American Airlines

New York (JFK) to Antigua during the very bad snow on the US East Coast. Early morning departure was going well until we reached the gate and found that a problem with a burst pipe meant no baggage could be loaded. However assume this was a knock on from the weather conditions. We were kept relatively well informed about delay which extended to around 3 hrs. However the anticipation of arriving in 85 degrees warmth mitigated the delay. Service on aircraft was fine. We had seats with extra leg room. Inflight entertainment ok. Only soft drinks were free. We had an egg sandwich which was OK. Flight back was also delayed slightly but made up time to arrive near to scheduled time. No queue at immigration. However all this came to nought due to baggage problem at aircraft which meant we waited an hour for bags to arrive. No complaints about flight crew either way - clearly not as customer focused as Non US airlines but efficient.

Flew RDU-LHR on a free economy ticket. I prefer other airlines but the RDU-LHR non-stop convenience trumps all. It also gives me the opportunity to judge the progress of the AA/USAir merger. On the downside the venerable 767-300 is one year older (27 years and counting) still has the mail slot overhead storage bins the ancient hanging screen entertainment and the excruciatingly uncomfortable seats. I did notice that this old warhorse had been updated with blended winglets to save money which I'm certain they pass along to those paying for tickets. On board the hot breakfast croissant has been replaced with a box of sugar laden treats and the dinner has regressed from merely uninteresting to inedible. The flight attendants are excellent given what they have to work with - even giving up their crew rest seats to accommodate the spring breakers who made this a 100% full flight. On the plus side a current movie that I had considered paying to see (Whiplash) swift check-in and 45 minutes early into LHR. AA doesn't seem challenged to upgrade their transatlantic game but unless you're flying from RDU there must be a better option to get from the U.S. to the UK.

Flew JFK to Manchester. First disaster came when checking in for flight to be told as a group of 6 we couldn't be seated together. Then it got worse as we couldn't be sat as couples unless we paid $260.00 per couple. Once on board we were sat apart. The cabin crew were at best unkempt and rude. The meal we were served was awful. Only 1 toilet was working for the full economy cabin on a 757 this is not good on a 6 hour flight. Overall a disappointing experience and will not fly on American again.

AA 280 ICN to DFW. Was flying with an economy ticket got an upgrade to business kind of last minute. Aboard as my husband was flying in first class (empty cabin) the purser invited me to join him. What a difference it makes. So glad for the double upgrade in the same flight. Service was good purser was friendly service oriented and professional. The 777-200 is showing its age but the first class suite is still very comfortable.

DFW-LHR in B773. Not sure what other people want but I got what I expected. Good steak for dinner accompanied with a nice Pinot Noir form New Zealand seat turns into a comfortable bed IFE is excellent flight attendants had right mix of anticipating what you need and leaving you in peace. on the down side overhead bin space is limited compared to Business cabin.

LAX-ORD-CDG - First - the segment from ORD-CDG was on refurbished 767 with new style biz class seats. Very nice cabin interiors are better than most European airlines. There were only two small things I did not get - table - very difficult to pull out and angle - to a point flight attendants had issues with it. And second was iPad for entertainment? Really. The planes have new seats! What was worst was that the purser collected the iPads and head phones 4 hours before we landed! So there was no entertainment. And when I asked why they collected it so early they said they were preparing for landing. 4 hours ahead? The same on 777-300ER they keep collecting the headphones at least 1 hour before landing therefore you can't use the system. But the food was ok and apart from the unfriendly purser the staff were nice.

I traveled reluctantly on American Airlines Buenos Aires - New York and return in early December 2014. On the most recent trip I can only say that the seating was horrible the flight attendants inattentive. I did like two attendants on the return flight one a male who saw the girl sitting next to me unwilling to put her tray up for takeoff and he firmly said 'you know the drill put the tray up'. You could sense his professionalism and no nonsense approach. He was quite professional. Another attendant was very personal with me and admitted that flying was not what it used to be said that the 777-300 had two back seats that you could not recline and actually defended the passenger in terms of lack of comfort. She said that now it is a question of bringing your own entertainment food all of which surprised me since she was not party line and quite personable apologizing for making me wait ten minutes for some water saying 'I'm sorry I'm in another world today' not so reassuring but she was on top of things. A mixed bag. On the flight to New York the food was awful but a flight attendant when telling her that I need a lot of water subtly gave me an entire bottle in a plastic bag. Perhaps it's because I helped an older passenger with her luggage but still what a shocker. I find that I am very uncomfortable getting off their planes. They have twice lost my luggage once on an earlier flight but found it days later. The latest was really just uncomfortable because of the 2x5x2 seating arrangement on a 777-200. I cannot recommend them for comments like 'whose the next victim?' or 'the entertainment system is not working. We suggest you read a good book and go to sleep'. This was on a flight Buenos Aires New York about three years ago stated in Spanish and English by a flight attendant. Passengers laughed but you could see many were offended by her suggestions. It used to be a great carrier.

London - Miami Return January 2015 (Boeing 777). I could only choose where I wanted to sit 24 hrs before my flight which was fine as most airlines have that policy but what really threw me back was that all aisle and window seats cost an extra $69 - $100 each way depending where the seat was located! You have to pay extra for an aisle seat at the back of the plane on a 10hr transatlantic flight? This is not easyjet or Ryanair for goodness sake! The so called cheap flight on a major airline was not so cheap after all as they were already nickel and diming before getting off the ground. I refused to pay and went for a free middle seat which I loath I have wide shoulders and have to hunch inwards my plan was to arrive early and hope the check-in desk could sort me out with an aisle seat which they were able to do but that is where the Customer satisfaction stopped.) Plane was on time and boarding was reasonably quick and I was perched in my aisle seat which was very narrow I also noticed many people getting their roller cases stuck in the aisles as they tried to roll them down but it turns out that in an effort to squeeze an extra seat in each row American Airlines compromised with narrower seats and aisles. In the air nightmare #1 The narrow aisle caused one particular cabin crew to bump the trolley into my shoulder or elbow without even so much as an apology. #2 You get free beer and wine but the entire cabin ran out beer and white wine before the first drinks trolley finished its first pass. #3 The plane was old and the only movies available played at set times (not on demand) that's right 2015 with 90s technology - AA may have painted their planes but they are still old and nasty inside. Worst of all it was the same experience on the return leg mercifully the flight was 60 mins less - A truly awful transatlantic flight!

Flying home from Rochester NY to Los Angeles CA I had to change planes in Chicago. Our flight from Rochester landed with plenty of time to make the connecting flight. One problem is that we had to park on the tarmac for one and a half hours. Another plane was occupying the gate. When we reached the gate it took the employees forever to bring up the valeted bags. I missed the connecting flight and it was late in the evening so there wasn't any available flights. I asked about other airlines in the morning and was told nothing was available. I was given stand-by for AA in the morning and if I didn't make that then an 8.05 pm flight was booked for me. AA wouldn't pay for a hotel room so I was on my own. Once I got to a hotel and started my computer I found a United and Virgin America flight for the morning. Of course it cost me more money but I had a meeting the next day and couldn't risk the stand-by status. What a difference dealing with Virgin America customer service over American Airlines. I will only use AA as a last resort in my future trips. American couldn't tell me how many people were on stand-by for the morning flight so I could evaluate my chance of boarding.

JFK-MIA-JFK. Priority check-in at JFK was awful. The AA staff were absolutely rude and unhelpful to the point that she was yelling. It was an appalling experience. Things got better on-board first leg on a newly configured 767 as a last minute equipment change. The new First Class seats are extremely comfortable. There were tons of storage space and it went completely flat. Flight attendants on this flight were very friendly pro-active and interactive. Breakfast was delicious and creative. Overall an absolutely delightful flight the new cabin is gorgeous. Return flight in Main Cabin Extra and this time ground staff in MIA was much friendlier than JFK. Exit row seats were comfortable and entertainment options were decent. Overall another great experience with AA despite the bad impression at JFK.