The "on the ground" A/C was not working. It was so hot while waiting to get in the air, a passenger from the rear of the plan declared "I just can't!" and waited in the gangway until time to close the doors. It was miserable. But the crew were champs and had an amazing attitude. I know they were as miserable as we were but didn't let that affect their performance.
American Airlines is a miserable experience. It is predictably miserable, in the sense that every time I fly American, I brace myself for the certainty that it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable. But it is unpredictable in the sense that I never know if the flight will be on time or delayed nine hours (both happened to me this week). I never know if I will be able to sit in the seat that I selected when I purchased the ticket or if I will be told by Customer Service (!!!) that I must relocate from first class to a seat in the back of the aircraft with no explanation (both happened to me this week). Will the food be frozen and half defrosted, or scalding hot? Will the drinks be warm? Will the flight attendants be surly and mean? Will the toilets be cramped and foul? Will the seats be narrow and uncomfortable? Will there be a real electric outlet at the seat, or just an unreliable USB-2 port? Will there be enough seats in the boarding lounge or just a few? Will the boarding process be smooth and efficient, or will the gate agents mess it up and delay it needlessly for 30 or 40 minutes? Will the catering and cleaning crew be prompt or will they take an extra 30 minutes? Will the brakes on the aircraft work properly, or will the pilot delay takeoff for four hours while the ground crew attends to what can only be described as routine maintenance that should have been done the night before? I've eexperienced every one of these unpleasant things this year, 2026. The only thing I can reliably count on is that American will find a new way to make the experience of flying as miserable as they possibly can.
The plane was very creaky and lots of ringing. Plane was dirty and dingy. I couldn't hear the captain's announcements from the flight deck. Not sure if it was the captain or the audio equipment, but good thing there wasn't an emergency where we needed clear instructions. The overhead compartments were clearly full, but the flight crew allowed people to stand in the back with their carry on luggage. Then after everyone boarded, they had to go to the front to gate check their luggage because there was no room for their bags and then they returned to their seats...such a waste of time when clearly the overhead compartments were full when they originally boarded.
The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.
Flight was extremely hot and they made us check our bags when the space was nowhere near full
Boarding was quick and efficient. We arrived at our destination early.
Seat was VERY uncomfortable. Flight was delayed and then boarded slowly. The crew was super helpful with boarding and supporting maximizing the luggage in the overhead.
The flight changed gates multiple times and flight had to be delayed multiple times
Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.
On the return flight, arriving in Denver we sat on the tarmac in Denver for over 20 minutes.
