director of Customer Relations
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth , Texas 76155
[email protected]
Secondary Contact
Kurt Stache
Senior Vice President – Customer Experience
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76155 76155
[email protected]
Note: calling or emailing is not necessarily effective nor recommended.
"Snail mail" or written material by courier may be more effective.
Suggestions from members For effective communications:
Vincent Carcaterra
Director of Customer Relations
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth , Texas 76155
[email protected]
Secondary Contact
Kurt Stache
Senior Vice President – Customer Experience
1 Skyview Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76155 76155
[email protected]
Note: calling or emailing is not necessarily effective nor recommended.
"Snail mail" or written material by courier may be more effective.
Suggestions from members For effective communications:
- If you have a case number, include it prominently
- Include your name and contact information
- Be sure to include key dates, times, ticket numbers
- Keep it factual, brief, and strive for clarity
- If you expect reimbursement, keep it within scale and do specify
- Be specific - and realistic - about what you want / your expected outcome.
- Keep feelings, hyperbole out of your story.
- AA never accepts consequential damages (missed important events, etc.)
Twitter
If you have a Twitter account, you may get rapid assistance or resolution by tweeting @AmericanAir. See post #45 by JonNYC and this FT thread: Using AA Twitter social media team: how, what, when (master thd). From there:
For further information on how Twitter works, read here.
If you have a Twitter account, you may get rapid assistance or resolution by tweeting @AmericanAir. See post #45 by JonNYC and this FT thread: Using AA Twitter social media team: how, what, when (master thd). From there:
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ
Q. How do I use this channel of communication?
You must first sign up for a (free) Twitter account. When you do, Subscribe to the AA Twitter channel: @AmericanAir.
Note: Getting assistance from Twitter for a specific reservation can be improved by communicating with them by using the DM / Direct Message (like PM here) system, where you can include your PNR and details privately - and your AAdvantage number and EP status so they can link it with your Twitter profile. This is easily done by sending them a tweet asking them "Please follow me for DM" so they can "follow" you and receive DMs from you.
Once this has been done, you may wish to take your account Private.
Q. How can they help?
@AmericanAir can assist with OSO (Off-Schedule Operations - "IRROPS") when it might otherwise take a long time to get a response from the telephone desk employees. There are many things that @AmericanAir can do when time is of the essence; read posts below for more.
Q. Can I report service issues?
Certainly.
Q. Can I laud or compliment excellent service?
Certainly. The Twitter team will log these and for AA employees (including employees of wholly owned subsidiaries, but not contractor employees) and pass on compliments to supervisors, who will add them to the employee's personnel record.
Q. How do I use this channel of communication?
You must first sign up for a (free) Twitter account. When you do, Subscribe to the AA Twitter channel: @AmericanAir.
Note: Getting assistance from Twitter for a specific reservation can be improved by communicating with them by using the DM / Direct Message (like PM here) system, where you can include your PNR and details privately - and your AAdvantage number and EP status so they can link it with your Twitter profile. This is easily done by sending them a tweet asking them "Please follow me for DM" so they can "follow" you and receive DMs from you.
Once this has been done, you may wish to take your account Private.
Q. How can they help?
@AmericanAir can assist with OSO (Off-Schedule Operations - "IRROPS") when it might otherwise take a long time to get a response from the telephone desk employees. There are many things that @AmericanAir can do when time is of the essence; read posts below for more.
Q. Can I report service issues?
Certainly.
Q. Can I laud or compliment excellent service?
Certainly. The Twitter team will log these and for AA employees (including employees of wholly owned subsidiaries, but not contractor employees) and pass on compliments to supervisors, who will add them to the employee's personnel record.
US Department of Transportation - File a Consumer Complaint
Airline Service Complaints and Comments
Complaints and comments about airline service other than safety or security issues may be registered with DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD). You can call, write or use our web form.
You may call the ACPD 24 hours a day at 202-366-2220 (TTY 202-366-0511) to record your complaint. Calls are returned Monday through Friday, generally between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern time.
You may send us a letter at: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can send us a complaint, comment or inquiry electronically by using our web form. This form allows us to capture information more accurately and process it more efficiently. The web form allows you to attach a file.
Whether you call, write or use the web form, please be brief and concise in the description of your problem and be sure to include the following information:
- See more at: https://www.transportation.gov/airco....Iar1Z6Ve.dpuf
Airline Service Complaints and Comments
Complaints and comments about airline service other than safety or security issues may be registered with DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Division (ACPD). You can call, write or use our web form.
You may call the ACPD 24 hours a day at 202-366-2220 (TTY 202-366-0511) to record your complaint. Calls are returned Monday through Friday, generally between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern time.
You may send us a letter at: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can send us a complaint, comment or inquiry electronically by using our web form. This form allows us to capture information more accurately and process it more efficiently. The web form allows you to attach a file.
Whether you call, write or use the web form, please be brief and concise in the description of your problem and be sure to include the following information:
- Your name
- Complete address
- Daytime phone number (including area code)
- e-mail address
- Name of the airline or company about which you are complaining
- Flight date
- Flight number if known
- Origin and destination cities of your trip.
- See more at: https://www.transportation.gov/airco....Iar1Z6Ve.dpuf
Note: Earlier this year, others were still receiving email with:
AND they've emailed about using [email protected] for EC261/2004 issues.
Customer Relations
American Airlines
4255 Amon Carter Blvd., MD 2400
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Fax: 817-967-4162
American Airlines
4255 Amon Carter Blvd., MD 2400
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Fax: 817-967-4162
Threads and Resources of interest:
Auto form for requesting Delay/Cancellation Verification for Trip Insurance
Page with links to ticket and on-board receipts, refunds, trip change or cancelation
2015 Guide to Compensation - Combined Airline and Program Forum (merged threads)
EC261 / EC 261/2004 complaints, compensation post 17 Oct 2015 (master thread)
Auto form for requesting Delay/Cancellation Verification for Trip Insurance
Page with links to ticket and on-board receipts, refunds, trip change or cancelation
2015 Guide to Compensation - Combined Airline and Program Forum (merged threads)
EC261 / EC 261/2004 complaints, compensation post 17 Oct 2015 (master thread)
Contacting American Airlines Customer Relations & Complaint, Issues (master thread)
Nov 16, 2015, 11:13 am
#76
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Southern California/Los Angeles
Programs: Various
Posts: 2,778
Not clear if you address all three issues in one CS form.
If so, that's not the best option to send compliments/complaints. Always send a separate form for each type of incident.
If not, they need to do a better job at responding after reading the entire message.
If so, that's not the best option to send compliments/complaints. Always send a separate form for each type of incident.
If not, they need to do a better job at responding after reading the entire message.
Nov 16, 2015, 11:15 am
#77
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Nov 16, 2015, 11:18 am
#78
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
It was one brief, succinct (trust me, their character limit doesn't allow anything else) and structured narrative, where my requirements were listed clearly. The praise was incidental, but sincere. I trust you don't think the requests consequential to the delay (reimbursement of expenses and Certificate of Delay) needed to be separated. I certainly wasn't willing to complete all the fields in their stupid form more than once.
Nov 16, 2015, 11:51 am
#79
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,928
Nov 16, 2015, 12:06 pm
#80
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 129
Insurance doesn't usually cover delays due to misconduct by the third parties. They will likely deny the claim. Doesn't hurt to try though.
Nov 16, 2015, 12:15 pm
#81
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,660
My relatively unimpressive experiences with AA customer relations were considerably improved if when filling out the form I said that I had written in already, referencing the reply reference number if there was one, and saying that I would like them please to call me. When you specifically say that you'd like them to call you back (not just leave a number so they CAN call you back, but actually ASK them to call you back), my experience is that they will.
Bear in mind that you will then need to sit on your phone, as they might call you at any time, and if you miss their call then there is still no way for you to call them...
The person who actually called me took the time to understand everything I was saying, and could also see any back-and-forth via email that had already taken place. They also told me that they're trying to improve this process - I genuinely hope that is the case.
Bear in mind that you will then need to sit on your phone, as they might call you at any time, and if you miss their call then there is still no way for you to call them...
The person who actually called me took the time to understand everything I was saying, and could also see any back-and-forth via email that had already taken place. They also told me that they're trying to improve this process - I genuinely hope that is the case.
Nov 16, 2015, 12:16 pm
#82
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: ORD
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 71
Nov 16, 2015, 12:17 pm
#83
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
Nov 16, 2015, 12:26 pm
#84
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
My relatively unimpressive experiences with AA customer relations were considerably improved if when filling out the form I said that I had written in already, referencing the reply reference number if there was one, and saying that I would like them please to call me. When you specifically say that you'd like them to call you back (not just leave a number so they CAN call you back, but actually ASK them to call you back), my experience is that they will.
Bear in mind that you will then need to sit on your phone, as they might call you at any time, and if you miss their call then there is still no way for you to call them...
The person who actually called me took the time to understand everything I was saying, and could also see any back-and-forth via email that had already taken place. They also told me that they're trying to improve this process - I genuinely hope that is the case.
Bear in mind that you will then need to sit on your phone, as they might call you at any time, and if you miss their call then there is still no way for you to call them...
The person who actually called me took the time to understand everything I was saying, and could also see any back-and-forth via email that had already taken place. They also told me that they're trying to improve this process - I genuinely hope that is the case.
Nov 16, 2015, 12:30 pm
#85
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
Let's see if they bother to read my request for a statement of the total delay to my itinerary, rather than the specific flight.
Nov 16, 2015, 12:50 pm
#86
Join Date: May 2010
Location: jfk
Programs: AA- exp 8.2MM, SQ, DL, spg plat
Posts: 284
AA customer dis-service
The quality of response that you receive is just horrible.. The only "good" thing is that if you are EXP, your complaint is dealt with almost immediately.
When this first started 6-8 months ago, they said that the new procedure was temporary and would be resolved once the merger was completed... Yeah- right
i had drafted a letter to Parker but i basically said "<bleep!>" and rebooked on another airline..
Typical AA -one step forward, 2 steps back.
Last edited by JY1024; Nov 16, 2015 at 3:00 pm Reason: edit by moderator: http://www.flyertalk.com/help/rules.php#offensive
Nov 16, 2015, 3:52 pm
#87
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,212
The quality of response that you receive is just horrible.. The only "good" thing is that if you are EXP, your complaint is dealt with almost immediately.
-----------------------
I know that USAirways didn't even care much about customer relations. Let's hope that it is not going water-downed to the USAirways level.
-----------------------
I know that USAirways didn't even care much about customer relations. Let's hope that it is not going water-downed to the USAirways level.
Nov 20, 2015, 1:42 pm
#88
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
What happens when you escalate a complaint to the new AA as a EXP?
The inability to respond to a CS email has been in place for some time now. I believe it pre-dates the merger. It sucks, true, but if you send another post via the web form and reference the case # in the original email response, the new submission will be linked to the original submission.
Which is not a guarantee that you won't receive another canned response, of course.
Which is not a guarantee that you won't receive another canned response, of course.
Well, blow me, exactly 24 minutes later, I receive this response, signed by the same individual:
"We have received your additional email and understand you are disappointed with our response about your flight on November 5, 2015.
We attempt to explain our position and how we come to our decisions -- recognizing that we will not always agree upon the resolution, but we do our best to be fair and supportive as advocates for our customers. For those exceptions, we evaluate all the circumstances and try to be reasonable and fair in our decisions.
Let me assure you that our position does not lessen our regard for you as our customer. It is always our pleasure to serve you, and we are eager to do so again soon. Please give us another opportunity to earn your business.
I'm a survivor of the UA/CO merger, and I'm beginning to think that this is looking even worse, which I could never have imagined.
Last edited by JDiver; Nov 20, 2015 at 1:50 pm Reason: Response to OP
Nov 20, 2015, 1:56 pm
#89
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
OK guys, this is worse than I thought. I did what you suggested, and indeed what AA's Twitter feed suggested, and wrote back again. I told them that I found it disappointing and downright insulting that they hadn't bothered to read my letter. I reminded them that the critical part of the delay was caused by the incompetence of their staff at PHL, and that it was utterly disingenuous to attribute it to uncontrollable factors.
Well, blow me, exactly 24 minutes later, I receive this response, signed by the same individual:
"We have received your additional email and understand you are disappointed with our response about your flight on November 5, 2015.
We attempt to explain our position and how we come to our decisions -- recognizing that we will not always agree upon the resolution, but we do our best to be fair and supportive as advocates for our customers. For those exceptions, we evaluate all the circumstances and try to be reasonable and fair in our decisions.
Let me assure you that our position does not lessen our regard for you as our customer. It is always our pleasure to serve you, and we are eager to do so again soon. Please give us another opportunity to earn your business.
I'm a survivor of the UA/CO merger, and I'm beginning to think that this is looking even worse, which I could never have imagined.
Well, blow me, exactly 24 minutes later, I receive this response, signed by the same individual:
"We have received your additional email and understand you are disappointed with our response about your flight on November 5, 2015.
We attempt to explain our position and how we come to our decisions -- recognizing that we will not always agree upon the resolution, but we do our best to be fair and supportive as advocates for our customers. For those exceptions, we evaluate all the circumstances and try to be reasonable and fair in our decisions.
Let me assure you that our position does not lessen our regard for you as our customer. It is always our pleasure to serve you, and we are eager to do so again soon. Please give us another opportunity to earn your business.
I'm a survivor of the UA/CO merger, and I'm beginning to think that this is looking even worse, which I could never have imagined.
Organized facts (with sources / references as necessary) unblemished by feelings, clarity and brevity, those have worked in my favor.
You may wish to try again by snail mail.
Nov 20, 2015, 2:11 pm
#90
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NCL
Programs: UA 1MM/*G. DL Gold for one more year.
Posts: 5,305
I try to be a bit clearer and objective / more diplomatic in my requests; to not do so may well affect and prejudice the hapless person at the receiving end of my ire.
Organized facts (with sources / references as necessary) unblemished by feelings, clarity and brevity, those have worked in my favor.
You may wish to try again by snail mail.
Judging by the turnaround time and the nature of the response, I am not sure the hapless person at the receiving end (if it really is a person and not a robot) bothered to read what I wrote this time either.
This, and a certain other development the past week, has given me plenty of food for thought about my future with this airline. I think I'll save my stamp for a DOT complaint.
PS: By the way, here's another thing that's changed: You never see the text of your own message to AA again. With the old American, it was appended to the response in an e-mail thread. Now you have no idea what you did or didn't write to them, unless you've copied and saved it.
Last edited by Passmethesickbag; Nov 20, 2015 at 2:32 pm