AA100k

GlobalMatt

I'll be curious to see how this works, and also when it doesn't work. More specifically when it doesn't work. OPs post speaks (to what we all know too well, unfortunately) to how terrible AA (and I would argue U.S. legacy carriers) are when things go wrong. It's one thing to deliver a seamless product or solution/product like "ConnectionSaver" during normal operating conditions, only to watch US carriers flop like LeBron when things start going awry.

UAflyer93

FlyingEgghead

What the GA said doesn't add up, literally. If the previous pax was exactly 10 minutes before departure, OP couldn't possibly be 10 minutes and 1 second. Would have to be 9 minutes and 59 seconds or less.

Dallas49er

footballfanatic

AndyPatterson

I've had several flights to the Midwest with connections through CLT and all were late on the eastbound return in arriving at CLT. It reached the point where I am now booking flights with longer connection times in CLT, even though it means my possibly having to sit for an extra hour in CLT.

In other words, any connection in CLT that is under 1 hour should be a no-go....

Brooke.E

Though, in some situations it may be true that there are "zero downsides" that just isn't always the case. A few years back I was trying to get back to MSN to say goodbye to my dying grandma. Well in ORD waiting for my flight to MSN a mom and her adult daughter frantically went up to the GA begging to be put on the flight. They too were heading to MSN to a hospitalized family member. They however were booked on Delta and scheduled to go from ???-ORD-MSP-MSN (I am guessing that this crazy itinerary is the best they could get last minute). Their flight from ORD to MSP was delayed and they were going to miss their MSP-MSN flight. Of course, when the delay was issued to the ORD-MSP leg they could have rented a car and drove to MSN in two hours and/or taken a bus but when people are going through tough times it can be hard to think of those solutions in the moment. The AA GA was very kind to these people and patiently explained to them over and over again for 20-30 minutes that she was very sorry but they needed to speak with Delta as she could not just move Delta passengers to AA. They finally went to speak with Delta.

Meanwhile, we boarded the flight and pushed back on time. A few minutes after push back the plane started rolling back towards the gate. The pilot came on and stated that he had been made aware of two passengers that desperately needed to get on the flight and given that no one on the flight had connections that we were going to go back to the gate and help them. The two passengers that were boarded (about 15 minutes after we were back at the door) were the two Delta customers. The resulting delay was about 30 minutes. What AA had done for these two individuals was incredibly kind and generous and I do not fault AA for that. But an assumption was made that it would not hurt anyone else on the flight when in actuality it hurt me terribly. That act of kindness cost me the opportunity to say goodbye to the most important person in my life. I was about 3 minutes too late. I recognized even at the time that AA was really trying to do the right thing, that pilot didn't know that I was also racing home. It is a wonderful thing that they had a heart in this situation but their choice did not have "zero downsides" for me.

My point in sharing this is that it is easy to assume that being generous and helpful to those people that are only a few seconds or even minutes late is the right thing to do but you just never know what it might mean for someone else already sitting on that flight. That experience changed how I see the situation when I am the one standing there with the door to my flight closed and the plane still sitting there. I now can easily understand that there may be someone else sitting on that flight that desperately needs to get where they are going on time. I am not saying that AA should never open the door for someone but just that we need to remember that what might help one person or group of people could be very detrimental to another person or group of people.

Now if the door was closed early, that changes my perspective very quickly and you will see me begging to get on that flight just like almost anyone else would.

To the OP- I am extremely sorry that this happened to you. I'm sorry that you were not treated with compassion by AA staff. They may have had a very good reason why they could not re-open that door for you but they still had the opportunity to show you kindness and compassion after that fact and they obviously failed.

redtop43

This is how flying works. Ultimately there is a balance there, where a delay in one part of the system can ricochet far and wide. Leaving 2 minutes late can mean missing a departure slot which causes other pax to miss their connections or the plane to be late on it's next leg. That said, I can't figure out why they can't be less stringent on the last flight of the day, if the plane isn't continuing on to somewhere else.

United's initiative sounds quite promising, and one of the few actual positive developments in flying in recorded memory. In fairness, the article mentions an departure SFO-ICN that arrived "only 10 minutes late" - long-haul routes like that routinely arrive early. The pax who made the connection were doubtless highly relieved, but everybody else had to wait an extra 40 minutes. No system subject to the slings and arrows of weather, complex machines, and fallible people, can optimize every aspect.

I haven't had to use the distressed traveler option in a good 12 years, but my recommendation is that while you're calling, also check Priceline/Hotwire. They may have availability. 12 years ago they could also be cheaper, although I feel like the discount they offer to "street" rates has declined.

buckeyefanflyer

dls25

Most of the time, especially on regionals, it is crew rest. Regionals routinely schedule the minimum FAA overnight crew rest period so if the flight arrives late at the overnight that crew's flight the next day will have to be delayed to meet the rules...

iadisgreat

Yet when I flew DCA-ATL regularly on American Eagle my Monday AM flight was 100% of the time delayed 8 minutes from scheduled time for crew rest. Apparently they didn't actually schedule them the whole time or the previous flight was always late. Either way, delaying the first flight of the morning <30 minutes on occasion, assuming no weather or maintenance, isn't going to have the downline impact implied.

enpremiere

fotographer

After reading the op post and the responses, I tend to think most if not all airlines have forgotten that the passengers on the plane are "their" customers,
any other business treating its customers that way would not last long.
Understanding that most of the $$$$ is made under the plane and that seats really dont account for the majority of the airlines cash.. I dont understand why there are not protocols that can be used in the case of passengers arriving late for a connecting
flight, where it was no fault of the passengers.
I have seen this happen in LHR where, when my flight is delayed arriving in to LHR, you will find airport/airline staff waiting for you after you deplane, helping you make it to your next flight (fast track)
been on plenty of BA flights where we have waited for additional arriving passengers that were late , due to no fault of their own.

Whodunit68

I thought I was the only FTer that flies in and out of GNV. I'm sorry to learn of this unfortunate situation, #1 (your reason for flying) far worse than #2 (the incident that caused you to post).
I agree with the others above that AA employees are really under extreme pressure to deliver certain KPIs including on-time departures and arrivals. If she let one on, then you and your wife, then another, etc, etc....you know how the story goes. I'd be surprised if she even processed your story. CLT is, in fact, tough to navigage the long distance from B or C to E where all GNV flights are (ex- or arrival).
Your situation is unfortunate and I'm not sure there's much to be said other than just write to AA customer service with your story as above and see if they'll do something. It won't bring the situation back - no do-overs - but maybe some sympathetic eye/ear will at least feel some sense of need to compensate you for your trouble. It likely won't even make you feel better but at least it's something.
I'm so sorry for you in this situation.