American airlines - why are they so awful?
Discussion
Had the misfortune to use an American airline that shares its initials with a well known British motoring organization (not PH!) for a three hour flight to Miami the other day. Flight leaves at 800am so I arrived at check-in at 600am. Told flight cancelled. Next one in six hours time. OK, flights get cancelled (it was the day the FAA grounded some of the fleet for wiring inspections), but it would have been nice to let the passengers know.
Eventually get into a plane. My window seat has been mysteriously exchanged for the second to last aisle seat. The whole aft section stinks of the toilets. I have been up since 530am, it is now mid-afternoon and I am hungry (no restaurants at the airport). Looking forward to airline food. They start the cabin 'service'. But it's drinks-only, no food, not even a snack!!! They had 'run out' of snacks! How can one of the largest airlines in the world, that serves the most snack-demanding people on the planet, 'run out' of tiny bags of pretzels? They spin out this one-time drink service to take a good forty minutes.
The rear of the cabin is uncomfortably hot because the air-conditioning seems to have failed. A passenger in the row ahead of me complains but it is told 'it is because of the way the sun hits the rear of the plane..! WTF?
Then I smell food! It makes a welcome change from the stale urine aroma. Maybe we will be served something after all. But no, I soon hear eating from behind me and look around. It is male steward tucking into a hot meal. Then the female stewardess comes along the aise hiding something under a cloth so it can't be seen. It is her meal!
The 'cabin crew' sit in the row behind me for the rest of the flight, eating and drinking, while the passengers starve, and I have no choice but to hear their conversation. They are b
hing about the passengers! They moan about passengers standing up, they moan about passengers attitude. Then they start on 'management' and moan about how they (the cabin crew) do the real work (while sat on their arses stuffing their fat faces). The only time they shift from their seats is to 'prepare the cabin for landing'. Lazy bds.
I was frankly amazed at how shoddy and unprofessional the service was.
The only slight benefit of the whole experience is that it prepared me a little for the utter horror that is this Airline's check-in section of Miami airport, but that is another story...
I vowed never to use this American airline again if I can help it. I would advise others not to either.
Eventually get into a plane. My window seat has been mysteriously exchanged for the second to last aisle seat. The whole aft section stinks of the toilets. I have been up since 530am, it is now mid-afternoon and I am hungry (no restaurants at the airport). Looking forward to airline food. They start the cabin 'service'. But it's drinks-only, no food, not even a snack!!! They had 'run out' of snacks! How can one of the largest airlines in the world, that serves the most snack-demanding people on the planet, 'run out' of tiny bags of pretzels? They spin out this one-time drink service to take a good forty minutes.
The rear of the cabin is uncomfortably hot because the air-conditioning seems to have failed. A passenger in the row ahead of me complains but it is told 'it is because of the way the sun hits the rear of the plane..! WTF?
Then I smell food! It makes a welcome change from the stale urine aroma. Maybe we will be served something after all. But no, I soon hear eating from behind me and look around. It is male steward tucking into a hot meal. Then the female stewardess comes along the aise hiding something under a cloth so it can't be seen. It is her meal!
The 'cabin crew' sit in the row behind me for the rest of the flight, eating and drinking, while the passengers starve, and I have no choice but to hear their conversation. They are b
hing about the passengers! They moan about passengers standing up, they moan about passengers attitude. Then they start on 'management' and moan about how they (the cabin crew) do the real work (while sat on their arses stuffing their fat faces). The only time they shift from their seats is to 'prepare the cabin for landing'. Lazy bds.I was frankly amazed at how shoddy and unprofessional the service was.
The only slight benefit of the whole experience is that it prepared me a little for the utter horror that is this Airline's check-in section of Miami airport, but that is another story...
I vowed never to use this American airline again if I can help it. I would advise others not to either.
I know who you mean. Last time I flew with them was 2002. The whole flight was similarly appalling, caused in the main by the cabin crew. No point going into it, but they had an attitude that was very south of any definition of acceptable standard.
I have never flown with them again, and neither will I as long as I have a choice. In monetary terms, it's not even as if they come out the cheapest either, so no need to bother them with my custom.
I have never flown with them again, and neither will I as long as I have a choice. In monetary terms, it's not even as if they come out the cheapest either, so no need to bother them with my custom.
I work in the Airline / travel sector ..... AA is known as "Jurassic Air" due to age of its stewardesses 
Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
the irony - there must have been a riot on board.
alfaman said:
I work in the Airline / travel sector ..... AA is known as "Jurassic Air" due to age of its stewardesses
Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
I flew to Chicago with AA last Oct. Older crew as always and going out pretty awful with the usual surly attitude. Unfortunately from Manchester even if you book BA to O'Hare you get an AA plane and crew as they are "partners" and I was using airmiles and it was the best deal. Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
Coming back we also had an older crew but so different. A gorgeous 40 something Japanese American lady, a stunning blonde and 2 brunettes in our cabin. All of a similar age and all very attractive and friendly.
I've reached the age where attractive women of that age group are very appealing so I was happy.
Just my personal experience.
They have been generally pretty poor. BA might not be the worlds best, but they tend to be reasonably consistent and the cabin crew tend to be consistently pretty good.
Apparently (and I'm not sure if this is a true), the US airlines work on a seniority system for the routes. As the translatlantic ones are coveted routes, you end up getting a lot of the old grizzly attendants on them, who are long fed up with being nice to you. Business class has been just as bad and overall very dissapointing. Don't even get into the age of the planes they use for lots of US domestic routes. When you have seen an engineer walking away with an emergency door and coming back with the same door + duck/duct tape, you know you're not flying the worlds finest ...
They have been generally pretty poor. BA might not be the worlds best, but they tend to be reasonably consistent and the cabin crew tend to be consistently pretty good.
Apparently (and I'm not sure if this is a true), the US airlines work on a seniority system for the routes. As the translatlantic ones are coveted routes, you end up getting a lot of the old grizzly attendants on them, who are long fed up with being nice to you. Business class has been just as bad and overall very dissapointing. Don't even get into the age of the planes they use for lots of US domestic routes. When you have seen an engineer walking away with an emergency door and coming back with the same door + duck/duct tape, you know you're not flying the worlds finest ...
Edited by 2something on Sunday 30th March 18:18
alfaman said:
I work in the Airline / travel sector ..... AA is known as "Jurassic Air" due to age of its stewardesses
Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
As alfaman says, lots of unions. Also, American carriers are not directly subsidized by the government unlike so many national carriers.Some American airlines are far more unionised than British ones .... the long-haul routes are "perks" for long serving cabin crew ... so on the transatlantic routes you will get the 50+ yr old surly crew who are basically unsackable because they are in the union.
I must say I am most surprised by all these because I thought AA was some sort of super plane service with only 2 seats and a butler on standby just encase it's been 5 minuets since you ate anything. I used to work for Thomson's customer service and the most common comment I used to get was you "wouldn't get this sort of treatment on American airlines" well it turns out you would!! maybe it's because were limey's! If your a bit part actor that scored a role playing the head of a Mafia Family on a hit US TV show it's difrent.
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff