American Airlines complaint

[Buckrub]

I don't fly anymore. I ain't going through the b/s if I don't have to.

But the wife does. She goes to visit grandkids sometimes. Usually to Colorado........ which she did last month.

We found the cheapest ticket we could find, and decided to buy it online. We went ahead and spent $50 extra to pre-pay for one checked bag. Same as paying in line at the airport, but just got it out of the way.

Show up at Little Rock, with flight to COS, layover in DFW. Check a bag, no problem. Agent clearly sees that we've paid for her first bag, and off she goes.

On the return trip, she was told "there is no record of your having purchased pre-paid baggage charges". She showed them the printout of her initial info, which clearly showed it, and all he'd do is say "Sorry, my records do not reflect that info". She pitched a fit and he finally let her go without extra payment.

She gets home, I get on the AA.COM Freq Flyer website and fill out a complaint email/form.

Today I get their response. Basically it says "We see no record of your having prepaid. Sorry. Bite me".

Never again will I/we pre-pay bags......just carry the danged cash to the airport.

Buttnuts.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I stopped using American a few years ago. The flight attendants are rude, the flights are often late, and American has left me in the lurch more than once. any more, if we fly somewhere it's Southwest Airlines (no fee for checked baggage) or Delta when those choices are available. Frontier is, or used to be anyway, a good choice into COS too.

Speaking of......I was thinking about this just this week. During my work career I probably flew on airplanes at least 1000 times. I mean, I never counted but there were different stretches of years where I flew somewhere twice a week. I always wondered if somewhere there was a clicker that counted down your odds of something happening to the plane you're on. I mean, its a morbid thought, but one thought that did cross my mind about ending my work career is that clicker just stopped clicking.

That's probably a morbid thought.

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

First let me say that I was a horrible statistics student. (It was the only class in college I took twice.) Anyway, I'm pretty sure that each flight is an independent event. So, the odds of any one particular flight having some sort of event do not increase with the number of flights you take. Sort of like flipping a coin. Even if you get heads ten times in a row, the odds you'll get heads on the next flip is still 50/50.

[Thumper]

Ditto what Postie just said. I hate American ... in fact, they're the one's who slammed the door in my face in the DFW airport after I got stuck on the broken down monorail. I had a connecting flight with plenty of time to make it to my connector. The train broke down and we were all stuck until maintenance could get it moving again. I ran all the way to the gate and got there with 5 minutes to spare (I was already checked in with boarding pass in hand). I got to the door right when a flight attendant was closing it. It was a GLASS door and she simply looked at me as I waved my boarding pass in front of her, then turned and walked toward the plane! I told the agent at the desk (right beside me) about it and he told me they close the gate 5 mins. before the flight time and it cannot be re-opened. I said, "Can't be? Or WON'T be?" He said they "will not". (BIG difference) She actually closed the fucking door as I got to it waving the frigging boarding pass in front of her face! BITCH!

I had to go to the another terminal and catch the next flight out. My buds were waiting for me at the Austin Airport with the rental car. They flew in from California and our flights were to arrive within 3 minutes of each other, but that plan flew right out the window. I have elebenty-bazillion frequent flier miles with Delta, but that particular flight schedule meeting up with my buds was the ONLY reason I flew American. I thought maybe they'd improved ... NOT!!

About the only other DOMESTIC airlines I fly (if possible) are Virgin and Southwest (in that order). As far as foreign airlines? IMHO, almost ALL of them make our domestic airlines look like rude, bumbling idiots. I've flown them all and will take them over ANY of our sorry excuses for an airline. You have some pretty pathetic choices domestically, but grab any of these for international flights and you'll be a happy camper: Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Asiana, Qatar, Virgin Atlantic or Thai International.

[BarryBobPosthole]

CD, if I we were at a craps table I'd challenge that theory. Trav taught me a strategy for playing the field on the craps table and the last few times I tried it I walked away a winner. Basically, if the field doesn't get hit three rolls in a row, load up and it'll hit. Otherwise leave it alone. It works. Won about a thousand bucks in less than an hour in Kansas City the last time the Big 12 played a championship football game there. Just bet the Don't Pass and the field during that whole time.

BKB

[Buckrub]

I fly Chevrolet air.

No problems whatsoever.

[Buckrub]

CD, if I we were at a craps table I'd challenge that theory. Trav taught me a strategy for playing the field on the craps table and the last few times I tried it I walked away a winner. Basically, if the field doesn't get hit three rolls in a row, load up and it'll hit. Otherwise leave it alone. It works. Won about a thousand bucks in less than an hour in Kansas City the last time the Big 12 played a championship football game there. Just bet the Don't Pass and the field during that whole time.

BKB

He's right, you're wrong.

Odds are exactly the same, every independent single time. Period.

and I just took statistics once and passed.

Many things are counter-intuitive, but still true.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Thump, my favorite airlines is Tahiti Nui. Of course, they only go to a couple of places but they're all good!
I'm going back some day to dive there again!
BKB

[Thumper]

Ha! I have to admit, I've never flown that one.

I have a blast on the domestic flights on the Thai airlines. Most of their pilots are ex-military and they fly those jumbo jets like they do an F-4. I swear I've never been in a heavy flown that way ... 90 degree banks, steep climbs/descents ... landing where they just "drop out of the sky" at the beginning of the runway ... I swear, it's as good as any E-ticket ride at an amusement park! Nothing like banking into a glide path and looking STRAIGHT out your window (not down) at the ground to get the ol' heart pumping while strapped into a heavy!

[BarryBobPosthole]

There used to be a TWA pilot that flew the route from Tulsa to St Louis every weekday and I made that trip once a week for probably four years running. Its only a 57 minute flight. He'd kick the cobs out and then we'd end up circling over St Louis and he'd turn that dang 737 like it was a fighter jet as we were circling. He always was standing at the door with a big grin on his face when you'd get off. I've been the only person on that flight three or four times. That don't happen these days. Every flight is jam packed that I've been on recently.

BKB

[LJ3]

I suppose you'd say something silly like the roulette numbers 22,24,26,28,29,3,5 and 8 have no magical properties? I can prove you wrong quite easily. They are, in fact, statistically magical.

[BarryBobPosthole]

The airlines used to be a lot better until they hired some pencil necked statistician to tell them they'd make more money if they collected bag fees and stuffed their airplanes full of ebola infected children who cried incessantly.

So, Bucky. The committee has met and has decided that the whole thing is your fault in the first place.

How would you like to handle your tab?

BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

Flying sure as hell isn't any fun these days. On that, I'm sure we can all damn sure agree.

[LJ3]

The airlines used to be a lot better until they hired some pencil necked statistician to tell them they'd make more money if they collected bag fees and stuffed their airplanes full of ebola infected children who cried incessantly.

BKB

I think BBP just won the internet from his retirement perch.

[Chicken Dinner]

A lot like Yoda, he is.

[Hombre]

I fly almost solely on Alaska Airlines or Delta. On Alaska if you have their credit card you get one back free. For Gold 75 members you get 3 free bags. I use it every year to ship back the fish from an Alaska fishing trip. Most airlines have similar deals where if you are part of their FF program or book with the right card you can get free bags.