Customer Service ??

I recently purchased four round trip tickets on American Airlines by phone from STL to SEATAC. The individual charges are on my charge card but I called to question an additional $80.00 charge of the same date.

To purchase a ticket by phone, there is an additional cost of $20.00 per ticket to speak with a reservation agent. What a deal!!

Thanks for allowing me to vent!!!
Sue

Bad deal, but Spirit announced yesterday they were charging for carry-ons, today an Irish airline said it is considering a fee for using the toilets!

Hope you are feeling better Sue

I purposely avoid flying due to the gouging of airlines. Nevertheless, it's hard to avoid not flying long distances. Last time to I flew to Hawaii, I booked my tickets through the internet and did read the fine print about all the extra charges you would be assessed. What a scam.

welcome to the world of airlines, If you are lucky they wont charge you extra for some other convenience like the stale peanuts

garyg said:

Bad deal, but Spirit announced yesterday they were charging for carry-ons, today an Irish airline said it is considering a fee for using the toilets!

Hope you are feeling better Sue

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Probably not a good idea unless they want folks facilitating in their seats.

garyg said:

Bad deal, but Spirit announced yesterday they were charging for carry-ons, today an Irish airline said it is considering a fee for using the toilets!

Hope you are feeling better Sue

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American Airlines already charges for bags. The first checked bag is $25.00 and the second is $35.00. You are allowed one carry-on and women, a purse. Ironically my scooter is considered a carry-on, so I will be carrying one big-butt purse.

Regarding the biffy, that blue disinfectant and deodorizer is so very expemsive blink, so I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe we should all use Depends and put the 'used' in the overhead bin or securely stowed under the seat in front of us.

We can't carry-on any of the snacks Wendy's little ones like. No peanut butter crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich rounds, juice boxes, pudding or jello cups etc but we can purchase them at the vendor just past security. The vendor will be reasonably priced?

I am so sorry I purchased non-refundable tickets, Southwest just opened that non-stop route and has no charges for bags.

Live and learn......


Thank you for your concern, I'm honestly having some pretty lousy days but plugging along and trying to ignore it as much as I can. I can't keep my white count up even with a very expensive day-after chemo shot. I know this is temporary so just take things a day at a time and am very grateful for the good days. The blessing is wonderful family and friends and the quality medical care I am fortunate enough to receive.
Sue

yes the "convenience" charge. i think i should start adding that into my job.
"Im sorry boss, but this task is going to cost you extra. I think showing you how to use excel for the 15th time this week is worth 20 per lesson. So...starting....Now.

Air travel is just getting worse and worse, and American Airlines is particularly horrible. I vowed never to fly them again after I needed to get home a few years ago from the Caribbean due to a family emergency. Not only were they completely unaccommodating and snotty to me, but they then canceled my connecting flight and dumped me in the San Juan airport for an unnecessary additional 5 hours.

Used to be that so few flew, they were grateful to get people. Now they act like we are a problem. The best way to really "FIX" the airlines is to get everyone to stop flying!! Not that it will happen.

Sue, first off, I hope you're feeling better.

Secondly, airlines are the bane of my existence. So greedy and stupid. The only airlines I can stand are Southwest and a few non-American, international carriers. British Airways, Emirates, Qatar, etc. know how to treat their passengers well.

I'm in a similar industry (ocean cargo transportation, but boxes on ships are pretty much the same as people in seats, right?) and I've seen us go through a similar process. Although I regret that customer service has gone into the toilet the last few years, it's not entirely the airlines' fault.

How much did that ticket cost you? People expect to be able to fly cross country for $200 roundtrip these days, and will switch carriers for $25. The big airlines now have to compete with regional discount carriers on price, but passengers complain when service levels drop.

Most airlines were just barely managing to hold on to profitability until the huge surge in fuel prices a few years ago pushed a few of them to the brink of bankruptcy. How to react? Either increase revenue or cut costs - and they've laid off /outsources about all the staff they possibly can, as anyone trying to get through to a call center can attest.

Basically, until people again begin buying full price fares that cover the expenses of running the plane, airlines are going to have to make up the revenue somewhere else. Personally, I like the a la carte approach - the fare you pay covers only getting to your destination and then you can pick and chose what you want to pay for rather than having everything averaged out and lumped into all the fares paid.

garyg said:

today an Irish airline said it is considering a fee for using the toilets!

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I think Continental might already do this. Its around $8 if I remember correctly. They're also taking away all in-flight food unless you want to pay extra for it.


I have a wedding to go to in October and I think I might just drive. ~$320 in gas and 18 hours each way will be much better then ~$400 in tickets for a seat I won't fit in.

Go West Young Man said:

I'm in a similar industry (ocean cargo transportation, but boxes on ships are pretty much the same as people in seats, right?) and I've seen us go through a similar process. Although I regret that customer service has gone into the toilet the last few years, it's not entirely the airlines' fault.

How much did that ticket cost you? People expect to be able to fly cross country for $200 roundtrip these days, and will switch carriers for $25. The big airlines now have to compete with regional discount carriers on price, but passengers complain when service levels drop.

Most airlines were just barely managing to hold on to profitability until the huge surge in fuel prices a few years ago pushed a few of them to the brink of bankruptcy. How to react? Either increase revenue or cut costs - and they've laid off /outsources about all the staff they possibly can, as anyone trying to get through to a call center can attest.

Basically, until people again begin buying full price fares that cover the expenses of running the plane, airlines are going to have to make up the revenue somewhere else. Personally, I like the a la carte approach - the fare you pay covers only getting to your destination and then you can pick and chose what you want to pay for rather than having everything averaged out and lumped into all the fares paid.

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$481.40 each, times 4, plus $80.00 to talk to reservations....about $2,000.

I'm not taking it with me .

The airfare, baggage etc is fair in todays bad economy and ragged airline industry. It takes a lot of money to put that aircraft from point A to point B.

The $80.00 charge to talk to a 'real person' is what really gripes me. It took moments to give my CC number and jot down my confirmation. How happy would SCS customers be if I charged even a nickel for answering email or answering my cell? Sheesh... You'd think I completely lost my mind!
Sue

Sue said:

$481.40 each, times 4, plus $80.00 to talk to reservations....about $2,000.

I'm not taking it with me .

The airfare, baggage etc is fair in todays bad economy and ragged airline industry. It takes a lot of money to put that aircraft from point A to point B.

The $80.00 charge to talk to a 'real person' is what really gripes me. It took moments to give my CC number and jot down my confirmation. How happy would SCS customers be if I charged even a nickel for answering email or answering my cell? Sheesh... You'd think I completely lost my mind!
Sue

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If you outsourced to a foreign country with a barely understandable accent, you could charge 10 cents instead.

RichGem said:

If you outsourced to a foreign country with a barely understandable accent, you could charge 10 cents instead.

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Oh don't get me started on that! When we have to call printers for service, I give one of the student workers the phone, and the information he needs and tell them, "Just get a repairman here, and remind them we have 4 hour/next business day." It takes them an hour sometimes before they agree to send someone.

And people complain when some of our staff don't return a call in three hours?

I guess the thinking is that if you take up 10 minutes of a rep's time instead of booking direct on the website, there's extra costs involved. My father briefly dated a lady who made those calculations for a multinational bank - she could tell you exactly how long the average deposit or withdrawal at the counter took and how much it cost the bank (to the penny) to process that transaction versus doing the same at an ATM.

Anyways - don't forget that about $120 of each ticket goes to taxes and gov't fees, so your net fare is around $350 round trip.

RichGem said:

If you outsourced to a foreign country with a barely understandable accent, you could charge 10 cents instead.

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OHHH, that strikes a nerve. I try to be very patient and understand what is being said. I feel bad when I have to ask the person to repeat more than once. After a few minutes, I ask to speak with someone else. Then the connection is broken.
Sue

can't you "gate check" your scooter and not be charged. It is a medical device.

Be prepared to fly barefoot, some crackpot just tried to light his shoe one fire again.

And don't forget to ship you underwear ahead of time, you probably won't be able to wear that either

danparker77 said:

can't you "gate check" your scooter and not be charged. It is a medical device.

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I was told it is considered a 'carry-on', so I get to take it and one other item, like a purse, on the flight.

It breaks down into 4 pieces; the heaviest 25 lbs. I hope no one thinks I am carrying it.
Sue