May 15, 2001
American Airlines
Dear Sir or Madam:
I was a passenger connecting in Chicago on flight 1094 to Philadelphia.
Our flight, which was to board at 6:00 PM and depart at 6:30 PM, was not at the gate at the appointed time. The gate staff, while very friendly, and helpful to the extent they could be, had no information as to why.
For the hour and a half that followed, the arrival time kept changing. At first, only 15 minutes late, then 30 minutes. Eventually, someone must have realized the immense inconvenience to the passengers who had now been waiting nearly two hours, and a plane was brought out of the hangar to be catered and cleaned.
Our flight, which was to have left at 6:30, didn’t depart until 8:00. We arrived at our destination more than two hours late.
Adding to the frustration of this ordeal, the gate staff did not have complete or accurate information as to the status of the flight, or an approximate time of when boarding might begin. My family, who would be meeting me at the airport, attempted to contact American Airlines to discover how long flight 1094 would be delayed, were informed that I would not be arriving in Philadelphia until 10:00 AM the next day! Therefore, when I arrived in Philadelphia, and I called home at 11:15, every one was asleep, thinking that I would be spending the night in O’Hare.
My question is, why wouldn’t the measures taken to resolve this issue, that is, getting another plane, be decided upon immediately? Also, why wouldn’t the gate staff have direct access to accurate information? Most irritatingly, why wouldn’t your customer service representatives have accurate information regarding flight delays?
I strongly believe I am due compensation for this tremendous inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Me