SeaHawg

Yep- I'll even go as far as putting it on the carryon just to crumple it up in my hand and hide it as I board...

MSPeconomist

That's what I do. I remove it in the jetway, but try not to destroy it just in case it's really needed for the bag.

Zorak

Although:

Pink tags now scanned

Although-although, from that thread:

SeaHawg

At the SLC SkyClub front entrance visiting with one of the Ambassadors after the crowd thins out, and in walks this older lady - obviously travel weary.

She is quite livid at American for delaying her flight to CLT, and she hands them a copy of her paper boarding pass. The ambassador replies "Ma'am this boarding pass is for an AA flight- do you have a SkyClub Membership?"

"No"

"You can only enter complimentary with a Delta BP and AMEX Platinum or Delta Amex Reserve card. We cannot give you complimentary entrance otherwise."

The lady then very loudly replied "Well, I AM a Silver Medallion with Delta- Is this how you treat your best customers!?" She then walked out and muttered "I'm never flying Delta again!"

Sheesh... I thought it was American who screwed her over on a delay.

DavidinDCA

Long but hilarious rant, (source)

Tl;dr AA Gold Pax freaks out that AA didn't bend over backwards for him, goes on Reddit and claims they had him escorted out of the airport by police.

Full text:
I was scheduled on AA Flight 5361 from Chattanooga, TN to Charlotte, NC on Monday, August 21. The flight was delayed several times due to a maintenance issue, about an hour at a time, ultimately getting canceled a little over 4 hours after scheduled departure. I called the AAdvantage reservations line and was rebooked on the next available flight, a full two days later, and was told I would need to speak to the person at the gate to get a voucher for hotel accommodations until then. I stood in line at the gate, spoke to the gentleman and was told that there were no hotels in the area available due to the solar eclipse earlier that day having drawn in a great number of people. I was sent to stand in another line at the ticket counter to speak with a manager who had “hopefully figured something out”.
After patiently waiting my turn, I was informed there were no hotels available, but even if there were, American Airlines had entered the reason for the delays as “maintenance”, but the cancellation was due to “Air Traffic Control congestion”. As such, American Airlines was under no obligation to offer hotel accommodations, and would not be making any exceptions. This was news to me, and most of the my fellow passengers on this flight who were awaiting our hotel vouchers. As it turns out, the lack of hotels was a lie - there were plenty of hotels, as they started giving them to the passengers on the later canceled flight to Charlotte, which was entered as a cancellation due to maintenance. All that was offered to passengers on our flight was an insincere “sorry for any inconvenience.”
I stayed calm, but forceful in my response of “your answers are unacceptable” with the agent at the ticket counter. I asked how it went from maintenance to ATC issues, and was told to wait a moment. At that point, the person I was speaking with went to get a manager, who continued to tell me there was nothing he could do, where I continued to inform him that was unacceptable, and that I'd like an answer to the question. I was told I was “acting like a child” for continuing to ask my question and to “step away from the counter” so they could help other passengers who “were acting their age”. I politely refused, saying I waited my turn in line and would not step away until I had received an answer as to how this was suddenly changed from a maintenance issue to an ATC issue.
The manger then turned to a colleague and requested they call the Chattanooga police over. I was ordered to step away from the counter by the police. The fact that American Airlines called the police on a passenger in this type of situation was amazing. I was not threatening, not loud, and not violent. I did not raise my voice. I did not lean over a counter or raise a hand. I did not make any hint at physical violence or verbal assault. I did not violate any posted rule or law.
To have the police called was astounding!
For asking questions and demanding accommodations to be covered due to the maintenance, I was escorted out of the airport by the AA manager and two Chattanooga police officers.
After much discussion outside of the airport with the manager, with one officer standing by, I was informed that: - I “don’t understand how customer service works” (even though I’ve worked in customer service) - I was “out of line in [my] requests and actions” - I “continue to act like a child” - I had a “threatening tone” (even if I didn’t use threatening words or language) - I am “a solid guy with a presence that can be intimidating”
I was told numerous time this “wasn’t personal” and that it “wasn’t [his] decision to not accommodate or compensate me. It was American Airlines’ decision, and [he] had no choice but to enforce it. It is American Airlines’ money and [he] can’t just give it away like that.”
At that point, the manager realized I was not a threat and dismissed the police and we stepped back inside to look at alternative options. Again, there were no other flight options out of Chattanooga any sooner. I asked about flights on another airline that American could put me on, but was told that was not an option, either.
I was left with little option in the situation. I asked for my checked luggage back and set out on my own. I easily found a hotel for the evening at my expense, got some rest, canceled my flight (I did receive a full refund), rented a car the next morning and drove 17 hours home.
The Follow-up (regarding having the police called, not the canceled flight - you just gotta roll with that punch):
I decided to reach out to American Airlines and give them the chance to right this situation without sharing any details publicly by asking for: - An apology for the embarrassing public scene caused by American Airlines that was created by calling the police on a non-violent, non-threatening, frustrated passenger. - Compensation for the unnecessarily caustic treatment I received when trying to rectify this situation at the airport.
I tried calling customer service at first and was told I would need to e-mail my concern using the generic form on their website, as they do not handle customer service complaints on the phone, nor is there a specific person you can e-mail. All passengers in all situations must use the generic “Contact American” form to initiate a complaint.
Their response? What seemed to be a slightly tweaked “form letter” that did not address the biggest issue raised – the police having been called. Upon receipt of their reply, I responded right away asking to speak with someone directly to escalate this.
My reply was sent at 10:22am ET on Friday, August 25. At 11:26am ET on that same day, I got a call from Shannon Tatum at American Airlines, asking to speak more about my situation on the phone rather than communicate via e-mail. We spoke for nearly 12 minutes, during which I laid out my concern and why the response thus far has been unacceptable. Ms. Tatum in turn laid out American Airline’s zero tolerance policy for aggressive passengers and why the airline was justified in calling the police, again citing my appearance, though she admits she has no idea what I look like. She refused to transfer me to a supervisor, saying they were available for administrative purposes only, and told me she would note my concerns and share them internally for training purposes, but that was it. We reached an impasse again, and ended the call.
I then summarized our conversation in an e-mail back to Ms. Tatum in an effort to document as much of my experience as possible. Ms. Tatum once again replied, offering an apology that she could not resolve the situation any differently, saying that it was her hope when we spoke to do so. Yet there was no resolution offered other than my being quiet and going away.
At this point, I reflected a bit on things and realized nothing would change their minds – it simply is not in their business model to show remorse, sympathy or even appreciation for loyalty. So with that, I wrote what I am hoping will be my final message to American Airlines asking the most important question of all, and the one they really have not yet addressed at all – why? Why should I ignore this situation and get back on one of their planes? I won’t hold my breath for a meaningful reply to that message.
This situation, caused by American Airlines alone, left a very loyal elite-level passenger stranded, insulted, embarrassed and frustrated. From beginning to end, the service provided in the Chattanooga, TN airport by their employees and by their general customer service team who I was forced to contact, could have been handled more appropriately, and this situation could have been deescalated, if not avoided entirely with better treatment from the Manager or an appropriate response to my initial contact. Instead, I am left wondering why I should ever get on an American Airlines plane again...

MSPeconomist

If the AA CoC promise that hotels will be provided for mechanical/maintenance delays, report the failure to DOT. Airlines cvan't just lie about the cause for delays/cancellations to avoid their obligations. If you had kept the rebooked flight, you could demand reimbursement for your hotel costs.

flyerCO

Great story. However i don't 1)see the DYKWIA aspect, nor 2)how it had to do with DL. #2 was probably accident selecting right forum. #1 though I'm not seeing.

tridawg

"17 hour" drive from Chattanooga to Charlotte
I know the post eclipse traffic was bad, but not that bad.

I think someone's trying to cover up a trip to Harrahs in Cherokee they don't want the wife to find out about.

KDCAflyer

The story does get up to the edge of being ridiculous, but it highlights the problem of the airlines lying about the cause of delays to avoid having to pay compensation. It's a problem that needs legislative action IMO. Elites and FFs know how to cut through the BS, but once a year travelers are screwed.

If a delay at any point involves a mechanical issue, that should trump any other consideration. I recently had to help a friend get a hotel voucher from DL after his flight was badly delayed initially due to MX. The delays pushed departure to the point that it was further delayed by weather. DL's JFK agents tried to use that excuse, but I told him not to take no for answer. They relented in the end. This was all over text while I was in the UK a few weeks ago.

I think that the airlines know they can't get away with this in the end, but will lead with the weather excuse whenever possible in hopes that most passengers won't push back. With how much society has trained people to be submissive when dealing with aviation employees, it's a good (for the airline's bottom line) strategy.

The Situation

No more action from the worthless Congress or bureaucracy is needed. The term is "causation" and it is a standard argument in courts when proving liability. In essence, if event A didn't happen, then event B wouldn't have happened, so the party responsible for event A is still liable, even if they didn't foresee or intend for event B to occur.

pvn

It was an AA flight so he was probably connecting.

SkyBuck

There's only one AAirline that would not require a connection on that route, since CLT is a hub. But that is entirely separate from how long it took to drive instead of fly. Google Maps puts the driving time at less than 6 hours.

ATOBTTR

I think the point pvn is making is the person of that story was likely connecting onward from CLT, and wherever they were driving was 17 hours away from Chattanooga.

matthew64832

Which could actually be a lot of places, considering eclipse traffic.

N639DL

Also, considering the expansive network that AA has out of CLT.


Great read, just shows what the industry is these days.