I have only recently come across this forum so my experience is a couple of months old now.
My mother and I recently travelled from Las Vegas to LAX. Having travelled from Australia a week earlier and being checked throught to LV we were not aware of AA self check in policy. We have similar in Australia but it is the customers choice if they want to use self check in (our major airline calls is Quick check).
After attempting to check in using the kiosk, I was not having any luck at all, I noticed a female employee going around helping people well I thought she was. I tried to explain to the employee I was having difficultyld in a curt response swipe your e ticket, I tried to explain my documents were from Qantas in Australia and was met with a rude 'you have to swipe your documents' Baffled I went to try again and it still did not work, by this time the lines were getting longer, I tried to get this employee's attention twice more, she knew I required her assistance but she chose to ignore me. I ended up practically begging a female AA employee behind the counter to assist me who kindly provided me with a reservation number that I required and that I did not have.
I don't know what AA are trying to achieve but there service is disgraceful. For anyone out there travelling to Australia, forget self check in being compulsory, you have a choice down under to attend a counter for service or check yourself in.
I loathe American Airlines
their service never changes