Horrible experience flying with American. Flight was delayed due to inbound flight delay. Fine, it happens. Then, we were delayed an additional almost 30 minutes due to the paperwork for departure having a "clerical error." Then, upon landing at the destination airport we were stuck on the plane for an HOUR after we landed and pulled up to the gate because apparently there was another plane. An hour waiting for the gate 12:30 AM when the flight has already been delayed due to operational error feels like a complete failure of the ability to do the one thing they need to do apart from actually have the plane takeoff and land. Very disappointing.
It was a 3 hour flight from Dallas to Missoula. The aircraft did not have power plugs, internet or in-flight entertainment. When boarding, one flight attendant was "somewhere in the airport" so delayed the boarding process (not coming from another flight) although we did take off on time and landed early. In flight there was little to no service - we got the standard beverage but no real connection with the crew which feels unusual for a 3 hour flight. A passenger needed help stowing her bag and got no assistance, and actually some passive aggressive comments from the flight attendants about "she needs to remove the extender" and "she'll have to find a place for it". I have seen others be helpful and put a bag in the closet, or support assistance as the boarding door was already closed. Just not a great experience considering the cost of my round trip ticket {$1000}.
Disorganized boarding. Mandatory to gate check bags. Curt flight staff. No space for cabin bag, even when I was in first class.
On time departure & early arrival. Made a long day much better.
The ground closures and flight delays were unwelcome. I think the captain did what he could to manage expectations for the delays, but the stress level increasing in the cabin was palpable with every announcement. It may be obvious to those who fly frequently, but if the ground is closed for us to get to a gate, it's also closed for connecting flights to leave. Other passengers were so stressed they were rude. A bit further explanation could have helped.
We had a mechanical delay which made us 90 minutes late (9:30 PM) then land and put into the penalty box because a plane was in our gate? What the hell! We should get priority.Damn American.
Overall, my last three trips on American Airlines have all been either delayed or "rescheduled" due to mechanical issues. At least on delay caused me to miss two possible connecting flights each later than the first. My last option for my last connection required the assistance of the onsite service desk (O'Hare Airport). The wait time for the service desk was such that it jeopardized getting booked on the last connecting flight available for the night. Suffice it to say, my latest experiences with American Airlines have caused me extensive loss of productive business and personal time and can therefore be classified as significantly less than satisfactory.
American was having a problem with their kiosks when I arrived which made the check-in and bag drop process unusually long. Additionally, they only had one person working check-in. Eventually, the kiosks were fixed and everything else went smoothly.
After multiple delays (I lost count), the flight was canceled due to a "maintenance issue". So instead of a direct flight arriving at 5:00, I had to take a flight connecting through Chicago. That flight was also delayed, partially because the plane from the cancelled flight hadnt been removed from the gate and there was nowhere for the other plane to park. (Did nobody think this might be an issue during the hours after that flight was canceled?) The connecting flight out of Chicago was delayed as well. I didn't arrive until 12:30am the next morning. I should have just cancelled the trip. It wasn't worth the hassle and stress.
The flight was short. However, my bag was delayed and was put on another flight.
