I fly over 100,000 miles a year with American Airlines. I often choose them with the promise of “free” Executive Platinum upgrades, priority seating and boarding, and priority baggage handling. I’ve been a pretty loyal customer, flying them to places like New York and Miami, where Virgin America also flies – and offers an incredibly better experience.
I’m writing this flying back to LA from Nashville. I was upgraded to First Class for free (one of the few times I actually got to use that benefit) but the person I’m traveling with was flying coach. When I checked in, I asked if we could fly together. The agent checked my balance of “500 mile upgrades” and told me that he would be first on the list if there was an open seat – and that there was still one unsold seat. Great.
Twenty minutes before the flight, we find out that he’s confirmed for first class. Cool - we get to sit together.
At the gate they tell us a different story. Because he was flying on mileage, my upgrades didn’t work. I asked if I could upgrade him using mileage. I was told I would have to call AA, pay to redeposit the ticket, and then get it reissued, and with fifteen minutes till take off, I didn’t have time. I argued that first class had an empty seat anyway – that I’m one of their best customers – that I was willing to use my upgrades or pay more miles… didn’t matter.
This post isn’t just about an absurd policy – you can use your 500 mile upgrades to upgrade ANY purchased fare (ie. their cheapest fares are OK) but you can’t do the same if you use mileage to get the base ticket. And it’s not about not letting us sit together even though first class had empty seats.
Why is aviation one of the few businesses where your best customers don’t really matter? If a top Mobile Roadie client ever called me and asked for something within reason – and against our normal policy – I would do it in a second, no questions asked.
Somehow, we’ve become used to this. We’ve become used to mediocre service, and it not mattering, no matter how loyal we are to a brand or service. The agents at the gate – who told me they agreed with my logic – said they were just following policy. Which I’m sure they were. But that doesn’t mean the policy is correct.
I’m now in coach (so I can sit with my friend) staring at an old CRT screen glued to the ceiling. I bought a $10 chicken “sandwich” that reminded me why I never go to Boston Market, and $2 headphones that sound like tin with my iPod. I just got yelled at by a flight attendant for “stealing” bottled water. There was a huge pack of bottled water near the lavatories. I went up and helped myself to one. Walking back, the agent stopped me and told me that I “couldn’t just take that.” I apologized and told her that on other airlines they have bottled water at the back that you can just take. She told me that if an airline did that, she wanted to fly on them. I told her Virgin America does that on every flight. Defeated, she gently took the water out of my hand and told me that if “I wanted water she’d bring me a cup” – I’m still waiting 45 min later.
Something needs to change. Usually, the customer that spends the most amount of money with a company has leverage, is treated better than others, and allowed to bend The Rules as part of that loyalty bonus.
American has to realize that giving up guaranteed WiFi, good food, clean planes, and friendly agents (ie. Virgin America) becomes not worth it. Virgin’s a young airline – but is night and day above any other domestic carrier. As soon as they fly everywhere AA does from LA, I’m never flying American again. And in the mean time, I hope AA removes all bottled water from their flights, to avoid tempting thieves like me when they get thirsty.
