American Airlines

I flew Manchester to JFK and return with AA. On arrival at Manchester the airline staff quizzed us in detail about where else we usually travelled to why we were going to the States what jobs we did. This took about 10 minutes. Check in was via a machine designed to make AA a staff saving however it did nothing for their customers most of whom were frustrated at its inability to work. The whole crew were late and ran through the airport together to take up their posts. Did this account for them not checking whether the passengers had on their seat belts or arm rests in the correct position? Apparently not as it was exactly the same on the return flight. The safety video could not be viewed by passengers seated by the window due to the low overhead and central hanging videos. Did the crew have a uniform? They all dressed differently some wore extensive amounts of jewellery and chewed gum others had not even combed or tidied their hair. All were markedly scruffy compared to every other airline I have ever flown with. More worrying was that none of the crew advised passengers to remain seated when the seat belt light was lit and passengers proceeded to walk around the cabin throughout the flight. Or maybe it was the Captain's error in not turning the light off at all. Who knows whether we even had a Captain as on the out flight no announcements were even made! Not impressive on safety at all. Lets face it food comfort etc are also important but if an airline fails on basic safety the rest pales to insignificance.

I have the time to write this review due to the third delay I've had with this airline. Not a single good thing I can say about my experience with American. I have flown Southwest Delta Jetblue Frontier and this is by far the worst airline I have flown. We had an hour and a half delay the first flight plus an emergency situation so we missed our connecting flight which has never happened to me. They supplied us with the worst hotel overnight. It wasn't just us that missed our flight 5 other families on separate ones missed theirs too. Then the flight the next day got delayed 30 minutes! So our three day trip turned into one day from all the delays and missed flights. Finally heading home and they announce mechanical problems with the plane. So now the flight is delayed 2 hours and we are missing our connecting flight to Salt Lake. So we get to board on a 6 pm flight but let's not kid ourselves that'll be delayed too so probably 7. And then it's a 4.5 hour flight so I'll be getting home at 2am. Other airlines can figure it out so please do to and spare us all the pain and frustration.

Due to a booking snafu (which may have been of my making) and the flight being oversold our non-stop return flight LHR-RDU was unavailable. The courteous and helpful ticket desk staff re-booked our free ticket LHR-JFK-RDU. We were told with great pride that the transatlantic portion would be aboard AA's new flagship 777-300ER. I applaud AA as being the only U.S. airline to give it's customers the opportunity to ride the latest and finest of American ingenuity technology and manufacturing excellence. It did strike me however that AA may have commissioned a "lite" version of the plane as it was missing some of the bells and whistles I had seen on some foreign carriers (wood floors mood lighting etc). Overall the economy interior can best be described as bland. On the plus side mammoth overhead bins decent seats great ride and as good an in flight entertainment system as you'll find anywhere in coach. Watched three excellent first run movies. All we need now is some edible food and AA will have caught up with BA and VS. However as a word of caution to those flying from the US to the UK on AA be aware of the aircraft type when you make your booking. In addition to the new AA Flagship 777-300 the airline also flies the 777-200 which is getting along in age the venerable 767-300 and the 757-200 which in my opinion is not at all suited to Transatlantic travel.

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.

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.

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.

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.