Some semi-random musings of a loyal AA customer...
Written: Feb 04 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reliable, punctual, strict security, experienced staff, seasoned pilots, lots of legroom, well-maintained planes
Cons: Seats can be somewhat uncomfortable for the back, staff may not be overly friendly
The Bottom Line: AA is doing a good job handling its humongous customer base. The flights are smooth and timely, and operations are generally efficient and professional.
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| deniscit's Full Review: American Airlines |
I've been an American Airlines (AA) customer since March 2001, and as of now I've been on several fairly long flights with them. So far, my experiences have been nothing but good, and I've encountered no problems or incidents with AA - they got me there on time, safely, and in a good state of mind.
My trips on AA have included the following:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Newark, NJ (EWR) (5-6 hrs)
Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles (LAX) (6-7 hrs)
New York (JFK) to London (LHR) (7 hrs)
New York (JFK) to Brussels (BRU) (8 hrs)
Zurich (ZRH) to New York (JFK) (9 hrs)
I've flown AA before they've instituted their "AA More Room on long-distance flights" campaign, and I have to say it's a HUGE improvement! While the seat pitch on most airlines is between 30 and 32 inches, AA offers between 33 and 35 inches!! That is a LOT of legroom - and that's coming from a big guy with long legs. Definitely an important choice criterion for me when I consider different airlines. I've flown Delta on a 12-hour flight, and my knees were touching the seat in front of me for the whole 12 hours - that wasn't fun at all. But no such worries with AA.
I suppose in general AA represents a concrete example of an average-to-above-average US-based air travel provider with solid, reliable service, professional staff, experienced pilots, aging but well-maintained aircraft, good punctuality, decent prices, and a wide network of flights.
My own experience with AA, however, has been above-average, and I continue coming back. One big plus for me, aside from having some of the most generous legroom in the industry, is that they often offer very competitive prices on economy class and have such a wide network of destinations that wherever I need to fly, there's a good chance AA has a stop there! When I look for fares, I check Travelocity, Orbitz, and SideStep and usually find an AA flight among the lowest-priced and most conveniently scheduled flights. In my experience, not a single flight has been cancelled or delayed and departure from the gate generally commenced within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time. Pilots have always been conscious of the time of arrival and if the departure from the airport happened later than desired due to airport runway logistics, they've always promised to safely make up for lost time (and they have indeed done so). During all my trips, the flights have arrived on-time or even slightly early (which is nice to make up for the time it takes to get the luggage!).
Speaking of luggage, I've never had any problems with luggage check-in or receiving my luggage after the flights. AA never gave me grief about the weight of luggage or the exact size of carry-on items. No luggage ever got damaged or lost. One time when I was returning from London, I was carrying a large non-foldable umbrella with me that I bought as a souvenier. The check-in clerk said that this umbrella would not be permitted onboard for security reasons but said they would gladly check it in for me free of charge, even though I was already checking in 2 pieces of luggage. That was a nice courtesy, and the umbrella arrived along with the rest of my luggage without any damage or delay.
Customer service from AA ground staff and phone staff has been rather good over the years. I thought that it would not be the case for such a large airline, but I don't have a single customer service complaint. If anything, I have to compliment AA staff on being professional, patient, and courteous in solving various concerns, as well as at check-ins. With the number of people that come through AA counters and phone lines, I was very impressed how patient and dedicated they were in making sure they've assisted me with all my questions or problems.
Onboard service has been decent, too. The flight attendants sometimes look a bit tired of the routine, but nonetheless they are experienced and professional and get things done fairly efficiently. The level of service onboard AA certainly does not match the kind of service I've received on such European carriers as SWISS or SN Brussels, but it is nonetheless acceptable service, and I have no complaints. I've read a lot of complaints about food on AA flights from other reviewers, but I've had no complaints about food/snacks on AA over the years. I've always found the food to be fresh, reasonably delicious (let's not forget we're in the air, serving a 200-300 passenger aircraft and not a small dining establishment!), and plentiful. The general procedure is that they serve first round of beverages (sometimes accompanied with a small snack), then the second round of beveraged immediately followed by a tray of hot dinner, then the hot beverages, and then toward the end of the flight another round of beverages with a nice snack pack to re-awaken your digestive reflexes. Again, no complaints here - I found food choices decent and even pretty neat!
As far as the aircraft goes, AA uses various garden-variety Boeing aircraft for different long-distance flights (they also use other aircraft, but I've only flown the Boeings with AA, and they seem to make up the bulk of their fleet). In fact, I believe I've flown on a different model Boeing for every one of the flights I've listed above. Boeing 757 is used within the US for LAX-EWR and BOS-LAX flights; 763 is used for trans-atlantic JFK-BRU and ZRH-JFK flights; and 777 is used for transatlantic flights betwen JFK and London. Of these three, I definitely prefer the 777 because they were equiped with the nice individual LCD screens, and you didn't have to look at the public screens if you didn't feel like it. The seats on the 777 also seemed nicer. On the 763, the seats were shaped in such a way as to make my back arch as it relaxed into the seat, which wasn't so comfortable after flying the much more comfortable Airbus jets in Europe. I suppose the difference in back support between Boeings and Airbus jets is the difference between the seat in an older US car such as a Pontiac Grand Prix and in a European car such as a Saab or a Volvo. The 763 aircraft felt older and more tired than the 757 or the 777 that I've flown on American. Baggage room is at a premium in all of those Boeings, in my opinion. While the AA fleet feels aged, it also feels well-maintained and looked after. The cabin is always clean and things pretty much all work like they are supposed to (although some of the main cabin lights on the 763 seemed to be a bit beyond the flight crew's control). Most importantly, however, take-offs and landings were trouble-free and not at all unsettling and expertly handled by the pilots. The flights were pretty much smooth as could be.
On a couple of flights, I was traveling with a person who needed wheelchair assistance to get through the long airport hallways prior to departure and after the arrival. I was pleased to see that this was very well taken care of. We were invited to board first, and manned wheelchairs were on standby upon arrival for passengers who have previously requested such assistance.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
deniscit
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Member: Denis
Location: Mercer County, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me:
Being a little different can be a lot of fun!
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