American Put This Priceline Customer in a Broken Seat
Written: Sep 15 '00 (Updated Aug 28 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nonstop to Anchorage from Dallas, flight was on time
Cons: Frequent flier miles expire quickly, not a budget airline
The Bottom Line: If you can get an American Airlines ticket at the right price, it's as good as most other airlines.
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| frazzledspice's Full Review: American Airlines |
How do you judge an airline's service?
How about by seeing how well they treat the least of their customers--the lowly Priceline ticket holders?
On July 25, my daughter and I put American Airlines to this test when we flew from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Anchorage, Alaska, changing planes at Dallas.
Between the two of us, we have quite a bit of experience flying on the cheap. Before my father-in-law, a TWA retiree, passed away, we'd fly regularly with his EEE standby passes. We knew what it was like to sit in the middle seats, three rows apart. We knew what it was like to wake up at 5 a.m. for a 6:45 flight, the only one with vacant seats. We'd also flown Southwest a number of times, and used Priceline.com once before, to attend my father-in-law's funeral.
Having lived in St. Louis for nine of the past eleven years, TWA was usually our airline of choice. We hadn't flown American for many years.
Leg 1 - American Eagle
I hadn't been on a puddle jumper since I was in college, and I don't know whether I'd ever flown out of an airport that had a "holding area" instead of a gate. But I knew that, since I lived in a city of 80,000 now, I'd better get used to climbing up those little metal steps on to 20 seaters.
The airline personnel were friendly and courteous, and the plane departed on time. My daughter and I were assigned the last remaining seats, and mine wouldn't move out of the reclining position. I knew that the broken seat could spell trouble for my back, so I asked the flight attendant for two pillows, which I put at the small of my back and my neck. Luckily, takeoff was uneventful, an easy beginning to a very turbulent flight. My daughter spilled half her coke on her clothes and then gave me the rest to hold for the remainder of the trip. When we got to Dallas, I was surprised that we had to take a bus to the terminal, as all the American Eagles were parked far out in the field.
The Dallas Hub
We were lucky because we didn't have far to go between gates. I did see American trams, filled with seemingly able-bodied passengers, shuttling between the gates, but we had lots of time. I liked the airport food courts, which ensured that adult diners wouldn't have to go to McDonald's. Instead, they could give their (older) kids $3.00, put them on line to get a happy meal at McDonald's, and get a gourmet coffee instead.
Leg 2 - Dallasa to Alaska
We almost didn't get on this flight because Priceline customers are automatically assigned the most undesirable seats on the plane. These seats, apparently, are by the emergency exit doors, and because my daughter is eleven, she wasn't allowed to sit there.
We had to wait and see if anyone else on the fully loaded plane was willing to change seats with her so that she could fly legally. It felt just like having the EEE passes.
The crisis was resolved successfully, and we were even seated beside one another in middle and aisle seats. I was hoping to relax a little bit, but, on this flight, my seat wouldn't recline (although the other seats in the same aisle did.) We were kept pretty busy, though, as flight attendants served us dinner (we had a choice between TV dinners--mostaccioli or chicken), two snacks, and water.
I purchased the headphones and had a hard time finding the program guide in the in-flight magazine. The flight attendant couldn't find it, either. Finally, someone pointed out that the program guide (unlike TWA's) was in a separate flyer. The movie, a romance starring Minnie Driver and David Duchovny, was charming and entertaining.
The plane arrived in Anchorage about 15 minutes late, and luggage redemption was fairly time-consuming. I was glad that I wouldn't have to take the trip back for two weeks.
The Trip Home
We took an overnight trip home, and any hopes of resting were dashed when we saw our seat assignments--two center seats, one in back of the other. Mine was between two long-legged young men. One wore headphones and was bopping around all night, his legs frequently wandering into my personal space (what's that syndrome, anyway? Restless leg?) I am 5' 6" and I usually don't complain about lack of legroom during flights, but this flight was different. I decided to watch the movie, figuring I wouldn't be able to sleep (had I been more comfortable, it would have put me to sleep.)
I was surprised that cabin lights remained on until 3 a.m., and that flight attendants were serving the same amount of drinks and refreshments that they had during the afternoon flight. Most of the passengers probably would have preferred being undisturbed. But at least the seat worked.
The flight attendants were all very pleasant, and the plane arrived in Dallas on time. When we took the bus out to our little American Eagle, we discovered we were flying home on a plane that was less than half-full.
How I Rated the Flight
My daughter and I had bid $475 on tickets that were listed at $731. American, Delta, or Northwest could have accepted the bid, and we wound up with American. Since our bid was 35% less than the Super Saver Fare, I was satisfied with the price.
They should have caught my daughter's age and reserved a seat for her in a row that was age-appropriate. I realize that Priceline customers get the worst seats, but we could have missed our plane over this error.
I personally feel that if a seat is broken on a plane, it shouldn't be used until it's been fixed. I remember getting a mild case of whiplash once when I absentmindedly forgot to put my seat in the upright position. Luckily, the pillows prevented me from getting another injury.
The seats do need some more legroom, particularly on long flights. And I do think that "lights-out" should begin sooner on an overnight flight.
New American Airlines Frequent Flier Opportunity
We recently received notice from TD Waterhouse, our online brokerage firm, that they had affiliated with American Airlines Frequent Flier Program We received 10,000 miles for signing up, and will earn a mile for every dollar in our money market account as well as miles for the total value of our portfolio, accruing monthly and quarterly. We changed our money market account to the American Airlines/TDWaterhouse account, and earned 1/2% more in interest than we had on the conventional account.
Will I Fly American Airlines Frequently?
As a flyer, I am motivated primarily by price. I look at air travel as a means of transportation, period.
Having commuted to New York City by subway for several years when I was first married, I know public transportation at its worst. Even the worst airplane flight pales by comparison to a typical NYC subway commute.
I will always check out American's fares, but I will probably travel to Tulsa and fly Southwest more often than I fly American. My trip with them was nothing special, and not worth the extra premium an American ticket would cost.
Recommended:
No
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