[oba1507]

As a business traveler, I get to experience customer service at variety of airports at least twice a week. Today’s experience was the worst I had in years. At 11am I get dropped off at LAX to catch my 12pm flight to Las Vegas and see American Airlines counter. Left side says “Group Check-in”, right says “Main Cabin”. Figuring out I need Main Cabin, I get in line. There is only 1 agent helping. After awhile, second agent joined. When I reach the counter to check-in and to check-in my bag, lady says: “You have missed the deadline to check-in your bag”. I look at a clock; it is 11:20 am! Deadline to check-in luggage is 45 minutes which means I was standing in that line for 20 minutes, missed the deadline by 5 minutes, and agents would not try to speed things up. I remember two times my luggage was late a few minutes in a similar situation while flying Alaska and Southwest. Both times agents checked in bags and said that they will do their best to get those on the plane but they will not guarantee they will arrive on time. I can definitely say that was a much better customer service than the one I got on American Airlines. All I got from an American Airlines agent is that I have an option of carrying it on board by the route of “throwing all the regular-sized toiletries out” . Not the thing you are hoping to hear when you are traveling.

Furthermore, agent has refused to put me on my 12 pm flight. Her next suggestion? She can put me on a 3pm as a stand-by or confirm my seat on a 5pm flight to the tune of a $75 fee! I took the stand-by and checked-in my bag, another $25 fee. Standing there I could not help myself but think about all the times I have flown with Alaska (I am a frequent flyer) and Southwest – I have never got charged to be confirmed on a later flight nor did I ever got charged for checking in 1 bag. And I got a much friendlier customer service! Before, I thought that their flights are simply convenient. After getting a bad customer service from American Airlines, I came to realize that Southwest and Alaska do things better, sans $125 in fees.

At that point, I have politely explained to the American Airlines agent that I have been standing in line for 20 minutes and did not expect to miss luggage deadline. Only then she said: “You should have checked-in at a self-service next door. Here we only do customer service” (apparently, not a great one at that). When I looked up, there was not a single sign that said “Customer Service” nor was there a sign that said “Self check-in that way” with an arrow.

Now, I am waiting for my next flight, outraged by customer disservice while I could have been at a MAGIC apparel show as originally planned. Can’t help but notice that at all American Airlines gates here have only 2 charging station for about 200 people with laptops and cell phones so flyers are forced to sit on a cold cement floor and hunch over their electronic devices because those need power. I guess, someone at American airlines did not care to install more power outlets. I’m sitting here as well and thinking why exactly would I pay $200 for my flight and have this horrible experience.

2/13/2012

[bubba333]

aw thats sad..if the AA customer support does not respond..you should go ahead and make complaints at forums and boards such as bbb.org, consumerboard.org and others.

[AADFW]

Anyone who's read my posts knows how extremely pro-consumer I am, but really, how on earth could you possibly travel twice a week and not know to look around for the self-service kiosks? Every airline has them these days. And unless you've got elite status, arriving at a busy airport such as LAX, ORD, JFK, MIA, etc. with luggage to check only an hour before your departure time simply isn't adequate. Where I'd tend to agree with you is that AA should have been more compassionate (in spite of your poor judgment) and not have charged you the confirmed change fee as a matter of courtesy.

[gerald]

In the past I always used AA. However that all changed in the past 2 years. In France, on June 8, 2010, from Marseille we were booked on BOA to London with transfer to AA to Dallas/Fort Worth. Arriving in London looking for AA counter and after finding out we needed to go to HEATHROW and we were at GATWICK grabing a bus we arrived at the counter in HEATHROW @1355 and our flight scheduled to leave @1430 and was told the gate was closed. The clerk said no problem she would book us for the next morning, whoich we did at a COST OF $500.00!

WE HAD NOT LEARNED OUR LESSON YET! September 2010 we made a trip to Ohio. On the second day in Ohio I experienced a terrible fall that required THREE emergency hospital visits and doctor requesting I return home to be near my own physican and greater care in my own home. We turned in rental car and checked in with AA with doctors statement to book return flight which was completed but of course $150.00 MORE.


SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE BEEN TO CHINA AND MINNESOTA BUT NOT ON AMERICAN AIRLINES. Prior they were all airline of choice.