I can't remember the last time they used the "doing what we do best" campaign, but apparently what they do best, other airlines may consider "worst"

I'm aghast at pretty much every part of this story. I've never HEARD of someone getting bumped DOWN to coach. How is that even legal, once you've paid for first class? I think the submitter should definitely contact their local station, especially if an EECB doesn't work

That is absolutely dreadful. I hope to hear a follow up on this.

...envision the horror of hearing your Customer Service reps tell my grandmother that ... my grandfather maybe should have been paying more attention to what he was doing.

Really?
I wouldn't have though complete lack of tact would be a pre-requisite for getting a CSR job. Is it really so hard to have any sort of compassion, even at the level of say, 'feigned interest'?

It reads like LJ alright. At least the OP used capitalization and punctuation, though the latter was a bit daffy. I dunno. This 'style' of writing makes my head hurt. It's just so pointlessly spastic. The situation sounds pretty crappy, but having to wade through the OP's style of communicating it gives me a headache.

Wow what an ordeal, the stunts the airlines pull just keep getting more bizarre/Twilight Zoneish.

I say 50% chance AA reads it and doesn't care, 50% chance we get a "Taking it seriously" and/or a form letter, and a .1% chance that they try to make things right and start cleaning up their procedures.

Why does that add up to more than 100%? Well as the airlines can do things with no common sense, so can I. Suck it Trebek!

A bit of a venomous response... Perhaps the OP should have calmed down before writing the letter. A professional letter probably would have elicited a better response from the airline. His grandfather has been wronged - no question - but a more civil tone will produce more results. It ought to be the grandfather writing in, not the grandson. The airlines will likely not be willing to deal with third parties. You want to get the airline's attention - a partial chargeback for the downgrade from first class to coach should do the trick. It starts the discussion. This letter ends it.

@fantomesq: To be fair, I believe this was more of an "open letter," posted in what's typically a rant community.

@fantomesq: Ah, you're right. This letter really was mailed. The situation was terrible, but cooler heads should prevail. Let's hope that the asterisks, caps, and bolding were added for effect when posting the letter on the Web.

@henwy:
"The situation sounds pretty crappy, but having to wade through the OP's style of communicating it gives me a headache."

You didn't need to wade through anything, you chose to do so. It sounds like you should find some medical treatment to alleve your pain of having to wade through another writer's style of writing. And your comments were pointlessly pointless unless you wanted to draw attention to yourself and your uber-refined sense of grammatical superiority.

@fantomesq: When I'm very angry, I write the letter, then wait at least several hours and go back and revise it considerably. When I do so, I'm usually very glad to have waited. What seems reasonable when I'm pissed is usually foolish ranting when I read it the second time around. By writing two versions I get my chance to vent, followed by my chance to be more mature and productive.

@Myownheroine: ...if they didn't pay for them how were they going to use them?

I bet the OP pushed her grandfather off the ladder too, right?

OP, have you ever been on a airplane? Pretty much any seat or movement requires bending of joints, regular or handicapped seating.
Even if you did get first class, yes there is more space, but not that much more. You would still have to bend you knee to get in.

@Myownheroine: You know that when they put screws and plates and pins in the leg that they have to pretty much flay the muscles from the bone? It has to heal. Then there was the three hours of talking with the airline that caused them to miss the flight. Doesn't anyone read the OP account before putting their foot in their third point of contact?

Bkd frst clss sts? cn't blv thy pd fr thm. Thy wldn't hv gttn bmpd f thy wld'v () pd fr frst clss nd (b) shwd p t th rprt n tm.

mn, th gy fll ff stplddr. Ths wsn't lf-thrtnng njry hr.

Th cstmr srvc rp ws rlly rd, bt hv flng tht th lttr wrtr wsn't xctly swtnss nd lght t dl wth.

First class would not have been any better than coach when it comes to not requiring a 90 degree knee bend. The grandfather would need an exit row seat to have the ability to keep the leg straight. However, it's possible he would not qualify for such a seat given that he would probably not be able to carry out the duties required of an exit row passenger.

In any case, the airline should be ashamed and the OP should calm down and trying writing a more professional letter; this one reads like a rant and even if everything he says is true, it make him sound a bit childish.

@sven.kirk: The wider seats would make negotiating around more easy, and 1st class seats tend to be *right* next to a bathroom.

It's not the best, but it's going to be easier than Cattle Car Class.

I have to agree with others above -- this letter comes off as pretty ridiculous aside from the being bumped down to coach part. Everything else that the writer mentioned is something that the airline cannot control.

How are they to provide you with discounts/expedited service/exceptions to rules before your flight just because it's your grandfather who has just had surgery? How are they to know that? Everyone pays for making flight changes, booking over the phone, etc. How can an airline give out exceptions to everything because you tell them you have a medical condition? How would the airline operate? These things have nothing to do with the problem you experienced.

The letter is unfocused and ranting. You were disserviced in being downgraded to coach, but it is as if the poster is trying to reply to someone on the internet, rather than writing in a coherent fashion to a company asking for specific remediation.

@Myownheroine: Yes lets blame the OP for having his grandfather fall off a ladder, making the Customer Service reps act nasty, paying for the tickets PLUS an obscene booking charge, forcing the airline not to honor their policy on unexpected medical problems, and then telling the gate agents that it was OK to walk all over him.

/sarcasm

@sven.kirk: Have you flown recently? The amount of leg room they now give you in coach can cause an uninjured person great uncomfort. In first class, the seats are more supportive and there is a significant amount more leg room. It was prob. the doctor who recommended the arrangements in the first place.

@Damocles57:

I've already popped two oxy and I'm feeling better already. I'd offer the same to everyone else who had to wade through the dribble, but I doubt I have enough pills to go around. Maybe there should have been a bigger warning sign at the top.

Chances are good that anyone who gets the letter is going to come to the same conclusion and toss it.

@coren: @computerwiz3491: I don't know, maybe he's right. After all, I'm sure he's got the experience logging all of those frequent flier miles while travelling to all those douchebag conventions.

@Snakeophelia:
It happens sometimes when first class is overbooked. They generally issue a refund for the price difference, I believe. Having never personally flown first class, I have to rely on hearsay on this matter.

@sven.kirk: I fly AA all the time (was Executive Platinum last year, Platinum this year). You are thinking of the first class seats on their MD-80s, probably.

However, on many cross-country flights (though they do fly MD-80s cross country) they use 787s. I'm 6'1" and I could get into and occupy a first class seat on the larger plane without bending my knees. They have full reclining seats, and even before take off, plenty of leg room.

Not that I'm defending American Airlines, especially after they took my executive platinum status away for "only" flying 100,000 miles with them last year.

Ho Hum. More of the same from Corporate America.

@henwy: Headache here too.

I'd love to hear the conversation between you and the CSR's.

The only real issue I saw here was them getting bumped from First Class to coach. Having a medical emergency doesn't qualify you for a fee-free cancellation or re-booking. The rules are there for a reason and they need to be uniformly applied. They knew when they bought the tickets that if they had to change them for ANY reason, there would be a fee. I don't care if the Doctor personally called them, it doesn't justify special treatment.
Further, the charges for booking over the phone were made known to them BEFORE they booked it. Instead of booking online for free, they made the conscious choice to book online and incur a fee. It makes no difference how much of that fee represents the cost of the CSR; all that matters is that they knew about the charge before they voluntarily chose to incur it. I have no sympathy for people who think they deserve special treatment just because something bad happened to them.
That said, the fact he was bumped from First to Coach is pretty abysmal and represents the only real "failure" on the part of the airline. Kudos to the guy who finally fixed it, though.

Man, I'm glad we decided not to try to visit relatives in Europe after my foot surgery. I've only got a cast from below the knee to my toes, and I'm 36 and otherwise reasonably agile, but we decided it would just be too hard to deal with airport/airline crap that might come up.

Thank you, airlines, for confirming our decision to not give you our money! (Because really, it could have been any brand...)

You know, maybe for our next Oz trip we should consider going by boat...sheesh...

In case anyone reading this hasn't figured it out yet, here are the facts about the air-travel industry:

Airlines do not consider their passengers to be human beings. In fact, the common term "cattle call" aside, they do not even consider them livestock. Passengers are meaningless objects.

Airlines do not actually want customers. They'll take them and their money, yes, but actually DO anything in order to get them ... ? No way.

Airlines consider it an unreasonable burden to do what it is they've contracted to do for you ... which is to get you from one place to another at a predetermined time.

Airlines run the only business (aside from predicting the weather) where they're free to be wrong as often as they wish and never suffer any consequences.

Airlines are in trouble financially ... but they blame everything but themselves for it. (Wait, strike that, most businesses are like that ... !)

Here is something FYI: Airlines and their workers DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU OR ANYONE. Drive or take a train or bus.

@stevejust: You must be thinking of 777s or 767s.. The 787 still hasn't hit production yet.

@Esquire99: But to be fair, have you tried to make a change to tickets on the website? It's confusing and nearly impossible to be sure you're doing it right - even for tech savvy people. I can see why they'd prefer to talk to a person for this. Yes, they knew they'd be charged a fee, but I think the point is that $65 per ticket just to talk to a live person is ridiculous and poor service. Given everything else that happened, those added fees are like salt in a screwed-together wound.

@burnedout: or maybe they didn't know there would be a fee. From the AA FAQ page:

Q: Can I speak with a customer service representative to get more information or if I have questions?
A: Yes, Access America's customer service is available to help 24 hours a day.

It sure doesn't say yes, but you'll pay a fee.

"Error... No Such Entry"

I was hoping to read the comments on LiveJournal to this. Oh well.

The OP doesn't say if the grandparents purchased trip insurance. He mentions the "unexpected injury rule" but according to the AA site, that's only applicable to customers who purchase trip insurance:

Q: Can I cancel my trip for any reason and receive a full refund?
A: No. Trip Cancellation coverage will only refund prepaid, non-refundable payments if you have to cancel for an unexpected covered reason. Covered reasons include sudden medical emergencies, death of a family member or traveling companion, certain terrorist acts, being called for jury duty, or bad weather that completely shuts down your common carrier. Please see the Certificate of Insurance/Policy for complete details. Simply changing your mind is not a covered reason.

I don't think the medical emergency rule applies (unfortunately) without the purchased coverage. Now, if they DID purchase coverage and AA wouldn't budge, then I'd be supremely ticked, too.

@burnedout:
You can speak to a rep to get more information or if you have questions. The question isn't "Can I book over the phone?".

@Esquire99: Being bumped from first class to coach was NOT the only mistake American Airlines made. Sure, a medical emergency doesn't qualify one for fee-free cancellation, but one of two things could have happened:

(1) American Airlines could have gone above and beyond, recognized that this was, truly, a medical emergency, and given him a fee-free cancellation.

HA! HA! HA! Wishful thinking. I was thinking of Southwest for a second, got confused. I repeat: HA!

(2) The CSR they spoke to when they called to cancel could have done her job correctly and completed the transaction without telling the OP'S grandmother "that she should have made the changes before they even left on the 1st flight. (Fail!) Or how my grandfather maybe should have been paying more attention to what he was doing. (Major Fail!!) Or maybe how she could travel home, alone, and make arrangements for him when he was better. (Triple Fail!!!) Or that maybe her priorities were out of line - like taking care of her husband for 60+ years isn't her first priority!! (Please tell me this rep was fired!)"

I mean, seriously. The OP is right on that....the CSR should be fired without a second thought. God, I've been a CSR at a number of jobs and if I had said even ONE of those things, my ass would be out the door. Absolutely despicable. Personal opinions about others' behavior have no place in customer service.

American Airlines did something similar to me.

I was recovering from painful surgery. I asked to use the lavatory at the front of the plane since it was near my seat. I was told I had to walk back about 40 rows because the lavatory was in "first class."

No amount of pleading would grant me the right to use a bathroom that was about five feet from where I was standing. Then the flight attendant started yelling at me "Go back! Go back! Go to the back of the plane!"

I'm not making this up.

@kepler11: Unfocused and ranting? I didn't pick up on that. It may not read like a professionally written newspaper article, but I'm willing to make a little leeway for a non-professional writer who is sick and tired of that whole frustrating mess.

They did a hell of a lot more than bump him down to coach. They blamed him for his injuries, insulted his wife, refused to refund his money, then wasted a day of his time by insisting that he ignore his doctor and sit in coach after he paid for a first class seat.

I would suggest these are not things which "the airline cannot control".

@katstermonster:
You're right on the CSR issue. I should have mentioned that. The way the CSR handled the situation was terrible. Either way, the airline didn't owe them any special treatment. You can't expect a company to go "Above and beyond" and then damn them when they don't.

@twophrasebark:
You don't deserve special treatment because you had surgery. You didn't have a first-class ticket, you don't get to use the first-class bathroom. Why should they bend the rules for you and not the old guy across the row who has a hard time getting to the back?

Did they get to the gate in time for the boarding? I had my seats given away once, but that was only because I was late to the gate (delayed 1st leg flight) and they had done final boarding and I wasn't there. Even if you have your boarding pass already, if you're not there in a timely manner they can give your seat to an upgrade or a standby.

@Esquire99: We can dream, though...heh.

@henwy:

You say "dribble," I say "drivel."

@PittDragon: Excuse me. That's my line.

@dakotad555: He definitely wouldn't qualify for an exit row seat.

However, coast to coast in American is going to put you, most likely, in a 767-200. They've mostly got a very generous seat pitch in first class (nearly double that of coach, according to [www.skyguideonline.com]), and it would certainly have allowed a large amount of room for an injured knee.

@Cedhed: He's Quantum Platinum.

@henwy: Dribble? Please look up "Muphry's Law".