Why don't displaced passengers call AA rather than stand in a long line
May 9, 2019, 4:05 pm
#46
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
Had an issue a few weeks ago with hail in DFW followed by thundersnow in ORD the next day. Our SAN-ORD cancelled, and there were no seats for sale out of anywhere in SoCal for the next three days because of all the systemwide ripples. AAngel called RM and spent 15 minutes going to bat for us to oversell two more seats onto a flight the following day -- no chance an OSO agent would've done that for us. Couldn't find any flight alternatives in the app, and the system didn't even automatically rebook us because it couldn't find a way home either.
May 9, 2019, 5:12 pm
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: HH Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 10,457
What I've never understood is how proactive DL is compared to AA. At their hubs, DL has areas with banks of phones that people can use to call reservations agents who are actually empowered to help, whereas AA is hit or miss as said above. Maybe it's no linger necessary to have banks of phones, since most people have a cell phone, but it would be nice if the phone agents were empowered to make reasonable decisions.
May 9, 2019, 9:05 pm
#48
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
Standing in line enable us to share in our common displeasure or grief about IRROPS.
In some of DFW's less memorable moments, calls to EP and CK lines had hours-long holds while the DFW AAngels saw a brisk business which seemed to move, albeit at a crawl.
In some of DFW's less memorable moments, calls to EP and CK lines had hours-long holds while the DFW AAngels saw a brisk business which seemed to move, albeit at a crawl.
May 10, 2019, 8:15 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,136
Only if your flight cancels. Delays aren’t enough to trigger the relaxed rules. At least IME.
And often at that point options can be limited as the system auto rebooks customers drying out inventory on other fights.
With UA I can start proactively making calculated changes 24 hours out.
And often at that point options can be limited as the system auto rebooks customers drying out inventory on other fights.
With UA I can start proactively making calculated changes 24 hours out.
May 10, 2019, 2:21 pm
#51
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 235
I know this was a golden mileage run opportunity, but I had to get back home quickly so I declined with gratitude. Maybe it's because it was kind of quiet that day, or just that we had some good rapport. Of course, I know the rules are that original routing is required and this wasn't IRROPS, so I'm not feeling emboldened or entitled by this experience, but it was interesting that the agents had any latitude at all to even offer.
May 10, 2019, 3:19 pm
#53
Join Date: Jan 2003
Programs: American Airlines Platinum, National Executive
Posts: 3,790
DFW was a mess today due to storms. My flight was 3 hours late to Chicago. The plane was at the gate the whole time but the cabin crew and FO/Pilot were sourced from another flight. Anyway, there was a line of people from C33 to C26 waiting to talk to the agents at the customer service desk. Can't all these re-bookings be handled over the phone? Honestly the line was 500 people....
Seems wasteful to me as well, but some people are just low-tech. Plus the AA phone agents get things wrong a lot, too.
May 10, 2019, 3:25 pm
#54
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
But given that recom cycles make generally primitive choices, the affected pax could end up confirmed on a flight two days later instead of a different routing or on another carrier arrived close to the original arrival time.
