Flying
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:25 pmI have just returned from a week in Chicago. I always travel American Airlines but have been increasingly annoyed by many of their antics lately. The food really is a disgrace and if you have the audacity to ask for any kind of help you are treated like something on their shoe. But most of all, the attendants are just so damned rude! I watched as an elderly gentleman was mistreated because he claimed to have ordered a vegetarian meal that wasn't available. He asked for the ingredients in the supplied meal and she was shockingly rude, even referring to his race which was quite unnecessary (he was Indian).
I made note of her name and will be writing to AA today to complain but I know I will get nowhere.
I do not want to upset anyone here from the good old USA but actually I think they are all getting ruder! It's one thing to be assertive but it is another to be this kind of 'passive-aggressive' (one example is their constant use of 'Excuse me' which actually means 'Get out of my way').
Earlier this year when I went to NY I was put onto a BA flight (AA's partner) - I used to fly with BA years ago but got fed up with their practices and strikes - and was pleasantly surprised at how they had improved. Maybe it is time to switch but I don't know if it is a one-off.
The point is, the fares now are exorbitant and the service is the pits.
Mr Govangirl flies by AA all the time. Unlike his beautiful young wife, he is very quiet and passive but even he is getting hot under the collar by his flying experiences. Actually, last week he had to fly to Valencia on a conference so went by Easyjet. I know he was in the wrong but instead of pulling down his AA details he had to enter them on the site and somehow used the name Jim (what he's called) instead of James (what's on his passport). They made a great deal of fuss at this when he arrived at the desk but of course it was no bother to fly as long as he just had to pay £45 per letter change!!
The resulting £135 was the same as the flight cost - a way to make money it seems.
Och well, it seems service is just not the same anymore!
I made note of her name and will be writing to AA today to complain but I know I will get nowhere.
I do not want to upset anyone here from the good old USA but actually I think they are all getting ruder! It's one thing to be assertive but it is another to be this kind of 'passive-aggressive' (one example is their constant use of 'Excuse me' which actually means 'Get out of my way').
Earlier this year when I went to NY I was put onto a BA flight (AA's partner) - I used to fly with BA years ago but got fed up with their practices and strikes - and was pleasantly surprised at how they had improved. Maybe it is time to switch but I don't know if it is a one-off.
The point is, the fares now are exorbitant and the service is the pits.
Mr Govangirl flies by AA all the time. Unlike his beautiful young wife, he is very quiet and passive but even he is getting hot under the collar by his flying experiences. Actually, last week he had to fly to Valencia on a conference so went by Easyjet. I know he was in the wrong but instead of pulling down his AA details he had to enter them on the site and somehow used the name Jim (what he's called) instead of James (what's on his passport). They made a great deal of fuss at this when he arrived at the desk but of course it was no bother to fly as long as he just had to pay £45 per letter change!!
The resulting £135 was the same as the flight cost - a way to make money it seems.
Och well, it seems service is just not the same anymore!