Computer outage and delays at PHL this morning (22 Feb 2017)
Feb 22, 2017, 5:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,036
Computer outage and delays at PHL this morning (22 Feb 2017)
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/major-de...-main-airport/
The check in area is a bit of a zoo. They're hand writing baggage tags and BPs.
They've been pulling pax with mobile and paper BPs out of the check in line and moving them up to open counters, so if you're flying this morning check in on line and have your docs ready before getting to PHL.
The web states that our flight is on time, but there are zero AA aircraft moving on the airfield right now so I'm not optimistic.
The check in area is a bit of a zoo. They're hand writing baggage tags and BPs.
They've been pulling pax with mobile and paper BPs out of the check in line and moving them up to open counters, so if you're flying this morning check in on line and have your docs ready before getting to PHL.
The web states that our flight is on time, but there are zero AA aircraft moving on the airfield right now so I'm not optimistic.
Feb 22, 2017, 6:18 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,036
Computers came back on line around 7:30 so things are clawing back to normalcy. They boarded our flight and expect about a 30 minute delay departing the gate.
Lots of empty seats in coach on my flight (It was nearly full when I checked the seat map early this morning). Apparently a lot of pax incoming on flights from other airports didn't make it due to the ground stop.
Lots of empty seats in coach on my flight (It was nearly full when I checked the seat map early this morning). Apparently a lot of pax incoming on flights from other airports didn't make it due to the ground stop.
Mar 17, 2017, 11:23 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: AA GLD, SPG GLD
Posts: 181
PHL outage led to split itinerary when rebooked. How would you expect AA to respond?
Sorry in advance for the giant post. Thanks for reading!
My girlfriend (no status) and I (platinum during booking and travel, now gold) were on a 6:30 AM flight LGA-PHL that morning. (The tickets were purchased at the same time on AA.com using a credit card, not miles.) We boarded and left the gate only to have to return to the terminal after sitting on the runway for about an hour.
I was on the phone with the platinum desk as soon as we began to return to the gate to find out what was going on and they were unable to help to rebook us or provide any additional information on the outage.
Our original itinerary was LGA-PHL-SJU arriving in SJU around 1 PM. Given the ground stop, AA computer issues, and what we were told by the gate agent at LGA, the gate agent rebooked us through MIA. The LGA GA also screwed up our tickets so that our reservation was "split" and no longer linked together in the same record, but I did not learn of this until later that day when trying to fly standby in MIA.
I called the platinum desk after we were rebooked to confirm everything was optimal in terms of our new route through MIA and I was not informed of any pitfalls. We were trying to get to SJU as quickly as possible so we could start our vacation!
The split was an issue in MIA as we had arrived from LGA somewhat earlier than expected and had a chance to fly standby on an earlier MIA-SJU flight. There were plenty of seats on the plane but the MIA gate agents for that flight were unable to get us both onto the plane because we were no longer in the same record. We got to the gate with around 15 min before the MIA GA started boarding and clearing standby passengers. I again called the platinum desk and they were again unable to help us other than to confirm what the MIA GA told us. After discussing it further with another MIA GA, he explained that our ticket was split and that it would "take too long" to fix it and get us onto the plane. He said I could fly standby alone, but because of the split issue my girlfriend would not be able to get on. Obviously, we waited another couple of hours in MIA to take the later flight together.
We ended up arriving in SJU that evening around 9 PM after spending WAY more time traveling that we had planned. That afternoon was really our only chance to spend time in San Juan as we had a flight booked SIG-VQS the next day.
Because our itinerary was split, on our 2/28 return SJU-JFK flight my girlfriend was no longer able to take advantage of my status when going through security. (This worked great at LGA!)
Other than being rebooked (admittedly fairly quickly with good but still worse Y seats than what I reserved originally), we were not offered any additional comfort/compensation despite our travel time essentially doubling (~7 hours to ~14 hours). I'm curious if given the circumstances should I have expected more from AA? Yes, they got us to our destination the same day and it could have been a whole lot worse, but this was a result of a computer problem fully under their control and their resolution led to additional issues. For example, something minor like offering complementary or even discounted AAdmirals Club access for the day to take the sting out of the additional unplanned 7 hours in LGA and MIA would have gone a long way.
Should I ask for ORC? There have been a ton of changes with AA miles lately so I have no idea how to even start to compare what I accrued vs what I should have accrued if there were no IRROPS. Note that all travel was prior to March 1st, if that makes a difference.
What should I have done differently in this situation? (Other than not fly through PHL/MIA!
)
I have not (yet?) reached out to AA Customer Support regarding our experience and I haven't see any kind of additional mileage deposit that sometimes you read about during IRROPS.
I haven't been traveling as much as I have in the past so I apologize for being out of the loop regarding the proper terminology and such. I will provide additional details too including flight numbers/dates/times if asked.
(Also, would this question/post be better suited to a new or different thread? I didn't want to unnecessarily create a new thread but I wasn't sure if this question belonged here, in an IRROPS thread, or in a new thread altogether.)
My girlfriend (no status) and I (platinum during booking and travel, now gold) were on a 6:30 AM flight LGA-PHL that morning. (The tickets were purchased at the same time on AA.com using a credit card, not miles.) We boarded and left the gate only to have to return to the terminal after sitting on the runway for about an hour.
I was on the phone with the platinum desk as soon as we began to return to the gate to find out what was going on and they were unable to help to rebook us or provide any additional information on the outage.
Our original itinerary was LGA-PHL-SJU arriving in SJU around 1 PM. Given the ground stop, AA computer issues, and what we were told by the gate agent at LGA, the gate agent rebooked us through MIA. The LGA GA also screwed up our tickets so that our reservation was "split" and no longer linked together in the same record, but I did not learn of this until later that day when trying to fly standby in MIA.
I called the platinum desk after we were rebooked to confirm everything was optimal in terms of our new route through MIA and I was not informed of any pitfalls. We were trying to get to SJU as quickly as possible so we could start our vacation!
The split was an issue in MIA as we had arrived from LGA somewhat earlier than expected and had a chance to fly standby on an earlier MIA-SJU flight. There were plenty of seats on the plane but the MIA gate agents for that flight were unable to get us both onto the plane because we were no longer in the same record. We got to the gate with around 15 min before the MIA GA started boarding and clearing standby passengers. I again called the platinum desk and they were again unable to help us other than to confirm what the MIA GA told us. After discussing it further with another MIA GA, he explained that our ticket was split and that it would "take too long" to fix it and get us onto the plane. He said I could fly standby alone, but because of the split issue my girlfriend would not be able to get on. Obviously, we waited another couple of hours in MIA to take the later flight together.
We ended up arriving in SJU that evening around 9 PM after spending WAY more time traveling that we had planned. That afternoon was really our only chance to spend time in San Juan as we had a flight booked SIG-VQS the next day.
Because our itinerary was split, on our 2/28 return SJU-JFK flight my girlfriend was no longer able to take advantage of my status when going through security. (This worked great at LGA!)
Other than being rebooked (admittedly fairly quickly with good but still worse Y seats than what I reserved originally), we were not offered any additional comfort/compensation despite our travel time essentially doubling (~7 hours to ~14 hours). I'm curious if given the circumstances should I have expected more from AA? Yes, they got us to our destination the same day and it could have been a whole lot worse, but this was a result of a computer problem fully under their control and their resolution led to additional issues. For example, something minor like offering complementary or even discounted AAdmirals Club access for the day to take the sting out of the additional unplanned 7 hours in LGA and MIA would have gone a long way.
Should I ask for ORC? There have been a ton of changes with AA miles lately so I have no idea how to even start to compare what I accrued vs what I should have accrued if there were no IRROPS. Note that all travel was prior to March 1st, if that makes a difference.
What should I have done differently in this situation? (Other than not fly through PHL/MIA!
)I have not (yet?) reached out to AA Customer Support regarding our experience and I haven't see any kind of additional mileage deposit that sometimes you read about during IRROPS.
I haven't been traveling as much as I have in the past so I apologize for being out of the loop regarding the proper terminology and such. I will provide additional details too including flight numbers/dates/times if asked.
(Also, would this question/post be better suited to a new or different thread? I didn't want to unnecessarily create a new thread but I wasn't sure if this question belonged here, in an IRROPS thread, or in a new thread altogether.)
Last edited by LGAoverJFK; Mar 17, 2017 at 11:25 am Reason: Sorry/Thanks note at the top
Mar 17, 2017, 11:58 am
#4
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
As to ORC ... how would that benefit you?
AA redeemable miles is based on ticket price not distance so that wouldn't matter.
AA elite qualifying miles are based on actual miles flown. However, you were booked from PHL to SJU. You flew from PHL-MIA-SJU which would be more redeemable miles. You'd actually be a loser on that part if they gave you ORC.
As to what to do different? Perhaps if you had called while in SJU, they would have been able to link your PNR's again so that you wouldn't have the security issue. Not sure what else you could have done and I can't really blame the GA's in Miami since they were trying to keep things moving.
AA redeemable miles is based on ticket price not distance so that wouldn't matter.
AA elite qualifying miles are based on actual miles flown. However, you were booked from PHL to SJU. You flew from PHL-MIA-SJU which would be more redeemable miles. You'd actually be a loser on that part if they gave you ORC.
As to what to do different? Perhaps if you had called while in SJU, they would have been able to link your PNR's again so that you wouldn't have the security issue. Not sure what else you could have done and I can't really blame the GA's in Miami since they were trying to keep things moving.
Mar 17, 2017, 12:02 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: Chick-Fil-A Red, Wawa, Red Cross blood donor
Posts: 4,824
)
Mar 17, 2017, 12:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: AAdvantage Exec Platinum, Hertz #1 Club Gold Five Star, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 2,038
I've seen it happen a few times where GA's split PNR's for no known reason (maybe it makes what they are doing easier on their end) and not informing the passenger or requesting his/her permission. I think better training needs to be done on AA's end on this.
Mar 17, 2017, 12:15 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,608
First thing first, what was the reason for the re-booking/re-route. This can make a difference on the outcome.
I think ORC will work on your favor as that will add more miles, thought not that much. As for the ticket split, no idea why it was done, but it certainly gave some problems in order for the standby for earlier flights and security. As for security, I would have had her come up with me and explain that the ticket had to be split in order for the re-route, I don't think that could cause some problems. The standby, well, that could be tricky, as you are GLD, and 2 travelers, you might be a bit lower on the list, then again, I do not know the load factor for the flight in question.
AA got you to your destination, alas much latter than planned, and with a lot of wasted time in between. Lounge access, doubt it, free food, meal doubt it as well. However, these where things to ask for when this was happening, not afterward. If you don't speak your mind, they wont do anything and it will be case closed. You contact them, and you will get a generic apologetic letter that may not apply to your case and anywhere between 5k-10k miles thrown in as "token" gesture for your inconvenience. When contacting, them, make sure you give your AA # and your GF AA # as well. Nothing more, nothing less.
AA is not pro-active in fixing things, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
I think ORC will work on your favor as that will add more miles, thought not that much. As for the ticket split, no idea why it was done, but it certainly gave some problems in order for the standby for earlier flights and security. As for security, I would have had her come up with me and explain that the ticket had to be split in order for the re-route, I don't think that could cause some problems. The standby, well, that could be tricky, as you are GLD, and 2 travelers, you might be a bit lower on the list, then again, I do not know the load factor for the flight in question.
AA got you to your destination, alas much latter than planned, and with a lot of wasted time in between. Lounge access, doubt it, free food, meal doubt it as well. However, these where things to ask for when this was happening, not afterward. If you don't speak your mind, they wont do anything and it will be case closed. You contact them, and you will get a generic apologetic letter that may not apply to your case and anywhere between 5k-10k miles thrown in as "token" gesture for your inconvenience. When contacting, them, make sure you give your AA # and your GF AA # as well. Nothing more, nothing less.
AA is not pro-active in fixing things, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
Mar 17, 2017, 3:02 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
I'm not sure I understand that conclusion. Redeemable miles are now based on fare, not distance traveled. As for elite qualifying miles, LGA-PHL-SJU is 2076, his original route. LGA-MIA-SJU is 2142. ORC gives the poster fewer EQM than the actual route flown.
Mar 17, 2017, 3:12 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,608
I was looking at EQM for status purpose per se, not RDM. Seeing your info, then best not to go for ORC, as it seems to be 66 miles shorter.
Mar 17, 2017, 5:47 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: US
Programs: AAdvantage
Posts: 1,753
Sometimes splitting a PNR is necessary in order to expedite the reaccommodation process.
Mar 17, 2017, 10:17 pm
#11
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
PNRs AFAIK can not be recombined nor actually linked. The "linking" is actually a "TVP note" (to complete party note) placed as an annotation in the OSI field to each PNR. For the note to be useful, an agent must open the PNR and read it.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...solidated.html.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...solidated.html.
That is correct.
It's an OSI entry called TCP (to complete party) that cross-references each itinerary, and amounts to a formatted note in the PNR. Which systems at AA do something with it (as opposed to ignoring it) it's still a mystery to me; I presume that their recent and excellent OSO (rebooking) software may actually be looking at it, but have no evidence either way.
I Googled and found some public info at http://hualin58.blogspot.com/2011/05...ay-delete.html
It's an OSI entry called TCP (to complete party) that cross-references each itinerary, and amounts to a formatted note in the PNR. Which systems at AA do something with it (as opposed to ignoring it) it's still a mystery to me; I presume that their recent and excellent OSO (rebooking) software may actually be looking at it, but have no evidence either way.
I Googled and found some public info at http://hualin58.blogspot.com/2011/05...ay-delete.html