Not one thing to like. Three flights all with “mechanical” delays. Never got to where I was going and spent additional $500 for a hotel room. American Airlines is the worst in the industry!
Well, true to American Airlines, both of my flights were delayed. But it’s a good thing that American is so consistently incompetent because if the first flight was delayed in the second flight was on time then I might’ve had a problem..
The gate experience at LAX was abysmal (same for the arrival experience two days prior). Despite the LAX -> SAT schedule of two flights daily, our departure gate was at a smaller hub that we had to be bussed to from Terminal 4. Fortunately, I arrived at LAX extra early and had time to spare, but if I had not known, I might have missed my flight. I looked at the LAX airport map in the AA app and there was no indication of the additional boarding process. Lastly the gate area we were bussed to was crowded with limited food and beverage options. On flight, the fight attendant was hospitable and attentive, the flight was smooth, and AA's free (and working) wifi for AA members were all on the positive side.
The wifi experience is awful. I had to try again and again, taking over 30 minutes, to connect to the wifi. I had to watch the same two ads over and over until I was finally successful. Once connected, it was anything but "high speed" and disconnected at least three times during the flight.
Got home at 3am after deboarding the plane. No compensation offered by American
Awkward carry on process. Forced to check all carry on. No overhead space of worthiness. Left delayed, but made up the time. Crew was amicable.
Two flight changes before the scheduled flight. On the day of the flight, the flight was delayed, which caused the connecting flight to be missed. Then, I was directed to another airport (CUN) and traveled to Tulum. American gave a $12 voucher for lunch. The least expensive item on the menu at a Mexican restaurant was $9.99. Driving to Tulum was a bad auto crash, and traffic was delayed two-plus hours. The bottom line is that we should have been at the hotel at noon, but it ended up at 11:30 PM.
More room. International flight - by the time you put your purse and shoes under the seat in front of you, add in the pillow and blanket they give you- makes for tight fit.
First time flying internationally with AA and probably my last. Not military friendly at all. Didn't allow free checked bag for military family members (dependents) on orders like other airlines. We were charged $100 for baggage weight overage (5 lbs!)even though we had military orders allowing us extra.. Didn’t allow military members to board early. Inefficient and long wait time to board. Seats are smaller and more uncomfortable than other airlines.. no drink service for over 7 hrs of flight! After initial meal was served, the crew never offered a snack or drinks until the breakfast's was served 1 1/2 hrs before landing. Overall expensive and poor experience for the entire flight.
Boarding process was good. I was assigned the most rear (non-reclining) seat in both directions, which wasn't great.
