Up Up and Away – and down.
Written: Feb 22 '09 (Updated Feb 22 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: On time worthy, price point for travel, schedule and locations
Cons: Planes are aging, seats worn out
The Bottom Line: American offers a myriad of locations and reasonable pricing along with good timely flights.
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| readhttp's Full Review: American Airlines |
As a frequent traveler who primarily only flies with American Airlines I have had my ups and downs which is exactly what I expect from this airline and its associates.
Let me first qualify my frequent traveler status, which may make you either wince with jealousy or smirk with glad its not me. I have the pleasure of supporting locations from Hawaii to Virginia, from Calgary to Miami, and yes a few others in the great Midwest. To put this in perspective, in 2008 I incurred seventy-two segments and just less than ninety thousand miles with American Airlines, and yes miles with United and Canada Air as well.
My annual travel miles does not rate for top honors and in some circles I wouldn’t even qualify as a runner up, but I do feel that my time spent allows for me to speak to my perspective of American Airlines and its ups and downs.
Where it all starts….
Depending on how you search for your carrier and flight patterns in my opinion is a crucial path in proper travel. Many search engines that are opaque in nature will select flights and carriers that need to fill the seats and/or offer the best deal to the site itself. I would encourage you to utilize American Airlines site to search for flight patterns and rates that work for your trip. AA.com offers options to search for flights, rates, times and connections. Even if you still use a search engine, do your homework first directly from the home site and sometimes you may be surprised to find a better deal. On many flights I watch seatmates stressing about their connection, if possible I would strongly encourage at least two hours between connections to allow for timely execution to your next flight.
Time to fly…
After you have successfully passed the testing from the TSA agents and were given a clean bill of airline security health the gate is your next stop. I encourage you to subscribe to American Airlines alerts to your Blackberry or phone updating you on time and/or gate changes, its free of charge no matter how you booked your flight. I have found in general for the gate agents to be respectful to all passengers and helpful. At some airports, which AA serves, I have seen a larger degradation of service during these leaner times, which is to the fault of AA. AA personnel in general are found to have been well trained, but when it’s a major delay/issue they do appear to get quite rattled and management does little to calm the ripple. For those that do travel on a regular basis should look into membership in the Admirals Club, which is found in nearly every major airport, serviced by AA. For me, the peace and quiet of the club and not going to the gate until the final moment is well worth the investment of $350.00 a year. There are also options to purchase a day pass which at times may also be a wise investment.
On Board and buckled up…
The most issues I hear about and actually watch are with the flight attendants and passengers. Travelers complain of the lack of attendance received or the lack of service given for the cost of the flight. I am not a supporter of the brotherhood/sisterhood of flight attendants but I will say that I do not expect anything from a flight attendant except maybe a Thank You. The days of the perky flight attendant who was once a stewardess are gone, they do not serve the airline peanuts or the plated lunch. This is no different than going to the gas station and filling my own tank, the attendant is gone. The flight crew is there for the safety of all aboard, yes they still serve a beverage or the overpriced cookie but they are safety personnel. I see and interact with many flight crew staff and find that most are doing what I expect, they smile and keep me safe. I always think about how many times a day they have to tell all aboard how to buckle a seat belt and look out into the seats to find the one that cant get it done.
Until next time…
American Airlines in general is found to be reasonably on time, respectful employees, and fairly clean planes. No airline is impervious to weather and or mechanical delays and I am a believer that in some cases when a flight is not “full” a mysterious mechanical issue develops which American Airlines is guilty of in my opinion. Air travel is a tough business and very competitive and for all my miles earned I still find that American Airlines is better than the others. I have a long history with United and toe to toe and wing to wing I would choose American when given an option over United.
Enjoy your flights, and most importantly safe travels.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
readhttp
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Member: Sal
Location: CHICAGO, Illinois (Northwest Burbs)
Reviews written: 95
Trusted by: 232 members
About Me:
Chicago native, married with three daughters,Siberian Husky & a stang in the garage.
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