[kdemersme]

I am not looking for any compensation or apologies, just acknowledgement that they have received this complaint.


On Sun. Jan 13, 2019, the DC area was struck by a very bad snowstorm which grounded about 100 flights. My child and his group were in DC for the weekend for a conference and were scheduled to fly out on American Airlines at 11:30 from DCA (Reagan National.) They waited two hours in the airport to board the plane. Because they were the last to board, they had to check their carryon luggage at the boarding desk. After they boarded, American Airlines became the Laurel and Hardy of airlines. What should have eventually been a quick take-off became an almost 3 hour ordeal of de-icing, waiting in line for an hour or so, then de-icing again, then waiting again to take-off, then going back to the gate to deboard because of legal requirements on how long you can be on a plane, and then getting ready to board again only to find out that their flight had been cancelled.

Now, bad weather is bad weather, and it is understandable when airlines have to cancel because of weather. But when another airline can get their planes out and you can't, and both planes are going to the same geographic area, then you know something is not right. After finding the flight cancelled, the group waited over an hour in line to rebook their tickets on another plane the next day, and then took another hour to actually rebook the ticket. How it was described was that American had an understaffed ticket counter and one ticket agent who was described as moving 'like a sloth'. And then after tickets were rebooked, the group had to go in search for their luggage, which was brought off the plane 3 hours after they deboarded! This took them another hour. What started out at 11:30 am ended at 11:30 pm. Completely unacceptable.


So, in conclusion, please American, take a look at the other airlines like Southwest that still able to fly, or get their passengers rebooked quickly, and find out what you are do wrong. If you have to cancel a flight, cancel it. Don't play the 'let's board and wait to see what happens' game. My son, my entire family, will not be flying American Airlines ever based on this experience.


Thank you.