A decent airline with a few problems....
Written: Jun 27 '03 (Updated Jun 29 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Frequent flyer awards, network (routing), American Eagle commuter service
Cons: Disappearing meal service, hub congestion, occasional odd scheduling of flights
The Bottom Line: A good, reliable airline that gets you from Point A to Point B, backed by a long history of good service.
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| Tigger1313's Full Review: American Airlines |
American Airlines can be the best or the worst choice in air travel. I have learned over time that one experience is usually not enough to pass judgment on anyone or anything. Fortunately, I have traveled on American Airlines extensively and feel that I am able to give a fair and well-balanced objective opinion regarding this company.
What is American Airlines?
Of course, the name says it all. It's an airline that is based in the United States, specifically Ft. Worth, Texas. However, there is more to it than that. American Airlines (AA) is part of AMR Corporation and also has two affiliate airlines: American Eagle and American Connection. More about American Connection in a moment. AA flies to about 250 cities world-wide, and maintains hubs in Chicago O'Hare (ORD), St. Louis (STL), Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU). It also has commuter (Eagle and Connection) bases in all of the above hubs, plus Los Angeles (LAX), New York Kennedy (JFK), and Boston (BOS). On a seasonal basis, AA flies to Glasgow, Rome, Anchorage, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the summer, and many of the ski cities in Colorado (such as Vail) in the winter.
American Connection is the "brand name" used for various affiliate airlines that fly under the American Airlines name but are NOT owned by AA. You will only find this when flying in and out of St. Louis (STL) or San Juan (SJU). In STL, these airplanes are either operated by Trans States Airlines, Chautauqua Airlines, or Corporate Airlines, although they look and feel, on the inside and out, like a scaled-down version of an American Airlines plane. In SJU, these airplanes are operated by Executive Airlines. American Eagle and American Connection run both regional jets and propellor (prop, or as I like to call them, pigeons) planes, although American Eagle no longer runs pigeon planes in the cold weather climates, such as the Northeast and in and out of Chicago O'Hare (ORD).
AA uses seven different types of jet aircraft: Boeing Super 80 (S80), 737, 757, 767, and 777, Fokker 100 (F-100) (to be eventually discontinued somewhere around 2005), and Airbus A-300. The S80 and F-100 are the two smallest, followed by the 737 and 757. The widebody aircraft, the 767, A-300, and 777 are used primarily for international routes.
Ticketing, Check-In, and Pre-flight
Ticketing
Background
Tickets these days are primarily electronic if you are travelling domestically or only on one airline. Most, if not all, airlines offer e-tickets. Furthermore, you can obtain a ticket on most any airline, including AA, from any number of sources. AA would prefer, of course, that you book it with them directly either over the phone, at an airport, at a city ticket office, or online at www.aa.com However, you can also book tickets through a variety of online sources (Travelocity, Hotwire, Expedia, Orbitz, etc.) or through a travel agent.
The touted perception
E-tickets are the thing of today. Not only can you travel on AA with an e-ticket, but you can purchase one e-ticket and travel on any major U.S. airline. (Non-major airlines include Southwest, jetBlue, AirTran, and other similar discount carriers.) E-tickets are easier to change, and you have the added convenience of never having to worry about losing your ticket! Also, AA price matches the competition in most markets, resulting in lower fares for you.
The reality
It's true that AA does primarily use e-tickets, especially since they are considerably cheaper to handle than their paper counterparts. I have to admit, the fact that they can't be lost is definitely a bonus, since AA charges a $100 fee to reissue lost paper tickets. Heaven forbid, of course, that only one person were to lose their tickets. With that hefty fee, it could put a serious damper on a vacation. Were an entire family to lose their tickets, and I have seen it happen before, it would completely ruin a trip. On the other side though, e-tickets are not necessarily easier to change than paper ones. There is less paperwork retention for the airline to handle, but the process can be just as aggravating. If you have to go to the airport to have a ticket changed, forget it. With all of the cutbacks in staffing that AA has gone through, most often I find that there is ONE PERSON handling anything ticket related. Furthermore, half of the time, they end up having to call someone to figure out how to reissue the ticket. This not only wastes my time, but wastes the time of others in line who can't check in with the stupid machine. More about that in a moment.
The e-tickets are transferable between airlines, which supposedly comes in handy when the airlines have delays and cancellations. Past experience has taught me that this system is not to be easily trusted. I was coming back from London Heathrow (LHR) this past February with a layover in Chicago O'Hare (ORD) before continuing on to Washington Dulles (IAD). I was supposed to connect to American Eagle, but upon arrival into Chicago I discovered that my flight was cancelled due to an impending snowstorm. I was rebooked on United (and I still shudder at the thought) and was told that my e-ticket had been sent over to them. When I arrived at United, which is, of course, in a completely different terminal, they couldn't find my reservation or my ticket. After quite a bit of wrangling and phone time with AA, they were able to sort it out. After all was said and done, the agent said to me, "It would have been easier if they had just printed the ticket to paper." Straight from the horse's mouth.
As for that "fare matching" thing, to a degree it is true. If you book well enough in advance, you can get the same rate on just about any airline, including the discount airlines. If you book last minute, forget it. You'll need to bring your life savings, and then amputate some precious limbs and fork over your firstborn for what will still be a coach seat. Then you'll have to agonize over the fact that you paid $2,000 for your middle seat while the guy next to you on the aisle paid $300. For example, last December I booked a ticket to go from Washington Dulles (IAD) to London Heathrow (LHR) in February and paid $346. For an international flight, $346 isn't just cheap. It's rock-bottom dirt cheap. I figure there are only two ways to get there in a less expensive fashion.
1. Have someone seal you inside a box. Punch air holes in the side. Have yourself sent Cargo Mail, 4th class.
2. Swim.
The person sitting next to me was loudly complaining to anyone who would listen about how AA took advantage of him because he had to travel at the last minute, thus creating a travel bill of $2800. We did find out later that his company was footing the bill, but nevertheless, that does seem to border on the obscene.
Check-In
Background
AA wants you there 90 minutes before if your final destination is domestic, or 2 hours before if you will end up out of the country. Some of this stems from security issues in a post-9/11 world, but most of it just comes from common sense. At the airport, you can check-in outside at the curb (most airports), or inside, either with an agent or with a kiosk. With the changes implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), it is no longer an option to check-in at the gate. You must have a boarding pass to clear security.
The touted perception
If you are not at the airport 90 minutes before departure, you will be horse-whipped, followed by an immediate ending of the world in which you will be the sole cause of blame. Should you make it there on time, you will be permitted to take on one carry-on and one personal item. If they do not fit exactly in the baggage sizer which is sometimes displayed for you to test your bag in, then you have to check it. Check-in is quick and painless, and everyone loves to use the check-in kiosk. The only thing that would make it better than sliced bread is if it let you withdraw money, saving a trip to the ATM.
The reality
You can actually make it to the airport 40 minutes before your flight and still get on, usually without any hassle. If, by some chance, you do miss the flight, AA is pretty good about rebooking you on the next available flight, or if everything is full, letting you go standby. Be careful with them and checked luggage. Ever since they started screaming about their finances, they have seemingly forced their agents to crack down on their passengers and charge them for everything. They have recently lowered the weight limit to 50lbs. per bag. If it weighs 51, either start repacking or get out the checkbook. Watch your carry-ons as well. If one ends up being too big, they'll make you check it, which will probably end up costing you. However, you can actually take a carry-on that is larger than allowed most of the time and get away with it.
The check-in kiosks AA has are a waste of time. The first problem is that if you are travelling domestically with an e-ticket, they FORCE you to use them. Not give you an option. Force. I was travelling through Baltimore (BWI) on my way to Orange County (SNA) and went to check-in. I usually prefer to check-in with an agent anyway, since my giving them something to do hopefully shows AA management that they are needed and keeps them in their jobs. When I arrived, I was immediately accosted by an AA person who asked me where I was going and if I had an e-ticket. I responded and was immediately shown into the line for the kiosk. I replied that I did not want to use the machine, and was told that I had no other alternative if I wanted to travel today. I was then told that unless I had a paper ticket, was travelling internationally, wanted to change a ticket, or was travelling in First Class, I had to use the machine. So I waited for the stupid piece of junk, went through all the steps only to have it bounce me out. After about 10 minutes, an agent finally came over to me to assist me (there were only three behind the ENTIRE COUNTER, along with the one person in the front), only to tell me that my reservation had changed (it was now a connection instead of a through flight), and that's why it didn't work. Now, if I could have just checked in with an agent to start with, I wouldn't have had to waste 10 minutes!
The pre-flight
Can't say a whole lot about the rest of the time on the ground, as it is pretty standard. Go through security, go to the gate, and wait. We did start to get a little nervous when 35 minutes before the flight an agent hadn't shown up to the gate. When they did show up, they ignored the line of people waiting at the desk to ask questions and began calling group numbers to board the plane. I just got on the plane and hoped that maybe those people would get an answer.
My biggest complaint about most airlines that use the hub and spoke system is the congestion in the hub cities. Dallas is always crowded, and knowing my luck, my connecting gate is at the opposite end of the airport. This means have to weave through, dodge, step over, kick, push, and possibly maim, if necessary, about 20,000 other people just to get from the terminal door to the walkway to go to the next gate. Then the real fun begins. As if that weren't enough, half the time I have to run to my next gate because the plane is leaving exactly 40 minutes after I arrive. The other half of the time I could crawl on my fingertips and still make it to the next gate in time due to a three-hour layover. If I'm really lucky, I'll have gotten one of those routings that takes me through not one, but two or three different cities just to get to my final destination. How often do YOU go to Los Angeles from Washington via Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco?
Riding on the plane
AA's most highly advertised feature is "More Room Throughout Coach," and you really can notice the difference. After I had to fly on United that one time due to my flight being cancelled, then you REALLY notice the difference in legroom. Who would have thought two inches would make that much of a difference? The coveted exit rows offer even more legroom, as long as you are qualified to sit there. Personally, I have no problem being the first one out in the event of an emergency. My biggest complaint, as is from many, that the seats could always be a little wider. Then again, if my posterior was a little narrower, then it wouldn't be as much of an issue! Depending on the plane, the amenities are different. Most offer adjustable headrests, and all AA jets except the Super 80 and Fokker 100 have some sort of onboard entertainment. The 777 and A-300 have individual viewing screens that have 10 channels of movies and other programming (long flights only). AA used to charge $5.00 to watch the movie. Now it's free, unless you don't have headphones; then they let you buy them for $2.00. You even get to keep them after the flight. The lavatories are small, like on any airline, although the ones on the 777 are large enough for me to turn around in. What an improvement.
Update: I happened to neglect the most recent news that AA has put out regarding More Room Throughout Coach. From what I am told, they are only taking seats out on the Airbus A-300s and select 757 aircraft. These planes primarily serve leisure markets (Hawaii and the Caribbean) where price is more of a factor than pitch (the space between seats). Since that is the case, AA is putting the seats back in on those aircraft so they can compete with the airlines who didn't take the seats out. The rest of the fleet will maintain More Room Throughout Coach, at least for the time being.
Meal service is spotty at best. Many flights no longer offer meal service, and, domestically, the ones that do offer what is called "bistro service" in coach. It's a sack lunch of seriously inedible resemblances to a turkey sandwich, baby carrots, potato chips, and a brownie or cookies. I just take the sugar and chuck the rest. Transcontinental, Hawaii, and international flights all serve "real" meals. It's airline food. What do you expect? Be happy you get something at all. Most flights offer food service in First Class, which averages from one step up from Bistro Service to fairly decent.
The planes are pretty new and are rather nice. It's always nice to be on the first flight of the day when the plane is spotless. If you ever take an afternoon flight, don't be surprised if it is reminiscent of a teenager's bedroom. A lot of times the planes only get a "spot cleaning" to make it look semi-presentable, especially if the plane has to go back out in a hurry.
The flight attendants are usually courteous, although there is one or two bad apples in the bunch. I have discovered that mentioning anything to do with St. Louis is a bad thing around this group though. This stems from the acquisition of TWA in 2001, and there is still a lot of bad blood in all workgroups between the two, even though they do try to co-exist somewhat peacefully. (St. Louis was TWA's hub before AA bought them)
Back on the ground
I don't know why, but it seems that my bag is destined to be the last one out, no matter what time I check in. However, I have to say that with as much as I travel on AA, when I do check a bag, it always makes it with me. To date, AA has never misdirected or lost my luggage yet. I have had it damaged once, and they took care of it without any hassles.
Frequent Flyer
AA's frequent flyer program, AAdvantage, is reportedly the first one ever in the airline industry and is also the largest. There are tons of ways to earn miles, even without flying. For more information on the AAdvantage program, click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to go to my review of the AAdvantage program. What I will say here is that if you fly fairly often, there is something to be said for sticking to one airline. Once you have flown enough to join the airline's group of top frequent flyers, flying becomes much nicer when you start to reap the rewards they give out. As a matter of fact, with American, once you become AAdvantage Gold (achieved after flying 25,000 miles in one calendar year), you can check-in at the First Class line. Now if that isn't a perk all by itself, I don't know what is!
In summary
Whew! Thought I'd never get here, huh? AA is a pretty good airline. Like any business, they have their problems. I have found them to be rather reliable. They don't run late very often, their employees overall tend to be courteous, the service onboard isn't bad (if there is any at all). As a matter of fact, one was even nice enough to push my grandmother in a wheelchair when she came out to visit when the person who was supposed to do it (someone from a contract company) didn't show up. I just keep in mind the fact that this company is going through some tough times and the employees have to shoulder a lot of that weight, especially as they watch their friends being laid off, thus causing more work for them. I have definitely seen worse...
AA offers a lot of options to get me from Point A to Point B, at a number of different times, and usually at an affordable price. Do they have room for improvement? Absolutely. Do I think they are up to the challenge? You better believe it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Tigger1313
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Member: Rob
Location: Reisterstown, MD
Reviews written: 56
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
Is bouncin' what Tiggers do the best? What a ridicerous question! Of course!
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