Complain about a product or service

American Airlines

American Airlines • Stranded • Accommodating illness • Bereavement policy • Luggage lost/damaged • Baby stroller mangled • Slovenly service • Price gouging • Smokers snuffed • Group bookings • Code sharing • The Wedding that Wasn't --- News • Straight-Talking Captain Calms Delayed Passengers • American Raises Baggage Fee $5 • American Begins Wi-Fi Service on Some Flights • American Slashes Routes, Charges for One Checked Bag

Maybe it was trying to absorb TWA that has given American what seems to be a chronic case of indigestion. Over the last few years, AA has succeeded in destroying a splendid reputation.

As the complaints in this section show, American manages to insult and alienate just about every type of passenger you can think of -- those who smoke, those who need oxygen, those with babies, those trying to connect with cruises and those who've booked large groups tours, to name just a few.

We don't know why anyone would take American, United or any of the other over-priced giants when there are such splendid, consumer-friendly carriers as Southwest, Jet Blue and ATA.

Marc of Prescott, AZ December 22, 2006

American Airlines deliberatly delayed connecting pasengers and reused seats to adjust oversales. AA agents were overheard by multiple cusstomers trying to divert and delay Alaskan Airline customers held on American Airline shuttle buses and behind gates controled by American Airlines. American Airlines claimed 'not responsible' -- 25-50 passengers affected... they is no doubt American Airlines was responsible, most baggage made the connecting flits and proceeded without accompanying passengers.

N. A. Davis of Claremont, CA December 19, 2006

I selected a higher cost ticket category so that I could fly at the times I needed to for business. I received an e-ticket confirmation and printed it out. Some weeks later, American emailed me to inform me of a 'schedule change' that bumped my return flight BACK by 3 hours, thus making it impossible for me to attend a meeting that I had scheduled (and giving me a 6 hour layover in Dallas). The email went into my junk email; I did not discover the schedule change today. When I phoned AA to find out about this (& to enquire why I had not been PHONED, since they had taken 2 phone numbers), the clerk was polite in a tight-lipped way, and told me that they could refund my ticket or schedule me on another DAY, but that there was nothing else they would consider doing--evidenly not even bumping me up to 1st class.

I then had a long and unproductive conversation with a supervisor. When I expressed dismay at the way this had been handled and at how unaccommodating AA was being, and informed her that this would be my last flight on AA, she told me that she was CANCELLING my reservation. (Obviously, I had not told her to do that. The point of all of this is that I'm STUCK. I schduled my business trip months in advance, and must BE there.) I told her that I had NOT asked her to cancel the reservation; on the contrary, I HAD to fly with AA, despite the fact that I was now appalled to learn that both their service/notifation was awful, and their service personnel were unaccommodating, and borderline abusive. She nastily said, Well, you said that you did not want to fly AA anymore. I will now spend my Christmas wondering what the next piece of nastiness, incivility and potentially business-destroying (uncommunicated) 'schedule change' AA will inflict upon me.

I now cannot attend the Satuday morning meeting that *I* set up. What will it cost me? I imagine that the people who made arrangements to come to MY meeting will be very annoyed, and will potentially incur expenses that they will expect me to pay. And I PROFOUNDLY doubt that I will be allowed to have the sort of responsibility I had been allowed regarding the scheduling of THIS business trip.

Patrick of Abu Dhabi, OTHER November 29, 2006

I accidentally cancelled a ticket on AA.com. American reinstated all portions of the ticket except for an Abu Dhabi to London segment on British Airways. American said they would not honor the rest of the tickets because my flight was not originating in Abu Dhabi, and British Airways would not reinstate that portion. So, I am now out 3000.00 US Dollars for ticket I couldn't use. American Airlines refused to help by applying the ticket price to another ticket. They refused to refund the ticket price. They refused to allow me to fly the reinstated portions of the ticket and fly another carrier.

Loss of 3,000.00 and no tickets home for Christmas.

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