- Introduction: Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon
- Emirates A380 First Class With Dad: So Fun That I Needed A Day To Recover
- My Furious Emirates First Class Seat Mate: Fair Feedback, Unfair Delivery
- Emirates First Class Menu & Food: Fine Dining, Or Just Fine?
- Review: Park Hyatt Milan, Italy (Stellar, Central Hotel, But Missing Desks)
- Drinking Buy On Board Espresso In Air Dolomiti Economy…
- Review: Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Unique!)
- Review: Villa Rothschild Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Cute!)
- Ugh: Misdirected Delay Frustration In The Lufthansa First Class Terminal
- Am I A Lufthansa Fanboy Or Hater? Let Me Set The Record Straight…
- Review: Goodnight Moon Suite At Sheraton Boston (INCREDIBLE!)
- Review: Four Seasons Philadelphia (One Of The Best US City Hotels)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge Philadelphia Airport (PHL)
- Review: American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia Airport (PHL)
- American Airlines’ Culture Problem: From Awful To Amazing In 20 Minutes
American Airlines is trying to become more premium in order to improve its financial performance. I appreciate all the changes the airline is making, but as I see it, the carrier has one biggest problem — the massive inconsistency when it comes to service from frontline employees.
The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management. The company has provided no real consistent direction as to what kind of airline American wants to be, and as a result, employees just don’t understand the vision, and aren’t really invested in the company’s success, in the same way you’ll find at Delta and United. Many employees don’t understand that one reason that customers choose an airline is because of customer service.
Admittedly part of the Delta and United formula is just making a whole lot of absurd claims, like United CEO Scott Kirby saying that United is the best airline in the history of the world. But you know what? It’s probably a pretty smart strategy.
Anyway, enough of all that. I’d like to share a recent experience I had when flying American out of Philadelphia Airport (PHL), which so clearly demonstrates the highs and lows of service at American.
In this post:
Could this American employee be any ruder?
Ford, Miles, and I were flying from Philadelphia to Miami, though I booked them on an earlier flight than me (since I wanted to stick around for a bit and review the American Flagship Lounge and Chase Sapphire Lounge).
Long story short, their flight ended up being delayed by quite a bit just before arriving at the airport, so we went to the American priority check-in counter, where I tried to help get them rebooked onto a different flight. Here’s how that conversation went:
Me: “Hi, good morning…”
Agent: *stares*
Me: “So they’re booked on flight XXXX, and it just posted a delay of a couple of hours…”
Agent: “And what do you want me to do about that?”
Me: “I saw there was also availability on flight XXXX, so I was hoping we could get them rebooked on that…”
Agent: *types in silence*
In fairness, in the end she did help get us rebooked (in line with American’s policy), but the point is that I don’t understand how anyone working in a customer service role — let alone what’s ostensibly supposed to be “premium” service — thinks this is the appropriate way to interact with a customer. Employees like this really make you feel like a massive inconvenience…
As we were walking through the terminal, I also couldn’t help but notice the aggression with which some gate agents were making announcements. Just walking past a random gate, I heard a gate agent rudely yelling on the PA “I said groups one and two, not groups three and four.” With the tone, you’d think this person was defending their home from invaders, rather than, you know, assisting paying customers.
Could this American employee be any nicer?
Here’s what drives me nuts about flying American. I then visited the A-West Admirals Club (waiting for the Flagship Lounge to open), and had the pleasure of interacting with Roseann at the customer service desk inside the lounge.
She acknowledged every passenger who passed her desk — “welcome in, I hope you enjoy the lounge,” or “thank you for visiting us, have a happy holiday.” And she did so with such sincerity and warmth that you couldn’t help but want to invite this woman over to your Thanksgiving dinner.
Funny enough, I actually wanted to take an earlier flight, but there was no saver level first class award availability at the time that I booked. However, the airline had just issued a general travel waiver due to weather, so I went to her to ask if she could help me rebook.
I was on a partner award ticket, which can complicate things a bit, but Roseann couldn’t have been lovelier in how she handled it. Just everything about the way she interacted with passengers exemplified perfect service:
- She addressed me by name with each interaction
- I explained how the ticket being issued through Alaska might complicate things, and she said “I always say if you don’t ask, you don’t get, so let’s see what we can do”
- When the system first gave her problems, she said “when one system doesn’t give you what you want, there’s always another way to try things”
- When her system kept giving her issues with rebooking me, she said “this doesn’t sit right with me, we should be able to take care of you, let me make a phone call”
What impressed me wasn’t that she managed to rebook me, but the competency, positivity, and kindness with which she did so. Rather than finding reasons to say no, she found reasons to say yes. Rather than making me feel like an annoyance, she made me feel valued.
This is what I find so frustrating about service at American. There are so many phenomenal employees from the Eastern and TWA days who are still at the airline, and who go above and beyond to take care of customers. They represent the highest level of professionalism that you’ll find at US airlines, and they’re often at the customer service desks in lounges.
The issue is that they work for the same airlines as some of the people I talked about above, who literally treat customers like human trash, and don’t care.
I always like to acknowledge great employees, so I mentioned to Roseann how much I appreciated her professionalism, and the extent to which she went above and beyond. I explained that not just in terms of her helping me directly, but also in terms of how she greeted each passenger, and made them feel like more than just a number. Her response was along the lines of “of course, taking care of passengers is my job.”
I explained to her that the level of service she’s providing at American is the exception rather than the norm, and I told her that American is lucky to have her, and that she should be working in a role where she’s training other employees in customer service. She told me that she did that in the past, and would love to do something like that again at some point, but either way, her goal is to take care of people and make them smile.
Bottom line
Service at American Airlines is consistently inconsistent, and ultimately that’s because the company has for years lacked a vision as to what it is. When an airline spends years making the passenger experience worse, while claiming that “the schedule is the product,” of course many employees aren’t actually going to care that much.
As American tries to pivot back to premium, I’d argue the single most important change needs to be an update to the service culture, and an actual vision that employees can get behind. They need to understand how they fit into American’s vision of being premium.
Nowhere was the service inconsistency more evident than during a recent trip through Philadelphia, where I witnessed some of the rudest and most indifferent American employees I’ve ever seen, only to then meet Roseann a short while later, one of the loveliest American employees I’ve ever interacted with.
I just honestly can’t think of any company in any industry where service is as inconsistent as at American.
Ben, your post starts out with, "The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management," but the reality is that it's BOTH, and definitely more the employees! Employees don't need to understand the "vision" of the company, they just need to understand they are getting paid to provide good customer service, to do their best, and to do their jobs! If they're not willing to do that, then management needs to fire them immediately.
I guess that traces back to management though - employees only act like that when they know there are no consequences. If management had (at least amongst itself) a clear vision of service-oriented delivery they would also create processes that make it easier to demote or fire employees who don't meet that standard.
Went from RDU to DOM via MIA on Jan 3 and the American luggage agent at RDU could not have been ruder. Or more condescending.
Going back to Delta as my primary.
It is not only AA, it is uncommon in the hospitality industry. My two cents is here:
The first agent got the rebook done as request without any delay. That is the main and most important part. No, she does not smile or has proper small talk or eye contact. Unfortunately, that is a very common thing in the hospitality industry in a lot of places, not only just AA. So usually as long as...
It is not only AA, it is uncommon in the hospitality industry. My two cents is here:
The first agent got the rebook done as request without any delay. That is the main and most important part. No, she does not smile or has proper small talk or eye contact. Unfortunately, that is a very common thing in the hospitality industry in a lot of places, not only just AA. So usually as long as the things get done, I have no complain. Because for a lot of agents, this is just an hourly job and the hourly rate is not decent.
The second agent was yelling but he and she is doing the job to keep the principle. I would rather the agent yelling people to follow the rules than just letting the people who do not follow the rule cut in the line and go through. Again, the agent could use a softer voice and be nicer. But as long as the main job gets done, it is what it is.
The last agent Roseann is a great example. I always feel fortune to meet people like this, they are enjoying the work they are doing and they are trying their best. I think the best way for a company to improve is to get this type of people recognized and promoted. This is one of the solutions to change the culture little by little. It is great that Ben get her recognized.
Sorry, I was about to say "It is not uncommon..."
It's also not acceptable to be rude/sulky at work. Be nice, it's not hard and generally you'll feel better and do a better job.
Try talking to a Delta agent in Boston. You think they are pleasant? No way.
Sounds like you can't handle 'directness' or 'accents' huh...
Bjorn is right about Greenland at least.
Why do I replace PHL with MIA and still make every comments still true.
It's not PHL it's AA.
And MIA is worst than PHL.
Agree - it is PHL not AA. The older, long time employees (ones like at Term A) are super nice. I have had the exact same experience. I have not seen any old time employees at the PHL flagship lounge. Newer employees are younger and some have attitude - it is the NorthEast intercity culture. I usually try to pick who I go to for help.
That’s a Philly issue versus AA. People in Philly have rude personalities
I had to check a bag at the Atlanta airport on 12/26/25 for American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia. I was flying 1st class. I printed my bag tag at the kiosk, then went to the line for priority passengers. Two agents were serving that line, with two people waiting in front of me, while one agent was serving the other standard line , with about 30 people waiting.
The agent that called...
I had to check a bag at the Atlanta airport on 12/26/25 for American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia. I was flying 1st class. I printed my bag tag at the kiosk, then went to the line for priority passengers. Two agents were serving that line, with two people waiting in front of me, while one agent was serving the other standard line , with about 30 people waiting.
The agent that called me up refused to take my bag, saying that I had to wait in the long standard line because I had printed out my own bag tag at the kiosk, and was very rude and unpleasant. No signage about this was at the kiosks, nor was any staff there to direct passengers to not print their bag tag if they were priority class. While waiting in the long line, I watched the priority agents repeat this lousy treatment with the next six priority passengers, who had done what I had done.
Many companies have inconsistent service these days
On Christmas night, my family and I flew out of PHL. Every employee we interacted with while checking in was insufferable. Versus all the employees we interacted with at the A West Flagship were excellent.
I am concierge key on AA and they are, by far, the worst mainline airline. I absolutely despise their lack of reliability, spotty service, and general awfulness.
Pretty much the same thing with any large airline at any large airport. When you have enough people, some will be really bad and some will be really good. I do admit that there is a certain level of "rude attitude" I run into often at PHL initially, you kind of have to roll with it and hope they come around. I don't encounter this in Chicago where I grew up or nearby NYC so I assume it is a cultural norm of PHL.
So you will praise by name a good employee but criticize a rude employee keeping the person anonymous. Interesting approach to presenting a comparative
Too much credit (or blame) on management. You don’t need to be an ass regardless of who your boss or c suite is. I promise these employees would be just as miserable and as out to get back at the world at United. Delta has its fair share in Atlanta too
I'm a former American Airlines Employee. I left in the early 90's. I completely agree with your review. We were treated poorly by the company. The rude employees were never disciplined. Most of the supervisors were even ruder. The company motto was "Something Special in the Air. We used to call it NOTHING SPECIAL IN THE AIR. The problem is management and low morale.
I had exactly the same experience when escorting my senior citizen aunt through AA check-in.
Her TSA pre-check number was not listed on her boarding pass so we decided to go to the counter to ask that it be added. Simple request but such an unpleasant experience. First, the kiosk agent insisted that we check-in using the kiosk. Next, after we explained what was going on to the kiosk agent, she directed us to...
I had exactly the same experience when escorting my senior citizen aunt through AA check-in.
Her TSA pre-check number was not listed on her boarding pass so we decided to go to the counter to ask that it be added. Simple request but such an unpleasant experience. First, the kiosk agent insisted that we check-in using the kiosk. Next, after we explained what was going on to the kiosk agent, she directed us to an agent who could help (rudely directing us). The new agent just stared at us as if we asked to fly to the moon. I tried pleasantries (didn't work). I repeated my request. More glares. Only words were "the non-TSA line is shorter". I said, thank you but she would prefer the precheck lane. More glares. I repeated my request. Agent took the card with an angry face, typed and the number was added.
What a horrible experience for my aunt who doesn't fly AA that often but will now always remember this interaction (she said she was glad I was with her otherwise she wouldn't know what to do) and go out of her way to avoid AA.
I have a bit of experience with AA as I was Platinum Pro in the past but gave up.
This is an AA issue or a PHL issue. It’s a service excellence and entitlement issue. I just read a piece on the “I owe you nothing but I’m entitled to what I want” culture evolving in certain groups.
When you age people who can’t problem solve and certainly can’t communicate with other humans with doing via an electronic device and you mix them with self-important, entitled travelers and as a little Philly directness, is anyone really surprised?
Awesome today: Pilot comes to me personally (CK) on a 2 hour ATC delay TUS/PHX (100 mile flight, weather in PHX!) and explains to me exactly what's going on.
Bad: The Wifi never seems to work lately. So much for "free".
Awesome: PHX/SAN (right now) on the ground delayed for connecting paxs. Since turbulence is called for inflight so F FA doing snack and beverage service on ground in case they can't in air.
Safe travels George!
It consistently impresses me that AA does a full beverage service on PHX-LAX/SAN/SNA/BUR. Sunday we were 53 minutes wheels up to wheels down with a butt in every seat on a 21N and they managed to serve every row. Nice of them to do it on the ground for you!
Very similar situation I had with my mom. Booked an award ticket with some flights on BA. The final destination was Amman. BA moved the flight to land from 1:05 am to 2:35 am. No big deal if it wasn’t cause we are going straight into sightseeing and my mom is 70. So that 90 mins make a difference. I did find award space from LHR to AM on Royal Jordanian the day before. So...
Very similar situation I had with my mom. Booked an award ticket with some flights on BA. The final destination was Amman. BA moved the flight to land from 1:05 am to 2:35 am. No big deal if it wasn’t cause we are going straight into sightseeing and my mom is 70. So that 90 mins make a difference. I did find award space from LHR to AM on Royal Jordanian the day before. So my ask was to reroute the segments before to be on AA knowing that there wasn’t award space on low inventory but it’d their own metal. The agent on the phone was so rude and kept telling me how I needed to contact BA. I told her that BA can’t touch the ticket until 73 hours before departure. I had asked that before. That they needed to help solve the problem. I was actually surprised that she passed me to the manager on duty (as you know they all are managers and there isn’t a manager, which clearly is a lie). The new agent couldn’t be more lovely and accommodated the request without hesitating. She understood that having someone on a 23 1/2 hour journey and adding 90 more mins to it was a bit too much.
I feel like this is a US thing also - just sort of the attitude of can't be bothered even if it's the job and you're there that day to do that job. Compare to east Asian airlines for stark contrast...
Completely spot on. PHL is my home airport and I and a AA EP for the MSY ten years. The degree of customer service is very inconsistent within the company and often worse in PHL.
Even a world-class savant manager will be unable to train the natives at PHL. The rudest people I have ever met. Consistently miserable and zero willingness to help. How do you take a moderate, pro-union person and turn them into a raging SCREW THE UNION fanatic? Easy, just travel through the Philadelphia airport and engage with the airline employees.
Since you clearly loathe Philly, care to share a place you think is doing things right? Like, that may be insightful context for the rest of us as to your motivations. If all the sudden, you’re like, ‘Florida’s perfect…’ that’ll be quite telling.
My experience with AA customer service is also that it ranges from awesome to awful, and sometimes you get to experience both on the same day. I’ve found AA employees at small airports tend to be most courteous. I’d say ATL has the most discourteous AA employees.
Unfortunately, I have observed similar positive and negative behavior at Delta in recent months. The Delta gate agent last week at ATL on our flight to LAX was rude in a similar manner on all of the Zone 1s waiting in line before the Pre Boards and Military were called up.
*incoming: Tim to remind us that United also has great and awful experiences at times!*
I have succeeded beyond measure when I am at the center of the conversation without even showing up
And that must be Tim’s lifetime achievement. I can only imagine how will Tim enter this in his resumé:
“People often mention my name in the comment section of a travel blog, because I’m very relevant and therefore have succeeded in life.”
To which whoever receives his resumé will reply:
Thank you, but we want people who’s names are mentioned not because they are a laughing stock and are being made fun of.
I'd say so, Tim. Well done! You're well-established in the zeitgeist of this niche community.
Joining the pile-on, that interaction is entirely predictable for Philadelphia.
@Ben,
Agreed on all points and observations. As DFW-based, my default would be either WN or AA. I avoid both - AA for precisely the reasons you share above.
"I just honestly can’t think of any company in any industry where service is as inconsistent as at American." - I'd say my experience with TSA screening and Clear (especially in the last year) could nearly rival this. However, AA is the king of inconsistency.
This would never and has never happened on the one.....
And....
The only....
DELTA AIR LINES!
Honestly, it's mostly old US Air (Allegany) and America West employee that spoiled the milk. One of the reasons I never flew those airlines. PHL , CLT and some PHX gate agents should be fired, but the club folks are the nicest around. Others that were shifted around should be found out and replaced by AI! When I find a former TWA, Ozark, American employee they could be more helpful. It's time to break out...
Honestly, it's mostly old US Air (Allegany) and America West employee that spoiled the milk. One of the reasons I never flew those airlines. PHL , CLT and some PHX gate agents should be fired, but the club folks are the nicest around. Others that were shifted around should be found out and replaced by AI! When I find a former TWA, Ozark, American employee they could be more helpful. It's time to break out the bad apples and replace them (if the union can stand it). It's the same problem UA had until they cleaned house, now AA's turn. First the C-suite (except the new folks from DL) and then the gates! Forever Forward your poor performing ass out of here!
Have to disagree about former US Air employees. At my home airport (MDT), those gate agents (who also work the check in desks) have always been great. They are smart and competent. They treat customers professionally and go out of their way to help everyone. I've been flying out of that airport since 1989, first with US Air and then AA and the employees have always been wonderful.
I agree. I was USAir elite (cant remember which level) and flew frequently from SFO, JAX and PHL. USAir always gave me a great flight and I remember pretty decent meals in F. I do not know why people pile on US so much. I miss them.
In fairness to American Airlines (haha)... you were in Philadelphia, one of the most miserable and rudest cities in the world (not just the US).
The populace their has a massive chip on their shoulder, are very rude, and are usually constantly angry.
So its not American... its Philadelphia
I lived there for 4 miserable years and agree. I have lived in SFO, LAS, NYC, SAN and currently in the Tampa Bay area and I have never encountered the level of rudeness than I did in the City of Brotherly Shove.
I grew up there and got out as fast as I could.
"Hey, I may be ugly and hate-filled, but I've, um- What was the third thing you said...."
It's a Philly thing as much as an AA thing. I fly outta there often and the chances of an uncaring or rude encounter with staff at that airport is the highest of any airport in my experience. But ... once in a while a really nice person makes my day.
Those people who work frontline in the actual terminals themselves take some real abuse and over time it is going to show.
How Great Leaders Make Work More Meaningful For Their Teams
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paolacecchi-dimeglio/2025/03/05/how-great-leaders-make-work-more-meaningful-for-their-teams/
As a PHL hub captive, I can tell you it’s not inconsistent. The staff are horrible and honestly deserve the worst. I wish if AA would wake up and do mass firings for them, br g in managers and start tracking behavior. I have horrible experiences with the agents almost weekly for the most basic questions or asks.
Groups 3 and 4 need to sit down... how about groups 5 & 6.
The agent should get a raise. Imagine having to tell people the same thing over and over and over again. It's not as if their initial announcements don't state they will be boarding by groups and do not queue until your group is called.
..Or maybe easier to just break out a canister of Raid for the gate lice ! ... LOL
you know, I don't think even that Raid would get rid of em. They seem to be immune to any and everything.
Aadvantage changes are live. They made the LP bonus cap at 25k. Better than the 15k leak. 25 percent bonus for a 6 month period you activate. Much better than I feared. Was never really more than an 8-9 month period anyway given how fast one accelerated from 60k to 100k (especially with Exec card) and I like that you can select the period.
As for employees - service culture in America is non existent. It’s not just American.
Citi AA Exec FTW! MCE!!
This is not an AA problem, this is a Philly problem. These are most likely ex US air employees and they were the worst even when I flew US air pre merger. Pre merger AA had some of the greatest agents in Philly, don’t see any of them these days.
The lounges have the widest swing of agent behavior imaginable. Everything from going way out of their way to letting you know in uncertain terms to piss of and never, ever come back. Unfortunately, the app doesn't always have complete information. Agents, particularly at the clubs do but approach at your own risk.
Going to see if this agent at TUS will clear me immediately at the gate. I'm one of two people on standby, number one and 67 open seats on an A319.
Sorry to hear of your delay, and glad to hear you got to cleared to F and eventually to PHX!
My mom got stuck in a cluster at TUS during the shutdown. AA auto-rebooked her connection for the next day with an overnight in PHX. AA agent Tammy rebooked her on an earlier (delayed) flight that hadn’t departed yet and restored her connection. No status, just kindness.
Any gate agent who shouts at pax in Groups 3 & 4 to “sit the hell down until I call you!”deserves a raise, not criticism.
Hi Ben, long-time reader, seldom comment.
I dealt with a Roseann at the PHL Admirals Club in 2018 when transiting from LAX to AMS after a flight disruption. I’m pretty sure it’s the same person. She could not have been more lovely or helpful, and similar to you, she worked magic to help me out. I sent a kudos to AA about her back then and hoped she would be recognized. Glad she is still there and that you featured her!!
With all due respect, you've been the CEO of HOW many airlines? You're obviously entitled to your opinion, but I have to question your credentials.
The tone of this comment is unnecessarily antagonistic, but there's at least a bit of truth in it.
I've worked in places where most employees were lovely people and kind to everyone around them even though there wasn't much vision coming from management and/or business performance was horrendous.
By the same token, having a clear vision at the senior management level is no guarantee of solid operations on the ground- in fact, the...
The tone of this comment is unnecessarily antagonistic, but there's at least a bit of truth in it.
I've worked in places where most employees were lovely people and kind to everyone around them even though there wasn't much vision coming from management and/or business performance was horrendous.
By the same token, having a clear vision at the senior management level is no guarantee of solid operations on the ground- in fact, the narcissists that tend to rise to the top of corporate hierarchies often give their immediate subordinates priorities which are incompatible with each other. Faced with that sort of situation, most middle managers will look to hit their KPIs before spending time on things like developing their junior staff.
Companies where management takes employee performance seriously include KPIs for managers based on their (managers') junior staff development and performance.
"Its not the employees fault they are rude its because management hasn't provided slogans and platitudes"
Ya. Makes sense.
How often are AA managers actually watching their employees work? How does that metric compare compare to Delta and United? Your point about confusion at the upper levels of management is well made, but without proper oversight at the frontline level, nothing can never change.
I have flown American far more than any other airline (243 times and counting out of 531) and in my experience, by and large, employees are professional and outwardly friendly...
How often are AA managers actually watching their employees work? How does that metric compare compare to Delta and United? Your point about confusion at the upper levels of management is well made, but without proper oversight at the frontline level, nothing can never change.
I have flown American far more than any other airline (243 times and counting out of 531) and in my experience, by and large, employees are professional and outwardly friendly enough with some true standouts here and there. Sure, every once in a while you run into a grump, but on balance I find AA (plus AS and NK) employees to be nicer than DL and UA. Yes, only my experience but we all use our lifetime experiences to vote with our dollars. LAX has been my home airport for most of my flying life, so I can choose pretty much any airline I want.
I don’t think the Roseann in the post is quite as rare as some make it out to be.
"I have flown American far more than any other airline (243 times and counting out of 531)..."
Are you a flightmemory.com user? Sounds like it! Many of us are...! :)
TravelinWilly,
Just so you know, a lot of people, including myself, keep an Excel based log. Nothing more.
I use Flightradar24 and Flighty, not familiar with flightmemory… hmmmm! I track my train miles (1,014,742) in Excel. Wish there was an app for that.
I’m sure I’ll get read to shreds in the comments for this, but I sporadically log my traveling misadventures with my cabin pet on insta at @tmdevine84 and @go_go_tetsudo if you wish to follow along.
I have avoided AA for years because the vast majority of my experiences have been negative and forgettable at best. But I'm now on the Atmos hamster wheel so I reluctantly have an upcoming AA flight (reward flight). Here is to hoping I am not made to feel like a burden and/or POS which I think is keeping my expectations in check.
The problem at AA is as much about a lack of accountability by employees for the service they provide as it is management per se.
AA has been in financial survival mode for the better part of 2 decades; the company and labor have been focused on just getting to the next quarter or contract and far less focused on actually doing well what companies or employees are supposed to do.
The variability you...
The problem at AA is as much about a lack of accountability by employees for the service they provide as it is management per se.
AA has been in financial survival mode for the better part of 2 decades; the company and labor have been focused on just getting to the next quarter or contract and far less focused on actually doing well what companies or employees are supposed to do.
The variability you see is a reflection of the raw personalities that are AA employees; the reason you don't see it at other airlines -including B6 which is on track for yet another loss in 2026 - is because the employees still believe in the company (far more so than the aviation internet crowd).
DL does hold its employees accountable for their performance (yes, even the unionized pilots) and part of Munoz' accomplishment at UA is to get employees engaged again after the employee relations disaster that was ESOP.
Presenting a vision for what AA can be is the first step followed by actually sticking to the strategy = and THEN start holding employees accoutable.
AA is making some of the strongest steps in the right direction in 20 years but they are still very far away from a turnaround.
"The problem at AA is as much about a lack of accountability by employees for the service they provide as it is management per se...The variability you see is a reflection of the raw personalities that are AA employees"...DL does hold its employees accountable for their performance (yes, even the unionized pilots)"
Completely incorrect. Employees and unions are reactive. Everyone wants to feel they can make a positive difference at work. You can't intimidate employees...
"The problem at AA is as much about a lack of accountability by employees for the service they provide as it is management per se...The variability you see is a reflection of the raw personalities that are AA employees"...DL does hold its employees accountable for their performance (yes, even the unionized pilots)"
Completely incorrect. Employees and unions are reactive. Everyone wants to feel they can make a positive difference at work. You can't intimidate employees into providing great service. AA doesn't get employees from different places than DL or UA. Great employee performance only happens consistently with great leadership.
"the reason you don't see it at other airlines -including B6 which is on track for yet another loss in 2026 - is because the employees still believe in the company...part of Munoz' accomplishment at UA is to get employees engaged"
Getting warmer. Too funny.
the funny thing is that you seem like you are trying to argue but are actually agreeing wiht me.
Some people work in service businesses because they are driven internally to treat other people well.
The company can set the standard for good service-union or not - DL and WN have both been long regarded as providing good customer service and yet one is non-union for frontline employees while the other is the opposite.
...the funny thing is that you seem like you are trying to argue but are actually agreeing wiht me.
Some people work in service businesses because they are driven internally to treat other people well.
The company can set the standard for good service-union or not - DL and WN have both been long regarded as providing good customer service and yet one is non-union for frontline employees while the other is the opposite.
Leadership unlocks what people have in them and provides the tools for employees to do well. and leadership also gets rid of some people that can't deliver what the company needs - or moves them somewhere else.
Actually, you seem confused about how a service industry works and the role leadership plays in great service. It could be semantics, but I doubt it.
Sounds about right. I've since decamped to Delta, but in my final years (until 2023) at AA, I felt like interaction with airport staff outside the lounges vs inside the lounges was like dealing with two completely different companies because they were completely different experiences. I often told friends that I felt like the only true "customer service" left for AA at the airport was inside the lounge.
Admiral's Club membership value for me is 20% for a comfy-ish seat with a plug and some refreshments, and 80% for access to the almost universally great agents.
Come on, Ben - those rude employees weren't rude because of a lack of vision from management. They are just rude people.
If you want to blame management (valid), blame them for hiring rude people and not disciplining rude employees (though this might be difficult with unions).
But these rude employees wouldn't miraculously be pleasant if only management had better vision.
People follow the herd. Take the rudest PHL gate agent and send them to work at HND for a few days. Even if there was no employment consequence for bad behavior, I promise after the first time they said “sit the hell down until I call you” and every coworker and passenger audibly gasped in horror, they’d change their tune. And when they got back to PHL they’d forget everything they learned.
Great culture...
People follow the herd. Take the rudest PHL gate agent and send them to work at HND for a few days. Even if there was no employment consequence for bad behavior, I promise after the first time they said “sit the hell down until I call you” and every coworker and passenger audibly gasped in horror, they’d change their tune. And when they got back to PHL they’d forget everything they learned.
Great culture maintains great culture. But once you let it slide, I truly don’t know how you get it back (other than replacing your entire workforce and starting from scratch).
I’m not sure if it is a problem with American Airlines or Philly people in general.
"It’s probably a pretty smart strategy."
I'm not sure that destroying any shred of credibility you have by making blatantly false statements on an ongoing basis is a prudent business decision.
Recent experience in American politics suggests that “making blatantly false statements on an ongoing basis” is absolutely a valid strategy.
@Christian I still say this is a motivating strategy for your employees. I think that’s the smart part. No one wants to be the worst.
How was the admirals club A West? I know admiral club reviews aren't the most helpful but as a lounge that more have access to than Flagship, curious what it was like compared to rest of the network
AA has worked fine for me. Their award pricing is dirt cheap, like 8k miles sometimes for $350 fares. I really don't expect much from a domestic airline and they fit the bill perfectly for my needs. I've honestly picked AA 90% of the time this year as a miles redeemer. If I was paying, yeah, maybe I would look at others, maybe not.
Me: “Hi, good morning…”
Agent: *stares*
Me: “So they’re booked on flight XXXX, and it just posted a delay of a couple of hours…”
Agent: “And what do you want me to do about that?”
Me: “I saw there was also availability on flight XXXX, so I was hoping we could get them rebooked on that…”
Agent: *types in silence*
I would have asked her if she hates people. I've done it before, and the reactions (and subsequent conversations, usually brief) are priceless.
“I hope you have the day you deserve” lands well usually.
And maybe a suggested retort to your snarky comment might be something like .. " I only hate smart ass passengers like the one currently in front of me ... " ! ...And so the pissing match continues ..... LOL ...
"The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management." Ben, you're onto something, but, for accuracy, I'd just add a "usually" to that statement.
Management should properly train, support, and empower their teams to be problem-solvers. Honestly, it seems like this agent got it done, even if they did it without a smile or pleasantries.
At least on the ground at MIA, JFK, LGA, EWR, and LAX, I've rarely run into issues...
"The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management." Ben, you're onto something, but, for accuracy, I'd just add a "usually" to that statement.
Management should properly train, support, and empower their teams to be problem-solvers. Honestly, it seems like this agent got it done, even if they did it without a smile or pleasantries.
At least on the ground at MIA, JFK, LGA, EWR, and LAX, I've rarely run into issues at check-in, the lounges, or the gate. Then again, it could be airport-specific, like, attitudes, cultural norms, etc.
Oh, please.
One employee is surly. Another employee is positive and helpful. American may have management issues with respect to broad decision making. But that cannot explain the difference in employee attitudes.
100%. Unions built the middle class.
I'm all in-favor of organized labor, especially within aviation.
It’s completely the employees. American has some of the rudest, oldest, most ghetto, laziest, most whatever you want to call them of any airline. I blame them and the union.
Nah, workers organizing isn't the issue. Take that union-bashing nonsense and go away.
@1990 I agree with you entirely. My bad experiences at AA are rarely with the Old Guard union hardliners, perhaps because that group also has the better seniority/package. But basking the union-bashers is a fool's errand: opinions like that are not susceptible to rational fact-sharing and truth exploration. Union-lovers and Union-haters are part of the tribal divide, sadly.
"American has some of the rudest, oldest, most ghetto..."
What does "ghetto" mean?
It means the commenter is racist.
Careful there…I hear “racists” are a protected class now.
we're gonna unprotect them.
Sounds like Elvis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Ghetto
"The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management. The company has provided no real consistent direction as to what kind of airline American wants to be, and as a result, employees just don’t understand the vision....."
Yes, leadership matters, but simple courtesy is something most of us learned in elementary school.
I've met a couple Roseanne's at AA, and they're terrific. I think they enjoy being a quiet subversive when they bypass...
"The problem isn’t the actual employees, but instead, it’s management. The company has provided no real consistent direction as to what kind of airline American wants to be, and as a result, employees just don’t understand the vision....."
Yes, leadership matters, but simple courtesy is something most of us learned in elementary school.
I've met a couple Roseanne's at AA, and they're terrific. I think they enjoy being a quiet subversive when they bypass the IT system's obstructionism.
If you ever tire of the blogger gig you have a future in top management.
"Rather than making me feel like an annoyance, she made me feel valued."
“of course, taking care of passengers is my job.”
The former is a direct result of the latter but most people don't see themselves this way so not excusing management's shortcomings, its all but impossible to assemble a workforce of people like this.
I'd certainly pay extra...
If you ever tire of the blogger gig you have a future in top management.
"Rather than making me feel like an annoyance, she made me feel valued."
“of course, taking care of passengers is my job.”
The former is a direct result of the latter but most people don't see themselves this way so not excusing management's shortcomings, its all but impossible to assemble a workforce of people like this.
I'd certainly pay extra to fly with them. It used to be Alaska but that's gone now unfortunately.
Me: “Hi, good morning…”
Agent: *stares*
Me: “So they’re booked on flight XXXX, and it just posted a delay of a couple of hours…”
Agent: “And what do you want me to do about that?”
Me: “I saw there was also availability on flight XXXX, so I was hoping we could get them rebooked on that…”
Agent: *types in silence*
Sorry, I have a hard time pinning that on “management “
"In fairness, in the end she did help get us rebooked"
Seems like a good outcome, regardless of unnecessary flourishes.
"What do you want me to do about that" is not a failure to provide flourishes; it's just a straightforwardly rude thing to say.
Playing the devils advocate Dan; it could be argued that ‘management’ have wrongly employed, then placed the agent in an inappropriate customer facing position. Alternatively, management could be accused of failing to recognise that the agent needs, either further training, job reassignment, or, as a last resort, dismissed.
Playing the devils advocate Dan; it could be argued that ‘management’ have wrongly employed, then placed the agent in an inappropriate customer facing position. Alternatively, management could be accused of failing to recognise that the agent needs, either further training, job reassignment, or, as a last resort, dismissed.
I have to say that, while I don't doubt that the agent described in this post was quite rude, I have interacted with frontline employees who have told me similar things yet I didn't perceive them as rude. In places like Germany or Northern England, it sometimes happens in a cheeky way, like 'don't be shy, I know what you're going to ask for and I'll sort it out once you confirm it'.
Context...
I have to say that, while I don't doubt that the agent described in this post was quite rude, I have interacted with frontline employees who have told me similar things yet I didn't perceive them as rude. In places like Germany or Northern England, it sometimes happens in a cheeky way, like 'don't be shy, I know what you're going to ask for and I'll sort it out once you confirm it'.
Context (tone of voice, eye contact, body language) are more important than the words themselves.
Of course, alternating between hostile and welcoming is part of Philadelphia's charm (and I say that as someone who lived there for almost ten years)
Greetings from NYC (and Newark...), where we are rather 'DIRECT' as well, sometimes.
(Also, it's pronounced HOUSE-ton, not HEW-ston, here.)
... Sounds like 'ten years' too long ! .... LOL