[sturuk]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

This story is a classic example of how the airline industry operates. It treats customers like pawns in a game of chess. You were lied to, passed from piller to post and treated very badly.

However, I think you have unreasonable expectations if you think that airlines will be responsible for consequential damages for the loss of income, caused by delays. Just imagine the potential costs of that... let's say an airline was operating an Airbus A380 on a route and it was delayed in similar circumstances to your situation. If 500 passengers submitted claims for $500, that would cost $250,000 per flight every time it was delayed. If you imagine how many flights each airline operates, the numbers would become utterly unmanageable. The truth is, if your claim succeeded, it would bankrupt the industry.

Your experience of airline employees lying to you, telling you whatever they need to say to get you away from their desk and generally messing you around is highly typical of the industry generally. It makes your blood boil and make demands to be compensated not just for your losses, but also which reflects the need to make the airline take responsbility. I don't think you will get a better offer than a $500 voucher, if this is a genuine offer. If you fly often, I would go for that. If you prefer not to fly with them again I think the best you could go for would be the cost of the phone call, but even then, I think you are not likely to succeed. Airlines are most reluctant to pay actual cash compensation.

As for the cheese... perishable goods in checked bags.... you gambled and lost on no delays... I can't imagine them paying out on that.

Frustrating as it is, I would probably take their offer, use it for my next flight and then never fly AA again. It is almost never better to fly US based airlines to international destinations. The standards of service have falled so rapidly, they are no longer capable of matching the service standards of even mediocre international carriers.

My advice to you is, use the voucher if you can, and never fly AA again. They are the worst of the worst, in my opinion!