Abandoned by American Airlines

Recently myself and 300 passengers had the worst experience with American Airlines. I'm sharing my letter to their customer service department.

On October 24th I had a reservation through American Airlines to depart from Paris, France to Orlando, Florida connecting through Philadelphia, PA.

The flight 755 was scheduled for 2:45PM departure and throughout the time it was delayed to 7:30pm and then 8:30Pm and finally we boarded at 9PM. (7-hour delay)

During this time there was total confusion for the passengers. The flight attendants were providing incorrect information about departure times and some individuals were getting email messages and others text messages and some no messages from American Airlines which added to the mass confusion.

During the 7-hour delay passengers were provided sandwiches and water. Some of the passengers were given food vouchers after asking for them. But unbeknownst to everyone that vouchers were available. It was never offered by the flight attendants.

Our flight was delayed in Zurich, which is a one-hour flight based on the information provided by the flight attendants. No one was told why the flight was delayed.

Before the Zurich flight left for Paris the flight attendant stated that hotels were being prepared in the instant the flight didn’t happen. It was also shared that our connecting flights were being reissued.

Finally, the Zurich flight arrives in Paris, and we board by 9PM.

We arrive at Philadelphia close to midnight. We were instructed by the Paris crew that there would be an agent at the gate to direct us to the next steps. As some passengers were getting email messages about a hotel reservation that was made for them. When we asked about the next steps for those that did not receive a message, we were told the agent at the gate would direct us. There was no agent at the gate.

We all proceeded to baggage claim to retrieve our bags still seeking the next steps. Then it went horribly wrong. The TSA agent gave out a flyer with a QR code stating we had to find our own hotels, pay for them, and submit for reimbursement. There were no food vouchers provided. Not that we could have used them at 1AM. There could have been airline food available, more sandwiches, water. There was nothing. We were abandoned.

We were also told that the hotels on the flyer (via QR code) had a relationship with the airlines and would apply a discounted rate. So, I used the flyer and attempted to call hotels at 1AM. Many didn’t answer the phone. The one I did contact stated there was no discount, and there was no airline relationship.

We were then told by the TSA agent that we can get mad but that’s on us and he’s not responsible for the flight delay. He also stated, we were not able to check our bags because TSA didn’t open until 3:30AM and what we decided to do, was up to us. ???

He then stated that we were not able to wait in the TSA area and would have to find another place to sit, lay, sleep etc.

To our dismay and being abandoned by American Airlines we decided, about 50 families some having small children, to camp out in the cold outer area of TSA. Some people stated they called and there were no open hotels with rooms for the 4 hours stay needed. Again, we felt abandoned by the airlines.

Attempting to find a warmer location to rest we were told not to hang in the baggage claim area because that’s where the homeless came to get out of the cold.

What went wrong American Airlines! How did you abandon passengers when you have a system in place that should have triggered automatic responses to all passengers with the latest updates and the next steps? You left us in the cold, with no food and no answers.

The irony about this is my visit to Paris was to speak at a conference. My business is in customer service. I serve as the Chief Experience Officer for Rise and Shine Consulting and Coaching Firm. My topic was How to Provide a World Class Service. American Airlines you missed the mark on that!

I work with companies to prevent things like this from happening. I would have to believe there is a SOP for delays and the next steps provided in areas of massive delay by your airline.

In addition to that only a few people received the delay pamphlet to be able to request the refund based on your promise in the instance of a 4+ hour delay. So, we shared the information and people had to take pictures of the pamphlet.

What went wrong American Airlines?

·????????I believe it’s training agents, and all personnel to have a level of empathy for passengers that are placed in situations like the one we experienced on flight 755.

·????????I believe it’s having an on-call team that goes into action to assist passengers with accommodations as families had small children sleeping in the cold area that we were permitted to stay in. ??

·????????I believe it’s ensuring the technology is in place to ensure passengers are receiving the same information to prevent confusion.

·????????I believe there should be an emergency response team that goes into action providing food, water, and wifi to connect with family and friends.

Is this a common issue I would like to believe it’s not; but it did occur, and you have a responsibility to your customers, to walk the talk. ?You state, We Fly So You Can Soar. Our passengers get the best of everything.?What does that mean?

I believe there should be a rapid response in how you will correct this unbelievable experience. What will you provide passengers for this disheartening display for our well-being?

Sheryl Mays, Passenger on flight American Airlines 755(PHL) /1919(MCO)