Flying to San Francisco

We are in the bay area now, our flight went smoothly, although it was long. This time we flew from Wilmington connecting through Charlotte.

Previously we’ve flown from Raleigh since it tends to be less expensive – although not as convenient. The problem with the Raleigh route is it took us through Dallas on the way to San Francisco. I had come to view these trips with trepidation since it was like playing roulette with the schedule. If there are no delays, the trip takes around 8 – 10 hours including connections but last July it took 20 hours (and serious frustration with American Airlines). Other trips have seen troubling delays.

A few days ago, passengers trying to get to DFW from San Francisco had a trial much worse then ours. They were delayed about an hour or so leaving San Francisco due to mechanical problems. That delay caused them to be diverted to Austin because severe thunderstorms had grounded Dallas flights. If the flight had left San Francisco on time they would have arrived Dallas okay. Unfortunately, the diversion to Austin not only added time to the trip – it had them sitting on the tarmac for 8 hours. They did not get relief – assignment to a gate only when the captain, on his own initiative, demanded and got a gate, permitting the passengers to deplane. American Airlines was prepared to keep them out there longer.

During those 8 hours, other flights came and went but American Airlines did not want to relinquish a gate and delay any of those other flights. Holding on the tarmac is understandable, to a point, but 8 hours? Keep in mind these passengers had been on the plane through the hour plus delay in San Francisco as well as flight time to Dallas. Thus 11 – 12 hours on the aircraft for what would have normally been around 2-1/2 hours. There was no food and the toilets were overflowing.

The Wall Street Journal did an excellent job reporting the story – I think it was in the January 5th issue (or close to that). There is more, the treatment of these people was shoddy, not only by their experience during the “flight” but afterwards as well. Once at the terminal, the passengers had difficulty finding an American agent to assist them in rescheduling their flights and when located, had an attitude of “business as usual” – read the article if you can... I believe they are owed an apology by the airline. An acknowledgement of their trial and appreciation by the American how inconvenienced they were. It’s interesting to read some of the reasons why American wasn’t more helpful.

I am not surprised by American’s behavior. It mirrors what I have seen and experienced. It reflects an attitude toward their customers of disrespect – we are cattle. Toward that idea I have some suggestions in an upcoming blog. For now I think I will practice mooing.

Oh, and we flew USAir this time, the trip took 9-1/2 hours. We were well treated and the flight stewards seemed to be enjoying themselves.