[CJohnson]

We have all had bad experiences when traveling, but normally I just let them go. On a flight back from a business class in China, I was treated terribly by a woman named Diane. Many people around me expressed concern and one woman insisted that I take her information so I would have a witness. Below is the letter I wrote to AA to discuss the problem and at the bottom is their response.

Basically AA responded with an email that said "There is never an excuse for rudeness! We apologize" They didn't even allow me to respond to the email. This woman was not just rude. She was intimidating and threatening. AA downplayed a terrible situation that shook up many people on that plane. I have never experienced anything like it. I was certain that AA would take the situation seriously. I overestimated them.

Additionally, I have low expectations for the food on flights. I did not feel the need to receive an apology for the bad food. I almost felt as if she missed the whole point of my letter.

October, 27, 2008
American Airlines Customer Relations
P.O. Box 619612 MD 2400
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9612
To Whom it may Concern:
I am writing today to discuss an altercation that I had on flight 288, October 24, 2008. This was an international flight from Shanghai, China to Chicago, IL. I’m going to explain what happened and give you contact information of other passengers who volunteered to be witnesses to the incident.
Towards the end of the flight, an attendant named Diane was passing out breakfast trays. The trays had a cup of fruit and mine unfortunately had a bug crawling on it. I understand this can happen anywhere and wasn’t upset about it, however, I did ask if I could have a new one. Diane took the tray but did not give me a new one. The woman next to me said, “Oh we need one more for her,” to another attendant that was following Diane.
The other attendant asked Diane for another tray for me and Diane said, “She didn’t want it.”
I said, “No I just wanted a new one because there was a bug crawling on that one.”
Diane responded with, “Oh and I put the bug there for her,” to the other attendant.
I turned to Diane and said, “There was no need for a snappy comment, I only asked for a new one. I didn’t say you put the bug there.”
Diane said, “You were accusing me of putting the bug there!” Shortly after this, she started helping other people. I asked the other attendant for Diane’s name.
The attendant responded with, “You know, I’m not going to give you her name. It’s been a long night and we are tired.”
I said, “You really won’t give me her name?”
She said, “No, I really won’t give you her name. Will you please just drop it?”
I said, “fine.” Honestly, I didn’t want to deal with it anyways.
Diane overheard our conversation and snapped, “Did she just ask for my name!? It’s DIANE and I’ll give you the name of my supervisor so you can write your letter!” I ignored her at this point because she was yelling.
The other attendant said to Diane, “Just let it go.”
Diane yelled, “NO! I will not let it go. This woman is ridiculous! She’s crying!”
Everyone around looked over at me and the other attendant said, “She’s not crying”, along with the woman next to me. I was not crying. Diane went away and I assumed that she would come back and apologize. It did seem logical that they would be very tired towards the end of the flight from China.
Diane did come back, but she got close to my face and shouted, “Did you get that?!” I asked what she was referring to and she told me her name was Diane with one N.
I said, “Thanks,” and she stepped away.
She only got a couple of steps away before coming back and saying, “By the way, I don’t need your name because I’m going to get all of your information off of the manifest!” She then stormed off and a woman I don’t know behind me tapped my shoulder and gave me her contact info saying I would need a witness and she would be happy to be one for me. She added that we are at the mercy of the attendants and that this kind of rudeness is unacceptable.
I am doing my best to tell this story as factually as possible and keep my emotions out of it. That being said, I want you to know that I was very offended, embarrassed and intimidated by this encounter. I felt as if I was being bullied. I always understood that Diane wasn’t trying to serve me bugs and I always understood that her not giving me a new tray was only a misunderstanding. I wasn’t angry and certainly didn’t mean to be accusatory or offensive when asking for a new one.
A man a couple of rows back made me promise to report this incident, although I think it was a no brainer due to the severity and level of intimidation used. I hope that this matter is taken seriously as I frequently fly American Airlines and have had good experiences in the past.
Diane may have already reported the incident herself, as she did tell me she was going to get all of my information. I would prefer that my information not be made available to Diane. I took her comments as threatening, as did the people around me.
The woman who volunteered to act as a witness is named Jin xxxx. She was seated in seat 23F. Additionally, there were two other friends of mine seated nearby who also heard the altercation. Considering that they are biased, I will send you their information only if you request it. Jin xxxx’s email address, however, is xxxx@xxxx.edu. I would also be happy with anyone in the area being contacted for an account of what happened.
I appreciate your attention to this matter and hope to hear from you in the near future.


November 21, 2008 Dear Ms. Johnson:

Thank you for contacting American Airlines Customer Relations. I am pleased to respond to your letter.
There is no question that the quality of food served on board our aircraft can either contribute to -- or detract from -- your overall enjoyment of a flight. I am sorry the meal we offered did not meet your expectations. Your disappointment is a cause of concern, and we appreciate your letting us know.
Accordingly, we have sent a copy of your criticism to the Managing Director of Food and Beverage Service so that your perceptions may be reviewed with the local caterer. We are always eager to improve our meal service and appreciate your input.
Nevertheless, there is simply no excuse for rudeness! Our customers should always experience polite service from our employees regardless of the circumstances. Your comments about the lack of courtesy you experienced are of great concern to us. Please accept our sincere apology that we didn't live up to our usual high standards of customer service.
When hiring employees who will serve our customers, we work hard to look for those applicants who demonstrate a warm and friendly attitude. Our training programs emphasize to all our employees, new and experienced alike, the importance of an individualized, caring approach even in the face of the unique difficulties that only an airline can experience. I'm at a loss to explain exactly why you weren't treated with courtesy.
We have forwarded a copy of your comments to our Vice President of Onboard Service for review. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to improve our service.
Ms. Johnson, it is clear from your comments that we both share a belief in the importance of quality service. We want travel on American to be pleasant and trouble free and appreciate being told when it is not. I hope this one experience does not cause you to lose confidence in us. We value you as a customer and are eager to demonstrate our ability to provide the level of service you expect from American.
We welcome all customer feedback. The next time you feel something deserves our attention, please email us via AA.com at www.aa.com/customerrelations. We'll receive your comments without delay and get back to you as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
R. G. Socha
Customer Relations
American Airlines
This is an "outgoing only" email address. If you 'reply' to this message by simply selecting the reply button, we will not receive your additional comments.

[jimworcs]

Hi,
The conduct of the AA flight attendant is outrageous and your account is compelling and sounds very truthful. AA's response is a fairly standard one, however I am not sure I would be as upset as you appear to be by their answer. The email indicates that they are making Diane's boss aware of the contents of your letter. It would be inappropriate for AA to actually tell you what action they took in this case. That would almost certainly be a breach of privacy. It is possible that Diane has been punished or even fired for this, but you would never know that and neither should you. I am not sure what you would want them to say. They have advised the caterer that there was a bug in the food and reported Diane to the head of Onboard Services. They have also acknowledged that the standard of service you received was below the standard you could expect and apologised for that. I think that is not too bad. God help you if it had happened on Delta, US Airways or Ryanair. In fact, if it was Ryanair they would charge you for the email and tell you that they charge extra for bugs and this will be deducted on your next credit card statement.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by CJohnson

Basically AA responded with an email that said "There is never an excuse for rudeness! We apologize" They didn't even allow me to respond to the email. This woman was not just rude. She was intimidating and threatening. AA downplayed a terrible situation that shook up many people on that plane. I have never experienced anything like it. I was certain that AA would take the situation seriously. I overestimated them.

Additionally, I have low expectations for the food on flights. I did not feel the need to receive an apology for the bad food. I almost felt as if she missed the whole point of my letter.


November 21, 2008 Dear Ms. Johnson:

Thank you for contacting American Airlines Customer Relations. I am pleased to respond to your letter.
There is no question that the quality of food served on board our aircraft can either contribute to -- or detract from -- your overall enjoyment of a flight. I am sorry the meal we offered did not meet your expectations. Your disappointment is a cause of concern, and we appreciate your letting us know.
Accordingly, we have sent a copy of your criticism to the Managing Director of Food and Beverage Service so that your perceptions may be reviewed with the local caterer. We are always eager to improve our meal service and appreciate your input.
Nevertheless, there is simply no excuse for rudeness! Our customers should always experience polite service from our employees regardless of the circumstances. Your comments about the lack of courtesy you experienced are of great concern to us. Please accept our sincere apology that we didn't live up to our usual high standards of customer service.
When hiring employees who will serve our customers, we work hard to look for those applicants who demonstrate a warm and friendly attitude. Our training programs emphasize to all our employees, new and experienced alike, the importance of an individualized, caring approach even in the face of the unique difficulties that only an airline can experience. I'm at a loss to explain exactly why you weren't treated with courtesy.
We have forwarded a copy of your comments to our Vice President of Onboard Service for review. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to improve our service.
Ms. Johnson, it is clear from your comments that we both share a belief in the importance of quality service. We want travel on American to be pleasant and trouble free and appreciate being told when it is not. I hope this one experience does not cause you to lose confidence in us. We value you as a customer and are eager to demonstrate our ability to provide the level of service you expect from American.
We welcome all customer feedback. The next time you feel something deserves our attention, please email us via AA.com at www.aa.com/customerrelations. We'll receive your comments without delay and get back to you as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
R. G. Socha
Customer Relations
American Airlines
This is an "outgoing only" email address. If you 'reply' to this message by simply selecting the reply button, we will not receive your additional comments.

How could you think the point of your letter was missed when it was forwarded to the V.P. of Onboard Services? Just because it wasn't the first issue addressed in the letter, my interpretation is that they indeed took your complaint seriously. They probably just formatted their reply to you in the order of events in your letter. First there was the bug in your breakfast which then led to the poor customer service issues. I think your letter was very clear that you felt the flight attendant was not only discourteous but confrontational and intimidating.

As for the apology, what else did you expect or want? You wrote in to advise them of an issue, they stated an apology, thanked you for bringing it to their attention, and assured you that it wasn't the norm. Did you expect flowers, perhaps, or a big fat check? I'm not trying to downplay the matter or in any way condone the behavior of the flight attendant but what more can be done at this point? If you could have relied to this e-mail what would you have said that already hasn't?

If you feel you are due some kind if "pain and suffering" compensation I recommend you retain an attorney. You have the contact information of your witnesses, etc., however I believe any competent and ethical lawyer wouldn't take your case.

[countrynewsman]

The letter from AA was probably appropriate; however, I can understand Ms. Johnson's frustration. Frankly, I doubt the flight attendant, Diane, will be fired. She and her gang will come up with a totally different story. If an apology letter is to be sincere, one should come from Diane. The excuse that they are tired don't cut it. If a flight attendant pulled that crap on me, I would suggest they consider another line of work suitable to their taste...like Prison Guard, for example. Of course, if I said anything like that, I would probably be arrested on arrival!

[jimworcs]

Wouldn't it be great if AA required the actual employee to also make a personal apology to the customer. Sadly, that will never happen!

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Countrynewsman: A few posts (of mine) ago it was made clear to me by some other posters on here, who have a pattern of regularly defending the airlines, that people such as "Flight Attendant Diane" do not exist; that they may be figments of the imaginations of myself and others. Accordingly, for you to say:

She and her gang will come up with a totally different story.
and
if I said anything like that, I would probably be arrested on arrival!

may be opening yourself up to a lot of criticism from said airline apologists. For one thing, the fact that you were not on the aircraft, witnessing this event, disqualifies you, in the eyes of these individuals from making a legitimate comment.

Indeed, this was the reply I got, for writing something similiar:
A: you are drunk, B: you have a brain tumor, or C: you just don't read.

Still, I congratulate you for your willingness to brave what might be called the scourge of the cyber bullies!

Stand-by for attack. Scotty, activate the death-ray shields!!

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Given a choice between American Air, on a trip like this, and Korean (or Continental as a second choice) I would have taken the latter even though there would have been an overnight in Seoul or Newark. Again, no amount of frequent flyer miles are worth an attitude on a trans-Pacific flight. As to bugs in the food: Based on a post on here of some months ago, there may be a quality problem with the catering services in Shanghai. On the other hand maybe that bug was pulled, by Diane the flight attendant, out of (fill-in the blanks.)

[pattis]

(When a passenger recieved that type of horrific service) they refused to get off the plane and asked to talk to the gate agent, and requested that the local manager come on board for a discussion about situation. It might be an interesting situation. I probably would have demanded to speak directly to the captain before getting off the plane. It might not have done much good to resolve the problem. But if Diane would have gotten involved in conversation, the captain hopefully would stand up for you by being a witness for uncalled for behavior.

How terrible to have gotten treated that way. No reason for someone being such a bully. As a airline rep, I have to be polite, and yes sometimes really have to bite my tounge. But, as a passenger I probably would have said a few things myself that probably would have gotten me arrested.
It's sad that there are just way too many Diane's in this world dealing with customers in every field.
Better luck to you next time CJohnson. I truly hope you hear from them and that Diane does get repremanded in some way.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Flight attendant "Diane," as quoted in the original post:

“Did she just ask for my name!? It’s DIANE and I’ll give you the name of my supervisor so you can write your letter!”

It will be interesting to see what kind of positive spin the airline apologists, on this board, can put on this statement. To most rational people, this quote says this person has no fear of consequences for her actions. In addition to a belief the company itself may ignore this incident, Diane may also have felt her union would cover for her. Again, it's hard to believe someone working for a company with high standards of behavior would say something like this. Whether Diane is this person's real name is irrelevant. At the very least, "Diane" is a means of identifying the given employee.
Maybe the reply letter (from American) should be taken as a positive sign. They didn't try to justify Diane's behavior on the basis of "security." OK airline people, your turn.

[pattis]

Butch...PLEASE stop assuming all airline personel are terrible people. This situation was horrible, completely uncalled for. Diane should be fired (if there were previous incidents with this person) or be made to take a personal leave possibly with a mental health evaluation. I know nothing about this person (Diane) No matter what personal dilemas may be going on in one's life there is ABSOLUTLY NO EXCUSE for the way she acted.

Who knows, maybe she wants to get fired, then try to sue the company for wrongful dismissal. Sounds strange, but people are weird and do weird things. Nevertheless, as I reiterate that type of behavior is completely wrong. In ANY business. The person that wrote the original thread sound totaly belieable and I have no doubt that every word of it is true.