American Airlines

I booked my American Airlines flight online and they took the money out of my account immediately and then hours later emailed me saying "the seats I selected were not available." So I tried calling multiple times and after 45 minutes finally got a representitive and they told me my seat number would be given to me at the airport. I arrived and when I got through security and to my gate they denied me getting on the flight when I still had 10 minutes to departure. My father died and I was trying to get home ASAP. They told me they would put me on standby. After spending 5 hours at the airport I found out 5 people were in front of me for stand by. The people were rude and did not seem eager to help passengers. Will never in my life try to fly through American Airlines and will never recommend them. Also they said my ticket was non refundable.

First flight from Des Moines to Lihue they changed planes so the $75.00 extra I paid for exit seats and extra leg room seats were no longer - told me they would refund my money! Which doesn't help on a 7.5hr flight when someone got lucky and got exit row seat that's did not pay for them! Then checking in to fly home, the same problem - we were the 6th person to check in I asked they said they switched planes and we would not get our seats and everyone had checked in! Which was not true. So once again "we are sorry you will be refunded I'm 2 to 3 billing cycles. So someone that did not pay for exit row seats gets our seats again. They just change seats with people who have not checked in!

Boston to Aruba via Miami. Once again flew American Airlines and once again we had problems. What everyone else is saying about this airline is true. The plane used from Boston to Miami looked nice and new from the outside, but it's a whole different story on the inside. Inside the aircraft, the interior is horribly outdated and not clean at all. The plane smelled horrible the whole way. Worst of all, there is no in flight entertainment. Large TV monitors every few rows and the one closest to me wasn't even working! The seats are so uncomfortable and the leg room is virtually non-existent. Many of the seats show wear and tear. The flight attendants were rude and have miserable personalities and act like they are doing you a favor in serving you. The food was the worst I have had on an airline, especially on the return flight. I fly to the Caribbean every year and American Airlines is the worst airline I have travelled with.

We sat by a large person and he was unable to fit in his seat without taking up 1/3 of the middle seat. There were a few open seats around us. Unsure why this large man was not given the extra room he clearly needed. There needs to be allowances for obese people. It is not reasonable to expect me to give up a third of my seat and not be able to move. This man was approx 5'9" and weighed no less than 350#. Miserable American Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver.

My wife and I decided to treat ourselves and fly business class to see our son in Raleigh. American Airlines business experience was almost laughable on the return journey. The flight out was OK but not anywhere near as good as other airlines. The return journey was abysmal. From surly check in which even my son commented on,to an ancient aircraft and inedible food. We assumed from all the advertising about the newly refitted planes we would enjoy a comfy flight. I checked in online the day before and looked at the seat plan to make sure it was the new configuration which it was. On boarding what a disappointment to find an ancient plane with the old seats and shabby interior. We have experienced these old planes before and our hearts sank. So much for a treat. The stewardess was in such a rush to serve my wife she skipped the nuts and gave her her starter immediately, before she was ready, her plate was whipped away and her entre plonked in its place. We had to laugh because we felt we were in a carry on film. What is it with American Airlines staff? They need some training as something is missing, and their customer service is dire. Sadly they have a monopoly on the Raleigh route. We will consider going another route next time on British Airways who are so much better. One good thing, the plane landed on time. Wake up, American and sample what other airlines are doing. If you must use ancient planes let the customer know in advance to save the disappointment on boarding.

Our noon flight to Dallas from Austin seemed routine, the plane had just come from Dallas with no issues. But after backing away from the gate, the plane sat for what seemed like a long time with no explanation. Finally, Captain told everyone that the plane had a faulty ignition and would have to return to the gate for maintenance inspection. After telling everyone that repairs would take "about a half hour" he then came back and said delays would now be another hour. He let people unboard, which later resulted in further delays. By the time we took off we were two hours behind. Once again there was an unusually long delay between leaving the gate & getting off the ground. When we finally landed in Dallas, again another long delay getting to the gate. We missed our connecting flight by 5mins and had to wait 5 hrs from the next flight. We were bumped from row 14 to row 28. Never again will we fly American Airlines.

There is no doubt that American carriers in general lag behind their European, Middle Eastern and Asian counterparts in anything from service, equipment to entertainment. On my recent flight on American Airlines it came to a new low at least as far as entertainment is concerned. The available selection and more so the interface is not something I expected to see on a Boeing 777. The movie selection was minuscule, even compared to carriers such as United. The New release selection comprised a handful of features and most of them weren't even that new. The features are not "on demand" they have a cycle and you have to either watch what is in progress or wait for the next feature to start. The food in general is mediocre but since my flight originated in London it is probably better than if I had started my trip in Miami. Generally speaking I find that the quality of food on US carriers is better coming out of Europe rather than arriving into.

Business class on the American Airlines 787 is an excellent product flying from Madrid to Dallas. Seat is very comfortable, food and wine were very good, AVOD selection and screen resolution made it easy to pass some time away. Cabin crew were available and friendly. Liked the stand up area around the bar. Would definitely recommend them.

Please don't ever lose an item on an American Airlines airplane. I realized after landing in Miami that I had dropped my phone on the plan (Flight 2059). I went to the AA information desk and they told me that the plane was on its way back Charlotte (which seemed like a very quick turn around and I highly doubt that AA is that efficient). I was told that I would be able to retrieve my phone at Charlotte Airport when I return. I did file a lost and found report with AA on their website and got a generated e-mail that stated I would have to contact the airport. A week later when I landed back in Charlotte I went straight to the AA counter in the baggage claim area. I explained about my phone and the first thing out of the girls mouth was that I would need to come back in the morning because her supervisor was not there. I told her that I lived 2 hours away and it was impossible to come back in the morning. She then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes going through the computer system and finally told me that she did not see a phone matching my description. I have called AA at Charlotte Airport and all you get is a recording stating to leave your information and IF the item is found they will call you back. There is no way of talking to a real person. Needless to say it has been almost two weeks and I have yet to hear anything. If AA cannot even return a phone when given the exact information on where and when the phone was lost, I cannot imagine what they do with really expensive items that they retrieve from planes. Obviously they must make some money on these found items because I read after 90 days items are turned over to the City of Charlotte.

I flew from Los Angeles to Miami for vacation with American Airlines and this flight was a bad one. The plane was painted in the new livery, but don't let the new exterior deceive you. The interior of the plane was outdated, as the seats were very uncomfortable to sit in and looked like they were from the 1990s. The trays were difficult to fold back into place once you unfolded them, and some even had scratches and ink marks from over the years. The lavatories were showing their age and were disgusting. The only entertainment sources of entertainment you had were magazines, the window, and what you brought on the plane. They had TVs on the ceiling, but they only started playing a movie in the last hour or so of the flight. The cabin crew was the best part of the flight. They came around a few times with beverages and snacks, and they were dedicated to doing their job. There was barely any turbulence, which made the flight very smooth. The people on the ground were also nice, and boarding was organized. Overall, I would not recommend flying American Airlines.