Travelers share their tales

Family headache

My 87-year-old mother and my sister had been in Delaware visiting me (from California), as my daughter and grandson were visiting from Ireland also. Mom and sister flew out of Philadelphia International Airport on American, to Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday at 1 p.m. When they arrived in Dallas, they were told that their flight on to Sacramento had been canceled. My sister stood in line for more than two hours, and finally got through to AA on her cell phone. They were booked on a flight for 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. They were worried they wouldn't be able to get to a hotel and back in the morning in time, so they spent the night at the gate. Someone at the airport provided cots and blankets, but no food vouchers. The next morning, the 9 a.m. flight was canceled and they were rebooked on a 1 p.m. flight to Reno, Nev., which they took. They had to pay for their own breakfast. On the plane to Reno, they were told that "snacks" were available for purchase!! They landed an hour late in Reno, where my brother-in-law picked them up and drove them two hours home to Sacramento. Thank god my sister was there to help our mother! All the luggage is in limbo — no one at AA has any idea where it is or when it might be delivered. I've told them I've read online that some stranded travelers are being offered $500 vouchers. Where can they sign up for those?? One wonders ... how many unaccompanied minors? How many elderly passengers? How many people in wheelchairs? How many people without their daily medicines? The *LEAST* American could have done at DFW is give everyone meal vouchers and/or bring in pizzas, salads, coffee, toiletry kits so people could brush their teeth, pillows, etc. And in the morning, Dunkin Donuts for all. My sister said the morning counter people at the ticket counter were rude and surly. Doesn't anyone at AA work in public relations?? --Kathy Dettwyler, Newark, DE (submitted on April 11, 2008)

Executives on the front lines

I received an e-mail notice of my flight cancellation at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Watching the news that morning, I figured it was heavy weather in DFW. It wasn't until I got to La Guardia that I learned MD-80s (the craft I had traveled on just the week before) were grounded. I went to LGA and dialed in to my travel agency en route. About one hour into my line at LGA, my travel agent was able to take my call, book me on an alternate through United. All staff (TSA, and especially American agents) were professional. Next time they do this, the CEO, CFO, head of maintenance, should be scrambled to serve the coffee an donuts and listen to (and solve) their customers’ stories. --Anonymous , Sacramento, CA (submitted on April 11, 2008)

See you on the highways!

Our flight to our son's wedding was canceled without warning in the first round of cancellations. We did get there on time thanks to a nice agent who booked us on a Delta flight. Flying is such an ordeal these days. The seats are too small for even normal sized people; the security screening is a nightmare, luggage too often gets lost and delays are almost inevitable. My husband and I have decided that no one forces us to fly when we take a vacation. So we will not fly unless it is an emergency until the airlines get their acts together. We pay way too much money to be treated as poorly as we are treated when we fly. See you on the highways! --Anonymous , Cincinnati, OH (submitted on April 11, 2008)

Where are my bags?

After a reasonable flight from Sacramento to Dallas on Tuesday, I patiently waited for my 4:15 flight to Nashville. I overheard an announcement that a flight to El Paso had been canceled due to the FAA grounding it because it was not checked correctly two weeks ago. About 45 minutes after that announcement for that single flight, they finally announced that my flight and the entire MD-80 fleet was being grounded. AA handed out an 800 number to call to get rebooked. While standing in line, I attempted to call this number for rebooking and after 45 minutes of being on hold, still never spoke to anyone. Just as I was about to approach the counter, my phone rang and AA was calling me to advise they had rebooked me on a flight for Wednesday afternoon (another MD-80). Luckily I have family in Dallas who was able to give me a place to stay. I woke up in the middle of the night, and happened to check the status of the Wednesday afternoon flight and confirmed it had already been changed to a canceled status. I called AA and finally got through to get scheduled on an American Eagle flight to Cincinnatti then connect on a Delta flight to Nashville. At that time, I requested that my bags be moved to my new flight. They advised that my bags would be sent on a later flight direct to Nashville and they could not move them. Upon arrival in Cincinnati, my Delta flight was delayed by two hours due to maintenance issues. I finally got home to Nashville to find that AA had not sent my luggage and also AA would not locate my luggage for me as Delta was the last airline I flew on therefore they must locate my lugage. The claim agent with Delta was very kind once I helped him understand where I had been and where my baggage hadn't. Unfortunately, Delta will not look for my luggage in DFW, they are waiting for AA to send it to Nashville (whenever that may be) and then they will call and deliver. In the mean time, I must purchase all new personal hygeine products, etc., in order to work and live as normal as possible until my personal items are returned to me. What an end to a nice trip. --Jennifer Helms, Nashville, TN (submitted on April 11, 2008)

FAA flexes its muscle

I was supposed to get a flight out of Chicago to El Paso, Texas, on Friday the 11th. I found out that the flight was canceled and I contacted AA by phone and an hour later was booked on another airline. Given the circumstances, I thought AA did a pretty good job of getting me to my destination. I guess the FAA showed the American public just how much power they have. --James Duszynski, Two Rivers, WI (submitted on April 11, 2008)

No help from American

I was scheduled to fly to Dallas-Fort Worth from O'Hare then to a final destination of Ft. Smith, Ark., on the evening of April 8th. My flight was to board at 3:35 p.m. and the plane we were to travel on had just finished unloading all cargo. At precisely 3:30 p.m., the flight was canceled with no explanation. The AA personnel at the counter then directed everyone to call a 1-800 number from AA to see about restructuring travel plans. They were quite unhelpful as this was totally unexpected and no explanation of what was occuring was told to anyone. I called my company travel agent for help becasue AA was overloaded with this issue. While waiting in line for the ticketing booth for over 2 hours there was no mention of a single travel voucher at all. All the AA employees were doing was handing out the flyers with the 1-800 number for trying to get on another flight but there wasn't any other flights to get on becasue they were all canceled. The only reason I was able to get home is becasue I was able to fly to another airport on a direct flight and drive home from that airport. --Delwyn Heyward, Fort Smith, AR (submitted on April 11, 2008)

It could be worse

I was in Houston on a business trip this week and I was scheduled to return to Chicago on an American Airlines flight on April 9. As soon as I heard the news about AA canceling flights, I went to their Web site and, sure enough, mine was canceled. The AA 800 number was constantly busy and my corporate travel Web site was down, so I knew this meant trouble and there was a good chance I might get stuck in Houston for at least another night due to these cancelations. Trying my best to avoid this situation, I checked all airlines and flights out of Houston and although most were not available, I finally found a flight on Southwest that connected through St. Louis to Chicago. Even though there were several weather delays which made for a long day (8 a.m.-8 p.m.), I did get home and avoided the nightmare that some travelers experienced and the general chaos I saw on the news. I have had jobs that require air travel for over 7 years total and I know that delays and cancellations come with the territory. Over the years, I have learned that you need to relax, avoid stressing out and be proactive to look for your Plan B. Granted this was major, but when safety is the issue I always say "take your time and fix it" — it could be worse! --Bruce Jones, Chicago, IL (submitted on April 11, 2008)

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