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American Airlines (1926) - Based in Fort Worth, Texas


DonRocks

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Does anyone know how to add your AA Advantage Number after you've purchased an e-ticket, but before the entire flight has been completed?

I want to add my account for an existing flight, so I can get mileage credit, but don't know how to do it.

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With American Airlines, domestic and Canada, baggage fees are:

1) 1st bag: $25

2) 2nd bag: $35

Checked Baggage Policy

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Opinions, feedback, and suggestions are encouraged for new forums, sub-forums, and other ideas - example: For each airline, I'm thinking of adding a sub-forum for their own frequent-flier program, and possible a second sub-forum for any fees, quirks, or other attributes - desirable or undesirable - that they may have.

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10 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Does anyone know how to add your AA Advantage Number after you've purchased an e-ticket, but before the entire flight has been completed?

I want to add my account for an existing flight, so I can get mileage credit, but don't know how to do it.

You can do it at the check in counter before the flight.   Alternatively, you can call the reservations desk and they'll do it for you.  1-800-433-7300.

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3 hours ago, zgast said:

You can do it at the check in counter before the flight.   Alternatively, you can call the reservations desk and they'll do it for you.  1-800-433-7300.

Thank you - I didn't see a way to do it online, and this is exactly what I was going to try. Thanks for taking the time to answer, zgast.

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I have to give American's customer service people kudos for being helpful and cool over the past couple of weeks. I've had to first change, then cancel, a return ticket to Baltimore. Both times, the customer service agent was patient and helpful, clearly explaining my options. So much better than the last time my mom had cancer and I flew American out and needed to change my return flight. They screwed up the ticket during the change so that I lost the free checked bag, Group 1 boarding, and free adult beverage (and dammit, I needed that free adult beverage!) that I purchased in the fare for my original ticket, and then told me my only recourse was to take it up with corporate when I got back to Maryland.

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Street rumor is that American is going to follow the ultra-low-cost Spirit/Frontier path, and their lowest published fare will no longer include a carry-on bag.

This year I was one flight short of Gold status, and they wouldn't waive it, so rather than start over, I will probably switch airlines.

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1 hour ago, DanielK said:

Street rumor is that American is going to follow the ultra-low-cost Spirit/Frontier path, and their lowest published fare will no longer include a carry-on bag.

This year I was one flight short of Gold status, and they wouldn't waive it, so rather than start over, I will probably switch airlines.

Delta has done this for years - and United just started - so they're really just following them.  As for the Gold status, you're not missing much.  It's really just useful for the free checked bag, which you can replicate with the credit card.

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3 hours ago, zgast said:

Delta has done this for years - and United just started - so they're really just following them.  As for the Gold status, you're not missing much.  It's really just useful for the free checked bag, which you can replicate with the credit card.

Wait, what? United and Delta's websites both say that a "carry-on and a small personal item" are included for each passenger for each fare.

To my knowledge, only the ultra-low-cost airlines (Spirit, Frontier) charge to put a bag in the overhead compartment.

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"American will begin offering basic-economy fares on February 10, while United's basic economy will begin in the second quarter. Delta Air Lines' less-restrictive basic economy is already up and running. It allows passengers to bring along carry-on bags, but its restrictions in terms of seat assignments and the boarding procedure are similar to American's and United's."

From Business Insider.

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What they're really trying to do is drive booking to their own websites. If you book via Orbitz or Travelocity, you're just going to be comparing the basic economy fares. To see how much a "real" economy ticket is (i.e., the one that lets you bring your rollaboard and get your free soft drink), you'll have to go to their website.

I'm sure the aggregators are figuring out how to retool their searches to accomodate these new fare classes.

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On 1/27/2017 at 3:40 PM, DanielK said:

Wait, what? United and Delta's websites both say that a "carry-on and a small personal item" are included for each passenger for each fare.

To my knowledge, only the ultra-low-cost airlines (Spirit, Frontier) charge to put a bag in the overhead compartment.

You are correct for Delta (I had thought they didn't allow overhead space.)  United is definitely no overhead space, though.  Has to fit in the area at your feet - same as American.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/basic-economy.aspx

icon_carryon.png

Full-sized carry-on bags are not permitted

You're not allowed a full-sized carry-on bag unless you're a MileagePlus Premier member or companion traveling on the same reservation, the primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card or a Star Alliance™ Gold member. Everyone else who brings a full-sized carry-on bag to the gate will be required to check their bag and pay the applicable checked bag fee plus a $25 gate handling charge.
 
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That's not a current policy, though, that's a future policy. So they're all moving that direction, and are possibly selling tickets in that class for future travel, but if you fly today, only Spirit/Frontier are charging for the bins.

I believe they hope it will generate more ancillary revenue, and drive sales to their websites, but I am expecting the biggest impact will be higher revenue for Southwest.

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On 1/27/2017 at 9:40 AM, DanielK said:

Street rumor is that American is going to follow the ultra-low-cost Spirit/Frontier path, and their lowest published fare will no longer include a carry-on bag.

You're correct. I just flew American and their basic economy fare now allows only a personal carry-on item. You can get the carry-on bag if you purchase a higher fare and/or Main Cabin Extra.

They've also changed their boarding system. They used to do pre-boarding, the various types of priority, then Groups 1-whatever (last group depends on aircraft size), beginning with Main Cabin Extra. Now, they're Groups 1-whatever, which means MCE folks end up boarding in Group 5 and having no overhead space near them. People in MCE ended up sticking their carry-ons in bins way, way behind our seats, which really jammed up deplaning. >:( I'm not a fan of the new system and will be booking on Southwest for my return flight.

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1 hour ago, Xochitl10 said:

You're correct. I just flew American and their basic economy fare now allows only a personal carry-on item. You can get the carry-on bag if you purchase a higher fare and/or Main Cabin Extra.

They've also changed their boarding system. They used to do pre-boarding, the various types of priority, then Groups 1-whatever (last group depends on aircraft size), beginning with Main Cabin Extra. Now, they're Groups 1-whatever, which means MCE folks end up boarding in Group 5 and having no overhead space near them. People in MCE ended up sticking their carry-ons in bins way, way behind our seats, which really jammed up deplaning. >:( I'm not a fan of the new system and will be booking on Southwest for my return flight.

It's almost like they screwed up by charging to check-in bags (everyone carries on now) and now are trying to add even more revenue to fix the very problem they created.

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23 hours ago, zgast said:

It's almost like they screwed up by charging to check-in bags (everyone carries on now) and now are trying to add even more revenue to fix the very problem they created.

IOW: demand curves are everywhere and at all times downward sloping

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The swath America West's legacy has cut through the airline industry is quite remarkable.  US Airways was never leading the pack in terms of customer service and satisfaction, but it wasn't a bad airline to fly on pre-merger.  Then came the years of charging customers for a glass of soda on board their aircraft, and the much more serious charges of under-fueling aircraft to save weight and pushing pilots to fly in weather some considered unsafe.  15 years ago, American Airlines came through 9/11 in better shape than many - acquiring TWA in the process and was generally held in decent regard - particularly as Delta and Northwest experienced the pains of their merger.  But, economics caught up, and the corporate culture that started at American West and eventually gutted US Air moved in - not surprising given that CEO Doug Parker has been at the helm of the shifting company since the America West days, and now leads AA's parent holding company.

My wife was bumped from an American flight last week.  I'll spare the details, but it was a situation caused by human mismanagement, and she is clearly entitled to compensation according to current DOT rules.  Having said that, it was a minimal inconvenience and she wasn't inclined to make a big deal out of it.  But there was no apology.  No attempt by the airline to make amends.  Only a manager rudely telling the gate agent to give no vouchers or compensation, and then walking away without ever acknowledging the 20 or so jilted passengers stuck at the airport.

American's response is to say that she (and I guess the 20 other passengers?) were denied boarding because they were late to the gate.  She was not, nor were the others - the company simply fabricated an excuse that is difficult to disprove to get out of paying the DOT mandated money.  So now an appeal is filed with the DOT.

Even if the appeal is denied, it would have been a lot cheaper for a low level manager to say "I'm Sorry" at the gate.   

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Gary Leff's blog A View from the Wing always has some great insight into the how American's domestic product is swirling the bowl.  The best bits come from employee meetings that have been leaked to him.  

Nothing surprises me about anything that American does.  Last year they gave my wife's confirmed first class seat to a non-rev splitting us up for the flight.  I wrote the customer support a note while still on the tarmac and we both ended up getting 25k miles for our trouble - far more than we earned on the DCA-BOS flight.

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Yep, regularly reading A View From the Wing finally convinced me to get off my butt and stop using my American Airline Citibank MasterCard & Amex cards as my primary credit cards, since I have spent years racking up AA miles and just as much time getting frustrated about ways they make it almost impossible to use them.   I was hardly ever able to use miles for any international non-stop flights &, when I did succeed, was just about never able to get seats other than middle.  And their partner, British Air,  has many of AA's routes and charges a high $$ additional "surcharge" when you use AA miles.  And AAs other mileage "partners" aren't even available on the web site for mileage usage -- you have to call.  And now their domestic flights are almost as tough to book w/miles thru the web site.

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If you're like me, and find that fitting your 6'3" frame into a standard airline seat is challenging, it sounds like AA is no longer going to be an option, reducing their seat pitch and removing all IFE.  At some point, you may as well be on Spirit.

Dec 2, 2017 - "American Airlines Just Reduced the Amount of Legroom on Its Newest Planes (Yes, in First Class Too)" by Chris Matyszczyk on inc.com

Nov 30, 2017 - "No, American Airlines' 30-Inch Pitch and Bring-Your-Own Entertainment Isn't All Passengers Need" by Gary Leff on viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com

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I've spent last night and today talking with American baggage staff in ABQ and DFW trying to get my bag here from DCA. They've been delightful, helpful, and professional -- definitely different from my other recent experiences dealing with American. Baggage at DFW just called to confirm that they have my bag and will be putting it on the next flight to ABQ. So it's great to have something nice to say about American personnel for once, but now I'd like to know why my bag didn't make it onto the plane at National to begin with. . .

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