American Airlines: Like Sinus Drainage, But With Wings (Fred Reed)

FredOnEverything.net ^ | 08/04/2003 | Fred Reed

[sinkspur]

Would you go to a restaurant that couldn't find its cook and waiters and got you your meal after leaving you in the parking lot for an hour and a half? Don't do it. Fly foreign carriers outside the US--they're better--and the econolines domestically when possible: JetBlue, AirTran, Southwest, Frontier. They're all good.

Note to Fred: You have a choice. Kwitcherbitchin!

Oh, nobody but AA goes to Guadalajara?

Crank up the car, bud.

[jammer]

My opinion of American--and the other majors--exactly.

[Tall_Texan]

--and the econolines domestically when possible: JetBlue, AirTran, Southwest, Frontier.

At least when you fly the cheap-o cattle cars, you expect no-frills service and that's fine with me. Get me and my luggage there relatively on-time and don't crash. It's all I basically ask of any airline and, with the cheap-os, that's generally what I get. Expecting the airlines to be your personal butler is part of the problem.

[solzhenitsyn]

My opinion of American--and the other majors--exactly.

Ditto.

[Theo]

Note to Fred: You have a choice. Kwitcherbitchin!

He had a bad experience. It seems acceptable that he let off steam. It's better that he's doing in print rather than with a real chainsaw....

[FreedomCalls]

I'm building an invisible plastic chain-saw with a six-hundred horse motor to cut the wings off every airplane owned by American Airlines, before chopping the flight crews into runny gruel.

Careful. There are hundreds of people here on FR that would side with the government if they were to charge you with making a terrorist threat.

[exit82]

The car has been my preferred mode of travel this year.I used to fly quite a bit on business, but not in the last few years. I always flew on vacation or other trips(kids to college, etc). But no longer. It's not worth the hassle.

I'm doing two major road trips this year, one down, and one to go. We never drove because we thought it a waste of time. Turns out, driving can be fun, my wife and take turns driving, no running to the airport, parking hassles, ticketing lines, search lines/hassles, waiting on runways, etc.

We carry whatever we want in the van, come and go as we please, and watch America go by instead of flying over it.

Does it take longer? Yes. Is it more enjoyable? Oh,yes.

I feel sorry for those, like I was a few years ago, that have to constantly travel by air for business. I recommend conference calls or videoconferencing.

On an extremely long trip,like coast to coast, I'll have to fly. But for everything else, I'll drive.

[old-ager]

TWA was better than this, weren't they? Too bad.

[sandlady]

I'm curious. What is the reason for posting this crap?

[trussell]

Maybe the reason for posting this is to let other travelers know of the bad service being given by American. If I had to fly often, I would like to know this.

[sandlady]

You can find stories like this about every airline. All of them. Who are you going to fly with now? This just seems a little over-the-top and I'm truly wondering if the poster wrote this or, if he didn't, why did he post it?

[eno_]

I must confess to letting rip at airline employees. I deal with all species of weasels in my work life, but lying weasels who think they are immune - like airlines employees - are fair game: Just cut loose. Use the f-word. Tell them their mother is a cheap ho. They think they can tell you any lie, well buddy, we can tell them any truth. Destroy their morale. Make them cry. Does that make me feel good? No, but the lingering aftertaste is very nice indeed.

[eno_]

It's the author's blog. Why would he concoct this. I have experienced equally bad treatment from airlines, and I fly more, so I've gotten more of it. AMR and UAL can both go to hell, and take AmericaWorst and all the other second rate second tier carriers with them.

Keep Southwest and Jet Blue and start the rest from scratch.

[rllngrk33]

Unless your trip is more than 500 miles, it doesn't pay to fly. By the time you add up getting to the airport, going through security, getting on board, taking off, actual flying time, landing, getting off the airplane, picking up luggage, and getting to your final destination you could have driven there and spent about the same amount of time. It's also probably less stressful.

[Moonmad27]

I flew a couple weeks ago back and forth from LA to Newark. Aside from the hard-nosed security people who treat you like dirt without an ounce of sympathy, it wasn't bad. The flight from Newark was delayed four hours due to weather (the plane couldn't even arrive from Chicago, much less take off) and the co-pilot was very nice, talking with us all as we anxiously waited. It was the smoothest flight I've ever taken. It was the horrible take-off-your-shoes-sit-down-shut-up attitude of security that turned me off flying. Hadn't flown since December and security was a snap; if that's how bad it's gotten since then, I'll fly as rarely as possible!

[sinkspur]

I must confess to letting rip at airline employees.

I'm sure you feel good after doing this, but you likely look like an assh**e in the process.

Which is, frankly, how you come across in this post.

Tell me which company you work for so I can steer clear of your product.

[sandlady]

I must confess to letting rip at airline employees.

I'm sure you feel good after doing this, but you likely look like an assh**e in the process.

Which is, frankly, how you come across in this post.

Tell me which company you work for so I can steer clear of your product.

My sentiments exactly. Very admirable, eno_.

[Valpal1]

I too, will never fly AA again, really bad service, jammed to the hilt planes, my husband who is only 6' cannot sit comfortable in their seats, his knees are jammed into the seat in front of him. They have zero leg room, because they've stuffed an extra row of seats in their tin cans.

We fly Sun Country Air, based out of Minneapolis, they have fewer rows and more leg room and way better attitudes.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

...the airlines also know that the public will accept any degree of inconsideration, stupidity, and humiliation...

...The major US airlines barely tolerate customers. One suspects that they would be happier without them...

...The preponderance of power lies with the airlines, and they know it. Any remonstrance and they can make an air-rage beef out of it and you miss your next flight. They figure the public has no recourse...

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER...

...fly.

Ever.