Something Horribly Wrong In The Air
Written: Mar 14 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Cheap Fares
Cons: Delays, Rudeness, Incompetency, need I go on?
The Bottom Line: Never fly American. There low fares are just a cover up for the horrible customer service that you receive. No low fare is worth the treatment that American gives you.
|
|
|
| FairySara's Full Review: American Airlines |
Before I even begin my Epinion on American Airlines, let me inform you that this is a second-person experience, but one that has made me refuse to even think about flying American Airlines, no matter how good of a deal I can get. So, please, read on to find out what went wrong in the air (or on the ground, as in the case with most A.A. flights, which end up canceled or delayed).
It was a cold, windy, February 2000 day, and we had just made the 1 1/2 hour trip from Madison, WI, to Milwaukee, WI, to send my boyfriend back home to Boston, after his week-long vacation in WI. When we arrived in the door, we found out that his connecting flight from Milwaukee to Chicago O'Hare, was canceled. We went up to the check in counter to see what we were going to have to do. Upon asking what would happen now, we were greeted by a hasty employee who demanded that my boyfriend, a minor at the time, was to get in a limo and be taken to Chicago O'Hare right away (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). We were assured that his flight to Boston out not be canceled. He asked, naturally, to call his parents and inform them of the situation, so they would not worry. He was told that he would not be able to do that, that he had to leave right then, no questions asked. So, they rushed him to Chicago via limo to catch his "won't be canceled" flight. Lo and behold, his flight to Boston as canceled, and had been canceled since before he left Milwaukee in the limo. So, they scheduled him on the next flight out, which was, again, canceled. This process was repeated for 6-8 hours, with 5 different flights, until finally, at midnight he was allowed by American Airlines to have his ticket transferred to a United flight, which was offering a flight to Manchester, NH, at no additional cost, and had been all night. He was placed on a United flight, that left on time and arrived at Manchester - an airport about the same distance from his house -- on time!! He did not arrive at home until about 2 AM the next day, exhausted, and, of course, without luggage, because American Airlines claimed that his luggage could not be retrieved and put on the baggage for his United flight. He finally was able to locate his luggage, thankfully, the next evening.
As you can tell from this nightmare, American Airlines is not something special -- in the air or on the ground. They life a minor stranded in an unfamiliar airport, after continued attempts by him and myself to assure that he would not end up unknowingly stranded, were dismissed as unnecessary and time consuming. American did not offer any compensation for food, etc. for his 6-8 hour stay in O'Hare, nor did they help to find an alternative to get him home in a timely fashion. Overall, this was a horrible experience that makes me never want to fly AA.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID: FairySara
|
|
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 7 members
|
|
|