Is this really how far AA has fallen? (Lengthy delays, GA interactions)
 

I gave up on AA but decided to give them a chance again last fall. I’ve had a few delayed flights, but none like what I experienced at CLT tonight. AA 1937 is an A321 that had originated in JAX. After a 15-HOUR delay JAX-CLT (yes, 15-hours) you can imagine my trepidation when AA said at gate C-15 it was only delayed a few minutes to BOS. So when I approached the gate to ask why it was 10:55pm and no flight was at the gate I was extremely shocked at the reply from the gate agents.

Before I describe the treatment I received let me preface this by saying it’s been similar at ATL and MIA. I don’t think I need to say anything more other than these agents looked like they were plucked right out of Prospect Park in Brooklyn or College Park in Atlanta. One AA male agent was even wearing a beanie at CLT for this - how is that even possible or professional??

When I approached them I said verbatim “I’m sorry, I can imagine many people have asked you about the delay but I just go the gate. I see it says it boards in 12-mins but there’s no airplane here.” This was by far the RUDEST and most unprofessional airline experience I’ve ever experienced. Basically the male African gate agent looked at the female African gate agent and BOTH rolled their eyes before the male finally decided to answer and he says -

Agent - “I made an announcement this flight was delayed”

me - •oh, I just got here because the flight was delayed for almost an hour”

Agent - “I made an announcement”

Me - “I’m sorry I missed that. It says boarding starts in 11-mins and there’s no plane at the gate. Is it possible to de-plane and then start boarding an A321 in 11-mins?”

Agent - eye rolls to other agent

Let’s review the facts real quick. AA1937 is being operated by N558UW. An A321 that’s 15-hours delayed doing JAX-CLT.

Do I expect to magically be teleported from CLT-BOS....no!

Do I expect as an AA Ex Plat to have a slight bit of courtesy given the delay....YES!

Am I being unrealistic?

I'm a little puzzled here.

I don't know how to get the tail number, but on Friday, AA1895 operates CLT-LAS-CLT (same flight number in both directions), arriving CLT at 9:41PM, and is the incoming flight for AA1973 CLT-BOS departing at 10:39.

On Thursday January 2 (today) flight 1895 arrived in CLT at 9:36PM at Gate C-17. Flight 1973 was scheduled to depart JAX for CLT at 7:00AM but departed at 9:34PM, arriving at 10:56PM at Gate C-15. Flight 1937 was scheduled to depart at 10:39 from Gate C-15 but actually departed at 11:46.

I won't try to guess what happened to 1973 that caused the 15-hour delay but it appears that, for whatever reason, they used the incoming equipment from 1895 for something else and the delayed 1895 for 1937. It departed an hour late. Annoying, as are all delays. But the delay was announced. The OP didn't state at exactly what time the conversation took place, but it sounds like he knew the flight was delayed an hour and it actually departed an hour and 7 minutes late.

Do they turn around late equipment quickly? I think so. I've deplaned from the rear and seen a cleanup crew hovering in the first few rows ready to go to work. As this was late in the evening, probably all the ground personnel involved were pretty eager to get done and get home.

So I'm a little puzzled about what the major offense was here. As for the "beanie" I'd like to think the OP didn't mean a yalmukah, a skullcap worn by religious Jewish men. Hopefully we've all seen them and given them no more thought that various other sorts of religious clothing, and none of us would say, for example, that a Sikh wearing a turban was "unprofessional."

We're all familiar with being told, for example, that a flight is delayed to (say) 10:00 and they don't update the departure time and it actually goes at 10:15 and in that case it might actually not be at the gate at 9:48. If a flight shows "delayed" to 10:00 and it's 10:30 and still no equipment in sight, we'd be irritated at the lack of an update, but this situation doesn't sound egregious.

It's extremely pertinent that the staff's style choices (a beanie? Did it have a propeller?) and most especially their complexions were so prominently described. Because apparently, unlike "Africans," "Europeans" are NEVER rude in this fashion. Never.
:rolleyes:

I am new to American being a Premier 1k at United and defecting only now.

I have to say I think this is a case of frustration on both sides, it's about being human. You were having a tough day and they were too. At United I've had many an eye roll but they have softened when I spoke to them with respect and kindness.

Our status as frequent fliers isn't what should be the cause of respect but rather our humanity.

No doubt gate agents should be respectful to all. But they are human and have tough days too.

I don't think you should judge someone for their beanie, I think that's wrong, but clearly you had a rough day, I would have been crabby too.

Bottom line all airlines have failures like this one since we are all human and we all have bad days.

I'm unclear what the race of the agent had to do with this story.

AA does have several astonishingly unprofessionally dressed employees, more than any other airline in my experience. Its standard and enforcement free, so I've seen jackets in non-AA/LAA/LUS colors, sweatshirts etc. Beanie is not out of the realm of possibility.

Also "“I’m sorry I missed that. It says boarding starts in 11-mins and there’s no plane at the gate. Is it possible to de-plane and then start boarding an A321 in 11-mins?” by the OP is clearly being snarky. I'll admit I've done the same in the face of people being needlessly rude, but it is an escalating move.

However, as in my post above, not sure what the GA's race had to do with it..... and what I mean by that is that the OP clearly had a problem with that.

You are aware of the weather delays from CLT tonight, correct?
The gate agents get the info when they get the info, they cannot magically make it appear
Weather delays happen on all airlines, and I have had plenty of DL flights that didn't have up to date info at the gate.

It's a long post but it's still far from clear whether you traveled JAX-CLT-BOS and spent 15 hours waiting for your flight in JAX. Did you ask AA to reroute you through a different hub instead of spending 15 hours at the airport?

Why doesn't this site have the ability to ignore posters?

It does, click on user name, 5th option down

To summarize -

Your inbound was running late, which ultimately caused your flight to run around an hour late. When you discovered the estimated departure time was inaccurate you asked a few questions of the gate agents (including the whereabouts of a plane that you were tracking and something about turning around a plane in 11 minutes) and received a rude response.

For some reason, your story includes information about a 15 hour delay on the inbound, a hat, the race of the agents, and something about how the city of College Park, GA has something to do with the agents and the attitude the agents displayed. I’m curious to the relevance of these details.

My question to you - why even ask questions to the gate agents that you already had an answer to? Is it possible these questions may have contributed to the response you received?

You (apparently) have ZERO reading comprehension skills where I said this was a 15-hour delayed flight well before any weather hit CLT. But yes - let’s blame OP for requesting ghetto AA agents to magically make AA’s info appear. Because CLT doesn’t have any modern day technology and are still in the stone ages.

Thanks for being a valuable poster here. Jesus Christ :(

I gave you the tail number. Could you honestly not figure out the rest?? Your post is worthless

So let me spell it out for you - a Caucasian has never spoke to me the way this individual did.

Do I need to explain more. Happy to.

Please figure it out. I don’t ever want to see you on my feed again!