By now it should come as no surprise that I’m a bit of an American Airlines fanboy. I’m honestly not sure why either. I’ve been a fan of American for as long as I remember. My only guess is that being from St. Louis, I was a huge fan of TWA growing up. After American acquired TWA I remember flying on American MD-80s as a kid. Perhaps those deeply rooted memories explain why when I started traveling frequently, I picked American. Back then I didn’t even consider each airlines’ loyalty program.
While I mostly love American, I’m starting to have a big issue with them. The issue, that over the past year or so, I’ve staring to feel that American Airlines, as a whole, does not give a sh*t about their customers.
Now, before you laugh at me, I want to make it clear that I understand American Airlines is a publicly traded company. In being so, I realize that American’s focus is on the bottom line. However, I also realize that because of this American’s stock price continues to fall. Therefore, the airline is not serving its customers or its shareholders as they continue to operate today.
A Series Very Poor Customer Service Experiences
Over the past few months I’ve had some poor customer experiences that I just can’t ignore. A few weeks ago I phoned American Airlines to make some changes to a reservation. The agent provided very little help and at one point actually barked at me to pay more for Premium Economy. The agent told that it didn’t look like my upgrade would clear on an international trip. I was then told that if I wanted more space I should pay for it.
After that interaction I of course used the hang up call again method. After a brief hold I reached a lovely agent searched flights +/- a few days from my original departure date and found business class availability the next day. It took her all of a minute to find that space for me, but the previous agent wouldn’t give me the time of day.
Another issue happened when departing on a trip. I placed my checked bag on the scale and the bag weighed about 60 LBS. American’s checked bag limits are 50 LBS so the agent immediately told me the bag was overweight. I then replied by stating that my understanding was 70 LBS given my status. Keep in mind at this point my reservation was already pulled up. If the agent had simply looked, she would have seen that I maintain Executive Platinum elite status. Her response to my claim shocked me as I was immediately told that I was wrong. Behind her, another agent shook her head in disgust that I was just another passenger arguing with their policies.
As she worked to tag the bags she eventually noticed that because I maintain Executive Platinum that I am entitled to a 70 LBS bag and she tagged the bag accordantly.
Poor Onboard Experiences
Over the past few months I’ve also started to become extremely frustrated with American’s onboard service. For example, when sitting in domestic first class is customary to receive pre-departure beverages. On a recent flight we were delayed on the ground for 30 minutes before pushing back from the gate. As we pushed back we were told that there would be no in-flight beverage service. Yet with all of that no pre-departure beverages were served. On that flight we did receive a drink service while economy passengers did not, but even so it was sad that first class customers weren’t offered at least water during the delay.
Another issue I’ve been having is when I end up sitting in a standard economy seat. As an Executive Platinum elite customer I’m entitled to one complimentary drink and snack when sitting in the main cabin. While that’s great, it’s worth remembering that MCE customers receive unlimited complimentary drinks during the flight. So, when I standby on an earlier flight and end up in a main cabin seat I receive a worse onboard product than a customer who booked basic economy and was eventually assigned an empty main cabin extra seat?
While I usually don’t care for more than one drink anyway the issue I have is that the flight attendants don’t even know I’m entitled to a free drink or snack. I’d say that about 50% of the time, when I ask for a drink or snack, I end up being asked for a credit card. That prompts the awkward exchange of showing the flight attendant my membership card proving my elite status. Keep in mind the flight attendants are armed with a tablet which should already tell them this information.
Exemplary Service On OneWorld Partner Airlines
Honestly, none of this really bothers me on its own. I realize these complaints are incredibly minor and perhaps petty. However, when you compare these experiences to the in-flight experiences on partner airlines it makes me wonder what is going on at American.
I recently flew Cathay Pacific Premium Economy class from the US to Hong Kong and back. On both of those flights the purser (head flight attendant) stopped by my seat prior to takeoff to introduce him(her)self and thank me for my loyalty. While I find the interaction a bit awkward admittedly, I also find it rewarding to feel as though the airline actually does care how I choose to spend my money. What’s even more interesting is that the purser is thanking me for my loyalty even though I earn my status through American! I don’t even earn my elite status with Cathay Pacific.
I had a similar experience on Qantas when I flew from Sydney to Auckland. Shortly after takeoff the cabin crew circulated the cabin during the initial beverage service. When the flight attendant reached my seat he made a point to address me by name and again thank me for my loyalty. I’ve had similar experiences on British Airways and Finnair as well.
So that is the service provided by other OneWorld carriers, but not once has anyone on American thanked me for my loyalty. You would think, at very least, that American flight attendants would thank top-tier business class passengers on international flights, but again no. Nothing.
Final Thoughts
I guess I just don’t get it. Why is American’s service so poor? Why is it that American employees seem so utterly disinterested in the airline and promoting the brand. How bad is management today that this is the current state of the airline. What’s worse is what do other OneWorld elite customers think when they are traveling with American?
At very least I think American should make loyalty appreciation a top priority. I’m not saying I need any special benefits or gifts. Instead, I think it would be nice if when I’m checkin in at the airport the customer service agent begins the exchange by saying “Thank you for your [blank] status.” On the plane when serving the in-flight drink flight attendants should again say “thank you.”
Ultimately we do have a lot of options when we choose to fly. Knowing this makes it hard to see an airline care so little for its customers. My only hope is that in the coming year American will finally realize how terrible their soft product is. A lot of their customer service folks and flight attendants are rude, their food is terrible, and their IT infrastructure horrible. Maybe soon they’ll realize that they need to make strong investments in all three if they hope to remain a world class airline in the future.
