AA gifted me Gold: rich impressions (and IROPS)
Feb 14, 2019, 12:13 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 205
AA gifted me Gold: rich impressions (and IROPS)
Booked my first AA flight in 20 years LAS-PHX-SAF. I've been NWA/Delta Platinum (equivalent to AA Platinum Pro) that entire time.
A couple weeks before travel, AA sends me a letter saying they will gift me Gold status! I can maintain that status if I then fly X amount on AA in the next whatever.
It was exciting to see my name on the LAS-PHX upgrade list. There were 28 people on the list for zero seats. I was number 28.
Much better situation for the PHX-SAF connection: I was #4 (of 4) for zero seats. The PHX-SAF flight, however, experiences a delay. It will get in half an hour later. No, wait, it will get in 5 hours late (a mechanical). They say that 9pm is the earliest they can swap in another aircraft.
After three hours they bring in a cart with snacks to the gate area. The departure is delayed another 45 minutes. Finally our inbound aircraft arrives at PHX. The boarding time is 10 minutes, then 6, then 4, then back up to 7, then down to 2, then nothing happens. Rumors swirl through the gate area. One pax says that they can't find a crew to fly the plane, since they have timed out. Other passengers volunteer to fly it. Finally the announcement: one crewmember has "called in sick", and operations will keep us informed while they try to find a replacement.
After a while the next announcement. The flight is cancelled and rescheduled for 6:45am the next morning, and come get a hotel voucher. The printer doesn't work, so the entire line rushes over to a different gate to line up again to get their voucher. I get mine and am told to go to the courtesy lane and call the hotel for the shuttle.
I call the hotel and they say sorry, they aren't running a shuttle, and to go get the airline to pay for a cab. Went up to check-in, and the agent cranks out voucher for a different hotel instead. The Sleep Inn. This place is dingy. This is where I am right now, at midnight, before my 4am wake-up call.
Even though I am Gold on AA, do I ever wish I were flying Delta. Visions tumble in my head of crackerjack professional staff, ongoing conscientious information and support during irrops, a crew and flight scheduling system that anticipates and adjusts on the fly, of competence and poise, as opposed to virtual third-world standards.
And early tomorrow the adventure continues, on this, my first AA trip in 20 years - - as a newly minted AA Gold Elite.
A couple weeks before travel, AA sends me a letter saying they will gift me Gold status! I can maintain that status if I then fly X amount on AA in the next whatever.
It was exciting to see my name on the LAS-PHX upgrade list. There were 28 people on the list for zero seats. I was number 28.
Much better situation for the PHX-SAF connection: I was #4 (of 4) for zero seats. The PHX-SAF flight, however, experiences a delay. It will get in half an hour later. No, wait, it will get in 5 hours late (a mechanical). They say that 9pm is the earliest they can swap in another aircraft.
After three hours they bring in a cart with snacks to the gate area. The departure is delayed another 45 minutes. Finally our inbound aircraft arrives at PHX. The boarding time is 10 minutes, then 6, then 4, then back up to 7, then down to 2, then nothing happens. Rumors swirl through the gate area. One pax says that they can't find a crew to fly the plane, since they have timed out. Other passengers volunteer to fly it. Finally the announcement: one crewmember has "called in sick", and operations will keep us informed while they try to find a replacement.
After a while the next announcement. The flight is cancelled and rescheduled for 6:45am the next morning, and come get a hotel voucher. The printer doesn't work, so the entire line rushes over to a different gate to line up again to get their voucher. I get mine and am told to go to the courtesy lane and call the hotel for the shuttle.
I call the hotel and they say sorry, they aren't running a shuttle, and to go get the airline to pay for a cab. Went up to check-in, and the agent cranks out voucher for a different hotel instead. The Sleep Inn. This place is dingy. This is where I am right now, at midnight, before my 4am wake-up call.
Even though I am Gold on AA, do I ever wish I were flying Delta. Visions tumble in my head of crackerjack professional staff, ongoing conscientious information and support during irrops, a crew and flight scheduling system that anticipates and adjusts on the fly, of competence and poise, as opposed to virtual third-world standards.
And early tomorrow the adventure continues, on this, my first AA trip in 20 years - - as a newly minted AA Gold Elite.
Feb 14, 2019, 1:26 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 255
Booked my first AA flight in 20 years LAS-PHX-SAF. I've been NWA/Delta Platinum (equivalent to AA Platinum Pro) that entire time.
A couple weeks before travel, AA sends me a letter saying they will gift me Gold status! I can maintain that status if I then fly X amount on AA in the next whatever.
It was exciting to see my name on the LAS-PHX upgrade list. There were 28 people on the list for zero seats. I was number 28.
Much better situation for the PHX-SAF connection: I was #4 (of 4) for zero seats. The PHX-SAF flight, however, experiences a delay. It will get in half an hour later. No, wait, it will get in 5 hours late (a mechanical). They say that 9pm is the earliest they can swap in another aircraft.
After three hours they bring in a cart with snacks to the gate area. The departure is delayed another 45 minutes. Finally our inbound aircraft arrives at PHX. The boarding time is 10 minutes, then 6, then 4, then back up to 7, then down to 2, then nothing happens. Rumors swirl through the gate area. One pax says that they can't find a crew to fly the plane, since they have timed out. Other passengers volunteer to fly it. Finally the announcement: one crewmember has "called in sick", and operations will keep us informed while they try to find a replacement.
After a while the next announcement. The flight is cancelled and rescheduled for 6:45am the next morning, and come get a hotel voucher. The printer doesn't work, so the entire line rushes over to a different gate to line up again to get their voucher. I get mine and am told to go to the courtesy lane and call the hotel for the shuttle.
I call the hotel and they say sorry, they aren't running a shuttle, and to go get the airline to pay for a cab. Went up to check-in, and the agent cranks out voucher for a different hotel instead. The Sleep Inn. This place is dingy. This is where I am right now, at midnight, before my 4am wake-up call.
Even though I am Gold on AA, do I ever wish I were flying Delta. Visions tumble in my head of crackerjack professional staff, ongoing conscientious information and support during irrops, a crew and flight scheduling system that anticipates and adjusts on the fly, of competence and poise, as opposed to virtual third-world standards.
And early tomorrow the adventure continues, on this, my first AA trip in 20 years - - as a newly minted AA Gold Elite.
A couple weeks before travel, AA sends me a letter saying they will gift me Gold status! I can maintain that status if I then fly X amount on AA in the next whatever.
It was exciting to see my name on the LAS-PHX upgrade list. There were 28 people on the list for zero seats. I was number 28.
Much better situation for the PHX-SAF connection: I was #4 (of 4) for zero seats. The PHX-SAF flight, however, experiences a delay. It will get in half an hour later. No, wait, it will get in 5 hours late (a mechanical). They say that 9pm is the earliest they can swap in another aircraft.
After three hours they bring in a cart with snacks to the gate area. The departure is delayed another 45 minutes. Finally our inbound aircraft arrives at PHX. The boarding time is 10 minutes, then 6, then 4, then back up to 7, then down to 2, then nothing happens. Rumors swirl through the gate area. One pax says that they can't find a crew to fly the plane, since they have timed out. Other passengers volunteer to fly it. Finally the announcement: one crewmember has "called in sick", and operations will keep us informed while they try to find a replacement.
After a while the next announcement. The flight is cancelled and rescheduled for 6:45am the next morning, and come get a hotel voucher. The printer doesn't work, so the entire line rushes over to a different gate to line up again to get their voucher. I get mine and am told to go to the courtesy lane and call the hotel for the shuttle.
I call the hotel and they say sorry, they aren't running a shuttle, and to go get the airline to pay for a cab. Went up to check-in, and the agent cranks out voucher for a different hotel instead. The Sleep Inn. This place is dingy. This is where I am right now, at midnight, before my 4am wake-up call.
Even though I am Gold on AA, do I ever wish I were flying Delta. Visions tumble in my head of crackerjack professional staff, ongoing conscientious information and support during irrops, a crew and flight scheduling system that anticipates and adjusts on the fly, of competence and poise, as opposed to virtual third-world standards.
And early tomorrow the adventure continues, on this, my first AA trip in 20 years - - as a newly minted AA Gold Elite.
Hopefully, tomorrow’s travels go more smoothly.
Feb 14, 2019, 5:21 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: AA Executive Platinum/Million Miler, Marriott Titanium Elite-Lifetime, Hilton Gold
Posts: 3,210
And I too was NW/DL Platinum/Diamond. I had similar issues on NW/DL, including having to sleep in the ATL airport after a 6+ hour delayed LAS-ATL flight a few years ago. It happens, some flights just don't go as planned.
Feb 14, 2019, 5:46 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,013
welcome to a horribly run airline.
Took me two days to get home from SEA last week---broken door, broken de-icer, crew was late arriving from their hotel, etc.
Took me two days to get home from SEA last week---broken door, broken de-icer, crew was late arriving from their hotel, etc.
Last edited by enviroian; Feb 14, 2019 at 6:25 am
Feb 14, 2019, 7:23 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,976
Yes it can happen on any airline, but it does happen on AA a lot. The monthly statistics, especially AA vs DL, bear this out. And when things go south on AA, they seem to really go south, as the OP experienced. AA management's priority is cost control and squeezing in as many pax as possible, with predictable results on operations. UA and DL went through similar periods but both figured out that was a dead end. It took the Port Authority scandal for UA to dump SMI/J. I wonder how AA will accomplish the same.
Feb 14, 2019, 7:31 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
And don't give me "I live in a AA hub." I fly AA out of a UA/WN hub...
Feb 14, 2019, 7:38 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,247
Me too.
UA is worse. Hard product, soft product, hub airport facilities, irrational love for ER4 equipment on 4 hour flights etc. So sadly, despite the times I want to say screw it and walk (after 11 straight flights that were rolling delayed), it's still better than the remnants of what SMI/J did. For now.
UA is worse. Hard product, soft product, hub airport facilities, irrational love for ER4 equipment on 4 hour flights etc. So sadly, despite the times I want to say screw it and walk (after 11 straight flights that were rolling delayed), it's still better than the remnants of what SMI/J did. For now.
Feb 14, 2019, 7:39 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,013
The non stops to heathrow are why. I travel there often and value the 3 daily non stop options that’s why.
Last edited by enviroian; Feb 14, 2019 at 7:44 am Reason: Spelling
Feb 14, 2019, 7:43 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
Feb 14, 2019, 8:20 am
#12
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,485
Firstly, I'm sorry that the OP had this experience. But as a fresh AA Gold, he should know that upgrades are done by status, then by EQD. Without prior travel on AA in the past year (or at all), he would be at the bottom of the barrel.
Secondly, if I was traveling between Vegas and Santa Fe, I probably would have just flown WN nonstop to ABQ. There are at least 4x daily (that I can easily see). From ABQ, there is a railrunner train that will get you up to Santa Fe, or you could rent a car, or take one of several different shuttles. I've been to Santa Fe several times. While there are flights into SAF, I've found it far easier to fly to ABQ and rent a car from there (car rentals seem less at ABQ, IME).
Thirdly, after the extensive layover at PHX, who did he talk to about possible alternatives? Taking a quick look through AA's PHX-ABQ schedule, there seemed to have been at least 2 different flights he could have gotten on (I don't know if there were seats, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Again, from ABQ it is fairly straightforward getting up to Santa Fe.
Yes, things can and sometimes do go wrong when you fly any carrier. But coming up with alternatives when they do is part of being a smart traveler. As an elite on Delta, I'm surprised that the OP wouldn't have thought of alternatives and either called or spoken to someone at the airport.
Hope today's travel is better for the OP. At least it looks like the PHX-SAF flight arrived:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...446Z/KPHX/KSAF
Secondly, if I was traveling between Vegas and Santa Fe, I probably would have just flown WN nonstop to ABQ. There are at least 4x daily (that I can easily see). From ABQ, there is a railrunner train that will get you up to Santa Fe, or you could rent a car, or take one of several different shuttles. I've been to Santa Fe several times. While there are flights into SAF, I've found it far easier to fly to ABQ and rent a car from there (car rentals seem less at ABQ, IME).
Thirdly, after the extensive layover at PHX, who did he talk to about possible alternatives? Taking a quick look through AA's PHX-ABQ schedule, there seemed to have been at least 2 different flights he could have gotten on (I don't know if there were seats, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Again, from ABQ it is fairly straightforward getting up to Santa Fe.
Yes, things can and sometimes do go wrong when you fly any carrier. But coming up with alternatives when they do is part of being a smart traveler. As an elite on Delta, I'm surprised that the OP wouldn't have thought of alternatives and either called or spoken to someone at the airport.
Hope today's travel is better for the OP. At least it looks like the PHX-SAF flight arrived:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...446Z/KPHX/KSAF
Feb 14, 2019, 11:36 am
#13
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,279
Firstly, I'm sorry that the OP had this experience. But as a fresh AA Gold, he should know that upgrades are done by status, then by EQD. Without prior travel on AA in the past year (or at all), he would be at the bottom of the barrel.
Secondly, if I was traveling between Vegas and Santa Fe, I probably would have just flown WN nonstop to ABQ. There are at least 4x daily (that I can easily see). From ABQ, there is a railrunner train that will get you up to Santa Fe, or you could rent a car, or take one of several different shuttles. I've been to Santa Fe several times. While there are flights into SAF, I've found it far easier to fly to ABQ and rent a car from there (car rentals seem less at ABQ, IME).
Thirdly, after the extensive layover at PHX, who did he talk to about possible alternatives? Taking a quick look through AA's PHX-ABQ schedule, there seemed to have been at least 2 different flights he could have gotten on (I don't know if there were seats, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Again, from ABQ it is fairly straightforward getting up to Santa Fe.
Yes, things can and sometimes do go wrong when you fly any carrier. But coming up with alternatives when they do is part of being a smart traveler. As an elite on Delta, I'm surprised that the OP wouldn't have thought of alternatives and either called or spoken to someone at the airport.
Hope today's travel is better for the OP. At least it looks like the PHX-SAF flight arrived:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...446Z/KPHX/KSAF
Secondly, if I was traveling between Vegas and Santa Fe, I probably would have just flown WN nonstop to ABQ. There are at least 4x daily (that I can easily see). From ABQ, there is a railrunner train that will get you up to Santa Fe, or you could rent a car, or take one of several different shuttles. I've been to Santa Fe several times. While there are flights into SAF, I've found it far easier to fly to ABQ and rent a car from there (car rentals seem less at ABQ, IME).
Thirdly, after the extensive layover at PHX, who did he talk to about possible alternatives? Taking a quick look through AA's PHX-ABQ schedule, there seemed to have been at least 2 different flights he could have gotten on (I don't know if there were seats, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Again, from ABQ it is fairly straightforward getting up to Santa Fe.
Yes, things can and sometimes do go wrong when you fly any carrier. But coming up with alternatives when they do is part of being a smart traveler. As an elite on Delta, I'm surprised that the OP wouldn't have thought of alternatives and either called or spoken to someone at the airport.
Hope today's travel is better for the OP. At least it looks like the PHX-SAF flight arrived:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...446Z/KPHX/KSAF
Feb 14, 2019, 9:18 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 210
AA is not proactive about anything - they simply don't help people help themselves. For example, the number of times I've seen my departure shown as On Time, when the inbound aircraft is not even on the way and we're due to board. Clearly the flight is delayed - instead of creating chaos at the gate, let people have the information in advance so they can make the right decisions via the app, phone, ticket counter, rebooking counter, corporate travel agent, etc like they can on DL. During delays on AA, the gate agents often become adversarial and provide limited updates and attitude during rebooking, whereas on DL I often find that they take pride in trying to resolve the situation and provide support... and passengers notice this and respond to the situation accordingly. Completely different atmosphere at the gate during a delay between the two airlines.