F meals not catered on 1000 mile flight
Jun 4, 2019, 6:00 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
The whole kerfuffle about the route and distance is irrelevant. AA admitted that it miscatered and that it then departed without the catering. No need to know anything more.
This was a simple mistake and the Captain has to make a judgment call as to how long he can hold the aircraft for a non-essential item. Should he have waited 30 minutes instead of 15? What if ground and air traffic are building or enroute weather is worsening? Delays in the AM lead to knock-on delays and cancellations later.
It really does not matter what one asks for. There will be some form of customer service gesture, not compensation. Perhaps a few miles or a small voucher which will be tied to the fare basis, F or some discount and status. OP is a PLT so on the lower end. My guess is $25 in funny money.
This is one of those mountain out of mole hill things. It was an error, OP knew it was an error, and that's the end of it.
This was a simple mistake and the Captain has to make a judgment call as to how long he can hold the aircraft for a non-essential item. Should he have waited 30 minutes instead of 15? What if ground and air traffic are building or enroute weather is worsening? Delays in the AM lead to knock-on delays and cancellations later.
It really does not matter what one asks for. There will be some form of customer service gesture, not compensation. Perhaps a few miles or a small voucher which will be tied to the fare basis, F or some discount and status. OP is a PLT so on the lower end. My guess is $25 in funny money.
This is one of those mountain out of mole hill things. It was an error, OP knew it was an error, and that's the end of it.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:05 am
#17
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Beantown! (BOS)
Programs: AA PtPro (2 MM); Hilton Diamond; Hertz President Cr; DL SkyMiles; UA MileagePlus
Posts: 3,435
AA.com lists Flagship First Transcontinental as: Flagship First Check-in, Priority Privilege, FlagShip Lounge, FlagShip First Dining, Five Star Service, Lie-flat Seats, Chef-inspired Dining, Free Entertainment, etc.
Should AA have asterisk at the end indicating: *Above amenities, items, services are subject to availability and fare will entitle passengers only the actual transport between ticketed point.
Is this should be the case?
Jun 4, 2019, 6:15 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,058
I also didn’t ask in my OP what I should ask for as compensation. I only wondered if I should even complain. I know that sometimes AA proactively gives a few thousand points for service failures after a mishap like this, so I’m figuring a complaint would probably generate the same kind of response. A few thousand points isn’t really a windfall given the ongoing devaluation with AAdvantage.
What bothers me most is that the Captain acknowledged the catering snafu and said we were waiting 10-15 minutes for them to bring it, but then less than 10 minutes later the doors closed and we were pushing back. He never came back on to let us know anything else, leaving the FA to be the bearer of the bad news in the air. Likely, someone in OPS made the call for us to leave. Even after a lengthy taxi, lifting off 35 minutes after our scheduled gate departure, we arrived only 5 minutes late at our destination.
I get it..Catering mishaps happen, though only one other time to me in 2006 when they subbed a 767 for a 757 on PHL-LAS and had only Biscoffs to offer F passengers. That seat map was updated online hours before the flight, yet they still screwed up catering it on time...
And sure, I should have eaten something that morning but didn’t, figuring I’ll eat on the plane. It wasn’t that I expected some 5 star plate of fruit and yogurt, but I had a reasonable expectation of something to satisfy me and opted to wait.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:25 am
#20
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Beantown! (BOS)
Programs: AA PtPro (2 MM); Hilton Diamond; Hertz President Cr; DL SkyMiles; UA MileagePlus
Posts: 3,435
Once I was on LAX-DFW flight in F where lunch was not catered. FAs went around F passengers apologizing, explaining the situation, told F passengers that the pilot contacted ground and upon arrival at DFW gate agents will have vouchers for us. At DFW F passengers asked a gate agent about a voucher and the gate agent had no idea about voucher. The gate agent started to make calls..., many of us, including me, had connecting flight and we could not wait for a gate agent to figure thing out. Many of us, including me, simply headed to connecting flight gate without a voucher and I did not bother to make a complaint via customer service.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:41 am
#21
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: NYC/DC
Programs: AA,SPG, Delta, Amtrak, JB
Posts: 834
What is it with us FTers? Everything less than 100% perfect requires compensation? How about when you're at McDonald's and they run out of fries? Do you demand compensation? Gas station's out of premium today. Compensation? Steak is overcooked. Sure, the restaurant will make you a new one, but why no demand for compensation? Why only in travel-related purchases?
Jun 4, 2019, 7:06 am
#22
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: AAdvantage Exec Platinum, Hertz #1 Club Gold Five Star, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 2,034
What is it with us FTers? Everything less than 100% perfect requires compensation? How about when you're at McDonald's and they run out of fries? Do you demand compensation? Gas station's out of premium today. Compensation? Steak is overcooked. Sure, the restaurant will make you a new one, but why no demand for compensation? Why only in travel-related purchases?
The problem is AA screwed up. This has nothing to do with travel. This has to do with AA promising a meal when making a booking. They did not deliver and they should do something to make up for that. As a consumer, it is up to me to determine what that is and work with AA on a fair resolution. To me, it's more than just the cost of the meal, but the fact that I was expecting a meal and now had to go a few hours without it because of their mistake.
I know not everyone agrees, but when a company screws up, it is up to me as a customer to hold them accountable.
I'll ask you a similar question...why is it that some on here think that consumers shouldn't receive any compensation for anything that isn't related to just getting from point A to point B? Shouldn't a company deliver on any promises it makes? And when it fails, do something to make up for it? Granted what that "something" is can vary greatly, but to just allow a company to get away with screwing you as a consumer makes no sense to me.
Jun 4, 2019, 7:07 am
#23
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 464
I wouldn't spend hours on the phone with AA complaining about a flight that they failed to cater, though a quick email to customer service doesn't take much time at all. I would normally spend much more time reading random flyertalk threads than that.
Jun 4, 2019, 7:42 am
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
If AA was proactive they'd send a voucher to the OP for $20-$25. But the bottom line is that at least in my experience AA is never proactive about much of anything. Once in 18 years of flying AA I've been proactively compensated for a delay. Me thinks some other Pax(s) made a huge stink (it was a 12 hour delay) and AA decided to quell the angry mobs. The only way to get compensation out of AA is to complain and one needs to decide if the potential compensation is worth the time and effort.
I'm assuming had this been mainline the FA could have provided a nominal amount of miles to F paxs to compensate for the catering snafu.
I'm assuming had this been mainline the FA could have provided a nominal amount of miles to F paxs to compensate for the catering snafu.
Jun 4, 2019, 7:49 am
#25
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: NYC/DC
Programs: AA,SPG, Delta, Amtrak, JB
Posts: 834
Ok, let's go with your example. For your McDonald's example, I actually had something similar happen to me at Wendy's. They forgot to put Fries in my drive thru order. I didn't realize it until I got home. I called the manager of the store and asked for a refund of the fries portion since I paid for it. Instead of just refunding me the dollar and change for it, he mailed me a $10 gift card. That was what I call good customer service and a company actually making things right when making a mistake.
The problem is AA screwed up. This has nothing to do with travel. This has to do with AA promising a meal when making a booking. They did not deliver and they should do something to make up for that. As a consumer, it is up to me to determine what that is and work with AA on a fair resolution. To me, it's more than just the cost of the meal, but the fact that I was expecting a meal and now had to go a few hours without it because of their mistake.
I know not everyone agrees, but when a company screws up, it is up to me as a customer to hold them accountable.
The problem is AA screwed up. This has nothing to do with travel. This has to do with AA promising a meal when making a booking. They did not deliver and they should do something to make up for that. As a consumer, it is up to me to determine what that is and work with AA on a fair resolution. To me, it's more than just the cost of the meal, but the fact that I was expecting a meal and now had to go a few hours without it because of their mistake.
I know not everyone agrees, but when a company screws up, it is up to me as a customer to hold them accountable.
Jun 4, 2019, 8:14 am
#26
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Rolling Lakes Yacht Club
Posts: 4,982
Is it worthy of a complaint to AA? If the OP feels its worth the time investment.. it's their time- not mine.
There's already a compensation thread. Presumably any reasonable person could figure out what they would be entitled to there, if they wanted to.
The notion that every gaffe is worthy of its own thread is patently absurd though.
There's already a compensation thread. Presumably any reasonable person could figure out what they would be entitled to there, if they wanted to.
The notion that every gaffe is worthy of its own thread is patently absurd though.
Jun 4, 2019, 9:11 am
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,742
Ok, let's go with your example. For your McDonald's example, I actually had something similar happen to me at Wendy's. They forgot to put Fries in my drive thru order. I didn't realize it until I got home. I called the manager of the store and asked for a refund of the fries portion since I paid for it. Instead of just refunding me the dollar and change for it, he mailed me a $10 gift card. That was what I call good customer service and a company actually making things right when making a mistake.
The problem is AA screwed up. This has nothing to do with travel. This has to do with AA promising a meal when making a booking. They did not deliver and they should do something to make up for that. As a consumer, it is up to me to determine what that is and work with AA on a fair resolution. To me, it's more than just the cost of the meal, but the fact that I was expecting a meal and now had to go a few hours without it because of their mistake.
But you raise an interesting point, and perhaps the same one that I've been wondering about, just from a different perspective. Why do we treat travel providers differently from the way that we treat other merchants with whom/which we do business?
Jun 4, 2019, 9:12 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,742
