Jeremy says:

My organization has a wonderful, articulate but disabled lady who has agreed to speak to a certain state's legislature about patient's rights, a very timely and powerful message in the times where scrutinizing healthcare is front and center in our national debate.

I made the reservations for her to fly down and back on my American Express — something we do all the time — through American Airlines because we are a corporate rewards BusinessExtrAA member. All things being equal, we usually pick American because of the rewards my organization get through flying with them. I clicked through the reservation online, trying to be considerate of her every option — wheelchairs and aisle seats all around, because of her disability. Because of her being generous with her time, we wanted to take care of everything for her. I thought it odd that there wasn't a way to prepay for luggage, but made the reservation anyway and figured I had missed it and could add it later.

As an avid Consumerist reader and a chart nerd, I regularly click through to read what the baggage fees are on certain airlines and get incensed, feeling glad I mostly fly Southwest. I often saw discounts for other airlines for pre-paying for luggage on a reservation, I wondered why I hadn't been given the option to do so with my American Airlines reservation. I logged back into the reservation online and looked for the option to prepay for luggage. Where is it? I searched their website for clues, and, figuring that it was one of the options they don't allow you to change with your reservation online, called the reservations line.

The first woman, Lisa, couldn't answer my question and didn't know how to pre-pay for luggage, and having been a former call center representative myself, I very politely suggested that I hold for a few minutes while she ask the information from a supervisor. She came back a few minutes later and told me — it would be $20, and a $100 pre-payment fee. $120 total. Each way. I blanched, not expecting that answer at all. I very politely suggested that she may have gotten the information wrong and asked where I could find that information online to verify this, but she couldn't answer my question. I then asked to speak to her supervisor directly, because I needed this information documented for possible tax reasons or because of corporate reimbursement policy. I think she was glad to get rid of me.

Pat answered and as a savvy supervisor as a call center can, she listened to my story and answered my questions with politeness and clarity. She repeated the information she had given me about the pre-paid baggage fee - $120 - and I said I could wait on hold for a few minutes while she checked with the people who work at the website helpdesk to see where this fee was published online. A few more minutes on hold and she came back to me, telling me that there is no information published on the aa.com website that mentions this fee. There isn't anywhere this information is published.

I asked why, and by this point Pat and I had developed a polite rapport. She admitted that they must not publish it because of its exorbitance — although I suspect she regretted saying that, because you're trained as a call center supervisor to never directly express your contrary opinion to corporate policy. She didn't have the power to waive the fee, and there were no other options for me. To her credit, she actually said this out loud instead of transferring me to someone else. I decided not to fight it any more.

$120 pre-paid baggage fee! This is not an option for my organization going forward when we have to curry favor for someone to speak for us. I think that my organization's policy on "all things being equal" for choosing American Airlines just got a little more unequal, BusinessExtrAA member or not. As for our disabled passenger - she will get to the event, thanks to pre-paid AmEx cards (wait, can you even use those to pay for luggage??) — but thank god there's no "wheelchair fee" - YET!

Has this happened to anyone else?

(Photo:Oliver 62)

FAA inspectors are pursuing allegations by pilots that one of those MD-80s was believed to be in such poor condition that it was ferried without passengers from Dallas to the carrier's Tulsa, Oklahoma maintenance base at unusually low altitudes to avoid the stress of pressurizing the fuselage during the trip, the newspaper said.

Preliminary FAA findings have identified as many as 16 American Airlines twin-engine MD-80s that were operated for months despite allegedly substandard bulkhead repairs. Agency investigators are looking into whether other MD-80s also may have been flown for repairs at low altitudes without passengers, The Wall Street Journal said.

[...]

But people familiar with the investigation said American potentially faces millions of dollars in civil penalties stemming from the widening investigation, and the FAA is also considering the unusual tactic of eventually taking punitive action against individual mechanics or supervisors who may have signed off on substandard work.

"FAA probe of American Airlines may widen: report" [Reuters]
(Photo: randomduck)

What's the real reason? People returning home after various winter holidays.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving — Nov. 29 this year, — is typically among the busiest travel days of the year, along with the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The days following New Year's Day are also busy as travelers return home from the Christmas holidays.

Surcharges must be included in base prices listed in advertisements and on Web sites, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

American Airlines started the meme on Wednesday, United followed along on Thursday, and Delta joined in on Friday.

Delta matches American, United on $10 holiday surcharge [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] (Thanks, Snarkysnake!)

(Photo: elderleaf)

The first bag will remain free but the second bag will now cost $50. Last month, AA raised the fees for checked bags on domestic flights by $5 per bag.

(Photo: balmes)

The abandoned woman isn't even angry at the airline. She says she loves flying and will do it again. Her kids, however are not in a very good mood after hours of wondering what happened to their mother.

The trouble started Tuesday. Ms. Jones had a connecting flight at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. She made the connection in time, but no one pushed her wheelchair down the jetway.

After the gate agent realized what had happened, he called her family and American Airlines arranged for food and a hotel room. The following morning Ms. Jones was returned to the Terminal and left with a Skycap. Nobody helped her to her gate and she missed the second flight, too. Eventually she was upgraded to first class and given a $100 voucher for a future flight.

Ms. Jones' family says that they are upset about the lack of communication from AA.

From WFAA:

"It's just a simple human error," said Tim Wagner, an American Airlines spokesman. "We apologized profusely to Ms. Jones. We've done everything we've been able to do to make her comfortable."

American Airlines forgets grandmother at gate [WFAA]

On 7/29, I was visiting friends in Portland, OR, and was to fly to Houston later that day. I had a number of connecting flights, one of which was on American. I was late to my initial flight from Portland, and went to Alaska Airlines (my initial carrier,) to explain the situation. They then rescheduled me to a direct Continental flight that day, and everything was ducky. Sounds fine, right? I thought so.

On 7/31, when I was supposed to fly home to Albany, NY, I had my friend drop me off at Houston Hobby airport early in the morning as scheduled. Come to find out, because I'd missed the flight TWO DAYS PRIOR, American had canceled my entire reservation and re-sold my seat to someone else. No e-mail, no phone call, no nothing. They then told me that I'd have to go to GW Bush International Airport ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, somehow get a ride, and pick up a later flight. I called my (very understanding) friend back, who got up again, and ferried me across town from Houston Hobby to GW Bush Int'l. During the drive between airports, I got on the phone to AA's customer service, which was beyond terrible. They were completely unapologetic about canceling a flight that I'd already paid for, refused any compensation for the inconvenience, and dared to make it sound like this whole fiasco was my fault for not catching a totally unrelated flight earlier in the day. I spoke to a supervisor, who gave me the weaselly "I'm sorry you feel that way" line, in addition to having the gall to tell me that "American isn't like other carriers; we do business the RIGHT way!" and totally refused any help, assistance, or compensation for the shoddy treatment.

I eventually caught the rescheduled flight from GW Bush International, but the morons at AA neither a.) had my baggage follow me on my subsequent flights home, nor b.) gave me any boarding passes to the subsequent connecting flights, since they were with a different carrier. I wound up *missing* my connecting flights since a.) the flight I eventually caught was an hour later than planned, b.) I had to go to baggage claim to pick up my suitcase, since it didn't follow me, and c.) get from one side of an unfamiliar airport (Dallas,) to another. By the time I hit the Continental check-in desk, it was too late to catch a flight, and there were no available seats on any flights to Albany. Continental said they'd give me a definite seat on a late afternoon flight to Newark, but I'd have to fly standby to Albany after that. However, poor weather in Albany was leading to a number of flight cancellations, so even if I managed to get a standby flight, there was a good possibility that my flight would be canceled anyway. I opted to take the train from Newark to Albany instead. When I called American Airlines back to explain exactly how much time, money, etc. they'd cost me, and gave them one more shot to somehow make it right for arbitrarily canceling an already paid-for flight with no notice, they stonewalled me with the same crappy excuses again, and no apologies for their horrible treatment. Result? Stuck in Dallas until tonight, and getting home is going to be a long, arduous nightmare. On my second call, I wanted the telephone number to AA's corporate offices. Unapologetically, I was told that I couldn't have it, but I could have the address where they'd promptly round-file my complaint.

So yeah, avoid flying American. And if somehow you have to take their crappy flights, make sure you call ahead and get confirmation numbers if you dare to miss their flights. Not that they'll compensate you if they screw up, but it'll make any lawsuits easier later.

Yikes. At least Kim can look at the bright side. Even though American didn't honor her reservations or make her borked travel scenario any easier, at least it gave her a wonderful party story that John Hughes may just option for a Planes, Trains and Automobiles sequel.

(Photo: zonaphoto)

DowJones says the airline reported a 21% drop in second-quarter revenue last week. Get your wallet out, travelers.

The fees "will rise to $20 for the first bag and $30 for the second on tickets bought after Aug. 13. The changes will also affect regional affiliate American Eagle and AmericanConnection flights."

How angry does this make you?

American Airlines To Raise US Checked-Bag Fees By $5 [CNNMoney]
(Photo:Zonaphoto.com)

Dogs Can Do Their Business Before American Flights At JFK [Gothamist]
(Photo: American Airlines)

Here's the horrible story, as posted on the Livejournal community bad_service:

I realize that you're in financial trouble due to the cost of fuel spiking last year, and the decline in the economy. However, when you screw around with the people that mean the most to me - you've clearly underestimated your consumer experience. My grandparents were planning a last minute trip to see me cross-country for my birthday - you had no trouble booking them and taking their money at an obscene rate. They have flown constantly with your company for more than 10 years - do you have any idea how much it takes to retain a customer nowadays?! Allow me to inform you of your major mistakes....

When said grandparent fell from a step-ladder and crushed his knee - which required 6 pins, 6 screws and 2 metal plates - you made them jump through hoops trying to rearrange their flights. Please let your mind envision the horror of hearing your Customer Service reps tell my 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!)

[My grandparents] canceled their original flights due to not knowing how long it would be before they could safely travel CROSS COUNTRY in a confined space after MAJOR surgery, (and because you wouldn't allow them to change the dates without major fees!!). They faxed you - on 4 different occasions - the medical report from his doctor and surgeon - but this wasn't good enough for a refund. We sent gruesome pictures - nope, still not enough. What, pray tell, would have satisfied your "unexpected medical injury" rule for a refund??

Allow me to continue - as the horrors of your company have not yet ceased to amaze me. My grandparents were finally cleared to travel 3 weeks after the expected departure date. We went about making new flight arrangments to get them home safely. Cue endless elevator music while on hold for 4 hours! Cue obscene phone booking charges, simply because we were speaking with a phone representative. Seriously?! Over $65 per person simply for speaking to a rep?! Are the chairs made of gold thread?!?

We finally get the flights booked - a 2 day process!! - and we go about getting them packed and what not. We arrive at the gate, after booking 1st class seats, a pre-boarding notice, and wheelchair notice was given - only to find they've been BUMPED to COACH. Are you freaking kidding me!?! He just had a joint reconstructed and pieced together, and not able to bend said joint for 6-8 weeks - only to find you want him to bend the knee (against medical advice) for 7 hours on a flight home?! Try again!

I talked to the gate supervisor - who refused to hear one word I was trying to explain. I talked to a floor manager - who also failed to understand the gravity of the situation. I get to the flight deck manager - who after 3 hours of speaking to idiots- finally understands everything. By this time - *gasp* guess what?? They missed the *ONLY* non-stop flight that night. Your flight deck manager needs a promotion, kudos, a recogintion piece - something. He went above and beyond any requests we made. He put them up in a VIP hotel suite at the airport, rebooked their 1st class seats for the first flight in the morning, and even bought them dinner that evening. Him you can keep - feel free to get rid of every other offending party we've dealt with.

If I had known how bad this would get, I would have called Channel 13's news crew to meet us at the gate. Picture it: the headline should read: "Airline bumps disabled Grandpa and abuses spouse".

Think about this letter the next time you have a marketing campaign that says: "Doing What We Do Best".... if this is the best you have - then we have a major problem.

Kudos to the flight deck manager who made the situation tolerable at the end, but they never should have been put in this position in the first place. What place is it of an airline to question a family's caretaking arrangements? And what, exactly, does qualify as an "unexpected medical injury" if this injury and surgery do not?

Effing Airline! [Livejournal] (Thanks, AJ!)

(Photo: arsheffield)

Apparently, American Airlines has just added (brace yourself) 12 additional seats to new 737-800 jets from Boeing. How are the airlines able to cram more seats into the same amount of space? They're removing galleys, ordering slimmer seats, and yes... squeezing the rows closer together.

What's interesting is that the seat squeeze means discount airlines now offer more generous seat-pitch then their competitors. You get at least 34 inches of space in each row of a JetBlue A320, including the seat (the seat pitch, in industry parlance). At Southwest, seat pitch is 32-33 inches in 737s. But at American, United, Delta, Continental and others, seat-pitch is standardizing down at 31 inches in domestic coach.

Something to think about when you're booking travel.

Seat Squeeze: Low-Cost Carriers Now Offer The Most Legroom [WSJ]
(Photo:JohnKit)

The 10.15am flight yesterday - AA87 - was delayed while a replacement pilot was found and the Boeing 777 eventually took off at 11.30am.

American Airlines said today: "An American Airlines pilot was arrested at Heathrow yesterday having failed a breathalyser test. Police had been called by airport staff working at the security control post.

[...]

Arrests of drunken pilots are "quite infrequent," said a police spokesman who declined to be named, in line with police policy. "They are not everyday occurrences."

Crites is out on bail until July 16.

American Airlines pilot arrested after failing breathalyzer test [CNN]
Pilot held in cockpit is ‘4 times drink limit' [The Sun]
(Photo: NoiseCollusion)

United Airlines kicked off the fun back in February of 2008 when it announced a $25 fee for the second checked bag. In May, while fuel prices soared and airlines started to hurt, American announced that it would add a $15 fee for the first bag, and the flood gates opened.

Now that consumers are used to the fees, there's really no getting rid of them, though Southwest recently claimed that its lack of fees was helping it gain market share.

Airlines bag $1 billion for luggage [Star-Trib]
(Photo:opacity)

The Philadelphia Inquirer says the woman searched her condo and then called Nordstrom, who told her that the items had meandered all the way to the King of Prussia mall where they returned themselves. How very, very unusual...

American Airlines reviewed the surveillance tapes and pointed the finger at their baggage crew chief, who was then arrested by the Philadelphia police.

Airport baggage handler charged with theft [Philadelphia Inquirer]
(Photo:benh57)

We don't know what fine print that violates, exactly, because we haven't seen the pass agreement. But put your wallet away—AA doesn't sell lifetime passes anymore.

"Man sues American Airlines after lifetime pass revoked" [Chicago Breaking News] (Thanks to spoolfin!)
(Photo: Irargerich)

This is the letter she wrote American Airlines:

To Whom It May Concern:

I wish to voice my displeasure concerning my flight from Springfield, IL. to Chicago, IL., then continuing on to Atlanta, Ga., on February 11, 2009.

After receiving my boarding passes for my entire trip, I put them in my purse. We were all (those in the terminal) fascinated with the huge plane taxing along the fence with President Obama's wide body plane with his limousines, etc. I did not review my boarding passes. This is only my second flight trip so I was not experienced enough to know the airline horror stories and check my passes.

Five minutes after we boarded the plane, my home phone was receiving a message. I live 45 minutes from the airport; my husband had not reached home from dropping me off yet. The call informed me my flight "4444" to Atlanta the same day had been cancelled. For some reason the Springfield airport didn't inform me. My ticket was dated the next day, Feb. 12th. They had no intention of sending me on to Atlanta, Ga. the 11th. Had I known this, I would have rescheduled and stayed home. Never on the flight did they announce the next gate for me. Every other town for passengers on board was announced. I asked my other seat companion where I could find any answers. He said, "Just at the end of the tunnel, there should be an agent." I did find the desk but there was no one there. None of the nearby desks were occupied either. I walked quite awhile and finally found another employee. She didn't need to check her computer she knew that flight "4444" had been cancelled. She told me to go to G4. Several people were at the desk. While I was waiting in line I tired to catch my family who was driving 2 ½ hours from South Carolina to pick me up in Atlanta. After talking to my husband about the late message on our home phone I was able to get to a "red" phone to get another flight. I went back to the desk and was told they were not expecting me until tomorrow. She showed me the date on the boarding pass and it did indeed say Feb. 12th. She told me I would need lodging and it would be discounted but not paid for. I did get reservations but no food allowance. My husband and I were not expecting the additional $71.00 for a room or the $17.00 sandwich cost. I had no luggage, no toothbrush, and no clothes with me. I walked in the pouring rain to a shuttle bus stop drenched and waited for a bus. I slept about 90 minutes that night. I woke at 1:00 a.m. to realize the person at the desk took my remaining boarding passes and issued new ones. I didn't realize this until I got back to the airport at 4:00 a.m. on the 12th. Security lines were not open yet so after 60 minutes in security I check the screens one more time to see if "2441" was on time and to verify my gate. I found gate K19 but it was dark and no one was there. I sat down and waited when it became obvious no one else was waiting for this flight. Finally I found someone several gates back down the concourse that told me there's been a gate change. At 74 years old, I started running to gate L4. It was not close. I got there to see everyone had boarded. I was near tears and out of breath as I walked down the tunnel. It's a miracle I didn't miss THAT flight.

After arriving in Atlanta, my sister had to drive back again to get me. I found my luggage which had come in the night before. They couldn't get me there but at least my suitcase made it.

Will you please tell me why I was shuffled around so much and then told American Airlines was not responsible? They deliberately sent me on to Chicago knowing I was not continuing on to Atlanta. I also expect to be reimbursed for my room at the Sheraton Gateway Suites (receipt enclosed). I will also be sending a copy of this to the Better Business Bureau and the Consumerist.

Lord Failure, meet thy progeny, American Airlines.

(Photo: joyosity)

Among them, United Airlines is starting to pay greater attention to its planes, after scoring last in a J.D. Power and Associates survey of airline customer service in 2008 and tying with Northwest Airlines for the lowest consumer ranking of its aircraft interiors.

Starting last fall at O'Hare, United overhauled both how it tackles dirt and stains on its jets and how often it does so, a process it has since rolled out to 13 other cities.

American Airlines, which along with United dominates flights out of O'Hare, has seen passenger complaints about dirty planes fall by 40 percent since it stepped up its cleaning last year, said spokesman Tim Smith.

At a time when airlines are scrambling to attract passengers, ridding an aircraft cabin of grime is a business necessity. Cleanliness "absolutely" affects passenger loyalty, said Jack Smith, senior vice president for customer service with AirTran Airways. "People don't normally return to a restaurant if they think it's dirty."

The Chicago Tribune thankfully realizes that it's ridiculous to blame the airlines' customer service woes on dirty planes. Citing "jaded travelers," the Tribune acknowledges that the clean up might just be a coverup to distract from addressing "deeper underlying service problems." You think?

It's great that the airlines are cleaning their planes and all, but maybe, just maybe, they should spend more of their time focusing on actual customer service issues. If they need ideas, we have plenty of stories about United and American that will hopefully inspire them to clean up their act.

United, others get serious about clean planes [The Chicago Tribune]

Be sure to read our Ultimate Consumerist Guide to Fighting Back, a go-to handbook for the dissatisfied consumer. Once you've decided to go the executive customer service right, be sure you read this first so you know what to say when you call the corporate avatar of your choice.

The Consumerist Executive Customer Service Index

ACS
Adelphia
Air Tran
Alamo
Alaska Airlines
Allegiant
Aloha
Amazon
America West
American Airlines
American Express
Amtrak
Apple
ATA
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
Bank of America
Barnes and Noble
Bell Canada
Best Buy
Blizzard
Blockbuster
Blogger
Bloomingdales
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
British Airways
Borders
Busey Bank
Buy.com
Cablevision
Charter Communications
Chase
Circuit City
Citibank
Comcast
Continental
cox
Delta
Direc-TV
Discover Card
Dish
Disney
Ebay
Enterprise
Equifax
Experian
Fedex
Frontier Airlines
Fry's
Gamefly
Geek Squad
Georgia Power
Helio
Home Depot
Humana
HSBC
IKEA
ING Direct
Insight
Keybank
Lenovo
Loew's
Macy's
Microsoft (and Xbox)
Midwest Airlines
Motorola
National City
Nicors
Northwest Airlines
Norton
Office Depot
Office Max
Orbitz
Paypal
Pitney Bowes
Qwest
RCN
Regions Bank
Register.com
Ryan Air
Samsung
Seagate
Sears
Sirius
Skybus
Sony Ericcson
Spirit Airlines
Sprint
Sports Authority
Staples
Symantec
T-mobile
Target
Time Warner Cable
TransUnion
Uhaul
United Airlines
United Health Care
UNUM Life Insurance
UPS
US Airways
US Cellular
Verizon landline/DSL/Fios
Verizon Wireless
Vonage
Wachovia
Walmart
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo

In the event you can't find the info you are looking for here, you can scan our backlog of contact info, or use Google to uncover the addresses yourself. In the event you find something we don't have, feel free to share at tips@consumerist.com.

Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

Why did it change its mind? Who knows. Previously, the plan was to let flight attendants be the porn police and instead only block Skype and other internet phone services.

Now the Dallas Morning News says:

American said that it is working with Aircell LLC "to implement technology to filter pornographic content over the Gogo inflight Internet service."

Delta will also be filtering porn when it launches its own WiFi service.

American to filter out porn on its Wi-Fi [DMN via Gothamist]
(Photo: benh57 )

“Who would have thought, after 30 years, that we’d be a flying 7-Eleven,” Becky Gilbert, a three-decade veteran of the industry told me during a break in our training session in Fort Worth.

The author, Michelle Higgins, captures the dramatic shift from what was once a career loaded with perks—free travel, flexible schedules, plenty of time off, and even a bit of cachet—into a job that puts you on the front line of the war most airlines are carrying out against their paying customers.

At the start of one flight, for example, the crew is told the plane is moving to a shorter runway, and they have to carry out a quick count of the number of children on board to see whether the plane meets the suddenly-reduced weight limit—otherwise they will have to kick off passengers. (And those passengers will hopefully write to The Consumerist.)

We've no doubt that there are bad employees in the skies—the bigots, morons, burn-outs, and despots who provide us with so many infuriating stories—but it's revealing to see the level of stress that today's good flight attendants have to deal with, and something worth keeping in mind the next time you fly and want to reach out and hurt the person telling you there are no more blankets or cookies, or that you'll almost certainly miss your connecting flight.

"Flying the Unfriendly Skies" [New York Times]
(Photo: FaceMePLS)

American's spokes person described the program thusly:

"PriorityAAccess benefits provide a differentiated experience for our top customers at the ticket counter, at security checkpoints and at the gate," he said.
...
"Customers with PriorityAAccess privileges will be invited to board first or board at any time through their exclusive PriorityAAccess lane, which allows them to bypass lines after general boarding has begun," the airline said.

The Dallas Morning News says that the following airports will be getting special security lanes for AA's preferred customers:

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will get the dedicated security lanes, along with Chicago, New York Kennedy and LaGuardia, Miami, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

American Airlines plans to give best customers priority [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo: jayRaz )

According to the lawsuit, filed last week, the body of 57-year-old Teresa Olaya was so badly decomposed when it finally arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador, that her grieving husband, Miguel, had to forgo a traditional open-casket funeral.

"During those days, a thousand things went through my mind," Olaya, 60, told The Post. "Where is she? Is she dumped somewhere like an animal? And I had no answers for my daughter. She would ask me, 'Where is my mami?' "

It gets even more grim. After being given the runaround by AA for several days, the casket finally arrived at it's destination. Miguel was relieved... until he opened the casket...

"When I opened the casket, it was a terrible shock," said Olaya. "I still can't get it out of my mind"

"They treated the body like a piece of baggage," said lawyer Christopher Robles, who said his client was seeking an unspecified seven-figure sum. "They didn't keep it refrigerated."

AA said it couldn't comment because of the pending lawsuit.

AIRLINE 'LOSES' CORPSE [NYP] (Thanks, Trish!)
(Photo: Charliux )

His story hit the Digg front page. As it was on its way to becoming popular on Digg, a gal named Carly at Zocalogroup, apparently the PR firm Orbitz has hired to monitor blogs and maintain a Twitter presence, reached out to help Josh. An Orbitz insider said that over 16 Orbitz employees have forwarded Josh's story to the internal customer experience team.

For his part, Josh writes, "Thank you for posting my story. I'm contacting Carly right now and will follow up with you about how Orbitz DID send me to collections, my communication with that company, and whatever Orbitz is willing to do now that they couldn't be bothered to do before."

PREVIOUSLY: Orbitz: Pay For Ticket We Never Sold You Or Else

Imagine a mugger holding a gun to you and saying, "I need you to pay for that gold watch I gave you last week." Confused, you say, "Uh, you never gave me a gold watch." The mugger says, "Hey buddy, pay me for that watch or else..." He cocks the hammer. Ok, that's a little melodramatic, but essentially that's what Orbitz is doing to Josh; they want him to pay for a ticket they never sold him, or else they'll send him to collections.

June of last year, I tried to book a ticket for my brother through Orbitz. The process went as usual and when I completed my transaction, I was presented with a screen telling me to expect a confirmation email shortly.

Several days later and with 48 hours to go before the flight, still no email. So I called the fine customer service folks at Orbitz and was told, in no uncertain terms, that they did not have a reservation for my brother or myself (just in case I had made a mistake on my end filling out the form). I was then offered the opportunity to buy a new ticket at $200 above what I had originally signed up for. I had to pass and my brother missed a very important family event.

Move forward in time a week, and I find that my BofA checking account has charges from Orbitz and the airline I had originally booked through (American Airlines). You know, the flight that didn't exist.

I called Orbitz again and was now told that Orbitz never gives refunds. I escalated from one outsourced call center worker to another equally inept call center worker who read from the same script. Since that went nowhere, my next call was to BofA.

It took a lot of time and documentation, but I finally received a letter in October from BofA letting me know that the funds I had been forwarded when I initially disputed the charge was to be made permanent.

So what's the problem? The call I got today from Orbitz telling me that they got a letter from American Airlines hadn't received payment and that I would be sent to collections.

Is this true? How can this be? I am lost and confused and just plain fed up. Any guidance or suggestions would really help.

Let's see, some options:

1) Resubmit your disputation of the charges with Bank of America
2) Forward your complaint to BoA's CEO (address here).
3) Hire an attorney specializing in consumer debt cases

Any other notions out there?

(Photo: Shermeee)

"There is a sign that clearly says, 'Don't step,'" American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan told the Chicago Tribune.

The Transportation Security Administration officer was conducting routine checks to make sure that planes parked at the airport overnight were secure from tampering, according to the federal security agency and American Airlines, which owns and operates American Eagle.

But while ensuring that aircraft doors were locked properly, the inspector either stepped onto or grabbed sensitive avionics probes mounted on the fuselage of nine American Eagle planes, officials said.

The TSA defended the officer's actions.

"Our inspector was following routine procedure for securing the aircraft that were on the tarmac," a Chicago based TSA official told ABCNews.com.

TSA Snafu Grounds Nine Planes at O'Hare Field [ABCNews] (Thanks, Shawn!)
Aviation inspector's action raises more questions at O'Hare [Chicago Tribune]

"We do not agree with the FAA's [latest] findings and characterizations of American's action in these cases," the airline said in a statement. "We believe the proposed penalties are excessive."

The FAA defended the fine in a statement of its own:
"The FAA believes the large total amount of the fine for these violations is appropriate because American Airlines was aware that appropriate repairs were needed, and instead deferred maintenance."

As for the drug testing issue, the FAA wants to fine AA $1.7 million for warning its employees ahead of time when they were scheduled to be tested. The tests are supposed to be unannounced.

The FAA proposed $7.1 million in fines against American for violations that included:

•$4.4 million for improperly deferring maintenance in December

•$1.7 million for problems with its drug- and alcohol-testing program

•$1 million for operating planes without properly inspecting the emergency- path lighting system

American Airlines faces $7.1M in fines for safety violations [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo: Joshua Davis jdavis.info )

"We always understood that soldiers traveling on duty were reimbursed by the military for the fees on required excess baggage. However, after recently hearing of the burden the military reimbursement process put on soldiers traveling to war zones, the choice for us to forgo payment for a third checked bag from the Department of Defense was clear," said Tom Del Valle, American's Senior Vice President — Airport Services in a press release.

Consumerist first picked up this story a few weeks ago from a local El Paso paper. In that article, a spokesperson for American Airlines called their policy of waiving the $15 first checked bag fee and the $25 second fee, but not the third $100 fee "very generous as you can see, and intentionally so." Unfortunately, several troops on their way to training before being deployed to Iraq didn't agree.

"I have flown Southwest, Continental, and when they saw me in uniform, they didn't even ask," Staff Sgt. Ashley Serrano told the El Paso Times. "I flew American a couple of times before, but I never had this problem."

Military personnel are supposed to be given vouchers and reimbursement for any baggage fees they incur, but realistically, that wasn't always happening.

American Airlines explains, "The new waiver policy for military personnel begins immediately. American Airlines will work closely with the Department of Defense on issues such as this in the future. "

American Airlines Will Waive Third Excess Bag Fee for Military Personnel (Press Release) [MarketWatch]
(Photo: crazybobcat )

American Airlines blamed high fuel prices and rising airfares for the change.

"The disparity between discount and premium tickets is too great to be offset by miles alone," an AA spokesperson said.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Timothy Sieber, an aviation consultant for the Boyd Group in Evergreen Colo., said the high fuel costs are to blame for the new fees, which may be reaching a tipping point.

"At some point, it becomes like a Saturday Night Live skit, where you're paying for a seat belt and to use the bathroom," Mr. Sieber said. "They're running out of things to charge us for."

American Airlines making more changes to AAdvantage program [Dallas Morning News](Thanks, Travis !)
(Photo: benh )

The fees are:

1) Beverages— Bring an empty water bottle and hit the drinking fountain.

2) Checked luggage— Avoid certain stupid airlines or become a carry-on ninja.

3) Award tickets— Fuel surcharges are making award tickets suck. Cash in your miles, or use your awards for something else.

4) Unaccompanied minors— Avoid airlines with insane fees or fly with your kid. At these rates, it might be worth it.

In depth explanations and more specific advice on how to get around these fees is given here, but we liked this way the best:

Of course, the best way around all of these fees is to fly on an airline that doesn't have them. Southwest Airlines still allows you to check two bags at no extra charge. JetBlue still serves free drinks and snacks and charges $25 less than the big airlines for unaccompanied minors. Supporting these less fee-prone companies will hasten the inevitable demise of the airlines that erroneously believe they can surcharge their way back to a profit.

Four new airline fees — and how to avoid them [CNN] (Thanks, j!)
(Photo: hellochris )

American's policy allows military personnel "one checked 100-pound duffel-type bag, one standard checked 50-pound suitcase and one standard carry-on suitcase of up to 40 pounds." They're getting "a total of 190 pounds of free luggage," said airline spokesman Tim Wagner, in an e-mail to the El Paso Times.

Staff Sgt. Ashley Serrano doesn't see it that way. He says that other airlines see his uniform and waive their baggage fees. "I have flown Southwest, Continental, and when they saw me in uniform, they didn't even ask," Serrano said. "I flew American a couple of times before, but I never had this problem."

Serrano said he was confronted Friday at the El Paso International Airport with a demand for $100 for his third bag, and when he mentioned he was headed for Camp Bowie - where Texas Army National Guard soldiers train before deployment - he said they told him, without a smile, that the Army should have given him a voucher. Serrano's fellow soldier and traveling companion had three extra bags and was charged $300, he said.

"I am not aware of any ability by our agents to waive an excess baggage fee, even for military personnel - since they already have the common checked bag fees waived in our policy," [an American Airlines spokesperson] said. "Otherwise, our policy is very generous as you can see, and intentionally so. We're very proud of our military forces - and many of our employees began their flying careers with the military - so we're pleased to be able to help."

Serrano doesn't seem to think the policy is generous.

"You couldn't fit it all into two (checked) bags if you tried," he told the paper.

Airline baggage fees hit soldier flying out of El Paso for training [El Paso Times] (Thanks, Gabe!)
(Photo: benh57 )

If your flight is canceled or you're given a wrong connection, the airline might have to put you on another flight for free, even if it's on another airline. Airfarewatchdog blog has put together a handy table to help you tell which airlines follow these procedures, and to what degree. They also have links to the contracts of carriage for the airlines that have them posted online. Handy to check if you're covered before booking, and also good to print out and bring with you to the airport just in case you need to invoke your rights and the airline employee has forgotten their own policies.

Rule 240 Revisited [Airfarewatchdog Blog]

A spokesman for Dulles said:

When the passengers were allowed off the plane, they had to wait until 4 a.m. for their luggage because American didn't have personnel on duty.

"We have a relatively small operation at Dulles and it was already closed up," Smith says. "It took a while for us to call in some additional employees from home."

Didn't the airport have some advance warning that the plane was being rerouted, though? Or was it more like an airport employee happened to walk by a window around 2 a.m. or so and saw a plane sitting out there flashing its lights?

"Delayed flight sits for hours at Dulles" [WTOP News] (Thanks to Keith and Jeff!)

An Open letter to All Airline Customers:

Our country is facing a possible sharp economic downturn because of skyrocketing oil and fuel prices, but by pulling together, we can all do something to help now.

For airlines, ultra-expensive fuel means thousands of lost jobs and severe reductions in air service to both large and small communities. To the broader economy, oil prices mean slower activity and widespread economic pain. This pain can be alleviated, and that is why we are taking the extraordinary step of writing this joint letter to our customers. Since high oil prices are partly a response to normal market forces, the nation needs to focus on increased energy supplies and conservation. However, there is another side to this story because normal market forces are being dangerously amplified by poorly regulated market speculation.

Twenty years ago, 21 percent of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66 percent of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again. A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary speculative costs.

Over seventy years ago, Congress established regulations to control excessive, largely unchecked market speculation and manipulation. However, over the past two decades, these regulatory limits have been weakened or removed. We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper.

The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this growing problem.

We need your help. Get more information and contact Congress by visiting www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com.

They've sent you an EECB... how will you respond?

Airlines: Curb oil speculation [CNN]

One passenger describes the incident, "...and then they closed them behind glass doors, and they kind of threatened us that they weren't going to fly with the way people were acting. Some people got very agitated."

Another passenger says that a few people were using harsh language and acting like a mob. That's when two American Airlines crew members refused to work in a "hostile" environment. American was unable to find another crew.

"They gave us a hotel and all that, but the hotel we stayed at had barbed-wire all around it. Nice place. Nice hotel, but barbed-wire around it," another passenger told Fox 5.

The passengers may have been rude, but American certainly got the last laugh. When the passengers finally arrived at LaGuardia the following evening—they found out that their bags had been sent to JFK.

American Airlines Cancels Flight Due to Hostile Passengers [MYFoxNY]

Sadly, 67.3% is actually an improvement for AA, the past two months saw on-time percentages of only 62% and 65.3%. Overall, the average number of flights that are on-time is 79%.

More bad news: American Airlines' regional partner, American Eagle, canceled 2.8 percent of its flights in May, the worst in the industry.

Is there a fee that can fix this?

American Airlines again ranks last in on-time arrivals [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo: benh57 )

Josh cc'd us on his Executive Email Carpet Bomb:

Dear American Airlines:

My name is Joshua, and my AAdvantage number is XXXX. I am writing in regard to ticket XXXXX, under record locator XXXX.

I would like a refund of the $15 fee I paid to check a bag on AA 4794 on June 27, 2008, as the flight was cancelled and I (and my checked bag) did not travel with American.

When the flight was cancelled, I called your customer service 800 number and requested that my itinerary be refunded. Your customer service representative processed this refund over the phone without difficulty. However, the refunded amount did not include the bag fee.

I am now advised by your telephone customer service that, in order to get my $15 refund, I must mail a letter with my original receipt for the bag fee to your refunds department in Tulsa. They have told me that they cannot issue a refund over the phone, and cannot waive their policy on the matter.

I do not find this to be an acceptable solution. You should not require me to mail a paper receipt when the information about the fee already exists in your computer systems. Indeed, I am not even sure what I did with that receipt after I left the airport. More broadly, while I understand your rationale for charging a fee for the first checked bag, you should not make it unreasonably difficult to collect a refund of the fee when the service is not provided.

I recognize that I am not currently an elite-level American customer. However, I qualified as AAdvantage Gold in 2006 and have over 100,000 lifetime travel miles under my belt on American. I have recently moved to Washington, DC and will be traveling frequently to New York and Chicago. Those are places to which both American and its competitors provide frequent service. I hope to continue doing that business with American, contingent on the refund of this fee.

I hope that you will be willing to refund this fee to me without further difficulty.

Sincerely,

Joshua

American's contract of carriage is silent on baggage fee refunds.

While Josh's EECB is detailed and concise, American's recent cash-hemorrhaging makes them less receptive to reason. Give the request an added punch by asking the Department of Transportation for their interpretation of American's greedy conduct.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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