AA cancels flight at OKC , DL brings in plane for 41 student group
Jun 9, 2019, 7:29 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MSP/BUF/BNA/LFT
Programs: AA Plat, Priority Club Gold, Choice Privileges Gold
Posts: 1,225
That's amazing for Delta to step in like that. It shows a lot about company culture - that the DL agents overhearing the AA debacle felt empowered enough to try to help any way they can. Whereas AA agents just want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Refunds? Not even reroutes or trying to put them on another carrier? Ridiculous.
Jun 9, 2019, 7:39 pm
#17
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: ORD (formerly SAN)
Programs: Hilton Diamond; IHG Platinum; Bonvoy Gold; AA Platinum Pro and United Premier Silver (DH = AA EXP)
Posts: 1,928
It didn't need to be 41 people on the same flight. There were kids and chaperones. If AA didn't have an extra plane, they could have split them up by chaperone - not ideal, but at least come up with some solution that doesn't involve cancelling the kids' trip altogether. That's what I was talking about with company culture. I assume AA agents haven't been replaced with bots (yet), so they could have thought about something. I assume AA has a similar strategic ops department.
Jun 9, 2019, 7:40 pm
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Rapid Rewards, AAdvantage, SkyMiles
Posts: 2,931
Delta managed to pull a CRJ. You're telling me none of AA's regional partners had a spare aircraft? This was just AA wanting to get rid of the problem as quickly as possible, per usual.
Jun 9, 2019, 7:44 pm
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,400
Jun 9, 2019, 7:58 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MSP/BUF/BNA/LFT
Programs: AA Plat, Priority Club Gold, Choice Privileges Gold
Posts: 1,225
It didn't need to be 41 people on the same flight. There were kids and chaperones. If AA didn't have an extra plane, they could have split them up by chaperone - not ideal, but at least come up with some solution that doesn't involve cancelling the kids' trip altogether. That's what I was talking about with company culture. I assume AA agents haven't been replaced with bots (yet), so they could have thought about something. I assume AA has a similar strategic ops department.
Jun 9, 2019, 8:01 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MSP/BUF/BNA/LFT
Programs: AA Plat, Priority Club Gold, Choice Privileges Gold
Posts: 1,225
Yes. AA/AA* are very tight on airframes at the moment thanks to the 737MAX situation. This is one of the reasons why their ops are so terrible at the moment - lack of spares.
Jun 9, 2019, 8:15 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,405
Absolutely this. As usual AA went for the cheapest way out, and decided they'd just issue refunds rather than try to to maybe establish a lifetime of goodwill with some of these youngsters. I'm not surprised this happened in OKC though - Oklahomans are usually pretty nice people, but the draagons I've dealt with at OKC are some of the laziest human beings I've ever come across.
Jun 9, 2019, 9:18 pm
#23
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: stl
Programs: AA LT Plat/8.1mm now with 1350 miles left in my account and proud of it.. SPG LT Titanium.
Posts: 3,079
I doubt they are using commuter jets to cover for the max flights. I am also sure that if they had done this someone at AA could have made sure the press or a blogger got the story and they would have received the same type of press as Delta.
Jun 9, 2019, 9:18 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: MIA
Posts: 298
You are right, it’s about company culture. And the messaging that has been sent over and over, by Doug Parker and his LCC bean counters, is that front line employees are not empowered to help the customer.
Jun 9, 2019, 9:55 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969
Let me put it another way: "Airline does right for its own passengers" isn't newsworthy. "Airline adds a special flight for passengers on another airline that stranded them" is.
Jun 10, 2019, 12:14 am
#27
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: IHG Platinum Elite, AS MVP Gold 75K, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 219
"Airline cancels flight but reinstates it with substitute aircraft" is not a newsworthy story. "Airline flies a special flight at the last minute on a route they don't even normally fly to cover for another airline's cancellation" is.
Let me put it another way: "Airline does right for its own passengers" isn't newsworthy. "Airline adds a special flight for passengers on another airline that stranded them" is.
Let me put it another way: "Airline does right for its own passengers" isn't newsworthy. "Airline adds a special flight for passengers on another airline that stranded them" is.
Jun 10, 2019, 1:34 am
#28
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: PHX, ICN
Programs: OZ Diamond Plus, Marriott Gold
Posts: 502
Nailed it about culture. If this isn't good enough of an anecdote, you can always head over to the hotel forums regarding a certain major chain's recent change in culture...
Jun 10, 2019, 5:13 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 556
Jun 10, 2019, 5:46 am
#30
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,265
Regular Delta flyers know that the airline makes its fair share of mistakes and has its own problems. It they also empower and encourage front line employees and middle management to beyond the CoC minimum in fixing things and a fairly high percentage of them use that power for good
