American Airlines

I love the fact that they don't charge you for a drink and even another if you prefer. Also their baggage policy isn't the worst I've encountered at $25 for your first bag. It's smooth sailing everytime I fly with AA.

American Airlines, one of the country's largest airlines, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-airlines-files-bankruptcy-protection-121438848.html Basically, this is a "strategic" bankruptcy, one that is used to break collective bargaining arrangements and other contracts. It's designed to get rid of some of AA's debt and other obligations. Insolvency is not necessarily a prerequisite for filing. In my view, the Bankruptcy Code should be amended to prevent this type of bankruptcy. Right now, there are no restrictions on filing a Chapter 11, other than a limit on re-filing. When the Codes were reformed back in the 1960's, companies were prevented from filing for bankruptcy by moral suasion and the impact that it would have on its credit rating. Today, bankruptcy is just considered one of the many tools that are used by companies to increase their bottom line. Concurrently, we have seen the rise over the past few years of a l... Read more

In the movie Home Alone, Kevin McAllister experience a problem with his family vacation. The good thing is that he was at home and safe. In the situation that myself and family experienced, was not the same results. Below is what we had gone through. On November 20th, 2011, myself and 2 family members were traveling back from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a connecting flight in Chicago, Illinois to Fargo, North Dakota. We landed in Chicago and were informed that our final leg of the journey would be departing from gate G 2 A. We sat there for 2.5 hours, waiting to board. When 19:45 (7:45 PM) came, we asked as to how soon until we would start to board. Now, the whole time that we had been sitting at this gate, the American Airlines employees that were sitting there, were too busy playing “Slap Ass” joking around and having a good laugh, when they should have been keeping the passenger’s informed to gate changes that were happening. Once we found out that our flight had been changed to... Read more

I was slightly injured on an Asiana flight. The Asiana staff did nothing, but American's staff twice expressed concern and offered to help when I went to them as the airline I was transferring to. Later, when I needed to tell my pick-up that I would be on a later flight due to American's flight being delayed, an American Airline employee dialed my contact and handed the telephone to me, with a smile and no hesitation. I'm satisfied.

TERRIBLE customer service!!!!!!! My cousins from Korea got to the airport more than 2 hours in advance, but they won't let them check in because apparently 'they were too late'!!!!!!! They reacted very coldly at my cousins' complaint. They just said to come back again tomorrow, but who knows what they will say tomorrow? TERRIBLE customer service, and I would never use AA myself nor do I recommend it to anyone else.

Very poor customer service. Reservations, ticket windows and check in employees generally appear to hate their jobs. Horrible customer response, when you can get their attention for service in the first place. Act like their doing a favor to talk to you. Answer to whatever you need is always no. Have approached staffed gate desks to be told the gate desk is not open, can't do anything, turn on computer, access services, etc, as employees stand there and chat. Rarely enter ratings, and have been traveling with American Airlines at least 4 or 5 times a year for many years. And I have seen the customer service and concern go from a very helpful and customer friendly organization to disappearing completely. Now after many trips this year with American (since Jan 2011) and consistently receiving rude or no service at all, had to do something. Also, even the smallest thing is an extra charge at American. Next time I do need a human American Airlines employee to give service, I won't ... Read more

Rudest Flight Attendants with the worst attitude, ever! And I come from New York, but still... Was on a flight from Chicago to Anchorage. The three of those flight attendants decided to occupy the last seats in the aircraft. They had their legs stretched out in the aisle and "appeared" too busy to look at people waiting for them give way to them to pass by over to the toilet. An old man was standing by in the aisle after he came out of the toilet, trying to stretch for a bit on this 7 hr flight, was rudely yelled at by one of those comfortably seated attendants - 'mr, you cannot stand there. you need to get back right away'

I used to have a low opinion of American, after several bitter experiences, but I have changed my mind. They only get a 'Good' because no US carrier deserves more than that - compared to the wonderful service offered by foreign airlines Economy class: This airline can be pretty awful if you travel with children, as they only have 1 child's cot per flight (on long-haul flights; none on domestic flights). It's first come first served, so if the bassinet has gone your child will be on your lap for 12 hours. The booking agents, checkin agents, and crew on board very clearly do not care about your comfort and their attitude is: if you don't like it, try another airline. I would suggest you take that approach. Business class: On a recent 6-hour flight from Lima to Miami, AA didn't bother giving out headsets or amenity packs, the crew was tired and cranky and obviously viewed the passengers as a nuisance - that just doesn't meet the standards set by other airlines. BUT they redeemed... Read more

Booked a flight on the AA website only to find out it was sub contracted out to Horizon. AA website says if you pay full price your bags are free. Horizon says dont care what AA says you are flying with us. Called AA who says we didnt pay full price. We paid $250 per person..they say the REAL price is $2200.00 PER PERSON!!! Seattle to Long Beach Calif ! None of that is mentioned on the AA website. Couldnt take a carry on larger than a womans purse. Had to check all our bags...I'm sure they counted on that. Horizon airplane was so small, tight and worn everyone was making remarks.. and AA wanted us to pay $2200.00 each for that ? Surely they are kidding !!!! We will NEVER fly AA again !!! Bait and switch a full price ticket to a FAR INFERIOR AIRLINE !

I have flown with American for more than a decade, and never had a 'bad' experience. This last time I flew (January 2010) I had a terrific experience ! I am an AAdvantage Program Member, and booked my flight with my airmiles. Unfortunately I had two emergencies come up before my flight, and both times I was able to change my flight with no problem, at NO CHARGE - because it was booked through the AADvantage program. Then the flight itself was very smooth, ON TIME (out and return), the food was good, (and more quantity than other flights I had taken over the past 2 years) , and the comfort level was decent. The flight crew were decent, not spectacular, but all in all this was a very good experience, with the adjustments, and the flight itself. So I am currently a very happy American Airlines passenger !

American Airlines has many old and shabby looking airplanes. Gate personnel and flight attendants are often rude and unhelpful. There has been serious questions about their maintenance practices. Fly American only as a very last resort.

Yikes. GHETTO.

I fly American often and am a member of their AAAdvante mileage program. The mileage program is nice and they offer you all sorts of ways to earn miles for a flight. It's around 25,000 miles for a flight so it does take a while to accumulate them unless you fly a ton. But, if you don't acquire that many miles, they offer you other options to redeem them on. Like magazines and even gift cards for amazon.com. As far as flying with American, it's kind of unremarkable. Never great, never horrible. Flight attendants seem pleasant and the flights always seem to go smoothly. I've never had a problem with them.

The worse airline, it rates up there with Jamaica. I flew first class, was delayed an hour for maintainence, missed my connector, put me in a dump of a hotel, told me they called for a transfer to the hotel and did not. I will never fly them again.

My family traveled on AA in the summer of 2004 from Birmingham, AL to Jackson Hole, WY, via Dallas/Ft. Worth, and return. The gate agent, security personnal, and flight crew were very nice and helped everyone. In Dallas, AA's employees were once again nice and helped us, since this was our first trip on AA and to DFW. On the flight to Jackson Hole, however, the flight crew had their things in our seats! What were they thinking? After removing their things, we had our seats. The rest of the flight was fine. Jackson Hole's AA's employees were HORRIBLE. Check-in was super long and premium passengers were treated like "royality." At the gate, the gate agents "pushed" passengers out of the way, so the first class cabin could board. First class is not everything! The flight crew on the DFW bound flight were mean and did not act like they enjoyed their job. The BHM bound flight was delayed; however, no announcements or anything were made. The flight crew did not offer passengers any refills o... Read more

American Air is absolutely the worst airline I've been on. I've used them for domestic and for international flights. They are rude, skimpy and hard to deal with, changing plans is like a nightmare with them. In Chicago 2005 I had the worst experience in my life becuase i missed a flight due to a gate change, didn't get there on time, and when I went to fix my ticket for another flight they didn't care, said i had to buy a new ticket, (like I have $2000 pocket change to buy a new ticket!) I was on my way to Kenya. anyhow, the attendants were mean, and rude, every single one of them!! I found a guy to help me, becuase he said he was quitting, didn't care much about the job that changed my flights, etc.. helped me out tremedously and since then I've never used AA. I use Northwest now for this side. American Air should be ashamed of themselves for the way they treat people. I've seen them kick people off planes due to overbooking, when they paid like everyone else. They are sickening. ... Read more

I would normally never make the effort to comment on an airline but I feel I have reached the point in which I must comment. AA are shocking at best and should at all costs be avoided when possible. I have had too many bad experiences to list. I have flown with AA from London to Latin America via Miami on three occassions this year alone(my employer chose the carrier) and the experience was unpleasant each time.The staff were uncopperative, unfriendly and abrupt with the airline overall lacking class. SO NEVER AGAIN.

Let’s see LAX airport Aug 3rd 2.30pm board (overbooked) flight to HNL.Due to take off at 3.15pm.3.00pm hostess comes on loud speaker stating we all have to leave the plane as a food cart hit it and it now needs to be taken out of service. 3.00pm-5.45pm total chaos as AA staff try to convince people to surrender their seats as the new plane is much smaller than the original. Not many people give up seats so staff become very aggressive calling people’s names once then cancelling them off the flight if you don’t answer with in .0000005 of a second. No communication what so ever occurs between staff and customers. No one knows what is going on. People are tired and hungry and too afraid the leave the gate incase their name is called and the plane takes off.5.45pm I go to board but my pass in invalid, 5.50pm I board the plane and await my 3 freinds.6pm 2 freinds made it the other was bumped despite his pleas to the counter staff who claims he called his name 6 times when it was only once a... Read more

Flights are almost always delayed or late. Pure customer service at best and they take no accountablility for their own mistakes

Ive only flown with them for two international flights, but I was very pleased with them.

I've flown with them 3 times in the past couple of years and they were never on time.  The employees are underpaid and frustrated so they don't care about travelers. Don't expect your luggage to make it to your destination.

We spent 1.5 hours in line at Boston's Logan Airport with our two young granddaughters, who were flying home as Unaccompanied Minors. We were there 2 1/2 hours before flight time. As we waited, the attendants kept bringing forward late arrivals for flights leaving earlier. At the ticket counter, only three people were actively working on our line--the "self-checkin" counters had five people working! (Unfortnately, the type of tickets we had did not qualify for self check in.) When one of our three people got hung up with one customer for almost an hour, no one else was brought in to help the rest of us. The at-airport service is intolerably slow and totally chaotic.

Beware of American Airlines. I purchased assigned seating for my elderly parents when they came out to visit me in Albuquerque last week. On the way back they had to stop over in Dallas before ending the trip in Chicago. My mom is 82 and my dad is 84. They arrived in plenty of time for the connecting flight. When they presented their tickets at the American Airline counter they were told, sorry, the flight is full. Youll have to take a later flight. What happened to their seats? Everyone please be aware that purchasing assigned seats from American Airlines does not mean anything. It seems to be kind of a cruel joke. My parents were then sent walking across the Dallas airport to different terminals not once, but twice. They also had to locate and ride those airport shuttle trains twice. My mom is 82 and my dad is 84. Why were they not offered a ride? What are the American Airlines people thinking? Who ended up in seats 21D and 21E? Before this happened my parents were talking about ... Read more

Bring a copy of Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" with you. . .by the time Jean Valjean is fighting in the streets with Marius hundreds of pages later, your plane will be boarding. . .

American Airlines does so much that reveals their true attitude: It's all about us. For one thing, I don't know if I'll ever forgive American for monopolizing DFW and driving the prices through the roof during the Wright Amendment years. The way they no longer even give a bag of peanuts or snack mix to their coach customers reinforce the comments made by the CEO that the days of good fares, etc., are over and customers need to get over it. What a creep. They're so cheap and, especialy in the CEO's case, obnoxious. Then I had an encounter with a flight attendant very recently (I know; I caved and flew with them) where the FA acted like I was cheap because I didn't want to buy a $2 bottle of water from her. Sooo rude. I will say, though, that I've had good experiences with their phone-in customer service. I got through quickly and received the help I needed. If only JetBlue would be allowed into DFW. For now, AA and SWA have decided to share the Dallas area and not let new competition in... Read more

2007 UPDATE: One star downgrade. Much has changed in a year. Let's put it this way. Everyone else is worse..including Southwest!! PROS: Probably the most caring and professional {US based, not outsourced!} reservation staff in the industry. They speak English [update: although they are beginnning to hire a lot of foreigners on H1B visas who are barely understandable!] and are actually educated, and yes they can say something besides "no" to a justified exception to a rule. [Just try that with any other airline.] Although that may change if the company starts laying off experience in favor of cheeeep dumb labor!!!! [It seems they have now. See updates throughout..] PROS: They'll get you where you're going, which is all they are supposed to do according to the Conditions of Carriage, yet when I fly, people are continually bellyaching about the stupidest things that don't come with the ticket.. Methinks the travelling public has been spoiled rotten. CONS: Flight attendants are legendary f... Read more

worst customer service. they charge you with all kind of fines. No good flight. Flights are always delayed. Dirty old flights and seats. Worst customer service.Dont every try it. its shit kind of airlines.

Extremely poor customer service skills. Rude flight attendants. On 2 different flights, the FA's were discussing their wages. Sat on tarmac for 3 hours, FA's refused to serve us coffee or soda, but did offer cup of water. If they wanted us to feel like prisoners, they got the job done. I won't be back.

We had a laptop stolen on our vacation. When we called AA the first comment was "we don't cover it", followed by, "you shouldn't have had it in your bag". We have had to call over 30 times to even speak with a person, they do not return phone calls and when they finally did they were extremely unhelpful and rude. we have now sent two e mails regarding our customer service issues and no one has contacted us.

I've flown AA to numerous destinations--never had a problem. The flight crew are usually very hospitable--have had some great conversations with them especially the Los Angeles based crew--they are the best! DFW based crew are a close second. AA have never cancelled flighs on me or lost my luggage. There were a few incidents where I checked-in for my flight too late and my luggage didn't make the flight. They always ensured my luggage was on the next flight and at my front door that same day. I have nothing but good experiences with this airline. I hope it remains that way.

flight delays was not even announced, did not even provide any light snacks (5 cents peanuts) on a 4.5 hour flight. Flight attendants did not care and were not very helpful.

People need to accept domestic travel for what it is: transport from one city to another. The sooner they stop expecting luxury accomodations for dirt-cheap prices and learn to live with pedestrian accoutrements, they will be much more appreciative of AA's timeliness and extra few inches of leg room. Always a pleasure.

GROUND CREW WORKED GREAT LEFT GATE ON TIME AND I HAD MY BAGS WHEN I ARRIVED. FLIGHT CREW, RUDE, NASTY, LOUD AND TALKED BAD ABOUT PASSENGERS AS WE LEFT THE PLANE. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, LACKING CLASS SO TO SPEAK OF.

GROUND CREW WORKED GREAT LEFT GATE ON TIME AND I HAD MY BAGS WHEN I ARRIVED. FLIGHT CREW, RUDE, NASTY, LOUD AND TALKED BAD ABOUT PASSENGERS AS WE LEFT THE PLANE. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, LACKING CLASS.... SO TO SPEAK OF.

Terrible airline, as one reviewer said, the flight crew can be uncaring, snotty and annoying, and for some reason, I never meet friendly passengers on an AA flight. The food is ok, the lunch bags I mean, I suppose it's better than military MRE's. I wouldn't shed tears if it went bankrupt.

AA lost my child. She is 11 years old and flew with an AA escort. They lost her, did not put her on a flight 4 times, and then they said sorry, the agents didn't do their job. She was required to stay alone, with a stranger (escort) overnight in the Dallas Ft. Worth Airport. Her ordeal took her 20 hours to get from Ontario, CA to Ft. Smith, AK. She is traumatized. I strongly urge parents to NOT LET THEIR KIDS FLY ALONE ON AMERICAN AIRLINES!

Pros: largest route network within US, worldwide partners and frequent flyer benefits Cons: cramped seating (more room is no more), no complimentary meals on US domestic flights, Dallas hub is a mess

a lot needs to be done

Over the last couple of years, several business trips with AA to the East Coast and one to Frankfurt. I remember one nice perk, More Room Throughout Coach extra legroom on their many 767s. That really made a difference comfort-wise, especially to Europe. Unfortunately they're getting RID OF IT! Which leaves us with a mediocre, bloated airline with shabby planes and hubs (ORD, DFW) more crowded and dirty than the norm - they look like Greyhound terminals. And when you get delayed, that matters. AA sucks.

No really bad experiences with the largest airline in the world---American Eagle is a small jet I've flown a few times and encountering an air pocket on one of those planes is a stomach-turning experience. Also, they use Dallas as a hub, so you can expect your usual choppy flight (see my comments about Continental). But no real problems with American---yet.

Them, along with United, are forever on my No-Fly list.

American used to be America's premiere airline. Now first class means a meal-less flight in a worn dirty seat without a footrest, video display, hot towel, or high speed internet.

Their flight crew tend to be very arrogant and rude. I had a flight attendant snap at me when I asked what the salmon dish was...she gave me a snotty answer and gave me the food...which I might add...wasn't even salmon!

I would have to say AA is probably the largest airline in the world. They have modern aircraft and keep things clean, but it still isnt magnificent. For international flying I personally like to fly on european airlines ( if at all possible). But if you live in an AA hub than i guess thats who you probably will fly with.

Horrible lines at the airports for check-in, even at curb side. Flight schedules are often changed or not on time. Rude employees (I've actually watched flight attendants toss the brown bags that they call food into passenger's laps as they go quickly up the isle with the cart. More room? NO! Crowded and dirty. First Class is not much better - Rude stewards, dirty bathrooms and seats, lousey and minimal food (just try getting water out of these people), uncomfortable seats. I fly American ONLY when it's the absolutely only flight I can find. Their pricing is very good....but so are other airlines.

My first flying experience was last year, from Glasgow (UK) to Newark. We had to go on a small British Airways plane to London before the American Airlines to the States. The BA plane was quite cramped and low-budget (although the food and service was good), and I thought I'd have trouble if the 7-hour flight by AA was going to have such little legroom, me being 6ft tall. I was happy to learn that AA was known for having a lot of legroom for their passengers on all classes, and even happier when I was surprisingly offered the spacious seat beside the escape door (good for the legs, bad for the paranoia)! The journey consisted of a good, friendly service, with nice meals and enjoyable shows on the screen. I think we watched It Could Happen To You (starring Angelina Jolie) which wasn't to be released in the UK for some time to come. Plus some promo material for CBS like Everybody Loves Raymond. Pity the radio wasn't up to scratch - AOR isn't my thing... Overall, a great experienc... Read more

We flew American to Hawaii. The plane was dirty throughout the cabin. We had one quick sevice and never saw the flight attendants again. We didn't even get coffee. The only saving grace was that the flight was only 25% full. We could see why.

American cancelled my flight out of BWI after 2 hours of delays because "the inbound flight hit a bird and we don't have one the 'bird strike' report forms here", then put is in a cab for Dulles. They're just not getting enough competition.