I have to admit, over the past few years I’ve been incredibly lucky when it comes to travel. Since 2015 I can only think of a few major delays or canceled flights that have actually disrupted my plans. Generally I’m able to get out ahead of a delay or cancelation and salvage a trip. Unfortunately, that streak came to an end yesterday when I experienced my worst day yet of traveling.
An Early Morning Mechanical Delay On American
My day started off bright and early in St. Louis where I spent the weekend with my family. As I was supposed to be in Dallas at 11AM for a meeting I left my house very early in the morning. To make it to Dallas by 11AM I selected a flight which departed St. Louis around 9:30AM. Sure, I knew the 7:30AM departure was cutting it close, but since it was the first flight of the day, I felt confident that I’d make it.
That logic came to a crashing halt as I began the 30 minute drive to the airport. As I pulled up to the rental car drop off I received a notification that my flight had been delayed. The initial delay was only an hour and a half which meant that I could still make the 11AM meeting.
It wasn’t until I arrived at the gate in the airport that I realized there was no way I was going to make the meeting. As I looked out at the jet-bridge there was no aircraft. Considering the plane sat in St. Louis overnight, this was a clear sign of a bigger issue. So, I did the only thing I could do at that point, I sat in the gate area and waited.
Unfortunately, about 30 minutes after taking my seat the gate agent announced that they had received a call from the maintenance hanger and the plane probably wouldn’t be ready for another 2 hours. A short while later the departure board updated to a 10AM departure which eventually rolled until 11AM and ultimately 11:45AM.
Acting Fast To Salvage The Trip
Since I was in St. Louis, there were flights to Dallas about every two hours. So, I called American and tried to get on one of the other Dallas flights that would have put me in Dallas a bit late, but still could have salvaged the trip. As I was on the phone with the American Airlines Agent I was told that the next Dallas flight (my only option) was oversold. She advised that there was no chance of me getting on that flight.
So, at that point, I asked her to look up various flights that would just take me back to New York. No matter what I tried I wouldn’t make the meeting so my only option was to just head home.
The American Airlines phone agent was incredibly helpful and changed my itinerary to get me home. Over the phone she put me on the noon flight to Charlotte which connected to a flight to Newark. This new itinerary only included a 45 minute connection in Charlotte, but I was confident that I could make it.
Another Disaster In Charlotte
Sure enough when I got to Charlotte I arrived at the E gates and had to transfer to the C gates. It’s a far walk, but one that can easily be done in 20 minutes or so. Eventually, I made it to the gate where the gate agents were about to close the boarding door. As I scanned my boarding card an American gate agent handed me a new boarding card as my upgrade cleared at the gate.
After scanning my new boarding card I went down the jet-bridge and found my seat in row 1. A short while later, things started to go very wrong.
Sorry for the poor photo, but basically, if you see these guys on your flight, you’re not going anywhere.
Since I was seated in the front row I could hear the maintenance crew member telling the pilot that the aircraft was not fit to fly. As the maintenance crew left the aircraft the pilot notified all of the passengers about the issue with the plane’s breaks. Therefore, the pilot requested us to exit the aircraft and wait for an update in the gate area.
The delay in Charlotte lasted another 2 hours before we boarded another aircraft for Newark. Thankfully that flight took me home without incident, albeit much later than anticipated.
What Is Going On At American?
I’ve seen this covered in a few different places and I can’t begin to pretend that I know all the details, but essentially American and its Mechanics aren’t getting along. The reason the two parties aren’t getting along is due to pending contract negotiations. American and its Mechanics Union are in the process of negotiating their Collective Bargaining Agreement. Unfortunately, those negotiations are not going well. Throughout the process American’s Mechanics do not feel as though they are being treated fairly.
Since the Mechanics do not feel properly appreciated they’ve decided to prove their importance. Basically, they’ve started taking planes out of service due to maintenance to intentionally disrupt operations. This has caused a widespread increase in delays and cancelations over the past few months. Again, I don’t know all of the details, but this is a simplistic view of what’s currently happening.
The issue with this process is that nobody wins. Over the past several months I’ve heard from countless coworkers, friends, and family members who have experienced similar issues. As a result, the airline isn’t dependable and it’s making some (myself included) consider making travel plans with other airlines.
So, the Mechanics argue that the airline is making enough money to treat them fairly, but due to the delays/cancelations some may abandon the airline which will negatively impact profits. Clearly this is a toxic cycle…
Oh, and to make matters worse, American’s Flight Attendants have similar contract negotiations coming up soon, the above bag tag (seen on a Uniformed Flight Attendant’s Bag) should shed some light on how these negotiations may go.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, this whole process is a bit sad. I say this because a few years ago I truly loved American Airlines. There was something about the airline that made me feel at home while traveling. Sure, it wasn’t the nicest, newest, or most reliable, but it was comfortable. When I boarded an American Airlines plane I felt welcomed and appreciated. Heck, just look what I wrote about their dumb old Safety Video.
Over the past few years that heart has disappeared. In recent years it’s become increasingly obvious that no one at the airline is happy. There is no sense of pride, no sense of customer appreciation, and no sense of employee appreciation. Personally, it seems as though management focused on maximizing short term profits and the long term costs seem substantial.
Personally, I’m about to board a flight bound for Hong Kong which will most likely be among my last OneWorld flights of the year. After todays flight I’ll once again reach Executive Platinum and will opt to fly with United or Delta for the remainder of the year. I’ve been blindly loyal to American for the past few years and it’s time for me to try out a few different airlines this year to decide my 2020 airline of choice!
