[FREDLU33]

Hello
This was a copy of an e-mail sent to the Managing Director of customer relations the next day: no reply was ever received and that was a week ago. I removed our names for privacy sake.



and I was scheduled on a flight to leave Chicago to Hartford Ct. on Tuesday night at 7:25 p.m. flight 4205. I confirm the night before . Well as you know the flight was canceled. I was told as I tried to curbside check-in and was directed to the counter at the international check-in, probably because they were less busy. A woman said she would try to see what she could do and said yes please. I have you and your companion, booked on a United flight at 8:25 p.m., great. But as I started to walk away with the ticket I found it was to Mamaroneck New York. I had given the woman (sorry I never got her name) my confirmation paper with the itinerary and the barcode. So I have no idea where Mamaroneck came from, but I turned back around and told her. She said, quickly, I thought that's where you wanted to go, I said no It’s on the sheet. I gave it back to her and said Hartford/Springfield. She said nothing more and kept punching the keyboards, and then said, would you accept Providence Rhode Island? Initially I thought she was joking, but she wasn't. I am usually a very easy going person and I had a young travel companion, who was beginning to cry. So I was trying to stay calm. I told her my car was in Hartford, and I am scheduled to Hartford because that is where I need to go. I inquired why the flight was canceled, she said air traffic. I asked specifically, what is that, she said air traffic, now I'm beginning to get annoyed. I asked what the airlines liability is, and she said none when it is air traffic related. How can I find out exactly what caused the cancellation, and she handed me a 3 1/2 inch by 2 1/2-inch piece of paper with Craig Clark name on it with a fax number and e-mail address no phone #as I'm sure you know. We tried to e-mail from our phone, but it came back canceled.
I asked who can I speak with to find out what caused us to stay another night in Chicago? She walked over to the next counter and spoke with a man in a green jacket, young 25 to 30, he walked over without looking at a screen or documents or anything else but me and said air traffic and weather. I told him again. I wanted to find out exactly what happened and e-mail came back canceled. His reply, try aa.com that was it!
I've got to assume that they are trained not to say they are sorry or show any concern when theoretically it is not the airlines fault, because they never indicated any concern at all, certainly not the word apologize or sorry ever came up. The gentleman walked away and after some thought I said book us on the next flight, and she did four 6:30 a.m., but never mentioned it was on United Airlines.
For the sake of argument will say that it was my fault because the ticket said American Airlines across the top, but I didn't read in a much smaller print down below where it said United. We learned that at American Airlines terminal that morning that we were on United and we had better hurry. Take the train, or we would not make our flight. That caused my companion and I to run through the airport with our bags go up the escalator down the escalator to make a train to United all the while my companion was crying speaking loudly to put it mildly; I will never fly American again, I'll pay $200 more, but they'll never see me again, and I must admit there were other expletives involved as well. We did make our 630 flight and I know things can happen beyond your control but we merely wanted to know what happened and we were treated like lepers. Yes, things happen but your ‘’customer service” was nonexistent, no it was very much worse than nonexistent.
We only wanted to get to Hartford not Mamaroneck not Providence, and only wanted to know why the flight was canceled, without even getting into making accommodations for the night.
My strongest feelings about this stem from my getting angry. I don't remember the last time I was truly angry. I don't like myself when I get that way and for that I lay the blame on your company. I doubt I/we will ever forget or forgive the way we were treated.

[pattis]

Well ,it's a good thing that you caught the fact that you were booked to Mamoroneck. I am not from the east coast so I am assuming the airport in which you were refering to is white plains. Codes are not even close. May have been the next flight somewhat available to that general area, but she should have ok'd that with you first. Her mistake.

However, you asked the reason for cancelled flight...you got it, sounds to me like you kept badgering her for more info about air traffic control issue. If you kept asking her and getting the same answer what do want ? A diagram? How about this....lots of planes flying around in the sky above the airport, for safety reasons no more can be allowed so they don't crash into eachother. The answer you were given should have been sufficient.
Sure you were inconvienienced and that sucks, but you were given an answer numerous tmes yet did not quite seem to get it. You think they were rude to you, and yes, customer service reps are supposed to patient and helpful, yet even the best sometimes have a hard time "dumbing-down " a situation for someone to try and comprehend that just does'nt get it.

You think you were treated like lepers???? That's just a really ignorant thing to even say.

[FREDLU33]

I wonder who you work for??? I guess you diden't read what I said. I wanted clarification, I am not an airline employee,I asked her twice & got a two word answer. I wanted to know if the air line had any liability.
Plain english would have surficed(Snow in Indania,Fog in Detroit etc. You were not there so to say I was badgering her ,well that is just plain, --we'll leave that stuff to you.
And yes I should have said like communicable desease,sorry for that to whom it may offend!
You needed to be there if you read my letter I remained calm.in spite of getting no support.
Getting NO response again I feel it my obligation to relay the customer service I received.
Thank you for your intrest and in earnest

[ChrisH]

Sounds like your experience was obviously not great. When a flight cancels, sometimes passengers are booked to cities that are "nearby" their original city, when no more flights, or not more flights with seats open, are available to their original destination. The agent should have confirmed that this was okay with you, and she didn't. It is a good thing you caught it.

Air traffic delays, or cancellations are basically just too much traffic congestion in the skies, like when the interstate backs up. Air traffic control will cancel flights due to this, to reduce the congestion. The airlines are not liable for these cancellations, as it is not within their control.

It sounds like the agent was not very helpful with regards to a better explanation, but keep in mind she may not have known herself. Many people think that airline employees know the ins, and outs of every delay, and cancelation. The truth is, we can only go by what the computer days, which in this case, would have been "air traffic". Being a customer service agent for an airline, and also having my pilot's license, I understand these things better, and can explain them to passengers, but a lot of agents do not know anything more than the computer days "cancelled - air traffic", when I pull up the flight information on a particular flight.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Sounds like you may have had your ticket issued at a travel agency, or through a corporate travel department. Travel agencies tend to hand you substantially more paperwork than is the case if you buy your ticket on-line, or at the airport. Marmaroneck, NY may have appeared on some informational material included with your ticket.

Prior to the day of your travel, go-over your ticket with a fine-tooth comb. Airlines----the good ones, and the bad----closely resemble the old-time Florida swamp salesmen. Lots of useless BS covering the few important sentences. If you're not careful, you can wind-up sleeping on the airport floor. Basically, check the airline codes before each flight number; check for any phrases reading "operated by," followed by an airline name. If you have a connecting flight, make sure it's physically possible to make the connection. Airlines LOVE to sell tickets, with connecting flights, where no human being can possibly make the connection. Example: The connecting time is 30 minutes, and the departing gate is a mile from the arriving gate. Or, the arriving gate, and the departing gate are in two different terminals.

To keep your sanity, AVOID "legacy" airlines, that is, AMERICAN, DELTA, NORTHWEST, UNITED, and US AIRWAYS. The people who work at these airlines, in too many cases, are hard core sociopaths. They either hate their jobs, and/or, they have their job because there were no openings when they applied for work at McDonald's.

Civility, in air travel, can be found at: ALASKA, FRONTIER, JETBLUE, MIDWEST, SOUTHWEST, and VIRGIN AMERICA. In a pinch, CONTINENTAL is ok provided you can afford first class, and, if the trip does NOT involve travel on a Continental Express flight operated by EXPRESS JET. Continental IS a "legacy" airline, however, again, it's worth taking a chance with if the other airlines are not available.

The link for my travel commentary blog is listed below. On it I discuss AMTRAK as an alternative to traveling with "legacy" airlines.

http://groups.google.com/groups/prof...o7PylW0wCVGllQ

[FREDLU33]

Chrish

I realized she perhaps diden't know though she would not look up at me when answering so I asked how I could find out exactly what the problem was so she handed me off to a "supervisor" who w/o looking at any data said traffic control and some weather and walked away. So now I asked how I can find out exactly what caused the problem because either they diden't know or they don't want to tell me. I got the little slip of paper with the name, fax# and an e mail address which came back,canceled. So I wrote the e mail listed and got no response;this was to "customer Service"
I just want you to know I am not som lunatic at the counter. I just wanted to know why I was being put through this. They acted like the words Air Traffic was a magic wand.
Anyway thanks for the info
Best Regards
Fred

[dutchy996]

Hi there, having recently been a victim of 'we have had a problem - but now it's your problem' approach from Delta staff and being left feeling like you can be treated in any way without a simple apology for your delays, I an understand your frustration. I would put it to bed if I were you, it's not worth continuing to get upset about. I was dumped in New York early hours in the morning due to a problem outside my control and my response has been 'tough'. We just want people to understand this is a major stress to us normal mortals... isn't that what 'customer service' is supposed to mean. These things can wind up even the most patient person, it wouldn't take much to avoid that stress. I hope you don't have to go through it again and would take note of the comments re 'legacy' airlines. I certainly will be.
PS. I'm a Brit and haven't been left with a very good impression of my fellow American airlines after my recent trip there. Take care and and just remember, you are stressing about it, but no one at the airline cares or will lose sleep over it, so why should you.

[FREDLU33]

But I feel it is my obligation to tell each and all until it is made whole(which I'm sure will never be). As a consumer they put me in the position of a cronic complainer as far as AA goes. It may not sound it but dosen't bother me in the least
Thanks and sorry you had the experience also
Fred