Giving American Airlines A Second Chance
Written: Jan 05 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Years of experience
Cons: Cookies are not for everyone
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| Jpinions's Full Review: American Airlines |
This past fall my sister and I flew on American Airlines and one of it's affiliates to Hawaii. (See "Better Late Than Dead") Although it really was not a "nightmare" trip, it could have been better. This December I was able to give American Airlines a second chance. I decided sometime in October to visit my parents for the Holidays. It was determined I would use frequent flyer miles to pay for the flight. As it turns out, even planning ahead, the dates around Christmas were blacked out to coach fare tickets. That is, if I wanted to use the miles. I was told the only way to bypass the blackout was by flying Business Class. It required using 40,000 as opposed to 25,000 miles. What a difference a class makes.
It may be unfair to say American has redeemed itself based on this experience. Did I have a better time just because of the upgrade? I do not think so. The problem with my trip to Hawaii did not really have anything to do with the actual flight. Largely my complaint was with the ground crew. There was some mechanical problem with our original plane that was later substituted for another. I am glad we did not fly in a faulty craft. My chief complaint was the lack of communication from the ground crew and lack of concessions made to those of us who were waiting five hours to begin our vacation.
By contrast, my trip East was very smooth. I believe we had about a fifteen minute delay. Otherwise, my nonstop flight to Boston was actually early due to tailwinds.
I was supposed to have a long lay over. However, since I was early I got on the next connecting flight at 4:25 p.m. instead of waiting until 6:15 p.m. The only hitch was my luggage was checked through and would not be on my flight with me. Since that was my doing, I did not mind. My thinking was I would rather wait on the other end with my family then alone in Boston.
It turns out my original 6:15 p.m. flight ended up delayed. Instead of waiting around for my bag we went to my parents'. Since they live only seven miles from the airport, we resolved to return for the bag in the morning.
The flight across country could not have been any better. Aside from my trip in the fall, I had not flown American Airlines in some years. They have been advertising they moved coach seats to give more legroom. I cannot attest to this personally, though other travelers told me they noticed a difference.
My Business class seat had plenty of legroom. Actually, the first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to get settled into my seat. I had a window seat. The person sharing my row was already in her seat when I arrived. There was plenty of room to get into my seat without taking up space in the aisle. And later, during the flight, when she was asleep I had enough room to step over her without needing to wake her. She did not need to get up to let me out. It is amazing how civilized it was to be afforded more room.
Oh, but legroom is not the only thing one gets in Business class. There is the juice before the doors are even closed. The hot towel to wash your hands and face with. And then there is menu for your meal. There are more beverage services and more food in business class.
My flight over had breakfast. Before the hot breakfast was served there was fruit and choice of banana or lemon bread or a bagel. That would have been enough for me. The hot food followed with a choice of more bread. I skipped it the second time. I could have had champagne with my endless orange juice, but I skipped that too.
The food was just slightly better than typical airplane food. What made it seem better was it’s presentation. We were served on real china plates with flatware. The orange juice and water was served in glass tumblers. Even the coffee was drinkable. It was poured into a ceramic coffee cup, not some dreaded Styrofoam or plastic.
Sometime before landing, we were served a fruit and cheese plate. Again, the presentation was key here. A couple of small pieces of cheese, a few crackers, and a small bunch of grapes. There was a snack served in coach as well, I do not know what they got. Though passed experiences lead me to believe it was something wrapped in plastic and terribly salty.
Oh yes, then there are the hot cookies. First and Business classes are given hot cookies just before landing. The airline has come up with some method of heating/cooking them on board. The smell pervades the entire cabin. Reminding me of advice a Real Estate agent gave of cooking a batch of cookies before holding an Open House.
My problem with these cookies is they are not for everyone. How do the airlines get away with flooding the plane with the smell of cookies and then not sharing? How difficult is it to offer cookies to everyone? This is a simple rule of sharing: Do not eat sweets in front of others without providing enough for all.
The separation of classes became most pronounced on my return trip. There happened to be a light load in Business class. After making her first round with the cookies, the flight attendant came around again. She had a huge mound of cookies and wanted to see if there were takers for seconds. When I asked if coach got cookies she was aghast. Of course, not.
I suggested she share them with the people behind the curtain. She said the cookies should be all the more reason for travelers to upgrade.
When I balked at the class distinction the flight attendant became a bit defensive. She said that her coworkers in coach went out of their way to make it a pleasant trip for all. The implication was good service is provided to all, regardless of fare paid.
I understand (to a certain extent) making a distinction between First and Business classes over Coach. However, I think some of the basic pleasantries of the higher classes could be extended to coach.
The idea of added legroom is a step in the right direction. Although I think there could be more to it. Coach need not have menus or free booze. The simple use of china and glass over plastic would make things seem much more pleasant. Environmentally, substituting reusable plates and cups makes more sense. Perhaps it is thought less cost effective to use real dishes, but what is efficient about just chucking them? I always cringe when a plane -full of plastic cups gets tossed in the trash.
Aside from the cookies and cups, this trip was better than the one in the fall. I was delayed by two whole days on my return. The difference was communication. This is where the ground crew and customer service became important.
Even though there were only two people working the counter for American Eagle (the puddle jumper division of American), they made a point to keep us informed. When the plane coming from Boston was delayed, they announced it. Later, when the pilot needed to circle awaiting better visibility, there was another announcement. Then when there was a need to bump a few passengers due to weight restrictions, volunteers were asked for. Those of us who agreed to the bump were given immediate new flight arrangements. Additionally, we were awarded a voucher for $400 to use on any One World carrier.
I was all set to try my exact flight again the next day. However, Holiday backlog and tons of snow were in effect. My 2:10 p.m. flight was cancelled. An American Airlines representative saved me the added trip to the airport. She called me at my parents’ early enough to catch us before we left. (She was so relieved to have a number to reach me at. I highly recommend making sure the airlines can reach you at both ends of your trip.)
The agent wanted to make accommodations for another flight. I decided just to try for the same flight plan the next day.
Third time was definitely a charm. My flights went off without a hitch. Sure it was two days later, but there is no controlling the whether. I would have loved to have been home two days earlier. However, at least with the delays, this time I was much better informed and better taken care of. That was due to a more accommodating ground crew and efficient customer service. The cookies were just an added bonus.
(On a different note: I am impressed by how many older flight attendants there are working for American Airlines. It was nice to see the cliche of waitress in the sky was not limited to age-ist images of beauty or effectiveness.)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Jpinions
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Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 4 members
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