Unable to use American for cruise

[TayanaLorna]

22 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Lately American has been changing my flight schedules so much that I have to rebook with another airline.  For example I book a 10 AM flight and they reschedule for 2 PM.  Are others running into this issue?  This is the second time that this has been done to me.

Had an American flight with a 3 hr 15 min layover in Miami.  AA changed the departure time of our connecting flight reducing layover to 1 hr 50 min. We were concerned but there was no other AA flight until the next morning.  We missed our connection due to the insanely long lines in Miami.  At least it was on the way home.

[NMTraveller]

5 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

You don't.

 

You're being hysterical about this. You've had two - merely two - trips on which your flight times were changed, and now you seem to be spinning this into some sort of "American Airlines will do this to everyone on every single trip" story. That's complete cry-baby rubbish.

How many consecutive scheduling muff ups would it take for you to find a different airline?

 

It really does take a bit of extra time to choose a different flight every time that American changes the schedule for a trip.

Edited July 10, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Globaliser]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

How many consecutive scheduling muff ups would it take for you to find a different airline?

 

Many, many more than two. Every one of my regular airlines has messed up more than that many trips of mine by rescheduling flights. And that's before all the myriad other ways in which they stuff up and cause me hassle. If I were to ban airlines at the same threshold as you, I'd never be able to fly again. And let me start to tell you the stories that my travel agent tells me.

 

So much whingeing about some four-hour schedule changes! How could you even begin to cope with a four-day schedule change?

[Shorex]

Over the many years I've been on Cruise Critic, I've read multiple screeds that started "I'LL NEVER FLY (fill in the blank) AGAIN!!  I do remember the list of irredeemable culprit airlines has included Southwest, Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, American and who knows what else. Actually, I couldn't name any airline that has escaped ranting criticism. Probably there are some. Maybe TAAG Angola Airlines. But only because their target market does not include cruise passengers.

 

C'est la vie.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

10 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I am someone that books 330 days out to get the best available flights and seats.

 

And there is the rub.

 

You are buying tickets 330 days out on the MAJOR assumption that your flights won't change over the next 11 months.  And then you complain because they actually do change in that time frame.

 

Try looking at the video in this thread and you will see that you are starting with a very faulty assumption.  And then decide if your "strategy" of buying 11 months out fits with the reality of how airline scheduling is done.

 

 

[Zach1213]

2 hours ago, Shorex said:

Over the many years I've been on Cruise Critic, I've read multiple screeds that started "I'LL NEVER FLY (fill in the blank) AGAIN!!  I do remember the list of irredeemable culprit airlines has included Southwest, Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, American and who knows what else. Actually, I couldn't name any airline that has escaped ranting criticism. Probably there are some. Maybe TAAG Angola Airlines. But only because their target market does not include cruise passengers.

 

C'est la vie.

 

 

Hey now...I've had some good experiences with TAAG! And one sketchy domestic flight that involved sitting in front of a goat. I am not kidding. 

[FlyerTalker]

5 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

Hey now...I've had some good experiences with TAAG! And one sketchy domestic flight that involved sitting in front of a goat. I am not kidding. 

 

Pakistan International actually sacrificed a goat on an apron.

 

https://www.indiatimes.com/news/weird/pakistan-international-airlines-sacrifices-a-goat-on-the-runway-for-safe-landing-of-the-plane-267700.html

 

 

[Z'Loth]

Shrug. Since I live in DFW, the choices for non-stops are either American Airlines or Southwest. If I lived in Houston, it would be United. And, if it was Atlanta, it would be Delta. 

 

 

[6rugrats]

17 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

 

 

BTW which airlines do you work for?  American? 🙂 

You sound like posters on another travel forum I read.  If someone does not support their complaint, and points out facts, they immediately accuse this poster of working for the airline.  Nonsense.

[Zach1213]

DELETE

Edited July 10, 2023 by Zach1213

[Zach1213]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Pakistan International actually sacrificed a goat on an apron.

 

https://www.indiatimes.com/news/weird/pakistan-international-airlines-sacrifices-a-goat-on-the-runway-for-safe-landing-of-the-plane-267700.html

 

 

Catering has to come from somewhere

Edited July 10, 2023 by Zach1213

[6rugrats]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

DELETE

You are a smart guy!  You know exactly what airline I work for, and that you would never post it in a public forum.  Thank you!

Edited July 10, 2023 by 6rugrats

[NMTraveller]

Airlines are changing thousands of flight schedules: What you need to know - Good Morning America

 

It looks like American IS #1 in flight changes ...

 

Four for four...

 

American Airlines has changed or cut roughly 60,000 flights between May 1 and Sept. 1, the most of all the major carriers, according to Airline Data Inc.

Edited July 11, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

11 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And there is the rub.

 

You are buying tickets 330 days out on the MAJOR assumption that your flights won't change over the next 11 months.  And then you complain because they actually do change in that time frame.

 

Try looking at the video in this thread and you will see that you are starting with a very faulty assumption.  And then decide if your "strategy" of buying 11 months out fits with the reality of how airline scheduling is done.

 

 

American IS the only airline where I am having this issue.  Delta, Singapore Air, Southwest have only given me mild schedule changes.  Yawn.

[NMTraveller]

7 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

You sound like posters on another travel forum I read.  If someone does not support their complaint, and points out facts, they immediately accuse this poster of working for the airline.  Nonsense.

Southwest? 🙂 

Edited July 11, 2023 by NMTraveller

[waterbug123]

On 7/9/2023 at 11:58 PM, NMTraveller said:

 

I am someone that books 330 days out to get the best available flights and seats.

 

 

 

 

And therein lies your problem.  When you book the first day that flights are available you are literally begging to have itinerary changes.  Sure, certain seats will fill as time goes on, but you seldom need to book more than a few months in advance to be assured of a wide selection of seats, including preferred seats.

[6rugrats]

Book 330 days to get the most schedule and equipment changes.

Edited July 12, 2023 by 6rugrats

[klfrodo]

34 minutes ago, 6rugrats said:

Book 330 days to get the most schedule and equipment changes.

I book 330 days out so I can get business or first award mileage. (But I also expect routing changes, equipment changes, and flight time changes. The seats and destination are the important parts)

 

 

[waterbug123]

13 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

I book 330 days out so I can get business or first award mileage. (But I also expect routing changes, equipment changes, and flight time changes. The seats and destination are the important parts)

 

 

Depending on the airline, it is often a fallacy that the best redemption rates are always/only available that far out, when a date opens for booking.  More and more airlines are going to a more dynamic pricing model, to allow for maximum revenue management.

 

Ex. Just for fun, I just looked at flights from my home city to Paris on Delta.  I looked at a Saturday 3 weeks from now and a Saturday next June.  Both were the exact same mileage redemption rate for First/Biz class.  

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

Depending on the airline, it is often a fallacy that the best redemption rates are always/only available that far out, when a date opens for booking.  More and more airlines are going to a more dynamic pricing model, to allow for maximum revenue management.

 

Absolutely.

 

20 years ago, or maybe even 10 to 15, that was the strategy.  Airlines would decide that there would be X number of seats available for awards, and that they would all be dumped into the GDS as soon as schedules opened.  And that number was it -- no more, no less.

 

Now, there may or may not be award inventory released at the opening bell.  And as you mention, award seat inventory is now part of overall dynamic revenue management.  Consider it going hand in hand with dynamic award pricing, which is replacing actual award charts.

 

Wanna know when the best award availability shows up?  It's not a 11 months out.  It's more like 2-3 weeks before the flight.  At that point, the revenue management algorithms pretty much know how much of the current inventory will be sold for cash, and how much should be released for award bookings. In fact, for some airlines, F award space is ONLY released at a close in window.  And business is also constrained, pending actual cash sales.

 

But a 6rug says...buying at 330 does give you the most likelihood of schedule and equipment changes.

 

YMMV.

 

 

[klfrodo]

13 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

Depending on the airline, it is often a fallacy that the best redemption rates are always/only available that far out, when a date opens for booking.  More and more airlines are going to a more dynamic pricing model, to allow for maximum revenue management.

 

Ex. Just for fun, I just looked at flights from my home city to Paris on Delta.  I looked at a Saturday 3 weeks from now and a Saturday next June.  Both were the exact same mileage redemption rate for First/Biz class.  

I've been following closely ever since I made the initial awards purchase for my One World flights thru AS for SEA to LHR for 2 seats. I'm now about 90 days out from travel. There have been no award seats made available for 2 seats in Business or First that fit my needs since the initial purchase.

 

If better options did become available, I could make a phone call and get them switched. But, by grabbing the flights and the seats at 330 days, I was secure in the knowledge that I had something that would work. Best redemption rates are not the only measuring stick in the tool box.

[Zach1213]

35 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

If better options did become available, I could make a phone call and get them switched. But, by grabbing the flights and the seats at 330 days, I was secure in the knowledge that I had something that would work. Best redemption rates are not the only measuring stick in the tool box.

 

That's kind of my mindset. My wife and I very, very rarely have trips planned more than a month or two out, but occasionally (such as visiting my family in Namibia or hers in Morocco) we are able to plan something 330 days out using miles and we try to grab them as early as possible and then not have to worry or fret about it. 

[Hlitner]

The problem is not just AA, but all the US airlines.  I have said for a few years (and posted on CC) that we consider US domestic airline schedules as "advisory" rather than fact...when we book more than a few weeks in advance.  Many of us book air 330 days in advance (or close to that max)....but I accept that what I book is most likely going to have changes (often multiple times).  To be honest, if I book far in advance it is to simply lock-in to the price.  If/when the US airline changes their schedules, the customer can usually change their flights without any kind of penalty or price increase (sometimes you need to deal with the airline on the phone to avoid a price increase).

 

Is AA the worst?  Not sure, since we have had similar issues with AA, United, and Delta.  Ironically, despite all the publicized issues with Southwest, that airline has caused us the least problems when flying our of BWI or PHL.  One downside of Southwest is they do not publish their schedules more than a few months in advance.  One strategy I use, with the cruise lines that have a flex air option, is to book flights through the cruise line (using flexair with no cancellation penalty) and than wait to see what Southwest and other do...as we near our final payment time.  In many cases we will simply book Southwest and then cancel our cruise line flexair option. Flexair options are available for most CCL owned cruise lines (not sure about the current situation with RCI).  

 

Hank

 

[NMTraveller]

On 7/13/2023 at 3:50 PM, Hlitner said:

Ironically, despite all the publicized issues with Southwest, that airline has caused us the least problems when flying our of BWI or PHL. 

You had to mention Southwest 🙂🙂

 

I will have to say during 2021 Southwest was the worst of the worst for airlines from my vantage point.  I had over 20 trips scheduled with them.  Almost every week they would reschedule my flights and I would spend 4 or 5 hours on the phone each week with them attempting to get a decent rescheduled flight.  This was when I was living in a city which was not a Southwest hub.  I got stranded in Denver for over a day.  Some of my schedules turned into multi day travel schedules.  Almost every flight was delayed and there were times on some of the shorter flights that I had wished that I just drove.

 

Fast forward to today and I am living in a city that is a Southwest hub.  I know someone will pop in and say that Southwest does not have hubs,  but they have a large number of flights into my airport.  My experience with them last year and this year has been better.  I think that it immensely helps if you are living in a city that has a hub.  They are more likely to add routes to the hub than pull routes.  BWI has a large Southwest presence.  We will have to see how Southwest performs during the Christmas holiday season...  So far my flights with Southwest this year have been uneventful.

 

I do believe that American is more likely to add routes to hubs and pull routes from other places.  That seems to be what happened to my 2 trips and 4 segments.  They probably could be eliminated by flying into DFW.  But why fly LAS to DFW to LAX?

 

Southwest vs American.  Sigh.  I think that I will fly Delta when it counts.

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

On 7/10/2023 at 12:45 PM, 6rugrats said:

You are a smart guy!  You know exactly what airline I work for, and that you would never post it in a public forum.  Thank you!

Since Zach lives in an American hub city,  flies American,  and apparently knows you.  I am going back with my original answer of American.