Due to a metro breakdown in Paris, I (along with about 15 other people) missed my flight to Dallas, with a connection to Orlando. In order to get out of Paris, my travel partner and I had to pay a ridiculous change fee. The ticketing desk was incredibly rude, and then quoted us a price of $280 to change the ticket (where we would technically be on standby) or a total of $408 to guarantee seats on the next flight, which would not be until the following morning. We decided to think about it, and eventually went back to change the flight and pay the $408. We were then told we were misinformed and the charge was $475. Tired and just wanting to get home, we agreed to the costs.

We had several service issues with the trip, among them nearly missing our connection (after being assured by no less than five agents that we would have plenty of time) but only making it because of mechanical problems. Also, not having seats together because the agents thought we would "miss the flight." Plus, being yelled at for stowing my bag under my seat by an attendant that I was told to do by another attendant. However, what happened after I got home is what is frustrating me the most.

After returning home, my travel partner and I checked our statements and found that we had both been overcharged by American. I received a charge of $571 and my partner a charge of $569. I immediately contacted American through e-mail. They replied four days later and told me that the system showed a charge of $505 and that they would need my statements. She supplied me with the fax number, which I later discovered was not a valid number. I found the correct one and the next day faxed not only our bank statements, but also a letter detailing the lack of service we received and our receipts for $475.

It has been a week and I have not heard back from American. I would appreciate at least an e-mail or a phone call or something to let me know that they even received the documents. For all I know, they never got there and the representative is waiting for them. I called American to see if this could be verified, but of course, the only number is for reservations and they do not have access to this information. The woman also informed me that it has only been four business days so that they still have leeway. Confused, I asked how it was only four business days and she told me that the customer service department had the Monday after Easter off. Right. Because everyone else in the US did too.

I'm just frustrated that I have no way of contacting customer service to see if my stuff even arrived. Plus, I think it is ridiculous that I now have to wait and am forced to pay interest on the additional money I was charged. I filed a dispute with my credit card company and I believe they will probably fix the charge before American contacts me.

On June 12, 2007 I reserved and payed for a ticket from San José, Costa Rica to Miami.

I recieved confirmation via e-mail from American Airlines that I bought the ticket.

On July 8th, at the time of my arrival to AA counter in SJO, the lady told me at the counter that I had not payed for my ticket. I opened my computer and showed her that I had payed for the tickect and showed the confirmation #. She gave the poor excuse that my credit card bounced and was not accepted when I knew that was not the case.

So I told her to personally call the bank to verify the my credit card is active and that she had screwed up. She said that AA did not have a telephone number at the Santamaría Airport. What a poor excuse.

At the end, I had to give her another credit card and supposedly buy again the ticket. I lost my flight, wasted 5 hours all due to AA´s poor training program.

The name of the lady at the counter is Silvia Camacho, whose lack of entreprenuership amazed me. Got robbed of my time by AA.

Both my wife and I have elite status with American Airlines and we are very unhappy with the way we were treated by the AA representative (Ms. Germaine O'Donnell - American Airlines Advantage phone line). Not only she was patronizing but she was everything else but helpful. After reviewing the American Eagle flight on-time performance and our recent experience flying to and from Hawaii (also on American Airlines), we asked to be moved from 11:50AM to 9:50AM to have more time to catch our flight from Dallas to Frankfurt. Early flight adds two hours to our trip and we are willing to do that although we are traveling with our 19-months old daughter. Ms. O'Donnell told me that since I want to change the outbound flight (flight from Shreveport, LA to Dallas with other flights remaining the same), she would have to cancel my reservation and issue me a new ticket at $4000+. WOW! What a change! Our original ticket cost just over $800. She said that there is no way to change it - well, the other representative did offer us a $150 fee for changing the initial flight from SHV to DFW and also advised us that we can utilize a no cost stand-by option at the airport on the day of departure. This is what I call customer service... something Ms. O'Donnell really needs to learn about.

Okay, I think that there is more to this. I believe that since passengers who are just initiating their travel are not entitled to any compensation, airlines use such feeder flights to make room on their overbooked/oversold flight from major hubs. So, if the flight or flights from point A to B is oversold, they simply cancel or delay a couple of connecting lights with passengers to board flight from point A to B. I may have discovered something that is widely known but anyway. Moreover, I believe that they also cancel flights to combine passengers of two connecting flights on one flight (why send a flight from Dallas to Shreveport at 7:30AM and 10:00AM, if there is only one airplane worth of passengers waiting for the 11:00AM flight from Shreveport to Dallas). Economically, this makes sense. However, ethically, this is not right and I hope that this is not the case.

I takes a lot for me to write a complaint but this time I do it without any hesitation. This customer representative simply drives customers to AA's competitors.

I just flew from San Jose to Fort Lauderdale. My trip involved a plan change in Dallas/Fort Worth. I was traveling alone with a 2 year old. I had a CRS strapped with a Traveling Toddler to my carryon bag. I had paid for two seats. My daughter had a tiny backpack on that was really just a bag attached to a monkey harness as I was worried about her running away while I managed luggage by myself. I had my purse. I had a very small bag that I kept all my liquids and food in so I could more easily get through security (only had to empty that one bag). And then I had a diaper bag and a very tiny bag with a spare diaper and wipes so when I had to go to the bathroom to change my daughter, I would not have to lug my whole diaper bag down the aisle along with a very active 2 year old. ALL of these bags were small and easily fit under the front seat. The Car seat occupied my daughter's seat and is NOT included in the carryon allowance. The carry one roller bag went in the bin overhead.

So. In San Jose outbound, I asked the gate desk if I could pre board. No problem. I was nicely allowed on first so I could strap my daughter's car seat in and get OUT of the aisle ASAP. I had a few problems getting off and the Pilot, Yes, the PILOT, actually helped me off the plane and carried my car seat into the terminal where I had to reassemble everything.

So when I went to check in to continue to Florida, I asked if I could pre-board. The woman said yes, in 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, I approached the loading area. I was standing near another ticketing woman and she asked if she could help me. I said I wanted to possibly pre-board. She said no problem.

But then, when it came to boarding, a third woman was calling the boarding. I went to her and asked about pre-boarding. She said, NO. In a very nasty way and that they don't do that. I said the other woman (the first woman), who was standing RIGHT there said I could. That other woman did NOT speak up which was Very lame of her. She just kept her head down. I told her that they allowed me to pre-board in San Jose. She said they do things differently in Dallas. And then in the MOST CONDESCENDING VOICE, VICKY told me that, "We are all adults here." Mind you, by now, this was happening in front of about 20 people.

So then I walked over to the second woman and said that the third woman told me I could not pre-board. She had been unaware of all that was transpiring so she looked up and got a disgusted look on her face and walked over to the second woman and told her something. She came back and told me I could board. So I was waiting and then Vicky told me that I had to wait until Group 1 boarded. So I just stood there. Then she looks over and told me I have to many bags. I told her I did not, that I was allowed them. My CRS did not count as a bag. She pointed to my 2 year old's TINY backpack and said that counted. I just looked at her stunned. I said I had my daughter in a harness, that happened to have a bag with it, so that I did not LOOSE her in the airport. I then asked her why she was giving me such a hard time. She ignored me. Then the nicest of all the women, number two, came up and Vicky goes to her and complains, "She has too many bags."

It was all quite stupid because I could have stuffed the smaller bag AND my daughter's pack in my roller carry on. She basically was just giving me a REALLY hard time and was being nasty and completely CLUELESS that it is people like me that pay her salary through the purchase of our tickets.

I was fuming and boarded the plane. A man behind me offered to help and I asked him why she was being so awful. He said he had seen the same thing the day before when he had flown.

I could also tell you what happened on the return. Another nasty comment about pre-boarding.

What is it with AA? How come your staff cannot see a woman traveling by herself with a child and baggage on a cross country flight and give someone a break? When I was able to pre-board from San Jose, I got me and my daughter on board in and my seat in record time. I held up no lines. When I was not allowed to, even going after Group 1, I held up all the lines, it was incredibly stressful and a very unpleasant experience for me and everyone else.

Vicky is absolutely a horrible customer service person and if I had a way to notify her supervisor, I would. I will think twice, no three times about flying AA again alone with a child.

It is clear AA has no across the board policy to make their airlines family friendly.

American Airlines has reached a new low ebb in its cutomer service. My wife who is pregnant was traveling from Chicago to Washington DC. After a long day of business meetings, she requested that she be allowed to pre-board. The agent at the airport rudely brushed her aside and told her to get back to her group. She requested and politeley asked if she could make an exception, the agent brished her aside and asked her again to wait for her group to be called. When my wife suggested that she plans to complain to the customer relations, the agent arrogantly told her to to use the web to go ahead and complain. Shame om American Airlines for treating its cutsomers in this manner. As a matter of fact I challenge the American management to aplogize in public if they have any guts and self respect and take stringent action against the employee. They know whe the emplyoyee at Chicago is. Shame on American Airlines. This is absolutely pathetic.