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American Airlines

american airlines

American Airlines Cancels Flight Because Their Customers Are Too Pissed Off To Fly

Can it actually be unsafe to fly a plane full of seething, rage-filled passengers from Florida to New York? Apparently so. Flight 1908 from Miami to LaGuardia was delayed because the flight crew didn't arrive on time. When they did finally show up, the angry passengers started to boo. More »

american airlines

You've Got About A 1 In 3 Chance Of Arriving Late With American Airlines

For the third month in a row American Airlines is the worst airline when it comes to arriving on-time, says the Department of Transportation. Only 67.3% of American's flights arrived within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival. Also remarkably tardy were United Airlines and Continental. More »

american airlines

American Refunds Canceled Plane Ticket, Keeps $15 Checked Baggage Fee

American refunded Josh's airfare after canceling his flight to New York, but not his $15 checked baggage fee. Though the fee is listed in their system, American won't issue a refund unless Josh sends a formal request letter along with his baggage claim receipt to Tulsa, Oklahoma. More »

American Airlines could be laying off 900 flight attendants. [Dallas News]

wishful thinking

13 Headlines The Consumerist Editors Wish They Could Write

Here at the Consumerist we get a lot of emails requesting more "happy stories." While we wait for some to happen, here are 13 headlines we would love to write. They are in no particular order. More »

American Airlines is cutting flights at most regional hubs. [South Florida Business Journal]

american airlines

American Eagle Kicks Autistic Child And His Mother Off Plane

On Monday, an American Eagle flight which was in the process of taxiing at the Raleigh-Durham Airport in North Carolina turned around to kick 2-and-a-half-year-old Jarett Farell (pictured left) and his mother Janice off of the plane. According to WTVD, the unhappy toddler was crying loudly and after a few warnings, the decision to turn the plane around was made. Janice Farell contends that the crew was very short-tempered and unsympathetic toward her and her son and that everything would have been ok if it weren't for the flight attendant who kept upsetting Jarett. American Airlines claims they did nothing wrong. Details, inside... More »

weather delay

Dear American Airlines Employees: "I Hope That One Day You Find A Good Paying Job With An Employer That Cares About You"

AJ writes in to let us know that he too was lied to by American Airlines. They canceled his flight(s) from Pittsburgh to Austin (by way of Dallas). He called the 1-800 number but was met with a CSR who used "bad weather in Dallas" as an excuse, and told him there was no way to get him to Austin on time. More »

airline baggage fees

How to Avoid Airline Baggage Fees

The bad news is that because of high fuel costs, United Airlines and US Airways will be following American Airlines in charging a $15 first-bag fee. The even worse news is that most of the remaining airlines will probably follow suit with the exception Southwest who locked in their fuel prices several years ago. Since the airlines are attempting to cash in on baggage fees, SmartMoney offers some tips on how to avoid them. The tips, inside... More »

worst company in america

Worst Company In America "Elite 8": Wal-Mart VS American Airlines

Here's your third "Elite 8" match-up: #3 Wal-Mart VS #43 American Airlines More »

american airlines

AA Lies About Bad Weather To Deny Reader Compensation

Reader S knows his stuff when it comes to his rights as an airline passenger. He was flying on American Airlines (AA) and takeoff was delayed. AA said it was because of thunderstorms in Dallas. He called a friend in Dallas and they said "there isn't a cloud in the sky." AA later revealed the flight was actually delayed because they were waiting for a fax. It's understandable why AA lied. Since this was something they had control over, it meant they owed several things to the delayed passengers. By lying and saying it was due to the weather, they could escape their obligation. The flight finally took off but reader S missed his connection and had to stay overnight in a hotel, a hotel room that American should have paid for. Inside, the letter S executive email carpet bombed after two customer service reps refused to listen to his story on the phone and an online form sent back a robotic received reply with no real results. More »

executive customer service

Call American Airlines Executive Customer Service

Two phone numbers for reaching American Airlines Executive Customer Service when normal customer service fails.

Antoinette Kaade on 514-636-3654
Ioanna Tsontakis on 514-636-3666

Here's what to say once you get there.

(Photo: Flying Photog)


worst company in america

Worst Company In America 2008 "Elite 8" Bracket!

The bracket has been updated as we prepare for Round 4 of our Worst Company In America contest. See the full-sized graphic, suitable for framing or forming the basis of informal office betting pools, inside... More »

worst company in america

Worst Company In America 2008 "Sweet 16": American Airlines VS Microsoft


disgusting

American Airlines Forces Passenger To Ride In Urine-Saturated Seat

An American Airlines passenger says they had to sit through an entire flight in a seat soaked with urine from a previous passenger, the Fort Wayne Observed blog reports. Here's an excerpt of the complaint letter they emailed the airline: More »

fees

Broken Scales Help Airlines Profit On Fraudulent Baggage Weight Fees

Before leaving home, Shawn's bags weighed 44 pounds. At Chicago, the airport scale said they weighed 44 pounds. When lifting off from Phoenix, the airport's scales said the bag weighed 52 lbs, incurring at $50 fee. When he landed in Chicago, he weighed the bags again at the check-in counter. 47.5 pounds. "Her bag had lost 4.5 pounds on a 3 1/2 hour flight,” Shawn told Elliot.org. After writing a complaint letter, Shawn received a $50 voucher from American Airlines who defended their fraudulent scale by saying they were in "full compliance with the policies for scale calibrations." So apparently the policy allows for defrauding passengers. The voucher is nice, but I would want my actual money back. And what of all the other travelers who didn't pay attention or didn't complain? Pure profit.

American Airlines offers $50 voucher after being accused of scale ’sham’ [Elliot]

(Photo: Getty)


frustration

The 10 Most Annoying Airline Fees

Forbes Traveler has put together a list of the top 10 most annoying airline fees, and it's a good one — or is it a bad one? Airlines are feeling the effect of skyrocking oil prices and they're trying their best to pass the costs along to you, their customers, without driving down demand. The result? These delightful fees. Gotcha! More »

fees

What To Expect From Airlines Now That Oil Is $130 A Barrel

Scott McCartney, who writes the Wall Street Journal's "Middle Seat" column, has some thoughts about what consumers can expect from airlines, now that oil has hit $130 a barrel. He says that "he change in oil prices from a year ago to today translates into $24.6 billion in added fuel costs for passengers and cargo airlines on an annualized basis," which is more than the airline industry has ever earned— its best year saw $5.3 billion in earnings. More »