Is AA really so bad?
 

I am posting this here because I want to get your opinion...

I have been flying AA for several years, last 6 months especially (10,000 mi per month).

I have read a lot of complaints here on FT about the poor AA service.

My question is: is it really that poor?


My observations:
I have flown transcon C LAX-EWR best domestic flight I've taken.

I have flown C and F AA Flagship 3 cabin domestic transcon -- also very good.

Short-haul AA flights in F -- satisfactory. I've gotten drinks, silly little snacks, etc., but the service has been okay

I have always gotten through easily on the Platinum line. I have gotten upgrades almost 100% of the time, with relatively last minute travel.

What am I missing? I take US also, transcon, and I am trying US again transcon to see how it is now, but I didn't find it any better/worse than AA.

I have flown UA transcon in F (2 cabin equipment) and found it inferior to US and AA on several flights. I am sure that UA F on a 777 is terrific, but that isn't the equipment I normally get to fly on :-(

On the AA negative side:
1. baggage templates (arrghh)
2. enforcing the $75 change fee
3. MD-80s

On the AA plus side:
1. good routes
2. great alliance partners


What do you'all think who have been flying AA recently?

I haven't flown AA in years but I do participate in several online travel forums, especially those relating to air travel. What I read consistently regarding poor (or more specifically, rude) service relates to their hub airport employees, especially MIA. If you don't frequently checkin at those airports (LAX just recently became an AA hub), you may not be experiencing the typical behavior that generates the complaints. Just a thought.

Sheryl, MIA is horrible. Very long lines even elite. Awful facility. The Admirals Club is often nowhere near your gate and a trainride away from your gate. All the pushing/jostling/crowds.

I have found LAX employees of AA to be unfailingly polite. Same at IAD, SEA, and other cities. Haven't had problems at DFW either, come to think of it.

I fly about 100,000 miles a year: over 50,000 on AA, most of the rest on Delta, enough on others to at least get a sense of them. This includes US, Canada, trans-Atlantic and intra-Europe.

IMHO, AA is above average though not at the level of service you get from some of the smaller carriers. I find their coach food the best of any US airline except Alaska. (The Canadian big 2 have them beat by a mile/kilometer.) Domestic first-class and trans-Atlantic business class are average. Service is better than most. (I haven't flown AA into or out of MIA.)

If you ask me, the one that's gone downhill is Delta, which can start another argument... I find that a shame. I used to fly with them whenever possible. American's recent policy change to award Executive Platinum level for 100,000 miles, not just for 100,000 points, will cost Delta the rest of my business.

I fly mostly UA, but have flown AA transcontinental and trans-Atlantic in the last year. I find their in-flight service to be weak - once the FA's have done the meal and beverage, they tend to gather in the galley and chat, looking at passengers as "intruders." This is true even in business class - they rarely came around with water, for example. And when I went to get some on another flight, she pointed to the pitcher on the galley counter rather than get up and get me a cup, etc.

BTW, many of my domestic flights on UA this year have been coach, as have ALL my international flights, so that doesn't account for the difference in service that I perceive.

AA service sucks. I don't know what else to say. I am at the point of suing them for lousy incompetent service. I have so much miles on AA and I am not about to get rid of them without using it. But once done, that's it!

I fly AA once a year, through MIA to MBJ. All I can say is that it is enough to keep me loyal to UA http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Seriously, though, I think it is very unfair to compare an entire airline's service by a few flights.

[This message has been edited by kokonutz (edited 12-06-1999).]

As a 100,000 mile flyer on AA -- I cannot complain.

1. Upgrades -- on 67 flights this year, 66 were upgraded. (The one not upgraded was due to a cancelled flight - and the new one was already full. It was ORD-LGA (733 miles) so it was not that bad)

2. Service in FC & Coach --

1st class service all depends on who you get. I travelled on my birthday and was given a "gift" from the crew -- dessert with a candle, a bag with 9 bottles of booze, and the rest of the chocolate they did not use on the flight. Twices this year, I have walked off with bottles of Champange and Wine.

Coach -- from prior experience and the one recent flight -- no problems. Seats are as uncomfortable as any other airline, food was good.

In-flight staff -- 1st & Business class service is great and have not had a problem where the staff was not attentive. When they are not, I wander to the galley, get my own and they then usually go back and check on everyone. Otherwise -- thats what they make the flight attendant call button for.

Check-in -- I cannot comment on check-in at MIA. But I have checked-in at DFW, ORD, LGA, JFK, SFO, LAX, and SJC. No problems at any of them.

Clubs -- Yeah, I agree -- MIA is out of the way. All others are OK.

Sergio -- I am sure we would all be interested to hear why you want to sue them for "lousy incompetent service."

Baggage template -- not a fan. I have not used them yet but they will not allow my rolling garment bag (miss by 2") -- but I have already called AA Customer Service (817-967-2000) and provided constructive comments to them (and if you have a problem with the bagges templates -- you should too). Of course, I do appreciate them when my shoulder does not get banged by an errant bag -- with no "I'm sorry."

Upgrades -- anyfare upgrade (with miles) for all fares (even the lowest) -- is the greatest perk. I paid $900 for two tickets to Switzerland, upgraded then to business class. The business class seats were $5,000 each. I got my miles worth....

--Jim

Overall -- I am very happy with AA.

AA lets you upgrade ANY FARE internationally?

Why am I flying United????

QuietLion:

Yes, the ability to upgrade ANY fare is the one saving grace which AA has over the other carriers (especially DL). I am on a flight wednesday from LAX to LGW which I paid ~$500 and I was able to upgrade to business class (my first trip on the 777 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif )

Considering that BC costs upwards of $5,000, this is one of the perks which keeps me with AA.

[This message has been edited by onedog (edited 12-06-1999).]

It's true that a small sample of experiences is not fair for a broad opinion, but ...
I moved from ATL to MIA in late '98 and had used up many of my DL miles, so I was going to switch. Even though UA comped me PremEx, and AA did nothing, AA had the far better routing for my schedule in early '99 (MIA-MCI). I went ahead, booked three weeks of flying, and tried them out. Now granted I think there was some (anticipated or recently completed) labor strife around then, but it was the worst three weeks of my traveling carreer. MIA was bad enough, and expected, but DFW was terrible too (I did get a bunch of exercise). I'll take ATL's trains any day over the toys at DFW.
Several unpleasant memories: Arriving into DFW on a delayed flight from MIA. Ran to the new (distant) gate. Made it there several minutes before my flight was to leave, but my seat had been given away because they didn't think I would make it. I spent the rest of the day walking from one end of DFW to the other trying to get on the later DFW-MCI flights as a standby. I finally got on the last plane out to MCI. Missed an entire day's work. From AA, no lunch voucher, no concern, just indifference.
On one of the returns, I was told that outbound MCI-DFW flight was delayed, and I would miss my connector. The next two DFW-MIA flights were full, so I WOULD be spending the night in Kansas City at a $30/night hotel.
The next week, when an AA employee saw my medalion tags at check in, and asked if I was switching. When I said perhaps, she asked me if I was crazy. Twice more I was to hear this from AA employees.
I suppose I can chalk this up to an experience in how all airlines treat their non-elites, but I made the decision to spend a lot of time changing planes in ATL and CVG which I haven't regretted. And, with all the added segments, I made platinum!
I'm sure their are sob stories on every airline (anyone spend more time in Detroit last winter than they expected to?) so my experience is most likely statistically insignificant but personally compelling.

This fall I flew from Hartford, thru DFW, to SFO. My e-ticket receipt showed a lunch and a dinner since I left about 10 AM. I got NEITHER! I got a snack on the 10 AM flight and nothing on the latter flight. All the way across country and had to buy my meal in Dallas. Not good. No other airline has such poor meal service.

Got a 1st class upgrade (using an old Reno Air cert) SFO to ORD last week. No problem with the upgrade but other than the seat's being larger, it was not worth it. The meal could have been coach anywhere else (pasta, chicken???) and the drink service did not start right away as it does on UA. On the return, a stupid, stubborn check-in counter agent refused to honor the upgrade, called in her supervisor who also refused to honor it (the instructions on the cert were in plain English). I requested that she contact the supervisor of promotions (had name and phone number). She refused. Finally, since I stood my ground at the counter, she asked a former Reno Air person about the upgrade and OK'd it in the computer - there were still plenty of seats in 1st. HOWEVER, despite the fact that this was a guaranteed upgrade 2 hrs prior to flight time, she refused to actually give me the upgrade and made me go ask the gate agent. By the time I got to the gate (ORD), the seats were taken. I .....ed about it and, a few minutes before departure, my name was called and I got the upgrade. I should not have to put up with that kind of nonsense. It was the attitude that I objected to, as if I were trying to cheat the airline.

That upgrade of any fare is a great benefit. But you can't compare the $500 to a $5000 business-class fare. Rather compare it to a $900 upgradable fare.

On the downside for AA: almost all flights from SEA are on MD-80s with narrow FC seats and no video!

Truer words were never written. Each of us has "public" and "private" reasons for the carrier we choose. And I suspect, more often than not, it is experiences such as those above that will form opinions that last a lifetime (like my own unreasonable personal bias against Usairways).

This should be a vital lesson to each and every customer service rep/FA/pilot in the business. How they act on any given day to any given customer can have a life-long impact on an airline, not only for the person with whom they are dealing, but also with that person's family, friends and coworkers.

All the airlines talk about customer service, and make all sorts of commitments to it. But I sincerely believe that precious few front-line employees (at least of U.S.-based carriers) fully understand this enormous responsibility which is placed in their hands every hour of every day that they are at work. It really is a shame, because one ounce of kindness and caring can go soooo far...

Alright, back off my CS soapbox...

I have to agree with kokonutz.

BTW I haven't run into bad experience with AA (yet). But my first experience with CO and DL have been negative; UA is neutral.

Whether it's fair or not, one bad experience will forever change your opinion of that particular airline. This is true for all service oriented companies.

Anyway, I find AA FC service better than UA's. AA's FAs seem more attentive than UA's. Of couse this is based on my limited experience of AA and UA FC cabin service. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

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Dan
"It is not doing the things we like to do, but liking the things we have to do, that makes life blessed." - Goethe