MUST READ if you're flying American Airlines in the near future

[kenish]

Just received an email to say BA have cancelled my return AA flight on Dec 2nd to MIA from SJU and moved me to a flight an hour earlier (heading ultimately to LHR). This is the 2nd time they've cancelled on me. Now on a 1235.

 

AA has cancelled several SJU-MIA flights. Our 1200 flight in November was cancelled this morning (so was your 1330 flight) and we are also rebooked to the 1235. The SJU market has a lot of leisure travelers, and it looks like AA is reducing service to use the planes on more lucrative routes.

[turtlemichael]

AA has cancelled several SJU-MIA flights. Our 1200 flight in November was cancelled this morning (so was your 1330 flight) and we are also rebooked to the 1235. The SJU market has a lot of leisure travelers, and it looks like AA is reducing service to use the planes on more lucrative routes.

 

My flights MIA-SJU-MIA in December survived the AA schedule changes with relatively minor time changes. Not so lucky with 11 other sectors in December - all changed or cancelled. Many were left with just above the Minimum Connection Time which didn't suit me given my days of fretting and sprinting through airports have passed. An hour on the phone with AA sorted it out.

[Budget Queen]

I fly standby, so have a lot of last minute decisions to make in my travels. In 30 years, I've been stuck overnight less than 5 times, (getting out the next day) I see frequently, people thinking they are the only ones traveling and don't understand why they can not get the flights they thiink they should, either due to missing them or cancelations. Valuable time is wasted by screaming passengers demanding seats that aren't even remotely possible.

 

I suggest people keep track of their flights starting 24/48 hours ahead- there is little point in worrying about anything weeks ahead. IF cancelations are happening, get yourself to the airport THEN, and look for getting out on any flight you can. Don't waste your time on the phone or show up at your scheduled time if this is happening the day before. When stuff cancels, all those people have to go someplace on a plane. A few will outright cancel and get refunds, but most will be looking for the seats that are going to be slim pickings. Get familiar with various routes and alternatives that could work for you. Have a list of these handy. The less time you take up with an agent, the better. Get a valid ticket and get out. :)

[ducklite]

I fly standby, so have a lot of last minute decisions to make in my travels. In 30 years, I've been stuck overnight less than 5 times, (getting out the next day) I see frequently, people thinking they are the only ones traveling and don't understand why they can not get the flights they thiink they should, either due to missing them or cancelations. Valuable time is wasted by screaming passengers demanding seats that aren't even remotely possible.

 

I suggest people keep track of their flights starting 24/48 hours ahead- there is little point in worrying about anything weeks ahead. IF cancelations are happening, get yourself to the airport THEN, and look for getting out on any flight you can. Don't waste your time on the phone or show up at your scheduled time if this is happening the day before. When stuff cancels, all those people have to go someplace on a plane. A few will outright cancel and get refunds, but most will be looking for the seats that are going to be slim pickings. Get familiar with various routes and alternatives that could work for you. Have a list of these handy. The less time you take up with an agent, the better. Get a valid ticket and get out. :)

 

Actually sometimes it can be quicker to get through to an agent by phone than to wait in a long customer service line at an airport.

 

I agree to get familiar with alternative routes. A few years ago my flight was cancelled from my connecting city to my destination. My husband was already in the area and picking me up at my destination city, and then we were to drive a few more hours to the remote area we were going to vacation in.

 

While others stood there screaming at the gate agent, I walked to the screen showing departing flights. I called the airlines 800 number and explained that my flight was cancelled for mechanical reasons and the next flight would get me into my destination city six hours late, which was unacceptable. I offered three flights departing within the next half hour that were going to airports in the region I needed to be in. I figured I'd rather have my husband divert and drive an extra couple of hours and have us get where we were going in time for dinner than try to get re-ticketed on the later flight (a head count showed there was no way everyone was going to make it onto that flight) and be driving into a remote area long after dark. The phone agent gladly re-booked me to a different airport. I went to the gate to get a boarding pass and got on the plane.

 

I'm sure that many of the people affected by the cancellation were still screaming at the gate agent as my flight was taking off.

 

I had a similar situation 18 months ago, trying to get into BOS and having flights cancelled at BOS, MHT, and PVD while I sat in CLT. I was able to get re-booked onto a flight to BDL and change my rental car. I had to drive an extra 35 minutes, but that was better than not making it at all. My customer certainly understood.

[MrCruzeaddict]

We booked our AA flights for last week's Oasis cruise back in January. 3 wks ago, they changed our flights to a return from FLL at 7:05am. Since the ship doesn't get cleared 'til then, there was no way to make that flight. They had cancelled our scheduled return flight @ 12:25pm. We had to stay Sat night in Chicago at our own expense and come back Sunday morning. If the AA and USAir merger DOES go through, then you will have 2 crappy airlines merged into 1 huge crappy airline.

 

 

Joe<------Won't book AA for a LONG time...:o

[Jana60]

The Crisis Assessment Team has been made aware of the following incident:

 

Flight Disruptions-American Airlines

 

· Possible flight delays/cancellations

 

Where did you get this information. I checked the AA site and it states that they do not anticipate any flight schedule disruption due to this restructuring.

 

http://aa.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=3397

[ducklite]

We booked our AA flights for last week's Oasis cruise back in January. 3 wks ago, they changed our flights to a return from FLL at 7:05am. Since the ship doesn't get cleared 'til then, there was no way to make that flight. They had cancelled our scheduled return flight @ 12:25pm. We had to stay Sat night in Chicago at our own expense and come back Sunday morning. If the AA and USAir merger DOES go through, then you will have 2 crappy airlines merged into 1 huge crappy airline.

 

 

Joe<------Won't book AA for a LONG time...:o

 

I fly US Airways 2-3 times a month and they have gotten a lot better. A LOT better. If they'd implode Terminal F in PHL and PHX SkyHarbor in general, and add a Club to PVD and SFO, life would be grand.

 

By the way, the overseas Envoy service with 180 degree seats is amazing.

[Alaskanb]

Sadly cancellations are part of the flying experience. I've learned to have alternative routes on hand and to expect changes if I book a long way ahead of time. When United and Continental were merging we went through multiple flight changes --the first time I had ever booked through Expedia--never again--too many layers of folks to deal with. I'm back to going through the airlines directly....

[Gardyloo]

Where did you get this information. I checked the AA site and it states that they do not anticipate any flight schedule disruption due to this restructuring.

 

http://aa.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=3397

The issue is that the US bankruptcy court recently allowed AA to void its contract with the Allied Pilots Association as part of its restructuring. Since then, there have been numerous instances where some of the pilots are delaying or canceling flights due to maintenance issues that would previously just have been written up for repair at the airplane's next regular maintenance visit. By calling for maintenance support at the last minute, often when passengers are already seated, the effect is to delay the flight, sometimes by hours, sometimes by a day. Passengers miss connections, which further stresses the airline. In other countries, this kind of "wildcat" - unsanctioned - action is called "working to rule" - i.e., everything by the numbers. Since pilots (rightly) have a great deal of discretion in deciding that a plane is unsafe to fly, the airline's management is in no position to say "fly it anyway," even if the flight-critical maintenance item is a broken spring in the pilot's chair or an inoperative coffee pot in the galley. It doesn't help that much of AA's fleet is quite old, hence more maintenance-needy than other airlines' fleets.

 

Several hundred flights have been canceled or delayed over the past few days because of this. AA management, of course, is trying to play it down, in order to keep ticketed passengers from changing, or potential passengers looking elsewhere.

[Alaskanb]

http://flightaware.com/live/cancelled

Interesting site--shows flight cancellations

[Redrobo]

Spitting feathers right now.

 

Just received an email to say BA have cancelled my return AA flight on Dec 2nd to MIA from SJU and moved me to a flight an hour earlier (heading ultimately to LHR). This is the 2nd time they've cancelled on me. Now on a 1235. The RCCL site recommends a flight not before 11am..... so doable but still....... @@@@ :eek: :mad:

We are on the same flight, 11 of us travelling together, however only four have been assigned seats, the rest of us are shown as unassigned. AA assures me that we will have seats. Opening a book now, what are the odds :rolleyes:

[Zach1213]

We are on the same flight, 11 of us travelling together, however only four have been assigned seats, the rest of us are shown as unassigned. AA assures me that we will have seats. Opening a book now, what are the odds :rolleyes:

 

Having a seat "unassigned" to you is vastly different than not having a seat allocated to you.

[wrp96]

We are on the same flight, 11 of us travelling together, however only four have been assigned seats, the rest of us are shown as unassigned. AA assures me that we will have seats. Opening a book now, what are the odds :rolleyes:

 

AA reserves a certain percentage of seats for allocation at time of check-in. Keep checking because a seat may open up before then, otherwise know you will get seats when you check-in.

[Redrobo]

AA reserves a certain percentage of seats for allocation at time of check-in. Keep checking because a seat may open up before then, otherwise know you will get seats when you check-in.

 

Will the keep the seat until check in or allocate on a first come basis? Hoping the former for the seven of us.:confused:

[tvmovielover]

We made it home to FL from San Francisco only about 1/2 to 3/4 hour late on 9/22 but news we read in days before our flight was terrible. We were delayed not by sick pilots but by a maintenance problem (never explained). Some people going to FL were rebooked on another flight through Miami because they were going to miss their connection through DFW. A group of 9 or 10 of us going to JAX were left on the original flight. They held the flight for us-because A)flight was only delayed about 10-15 min waiting for us and B)we were a large enough group that they would have had to put us all up if no flight that night.

 

With the Sky Train or Link or whatever it is called, it is pretty easy to get from one terminal to another in 1/2 hour or less at DFW-best improvement there in years (we used to live there). You can usually find an escalater up to it near the gate you arrived at and near your next departure gate. DFW is a good connection point because it is still an AA hub and has more flights. AA has problems now but be hopeful future AA travelers and chose connections carefully.

[Gardyloo]

...We were delayed not by sick pilots but by a maintenance problem (never explained)...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=35474151&postcount=59

[ducklite]

Will the keep the seat until check in or allocate on a first come basis? Hoping the former for the seven of us.:confused:

 

It will be first come first serve starting at the 24 hour check-in point. If you can't choose a seat during the check-in process, try calling. If they tell you they'll be assigned at the airport, get there EARLY. Those without a seat number are in almost every case the first to be IDB.

[Budget Queen]

Will the keep the seat until check in or allocate on a first come basis? Hoping the former for the seven of us.:confused:

 

IF you do not have a seat assignment- it will be assigned based on your check in. So, you need to get there EARLY, if you want some seats together- do not expect this and be prepared to be split up.

[ducklite]

The chances of getting seats together is slim to none. Expect middle seats and be happy if you get anything but.

[Freckles_51]

We're currently booked YYZ-DFW-HNL, so if the DFW-HNL leg is cancelled and we are made aware when checking in at YYZ, would AA still insist we take the YYZ-DFW flight and then find a route to get to HNL from there (I found 8 possibilities with AA inc. the one we are booked on) or could they put us on different flights from YYZ with stop(s) at different airport(s), other than DFW (on the understanding that seats are available of course)? (over 30 possibilities/combinations :eek:...some with very short connecting times :( )

 

Just curious so I know what to expect (if necessary ;) )...so far so good, our flights are still on the schedule :)

[headhunterke]

If they know it in advance, normally they are able to rebook you via a different route.

[ducklite]

If they know it in advance, normally they are able to rebook you via a different route.

 

This.

 

I would STRONGLY suggest you pack at least a few days essentials and clothing in carry on's that will fit under the seat in front of you.

[headhunterke]

Isn't that what you are always supposed to do? In the end, you never know what you might be up against.

Last minute cancellations can bring a fair amount of chaos with them. But if the airline is organized I see no way how a delay that has been announced before the departure date may cause the same amount of problems. Of course, there will be some issues, but if the airline handles it well, things should work out.

[phabric]

We are booked with AA from YYZ Toronto to MIA for Dec 20. The flight time has changed by 1/2 hour already.

 

How do you how if the flight has been cancelled?

[kenish]

They held the flight for us-because A)flight was only delayed about 10-15 min waiting for us and B)we were a large enough group that they would have had to put us all up if no flight that night.

 

B) is a highly unlikely explanation. If a delay or cancellation is caused by weather or maintenance, airlines do not have to provide food or lodging. This is a FAA regulation that removes economic pressure to fly in the presence of a safety issue.

 

Even if the delay was totally within the airline's control, the most you could expect is a few meal vouchers and a list of hotels that would charge you a "distressed passenger" rate.

 

About the only time airlines pay for a hotel room is when a passenger is a very high status customer flying on a premium fare.