Anyone flying American Air... better double check, our flights were cancelled & not a peep from them...

[LovesTimone]

Hi everyone...

If you are flying anywhere with American Airline... please keep checking your flights... Our friends went to the airport only to find out that their flights were canceled... and nothing available for them... They had to pay a premium price to fly that day with another airline...

So it scared me so this morning, I checked... our flights for next month were cancelled, and I went back and not a email insight from American, except about opening a CC with them... So I called, and basically the Customer service rep... was like... how did you know? why would check? I said because I have OCD and I have reading about this... He said most people just show up or check the day before.... wow... Then he said well the flights were cancelled... We can put you on another flight the charge is another 400.00 each way... so another 800.00 bucks... non stop not avaiable or the type of seating, and you will not be able to sit together.... or you can get your money back... I was like so you cancel our flights, no notice or anything, and now you want more money, for less service.. and he said take your pick...

So my wait time for customer service for a refund was 58 to 120 minutes... I'm at the 110 minute mark right now... I'm really wondering if I am going to get a call back... I will keep everyone posted...

 

[Cheburashka]

If you are flying anywhere with American Airline... please keep checking your flights... Our friends went to the airport only to find out that their flights were canceled... and nothing available for them... They had to pay a premium price to fly that day with another airline...

So it scared me so this morning, I checked... our flights for next month were cancelled, and I went back and not a email insight from American,

Thanks for the heads-up. I just checked and my flights for next month are still there. This terrible winter weather & the peak of Omicron should both be in the rearview mirror by then, so I'm hoping there won't be any disruption.

One thing I noticed is that when you go into your American Advantage account to look at your flights, there is a "Get alerts for this flight" option that you can click & put your cell phone number into. Why getting alerts for a flight isn't automatic in this day and age, I have no idea, but it's there for those who are proactive- I still would check the website occasionally rather than completely relying on on the alerts. People flying with American should at least create a free American Advantage account, so they can easily check the status of their flights online.

 

[Cheburashka]

Then he said well the flights were cancelled... We can put you on another flight the charge is another 400.00 each way... so another 800.00 bucks...

That's weird. I recently had to change to a different American flight due to them cancelling my flight, and the price difference for switching flights (not just the change fee, but the flight difference cost) was waived. It was the same basic itinerary & date, of course. Maybe that's your issue, but if the exact itinerary isn't available in your case, and they're trying to upcharge you for the nearest available switch, I'd call back & request a supervisor.

 

[JimMIA]

Yep, and this is not new. American has been doing this for several years -- well before Covid. I've seen itinerary changes in excess of 12 hours a few times!

The classic bait and switch is offering a non-stop flight, and then changing it to connecting with no notification of any kind. I'm planning a summer trip now, and I'm avoiding non-stop flights because I know they don't actually fly many.

American is the airline we almost always fly because they have more than 50% of the flights out of MIA, but you really have to keep an eye on them for changes...and double check the entire itinerary, not just the first flight.

 

[MrKnight]

This has been happening with all airlines, not just American.. The entire airline industry is being affected by staff shortages, supply chain issues, omicron concerns, weather issues, etc.. The best course of action when traveling is regularly check your flights, enroll for flight alerts as recommended by pp, and most importantly to be patient and flexible..

 

[SunMonkeyAZ]

I got an email yesterday that our flight in April was cancelled. We had booked a 1-stop since it was cheaper but they changed us to a direct flight with no cost change. So now we leave later and arrive earlier and no stops. I’ve had AA cancel a couple times in the past too but they’ve always emailed and made the changes no charge to get us there. At least up to this point. I do check in the app every once in a while too just in case.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

For any significant change an airline shouldn't charge to put you on a different flight. My plan when this happens is to research the new flights available and basically feed them to the agent.

If I was the OP I would have done the HUCA approach (Hang Up Call Again). OP got a bad/ uninformed agent.

Airlines schedules haven't really been solidified during Covid until about the 2 month mark. My advice is it never hurts to "babysit" your reservations. Check them once or twice a month. It takes 30 seconds and saves a lot of headache down the road in case a change does happen.

 

[MrKnight]

For any significant change an airline shouldn't charge to put you on a different flight. My plan when this happens is to research the new flights available and basically feed them to the agent.

If I was the OP I would have done the HUCA approach (Hang Up Call Again). OP got a bad/ uninformed agent.

Airlines schedules haven't really been solidified during Covid until about the 2 month mark. My advice is it never hurts to "babysit" your reservations. Check them once or twice a month. It takes 30 seconds and saves a lot of headache down the road in case a change does happen.

Agreed.. It also helps to sign-up for the airline loyalty programs such as AAdvantage and ensure the number is attached to your reservation at the time of booking.. As mentioned by a pp, typically airline loyalty members will be alerted immediately of any flight changes via the airline app or via courtesy emails, etc.

 

[LovesTimone]

OP here...

So I ended up waiting 3 hours and 12 minutes for a call back...

I talked with the customer service rep. she was much nicer and more professional than the first person that I had to deal with...

There were 2 other flights... which both would have cost more money, and we could not sit together.. and on and on... after 55 minutes I was like just... Please give me a refund... then she start into it will have to a voucher, and I was like look again... I paid to get a full refund... she actually tried to talk me into a voucher... to which I was a firm NOPE ... Soooo finally after 65 minutes on the phone...

I got my full refund.. This would have been our first time flying with American... what a terrible experience... never again

We travel and I totally understand that with everything that has happened... and when you travel stuff happens... yet its seem like you pay more and more for less and less... and the whole pandemic thing has now become a complete catch all for just plain out and out terrible customer service and the go to excuse for it...

I will keep everyone posted on which airline we book with...

 

[LovesTimone]

Agreed.. It also helps to sign-up for the airline loyalty programs such as AAdvantage and ensure the number is attached to your reservation at the time of booking.. As mentioned by a pp, typically airline loyalty members will be alerted immediately of any flight changes via the airline app or via courtesy emails, etc.

I did all that, and still no email or text or anything...when I asked she was like well that's a oops for sure...

 

[sam_gordon]

So I ended up waiting 3 hours and 12 minutes for a call back...

With all the weather related cancelations over the last day or so, that doesn't surprise me.

 

[Cheburashka]

I got my full refund.. This would have been our first time flying with American... what a terrible experience... never again

I still don't understand why you aren't being switched to another flight without having to pay more, because upcharging customers to switch flights after the airline's cancellation isn't AA policy, as I and other posters have attested.

I don't recommend avoiding AA forever because of one sub-par customer service experience. All of the airlines have shaky customer service- it is an industry renowned for poor service. Here are just a few examples:

• JetBlue: They cancelled not only our flights 3 weeks before our trip, but permanently ended most routes involving our city, and then still wouldn't give a refund because prior I had made one change to our flights, so they said technically it was a credit and non-refundable, even though they'd ended most service to my city. I had to dispute that via my credit card company (and won).
• United: Just do a quick Google search and you'll read horror stories about how they've treated some of their passengers. I've had both positive and negative experiences with them.
• Southwest: Some people on these boards gush about their customer service (or used to- I've noticed not so much anymore), but I've had both good and bad experiences with them personally. Like United, they've also had their share of horror stories in the news, though theirs have mostly been about out-of-control passengers onboard.
• Spirit: They and other bargain basement carriers openly admit to offering no real customer service at all.

Etc, etc. If you're going to fly regularly, you're going to have to deal with customer service issues. You can minimize those by flying first class, but naturally that's expensive, and even that won't completely protect you from issues. I've flown American, JetBlue, Southwest, Delta, United, WestJet, Air France, and KLM within the past 5 years. And from that experience I can tell you that American's customer service is no worse than any of the others. I recommend choosing flights based on convenience, comfort and cost, not loyalty to or antagonism against any particular airline. They all have service issues occasionally, but once you board, they all will get you to your destination.

 

[VandVsmama]

OP: What a horrible customer service experience!

We've flown twice on Southwest Airlines last year during the pandemic. On both occasions, one of our flights to or from Orlando was changed, but Southwest sent me an email notification about it. And they automatically put me on other flights instead. AND I could change the new flights to something else within a certain amount of time free of charge.

In one situation when DH & I were flying back home from Orlando, our 1st flight was delayed leaving and also delayed arriving in the connecting airport. By the time we landed at airport #1, Southwest already had assigned us to a different flight, so we didn't have to go to the counter or anything and didn't have to hassle in a long phone queue either. It was pretty nice.

 

[MrKnight]

In one situation when DH & I were flying back home from Orlando, our 1st flight was delayed leaving and also delayed arriving in the connecting airport. By the time we landed at airport #1, Southwest already had assigned us to a different flight, so we didn't have to go to the counter or anything and didn't have to hassle in a long phone queue either. It was pretty nice.

This is why I try to avoid layovers/connections at all costs, MCO has direct non-stop flights to virtually every major US city (and even smaller cities) as well many international destinations.. I have always been able to find direct non-stop flights when flying to/from MCO..

 

[Cheburashka]

This is why I try to avoid layovers/connections at all costs, MCO has direct non-stop flights to virtually every major US city (and even smaller cities) as well many international destinations.. I have always been able to find direct non-stop flights when flying to/from MCO..

That really depends on which city you're flying from. Until last year, you could only fly from Austin to Orlando nonstop via Southwest or JetBlue. None of the legacies offered that because we're not a hub city. American finally added a nonstop last year, but at the same time, JetBlue dropped their Orlando/Austin flights. We're not the biggest city in the country, but not small, either. Nonstops aren't always an option, especially if you have scheduling constraints.

I agree with you, though, that nonstops are the way to go whenever it's workable for your city and schedule.

 

[JimMIA]

This is why I try to avoid layovers/connections at all costs, MCO has direct non-stop flights to virtually every major US city (and even smaller cities) as well many international destinations.. I have always been able to find direct non-stop flights when flying to/from MCO..

Right, and we have a similar situation at MIA because we are such a major hub for AA. The problem is not finding non-stop flights.

The problem is actually being able to FLY them, because the airlines very often cancel the non-stop and switch you to connecting.

And as I said above, this is not new news -- it was occurring before Covid.

 

[Keacc]

Really worried about our flight from Chicago to Edinburg Scotland (via London) on May 27,2022. My wife and I have the only seats blocked off in Business Class on a 787. There are only 28 seats blocked on the entire plane. This trip was originally scheduled for May of 2021, but was canceled because of COVID.

 

[Farro]

Right, and we have a similar situation at MIA because we are such a major hub for AA. The problem is not finding non-stop flights.

The problem is actually being able to FLY them, because the airlines very often cancel the non-stop and switch you to connecting.

And as I said above, this is not new news -- it was occurring before Covid.

I feel like we are lucky in Chicago? Neither United nor American got rid of daily non-stop to Orlando. We usually have about 4 to 6 non-stops flights a day.

 

[disny_luvr]

Really worried about our flight from Chicago to Edinburg Scotland (via London) on May 27,2022. My wife and I have the only seats blocked off in Business Class on a 787. There are only 28 seats blocked on the entire plane. This trip was originally scheduled for May of 2021, but was canceled because of COVID.

Are there any other AA flights to Scotland that day? I only ask because we are flying AA from Philly to Orlando in April and booked on the last flight out due to having to work that day. I was hesitant to book it because there were maybe 30 seats sold. Three days after I booked, I received notification that our flight changed to about 45 minutes earlier - actually better for us. We are on a smaller plane and there are only about a third of the seats left. I don’t know for sure, but I’m thinking they may have combined two flights. Anyway, I feel much better about the flight now.

Good luck! I hope everything works out for you!

 

[Mrs.AMC]

This is why I try to avoid layovers/connections at all costs, MCO has direct non-stop flights to virtually every major US city (and even smaller cities) as well many international destinations.. I have always been able to find direct non-stop flights when flying to/from MCO..

Good luck finding a direct fight from CHA to MCO (hint, you can not)
Trust me, there are a LOT of cities without direct flights to MCO