Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire American Airlines sucks balls

Alaska Airlines no longer allows carry on bags as the overheads are for your parachute!

I quit flying. Driving the 1400-mile Alcan is much more soothing to my nerves.

I fly GMC….I like the scenery.😁

You just need to choose a better airline.

A little secret, all the airlines suck. American, Delta, United. Think of Southwest with their Christmas disaster of 2022! Alaska sucks. And everyone below those really sucks - Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier...

My worst flight was on Delta.

Your situation sounds more like an issue with that particular airport than the airline itself. The airport isn't allowing proper time, not AA.

There's a reason rich people and politicians fly private, airlines all suck.

American does sick. They never accept any responsibility. I have tons of air miles with them, but I always take another airline within one world alliance.

I've gotten to where I hate traveling by air...don't much like being part of a herd, don't have the patience. If I'm lucky I can keep it down to once or twice a year anymore.

I think a lot of it has to do with how much a person travels. Like anything else, there's a certain skill set and competency developed by frequency of involvement. My wife flies places several times a year for work, she's pretty good at it and I let her handle all the arrangements. We don't do checked baggage unless we're going to be gone a week or so, if it's only a few days, carry on only. She get's checked in ahead of time and just sort of runs through the terminal flashing her phone at every point requiring some sort of documentation.

We don't have any real problems with the whole thing other than a couple of years ago when we were up north for the holidays and our flight was delayed, then cancelled due to weather (severe icing.) We rented a car and started chasing flights south from NY's Canadian border and they kept getting cancelled. We ended up flying out of Scranton PA the next morning. The holiday trip from hell.

For one that's not utilized flight services for about 5 years - Do we all navigate the system with smart phones now, or can one still walk up to a counter, buy ticket, do security, and walk to the gate?

If the former, is there an app for that?

Why, yes they do!

Wont go into all the details, but I missed an important meeting on the West Coast because of AA. Had a early morning flight out of BTR headed to LAX. Should arrive at LAX around 10 am pacific time, meeting at 4 pm pacific time. AA rescheduled me to leave MSY (New Orleans) at 4 pm and didn't notify me.

Schit show from start to finish..... I almost got put in jail over this!

Never flew on AA since and I'll walk before getting on one of their planes.

I fly AA almost weekly. But I'm flying in/out of DFW, their main hub. I have no issues whatsoever. Flying has definitely changed over the years, both the airlines and the customers.

Best advice is to get the airlines app and check in online when possible. Also, get to the airport with plenty of time and try to fly direct whenever possible.

Not too happy with Alaska right now either. As of March 1, one can no longer check bags all the way through to final destination if switching airlines.

That means on April 1, we will have to retrieve our bags in LA, re-enter thru Security, and recheck them on Quantas to Australia.

4 hour layover, time enough - but it's still a PITA. Understandable maybe if going international, but it applies to everywhere, now.

For years, Alaska has been #1 customer satisfaction rated by JDPowell. This could cause some slippage maybe. I don't know other airlines' policy on this, but if switching airlines, better plan on that baggage time between! 2 hours minimum.

I have to say, though, on a recent trip back from MT, the Billings- SEA flight was mech. delayed by an hour, so we were auto-booked on the next available flight SEA-ANC, having missed the original. We deplaned first ahead of others who did not have tight connections, walked across the gate area to a nearby gate and onto our flight to ANC, as they were already boarding - and our bags made it too. Nice, since we live 3 hours drive away from ANC, and 25 miles from the Kenai airport, tho they will (or used to) home deliver.

KLM left my wife's bag in the cart in Amsterdam a couple years ago. I know how it happened, too (BTDT! as ramper for Alaska)). It was a Navy blue duffle, and we were the first to check in so it went into the cart first, in the corner, and the Kilmanjaro flilght loaded later that night in the dark...

It caught up to us in the Serengetti 4 days later. From then on, if traveling with 2 suitcases, our clothes are split between them. If possible, I use a carry on with at least one change also.

Or better yet, no checked baggage at all - everything I need in the carry-on if I can.

I'm still pissed at NZ Air from last spring. Our ANC-LA flight was delayed, and they knew it. We had a mile walk from AKAir to NZ gate, and they re-assigned our xtra leg-room seats 1 minute before we got there, despite knowing of the delay and that we were on the way.

Then they put us in cramped middle seats. There was a half-empty flight leaving 2 hours later, (our travel companions were on that one) but they refused to re-assign us. Nor did they ever refund our extra pay, extra legroom fees.

OH yes, after fugging us over, our flight was delayed for over an hour, waiting for crew.

November 2022 I went to Tucson; Billings - Phoenix went well, but Phx-Tuc was American. Boarding went well, plane was full, everyone ready to go, EXCEPT......there was no pilot! Airline had neglected to schedule them! No flight until next morning. They offered credit for hotel rooms, but I had to be in Tucson before boarding time. They refunded only a portion, I don't remember now what amount, but it was because it was my choice not to take the flight.

I rented a car, but refund didn't cover the cost.

Here is a tip, send yourself a text with your airline and flight number, AA2845 for American for example, or DL4006 for Delta for example. If you're not on a jitterbug phone, that then becomes a hyperlink in your text messages for the flight(s) you're on. Just click in the text and it brings up a map, where the plane is (at the airport, or where it is if it has already taken off), departure time, estimated arrival time, duration, baggage claim, and a host of other information. Makes for quick access information.

Was having an issue in DFW a month ago, the nice gal at the ticket counter also alerted me to google my flight AA2845 for example, and the information that was brought up on that google search was better (more real time) than even the American app was.

At times, I fly for 4 or 5 months at a time, every week. My only major delays have been weather related. I expect minor delays. Sometimes everything goes smoothly. The more streamlined you are and know what to expect for ticketing, baggage, security, the easier everything is though.



I don't know about buying a ticket at the counter, seems like you might not be flying for a few days if all the flights are sold out. But, you can buy in advance, print your ticket at home if you want, or get your ticket at a kiosk, or at the counter at the airport, pay for your bags in advance on computer, or pay at the counter. Can go through security and board the plane just with your self printed paper ticket, or one they print at the counter. I flew with my intern to SLC last week. I was all electronic from the app, he was all old school with paper copies of everything.