Goodbye American Airlines

I’m mad at the airline industry, but most specifically American Airlines. I’m not going to say I’ll NEVER fly with them again (because who knows what’s going to happen with the industry the way it is), but if I can help it, I’m going to avoid American Airlines.

I recently had to change a plane ticket (over a month in advance of the original departure date) and instead of a $25 or even a $50 change fee, they charged me an additional $150 on top of the ticket difference. So basically, my $200 ticket became a $50 credit to book a new reservation, and I lost the other $150.

Oh ... and was there any indication anywhere on the ticket or emails they sent me or on their website that told me a reservation change would cost $150? No siree. The most I could find was a generic “there may be a fee”.

And don’t think I didn’t try and try and try to get the fee waived or at least reduced. I even got Patrick to try. He went above and beyond and climbed higher up the AA food chain than I thought possible.

But American Airlines, whose Customer Service Plan states “We are dedicated to making every flight you take with us something special. Your safety, comfort and convenience are our most important concerns,” gave Patrick this (paraphrased) answer: “Sorry. There’s nothing we can do.”

So, ta-ta American Airlines. See ya, later.