Very helpful ground crew after an earlier flight delay and being rebooked on a different flight.
The plane was late and then sat on the runway for almost 45 minutes before taking off.
We kept being told that the flight was full and that all overhead compartments were full and therefore had to check in our hand luggage. We were some of the last people to board and noticed that there was still sufficient space in the overhead compartments. We were obliged to check in hand luggage when there was space and so had to wait at luggage retrieval which took a while to then noticed damage to our luggage - not a great experience!
Worst seats I’ve ever had !!! The seats were very narrow and uncomfortable and misaligned with the seats in front of mine leading to bottom of the seat in front of mine pressing on my legs for 15.5 hours !
This was an overnight flight. There was no meal service in first class, just a simple snack basket was offered along with beverages. There should have been some type of continental breakfast prior to arrival in PHL. As an Executive Platinum American Airlines Advantage member, I received no name recognition from the first class flight attendant. When disembarking at PHL, the flight attendants were more interested in their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as they disembarked.
The flight was quick and to the point. The crew just did their job w/o excessive talking and everything was just perfect.
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.
Amazingly comfy flight - I had upgraded for a reasonable price and it was worth it. The food also was good.
DO NOT BOOK THROUGH AMERICAN AIRLINES IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL NEEDS. Great flight, crew etc. it wasn’t full so had space to stretch out Only downside was there was no GF option for my partner. We booked through American and it was a Qantas flight so despite contacting both airlines to confirm, she didn’t have a gluten free meal for the 16 hour flight (nor the flight in the other direction). The flight attendants did their best to accommodate but it was not super substantial.
Improvements in communication and empathy are absolutely necessary for American Airlines staff (top down). It’s like they are numb to the needs of their customers.
