AA pilot to pax: "You can't see the stripes"?

[skyhighfallguy]

so this happened to you a few days ago and you have not yet been able to talk to anyone at American Airlines?

Have you called your credit card company for redress?


Do you think you would have a better experience by booking through the airline's site instead of orbitz?

Pilots do not book people on planes. And while it is sort of tacky to point to stripes , it sort of reminds me of a waitress pointing to a statement on a menu like: NO SUBSTITUTIONS.

You planned a flight. It didn't work out quite right. OK. Are you saying you will not possibly get your money back, ever, even in the next billing cycle?


Did you purchase trip insurance?


Did you ask Orbitz for the phone number they used as they seemed to at least get the promise of human contact in an hour?


One time I was flying (as one of those guys with 4 stripes on his sleeve) from New York to Ft Lauderdale . We were delayed due to wx (that's weather) and ATC coping with weather.

A passenger came up to me and said: Are we going to be late? I am catching a cruise and if we are even two hours late I will miss it. What will YOU do if I miss it?

I said: If you really had to be in Fort Lauderdale, I would have left yesterday and spent the night in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale. NOTHING in aviation is guaranteed.

He then went on to say that the cruise would not make sense if he had to leave the day before. Economics would not make sense if he had to buy a hotel room.

I felt sorry for him. I feel sorry for you. But you seem to be blowing your stack to people who don't know you.

Maybe next time you will fly another airline. But you might just find a worse experience.

Weather, mechanical issues, dozens of things. You could have taken off on time for your trip and an engine failure might have left you in some airport you have never heard of. You would have been taken care of but your trip might have not been a success.


Now, I hope you have the chance to talk to an agent at American that will go through your options. And remember, you booked with orbits and they wouldn't stay on the line to help you.

BUT when I travel, I leave plenty of time to have options on other flights.

I hope you post when you finally talk to someone who helps you. At some point you can even grieve the credit card charge if the service was not rendered.

There is a great movie, the original (jack lemmon) version , of "The Out of Towners". I suggest you watch it, and learn from it.

We don't control the weather. At any moment another 9-11 attack could happen and all civilian flights in the country could be grounded for days.

DO you want great service? Pay for first class. Pay for a class of ticket that can be used anytime.


The passengers in America wanted cheap flights. you got em. But don't expect the service of 20 or 30 or 40 years ago.

Pilots, flight attendants, hordes of workers have taken pay cuts, lost their pensions, and other terrible things and you expect to be treated like you are a king?

HAVE you called back today for help? Have you gotten on the phone to your credit card company and ask what they can do?

You seem "tech savy" go to Twitter, post a short version of what happened on the American Airlines twitter site and they will get back to you.

And a word to the wise. Next time you have a problem, go up to an agent, say "HI, my flight was cancelled, what can we do ?". Nothing more, nothing less. they will ask you for your ticket or flight number and work.

Let us all know.