American Airlines is a major airline that just underwent Chapter 11 reorganization. It merged with US Airways to form one of the largest airline companies ever.

The carrier offers 273 destinations in the US, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and Asia. Its extensive network uses five hubs: Dallas/Fort Worth, JFK in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago O'Hare. Most of its planes are serviced at Tulsa International Airport.

The airline belongs to the Oneworld airline alliance, working to coordinate services with British Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, and others. American Airlines also contracts out its regional air services to Envoy Air, SkyWest, and others. ExpressJet operates its American Eagle carrier brand.

When it merged with US Airways, the result was the largest airline in the world. The merger was a good move for these companies, as it helped revitalize a company that had been hampered in recent years with financial issues.

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The Good

In-Flight Entertainment
Fleet Upgrades
On-Time Percentage

In-Flight Entertainment

There are many positive things about flying with American Airlines, but our first stop is entertainment. The airline does a pretty good job in terms of in-flight entertainment. On the planes that are fitted with seatback TVs, it is possible to get on-demand entertainment. Planes without this feature allow passengers to check out on-demand tablets for in-flight entertainment needs. If you are looking to be entertained on one of their flights, you will find the following options:

250 movies on international flights and 150 movies on domestic flights
Up to 180 TV shows
350 audio sections
18 American Airlines Radio channels
Up to 20 games to play

You can also bring your own device to stream the items above, including laptops, an iPad, the Galaxy Tab, or any device that runs iOS or Android OS 3.2

Fleet Upgrades

There is a lot to like about the fact that American Airlines is continuously upgrading its fleet. Every week, American Airlines gets at least one new plane. These include Boeing 777-300ERs, Airbus 321s, and Airbus 319s. The old fleet of Boeing 767-300s, and Boeing 777-200s are continuously being upgraded to include lie-flat business class seats and other seating options. The Airbus planes should provide more comfortable seating options for flyers, especially in terms of bigger and better seats.

On-Time Percentage

According to Flightstats.com, their flights have arrived on-time roughly 82% of the time.

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The Bad

Baggage Liability
E-Vouchers and Refunds
Entertainment Availability

Baggage Liability

There are a few issues that can become a part of your travels when using American Airlines. When we called in, we had questions about "upping" the liability on your checked baggage. Delta lets you up your baggage liability to $5000, but American Airlines seems to avoid doing this.

E-Vouchers and Refunds

Some customers have had problems with American Airlines and their e-vouchers for various types of refunds. On an issued ticket, you cannot apply a voucher to get a refund. If you have no more planned trips for the year, the e-voucher is going to be somewhat useless if you don't use it by its expiration date. One customer also paid for a seat upgrade, but when they got to the plane, they still found their old seats. The customer found out that they would need to pay more to upgrade their seats again.

Entertainment Availability

One potential issue with the in-flight entertainment options are the planes in which they are available. When researching the AA fleet on their website, the best options for in-flight entertainment are on Boeing planes. Airbus planes have not been upgraded to the fullest extent as have Boeing planes up to this point. If a customer gets on an Airbus, they may have difficulties getting tablets, overhead video, or streaming video. Older Boeing planes are also sometimes lacking similar features for clients as well.

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The Bottom Line

We recommend American Airlines because of its top of the line in-flight entertainment, diverse destinations, and volume of daily flights. Because of the company's longstanding history and its recent merger with US Airways and its added resources, we feel confident in recommending them as an airline at this time.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

3.3

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897 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

29%

4 grade

25%

3 grade

16%

2 grade

1 grade

22%

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carole abel Palm Coast, FL

My 85 year old mom joined us to go to from Florida to California last January. We have a new grandchild and we were going out for a week but were concerned about the flights. American had great direct flights at a very reasonable cost and schedule. Both airports were big and busy but we checked in at AA counter and they immediately got wheelchair assistance for Mom and escorted her to the gate. Red carpet service, she was able to board and exit early They treated her like a queen and made her as comfortable as can be. We were so impressed , we had time to settle on plane and felt welcome and respected, going and returning. The airports were very helpful as well but AA earned my loyalty. My husband and I just booked another flight for the fall.

5 years ago

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RR Gold Canyon, AZ

I have flown with American Airlines for many years and they have been a great company. The company has gone through many transitions and found a way to get better. I hope they do not make the seats smaller and put more seats on the plane while limiting the number of bathrooms. While I understand they need to make money, studies show the more you pack people in the more anxious and aggressive they can become. Tight quarters will increase the risk of problems for everyone. With infectious disease become more of an issue close quarters will add to the problem of safety. But, thank you to the airline. The people work hard and they take pride in what they do most of the time. None of us are perfect.

6 years ago

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shamika Washington, DC

On my birthday 7-27, it was my first time flying ever. I flew out or Raegan to MIA using American Airlines. The flight attendants were respectful. It was a peaceful ride with no turbulence. I was nervous yet the pilot handled that plane very well. The landing was scary and once I got off I had no complaints. On 7-31 leaving MIA to Raegan, I had a smooth, wonderful ride. I wasn't as nervous. The pilot was clear on announcements and again, the flight attendants were respectful. They gave us pretzels and we had the option to choose from juice or soda. I was extremely happy knowing it was my 2nd time flying, but officially my first time on a plane period. I was able to thank the pilot while getting off of the plane and thanking him for keeping me & the other passengers safe. I will ride American again. Thanks again American Airlines!!!

8 years ago

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CJ Fort Dodge, IA

I fly AA whenever I can & am pleased with the customer service experience (for the most part). I find them to be helpful in changing flights or rebooking flights. They are not perfect but neither are any of the other carriers. Whenever airlines merge, there's always glitches that they have to work out. Remember Delta & Northwest. That was not fun either. It is 'work' to fly now days. The airlines are overbooked & yes, I agree too, overcharging for services. It sucks! BUT, I still prefer to fly AA. Until recently, I always got a fair trade for my advantage miles for a ticket. When recently traveling to SFO, I felt we got gouged! I've been upgraded, at no charge, to first class a few times b/c of being a Gold AAdvantage/Million Mile member. I have not witnessed the poor customer service experiences that others have mentioned & I don't think they're exclusive to AA either. If your flight is delayed, they'll give you food vouchers, depending on the circumstances, but they don't owe you a steak dinner or a hotel room at the Marriott or Hilton either.

11 years ago

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Mary Lou Tui Mesa, AZ

Great experience. We have a child that is autistic and they did all they could to help us out. We were surprised they let us boward early as we had a hard experience with our little one, waiting to board the first time. When we were landing the pressure was to hard on his ears and he was in pain and one of the stewardess came and put warmed napkins in 2 cups and it relieved his ears as he put them over them. I thought it was genius. Everyone sought our comfort and although, I had some strange requests for him. Everyone was kind and willing.

6 years ago

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Aaron Paxman Lehi, UT

I am a member of American Airlines because I feel you get the best service for the best price. Other airlines are way too expensive. I have enjoyed being a member for several years now. If I have trouble with any flight I can call customer service and I am always happy at the end of the phone call. They bend over backwards to make it right and I love that about them.

7 years ago

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TL from PA Red Lion, PA

On Dec 22nd 2018 - My wife and were headed to the Key's in FL. We landed in Charlotte airport and soon found that our flight to Key West was delayed. This happened several times until that particular plane had to be sent to the hanger for repairs/service. Therefore AA had to find another plane to cover that flight. The others waiting were very upset and some even angry. Customer service agent, Robert W was so professional, kind, and courteous to the people. In my opinion he should training customer service agents.

7 years ago

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Fran P.

I have been flying with AA since 1981. Though the service is good, the size of seats and space between them is getting RIDICULOUS. I am a normal sized woman (size 10) and I find the seats very cramped. If the person seated in front of me puts their seat in recline, there is no room to cross my legs, work on laptop, etc. Taking out at least one row of seats and adding back the inches evenly distributed fron to back would make everyone more comfortable and maybe reduce angry, unhappy passengers. Your overhead bins are very good. Food on international flights needs some serious improvement. How about yogurt and fruit for breakfast instead of the appalling "pizza" before arrival at DFW.

7 years ago

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Steve Fels Hayden, ID

American Airlines has always held a special place in my heart. After finishing tech school in 1968 at Chanute AFB, IL I received orders for Clark AB in the Philippines. It was December 23rd, in a blizzard, that I arrived at O'Hare Airport trying to get back to San Francisco on Military Stand-by. Not only did American hold the flight for me, they put me in 1st Class and gave me a bottle of champagne. It was one of the last flights out and, for one 18 year old Airman, an experience I will never forget.

11 years ago

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Dave Lubbock, TX

I've preferred American for years, but one recent bad experience really sticks. I received a $450 voucher for giving up a seat on a flight. The problem came when I decided to use the voucher. On July 5th I scheduled a trip for August 5-11 directly with AA. They said I needed to mail my voucher to them so they could process it. I sent it by FedEx and they received it on the 7th. I wanted to be sure is was approved before renting a car. Big mistake - by the time I learned they wouldn't process it quickly my rental car costs rose $400. I kept calling back every few days and found they just hadn't gotten around to processing my voucher - and wouldn't until the last moment. Turns out, my tickets were finally approved on the 31st of July - 5 days before we departed! Now, this voucher was issued by a computer. It was submitted with all necessary information on the 7th. It was processed by a computer. There is no reason it should take more than a day or two to process. I'll never volunteer my seat again with American. From now on, they can keep their vouchers, and I'll keep my seat. I'd rather know my flight is properly scheduled than deal with this kind of bureaucratic stupidity.

11 years ago

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Cindy Zelbst

I don't fly commercial but about 4 times a year and the majority of my experiences are with American. I am happy to report all of my experiences have been positive. I will comment on my last experience, as it is very recent and worth telling. Recently in Miami, we had a long layover anyway. Then due to weather related issues we were delayed even longer, after being in the Miami airport for 14 hours (again mostly due to our long layover), they had to delay our flight until the next morning. Which was fine, we skipped the voucher line and got on-line and found a great hotel near the airport. (We heard the next morning of people waiting in line for 4 hours to get their hotel/meal vouchers). The very best part of this ordeal, was the pilot assigned to our flight. He was the BEST!!! He got on the speaker and kept us informed about what was going on. He was there to greet us the next morning and welcome us back and then he flew us safely to our destination. ALL airlines need more pilots and people like him. All we want to do is just to be kept informed about what is going on. It's all about just embracing the truth of the matter.

11 years ago

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jane ellifrits Arlington, TX

I flew to kci paid 396 for round trip first class, good price, I called to see if I could leave a day early and was told it would cost 596 for a one way ticket, I declined but got to the airport early the day of the flight and ask if I could fly standby and was told no they did not look to see if there were seats available, about 3 weeks later I got a credit for my original ticket, also received a letter saying they were sorry I always fly American and because they do things like this I always will

11 years ago

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Tina Decatur, TX

My son had open heart surgery in Rochester, MN in June 2014. As we were waiting to load the plane, the captain came out from the plane, to the waiting area and asked if we were the ones that had a person that just had open heart surgery. He then introduced himself then started to tell us how the ride would be and that we may have some turbulence. We were very impressed. I wished I had got his name. Besides that episode, we have flown quite a bit and always fly American and we have never encountered a problem with any of the staff members.

11 years ago

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Stan Pisle Emeryville, CA

I've been flying American since they merged with TWA. My biggest complaint to date is the stopped serving Pepsi on flights last year. :( Other than that, I've always found the crews courteous, and my flights fairly comfortable. I fly a lot so normal missed flights because of weather or unforeseen circumstances are part of the deal. I've found with giving myself at least an hour between connections I rarely have a problem. Even when flights have been severely delayed (we had to make an emergency landing in Little Rock once because of woman in Labor) and I missed a couple connecting flights, American always has rebooked my flight. –And in the Little Rock case they proactively credited 5000 miles to my Advantage account. Most of my experience has been with American as a Gold or Platinum status flyer, so my experience might be a little more positive than the average person flying economy coach on a casual basis, but American treats their loyal customers well. Having flown all the major carriers, American is my go to choice. I will often take a multi-leg flight with them over direct with another carrier as I like American's customer service.

11 years ago

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Mark Los Angeles, CA

I love American Airlines. Truly a hallmark of the legacy carriers, American has always had a superior product amongst the three big legacy carriers. The carrier went through a terrible time after 9/11 and most definitely lost its edge. However, with the merge with US Airways, American is now the largest airline in the world and is in the process of restoring its legacy as the BEST airline in the world. Inspired by their past but driven by the future, this is the NEW AMERICAN!

11 years ago

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Marlon Hanson Red Oak, TX

I have had the best service from American Airlines of any other company over the past ten years or so. I moved from Northwest to Delta because Northwest ALWAYS lost my bags and because of really nasty gate agents. I moved from Delta to Continental because Delta was to abusive when I missed flights or had some problem that they were completely unable to handle. I left Continental when United took over and turned excellent service into worse than mediocre. Enter AA. I have never had a real significant problem with American Airlines. Sure, there is an occasional nasty gate or check in agent, but overall I find the AA people more responsive and more willing to work with me than those of any other airline. I think some of it has to do with the training they received since the vast majority of AA employees are truly courteous and great to work with. I find their Advantage program much easier to use than United's and a bit easier to use than Deltas in that I am still a member of all since I travel a great deal. I do have fear of what will ultimately happen with US Air taking over American, because I have found their employees less knowledgeable than any other airline when I traveled with them prior to the merger/takeover. I have seen a deterioration in food service since they got involved with American and a change in frequent flyer redemption levels, but not as "bad" as those of United or even Delta. They are not perfect, but who among us is? American will remain my airline of choice as long as they remain more responsive than other airlines I fly.

11 years ago

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Mario Martin Houston, TX

I do travel extensively and often. I've had the pleasure of experiencing several of the major carriers over a 45 year span. I feel very comfortable when I say that American Airlines has been consistent and compatible with any other carrier and in my opinion have excelled other carriers in customer service experience. I'll continue to use American Airlines for my travel needs in the future.

4 years ago

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DealStar South Jordan, UT

American Airlines is the one you want when you have a distance to cover! They are perhaps the most professional, well-oiled airlines on the planet, and they cover an incredible area of the domestic and international travel market.

5 years ago

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Makayla Holland Gaithersburg, MD

I give American Airlines a 5 star rating because the prices are decent. The flights and service are always great. When searching for flights, their tickets are always competitive. I trust to airlines to get me to my destination safety and like the process of there system.

5 years ago

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MindyV Lubbock, TX

American Airlines used to be one of my favorite airlines. But after we flew home on them after a trip we took over Christmas, they aren't one of my favorite airlines anymore. I know that things have been crazy with COVID, but American Airlines would only serve beverages to people who were in first class. When we flew out on our trip for Christmas, we flew on United and they gave beverages to everyone. Also, on the larger plane, there were no headsets available, so we weren't able to watch the TV's at all. We couldn't even watch them without the sound. The American Eagle that we took from DWF to LBB was really weird. In first class, there was only 1 set of seats on one side of the plane and 2 on the other. In the main cabin, there were 2 seats on each side. So the floor was crooked to accommodate the weird shape of the plane and the strange seating. Also, the windows on that plane were messed up. They weren't where they normally are, making it easy for passengers to see out of the plane. They were in the middle of the backs of the seats. So we either had to look behind us to try to see a little outside or further in front of us to try to see a little. It was really weird and pointless!!!! The windows are there for passengers to be able to look out of them.

5 years ago

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Gene Glencoe, IL

Before the lock down I'd traveled a lot (30 to 35 weeks a year) and had developed preference toward AA. In my experience it adheres to schedule as much as possible , provides respectful service, the crews are friendly and professional. I used to like United or Delta more, but in the last three or four years AA proved to me as most improved.

6 years ago

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Darryl Sr. Fritz Fountain Hill, PA

I flew to Hawaii on American and have to say from check in to boarding, on the Flight with the Flight Attendants, and then back home on American told me a lot so it was not an anomaly, Great Airline because of the Great People

6 years ago

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Cade Boudreaux Irving, TX

I flew from Ohio to Louisiana on an American Airlines flight and was very pleased with my flight. The crew was very welcoming and I was very comfortable the entire time. I would pick American Airlines as my go to for flying anywhere.

6 years ago

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Maria Tallahassee, FL

My favorite airline to travel with! Always very helpful and responsive with anything I need. Flights are almost always on time and the staff is very friendly. Love traveling with with them because there are never any problems.

6 years ago

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Jay Cole

Flight attendant: I just have to say I fly a lot and the customer service with their flight attendant is Absolutely Amazing I know we all have choices to fly with who we like but hands down their customer service is Wonderful! Won't travel with anyone else

6 years ago

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Melanie Woodruff Benton, AR

The company overall was really great. My problem was with the fact that I had requested wheelchair help at my layovers and neither time did I have one. On the way there I had a three hour layover so I could walk a few gates and rest then repeat. Coming back there was someone at the gate meeting the plane with a wheelchair but when I asked if it was for me he told me I had to have the person at the gate call for one for me. My flight was late and I had 20 minutes to get to my flight. I did quickly walk to my next gate once I figured out how to get there. Had a few moments before they closed the gate then spent a week in bed from the flair up this caused. Not sure where the mix up was because each flight I asked if it was noted that I needed to be met with a wheelchair and they assured me it would. Otherwise I would have given a 5. The gate attendants and flight attendants were amazing.

6 years ago

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Judith Anderson McNeal, AZ

My flights where the longest I have ever taken. The layovers were terrible when you find out that your flight was canceled, you have to book another flight it was done to me on my way to Pa and then on my way back the flight for Philadelphia was late missed my flight and my family had to drive to Phoenix to pick me up instead of Tuscon Az. The whole thing was very stressful. They changed the gates on me but they don't say much on the ticket. I also fell at the Phoenix airport because the plane left before I landed with the flight from Philadelphia. Couldn't the plane make up that time once in the air?

7 years ago

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Nicole LeBaron Provo, UT

I’ve flown with American Airlines a few times and it’s hit or miss to be honest. Flying home for the holidays was nice, plane was clean, service was good, etc. Recently, I used American Airlines flying to the Dominican Republic and the plane was tight, for how long our flight time was, o tv screen( which is fine, but expected it for our long flight) and just not a lot of leg room. It’s not a bad airline, maybe just need to be updated.

7 years ago

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Jen Paxman Lehi, UT

American Airlines is affordable and provides great customer service and flight options for my family. We have had a couple of flights that have been delayed for a large amount of time, but the customer service representatives have always helped to find other options for missed flight connections. I do wish that they had a little bit more leg room on their flights. My husband is well over 6 ft and it is really not comfortable for him to fly, unless he is in an exit row, but with our kids, that is not an option.

7 years ago

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Em P

American Airlines has excellent service. Flight Attendants are very nice and knowledgeable although a lot of gate employees are rude and arrogant, I still like American Airlines because of the flight attendant's good service on air.

7 years ago

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Teri Hatch

i am a frequent flier and take advantage of my miles for reward travel. They make it easy to fly on miles and have upgraded their lounges. I fly with them exclusively because they are on time and demonstrate good customer service.

7 years ago

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royboy

Never have had any problems with AA, They need to keep there long flight planes like over seas flight up to date with other air lines, all American companies need to get a grip on what they charge for baggage. Flights abroad are cheaper then what we pay for flights here in the US and the US companies have older planes, they all could make coach seats a little bit bigger, we as Americans are a bigger race in general and Asian and European flights have more seating space then we do.

8 years ago

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Anony Mous

Ground service personnel at the airport were fantastic checking bags, checking in and providing boarding pass. I have leg problems and they helped PMP onto the plane first. And they got me where I intended to go. The web site was very easy and helpful..

8 years ago

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Anne Kimball Salt Lake City, UT

We flew on American Airlines when we were going to Europe and we flew with our child and they were so accommodating for such a long flight with a small child. They checked in on us to make sure we had everything we needed and were very comforting when our child was having a hard time.

8 years ago

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Carrie Torres Tulsa, OK

They did a great job with both hospitality and on time arrivals and departures! Travel from Middle USA to Hawaii, perfect. On the way home I took different airlines, not so hot, not at ALL. Service and timelines ranks #1 and I travel a LOT! Fly American Airlines!

8 years ago

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Cher Leesburg, VA

The customer service at American Airline is one to the best. Of any airline I have had to deal with for customer service, American Airline is the best by far. On two separate occasions, we got friendly customer service representatives and they were able to solve my problem with out any conflict. Thank you American Airline for making flying easier.

8 years ago

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Mukund Mohan Los Angeles, CA

The service staff at American Airlines are awesome! Besides their primary objective of safety, they are compassionate and empathetic to our needs. On a recent flight from Charlotte to Las Vegas, we had just heard the shocking news of the loss of my father's wife. I mentioned this to "Joy", the lead stewardess while boarding the flight. Joy was at my wife's side through out the flight to console and comfort to the best of her abilities! I will recommend American Airlines any day!

10 years ago

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Daniel Boston, MA

With the merger complete the service is very unbalanced. You can see the difference in the former USAirways employees- they are more likely to just go through the motions rather than focus on passenger safety and service. It was painfully evident this past week. I only travel first class on domestic flights-paid, not upgrades. My first leg was BOS-LAX - morning flight, legacy AA operated. We were greeted with not just water bottles at our seat, but three times the FA came through with orange juice and coffee pre-poured. She also offered something stronger if one desired. Throughout the entire flight he was attentive without being bothersome. He also made small talk with passengers (who were not buried in their laptop, tablet or the entertainment offerings.) Upon our arrival at LAX and waiting for a gate to clear he came through with bottled water again. My second and third legs were not as great. LAX to PHX there were no water bottles at your seat upon arrival. I asked for one and was greeted with this is a short flight and lightly booked so they were not doing pre-departure beverage service. Whatever. Former USAirways crew and a bird still waiting to be painted. It is a short flight and it was early afternoon - so whilst no meal service the beverage and munchies service was labored at best. The final leg was PHX to BOS - a 10h10 departure. We had a small delay and the gate agent was excellent in providing updates. As we were boarding the in aircraft announcement was basically to hurry up, we are already late." Late because of the airline. Not those of us boarding. This flight did offer water pre-departure - not at each seat - but via tray, the FA did welcome each passenger plane individually. The inflight meal (lunch) was served very quickly after cruising altitude was achieved. I did ask if I could hold off on service for another hour, and was told certainly- with the dig alerting me that she could not be responsible for the entree after being reheated. Upon arrival the FA making all the cabin announcements thanked us for flying USAirways, quickly correcting themselves to American.

10 years ago

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Benjamin Lopez Arlington, TX

In as much as possible, I, always, use American Airlines. I have been flying on it for more than 40 years, nationally and internationally. I am proud of this airline, even, when it went trough difficult times. VIVA AMERICANA!

11 years ago

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Jane Sullivan Hamden, CT

A few years ago I took a flight to Cancun. The flight was so smooth that I didn't realize we were on the ground until we were rolling past the buildings. The return trip, a week later, was just as smooth. It was a good pilot that knew what he was doing to land that smoothly.

11 years ago

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Ron Hussey Los Angeles, CA

I've flown American since 1984. I'm almost at the 2 Million mile mark. It's simply the best airline I've ever flown, and I've flown them all at one time or another. Professionalism, customer service, going the extra mile. There's none better than AA.

11 years ago

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Frank Del Toro Chappaqua, NY

The merger hasn't smoothed out a lot of issues at either American or USAirways, but if you know up front what to expect, it can be a less unpleasant experience than you'd anticipate flying American. If you have a carry on and they ask for volunteers to check the bag for free, DON'T. I did it twice, once on American and once on a USAirways. Both times, the damage to the bag was less than the cost of time and labor communicating to me that “We're not liable” (zipper piece was $1.98). The wifi on the different planes, at least coast to coast, was always spotty. GoGo Inflight reimbursed me for the time it was down, which is why they'll always get an A+, but have learned that the equipment on the American fleet is subpar and will always fail for now (according to provider). If you fly through Chicago, Dallas or Charlotte–major hubs of American and USAirways, you'll find the customer service is subpar, so if you have a problem, call the 800 number. If not going there directly, try to connect in Phoenix or Los Angeles. The positives? If you mention the problems to the AAdvantage desk–even if just a regular status member, they immediately assist in resolving to your satisfaction. Prime seating opportunities, like exit rows, are easier to get online prior to the flight (as compared to say, Delta or United, where they block off all of those seats until a few days before). Finally, the other good point is that there is a multitude of flights in case you miss one, and there's little attitude of “though crap” or anything like that. At least, that's what I've experienced. Upgradable seats not so plentiful, but the agents have usually put me on another flight without charging me if I missed it, regardless of fault.

11 years ago

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Frank Del Toro Chappaqua, NY

The merger hasn't smoothed out a lot of issues at either American or USAirways, but if you know up front what to expect, it can be a less unpleasant experience than you'd anticipate flying American. If you have a carry on and they ask for volunteers to check the bag for free, don't. I did it twice, once on American and once on a USAirways. Both times, there was damage to the bag was less than the cost of time and labor communicating with me that "We're not liable" than actually just reimbursing me the cost of the zipper piece ($1.96, btw). The wifi on the different planes, at least coast to coast, was always spotty. GoGo Inflight reimbursed me for the time it was down, which is why they'll always get an A+, but have learned that the equipment on the American fleet is subpar and will always fail for now (according to provider). If you fly through Chicago, Dallas or Charlotte--major hubs of American and USAirways, you'll find the customer service is subpar, probably better in Tehran, so if you have a problem, call the 800 number. If not going there directly, try to connect in Phoenix or Los Angeles. The positives? If you mention the problems to the AAdvantage desk--even if just a regular status member, they immediately assist in resolving to your satisfaction. Prime seating opportunities, like exit rows, are easier to get online prior to the flight (as compared to say, Delta or United, where they block off all of those seats until a few days before). Finally, the other good point is that there is a multitude of flights in case you miss one. At least, that's what I've experienced. Upgradable seats not so plentiful, but the agents have usually put me on another flight without charging me if I missed it, regardless of fault.

11 years ago

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Steve Rubery Aliso Viejo, CA

Love American, I fly 2x month or more and sure have had hickups here and there but thats to be expected with complex schedules, equipment and weather. I'm not sure why they don't get better reviews but I suspect its from less seasoned travelers. Travel takes time, patience, experience and common sense. American keep up the good work!

11 years ago

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Aldo M

with AA since 1991 i accumulate more than 1.5 million miles. I am happy about the prices and the option to make a reservation and hold it for 24 hrs. this helps a lot. The negative: all the planes used to and from Europe are old, there is not a monitor per each seat in coach, the monitors are smaller than and iPad, on the walls and the movies are bad, there is always a kid movie? What is that there are maybe 2% of kids on a plane...... anyways i give it a 8 in the geneal contest AA is a good airline.

11 years ago

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Tom Martin Fort Worth, TX

Are we such an ADD society that we need in flight entertainment that has 250 movies, 180 TV shows, etc?? Frankly, I HATE the IFE systems in the airplanes, because the big box under the seats takes up all the leg room. On a recent overseas AA 767-300, the IFE box was so big I couldn't even stretch my legs. I've been on commuter planes with better leg room. TBH, I like flying regional jets. They take your roller bag before you board, so there are no worries about overhead bins. Almost all the RJs don't have IFEs, and while the cabins are smaller, the seats are the same size or bigger than the big jets!

11 years ago

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Carlene Knights Macon, GA

I flew with American Airlines twice in the months of May/June to Dallas, DFW from Atlanta. The airport situation with A.A. and United was somewhat confusing, but once in the air, the flights were wonderful. We were late getting to Atlanta on FLT1487 on Friday, held over Atlanta for a while, but the flight was great. Comfortable and the attendants were great.

11 years ago

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VILMA NOEMI GALLARDO El Paso, TX

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES, WENT TO PUERTO RICO TO VISIT MY FAMILY, NICE FLIGHT, NICE AND POLITE CREW, ONLY THING THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR LUGGAGE, OTHER THAN THAT, WONDERFUL, HOPE YOU HAVE BETTER DEALS AND PACKAGES FOR PUERTO RICO

11 years ago

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DENNIS P BONOLA Palm Desert, CA

I RECENTLY FLEW AA109 LHRLAX ON THEIR NEW 777-300'S. I WAS IN BUSINESS CLASS AND THE LIE-FLAT SEATS WERE THE BEST OF ANY AIRLINE THAT I HAVE FLOWN IN THE LAST YEAR. THEIR SERVICE ALSO WAS SUPERIOR. I HAD A FILET FOR LUNCH THAT WAS JUST AS GOOD AS DINING AT ANY EXPENSIVE STEAK HOUSE. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK

11 years ago

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Wes Winter Park, FL

Recently flew to Rome on AA US Air was the crew. It was a Boeing 5 seats in the middle in coach that were cramped. The A/C was not consistent and our section was warm while others were cold. The food was good and entertainment excellent. The crew was below average. On the return again a US Air plane but AA crew that was more professional and personable. On both flights the seat in front of me was reclined with a child in it which made eating uncomfortable. The AA crew noticed it and ask the person to raise it during meal time. Attention to details. All 4 flights were on time or early. I also fly domestically which is ok. I use to fly AA back in the 80's and 90's and remember their service and comfort was much better. Had 2 1st class trips to Hawaii that were fantastic. Back when I flew a lot and was gold status often got upgraded without asking. Of full service carriers I will stick to AA when I can. I still look for price and Southwest usually wins.

11 years ago