flight cancellation mess on AA

Returning to BWI from Nassau last week on AA with a three and a half hour
layover in Miami. We board our 1:30 flight at a little after 1, a few minutes
later the pilot gets on the loudspeaker and tells us not to get too comfortable
because one of the engines is overheating. It will take too long to fix so they
are going to take us off this plane and get a new one; please stay near the
gate for further info after deplaning.

After deplaning, the gate agent announces flight is cancelled and we will be
put on a 3:45 flight to Reagan National! But not to worry, ground
transportation will be provided from DCA to BWI for those who need it. Please
line up for your new boarding passes and let us know if you need ground
transportation, so that we can have a bus waiting for you when you arrive. If
you prefer not to go by ground from DCA to BWI, you can wait instead for the
7:30 flight to BWI.

When we land at DCA, announcement is made on the plane that we should go get
our bags, then see the agent at AA baggage claim for ground arrangements. When
we get to the baggage office, of course it is mobbed, but worse than that, the
AA baggage people say they did not know of this situation and that no
arrangements have been made. There is no bus, but they will check and see what
they are supposed to do.

Fifteen minutes or more later, we are told that they cannot deal with us as a
group but each person must be dealt with individually. We are given Super
Shuttle vouchers. Fortunately I was one of the first in line and thus in the
first shuttle to leave, but the Super Shuttle people were having difficulty
lining up enough vans (I would guess there were 70 people or more who needed to
get to BWI which means ten vans at least.) I am guessing that people towards
the end of the line waited an hour or more to get a voucher and a seat on the
van.

I know mechanical difficulties occur and we still got to BWI earlier than we
would have if we had waited for the 7:30 flight, but the lack of preparedness
and rigidity of AA rankles.

Charles Arian
Baltimore

Ravchaz wrote:
I know mechanical difficulties occur and we still got to BWI earlier than we
would have if we had waited for the 7:30 flight, but the lack of preparedness
and rigidity of AA rankles.

Sounds to me like they handled it really well. You want the ground staff at
DCA to keep a fleet of large buses idling at the curb and fully stocked with
champagne just in case any flights get diverted there?

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Miguel Cruz wrote:
Ravchaz wrote:

I know mechanical difficulties occur and we still got to BWI earlier than we
would have if we had waited for the 7:30 flight, but the lack of preparedness
and rigidity of AA rankles.


Sounds to me like they handled it really well. You want the ground staff at
DCA to keep a fleet of large buses idling at the curb and fully stocked with
champagne just in case any flights get diverted there?


It seems they had several hours to find transport for 70 people that
were sent to the wrong airport. It would seem like since there were so
many people wanting to go to BWI that they should have flow to BWI..

Sounds to me like they handled it really well. You want the ground staff at
DCA to keep a fleet of large buses idling at the curb and fully stocked with
champagne just in case any flights get diverted there?

No, of course not.

But, we were told by AA staff in Miami that a bus would be there. Further, they
took a count in Miami to see how many people needed transport from DCA to BWI.
What happened to those promises? Why take a count in Miami and then not inform
DCA?

If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange a
bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

Charles Arian
Baltimore

Ravchaz wrote:
If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange a
bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

5:45? In that case I don't think you'd have gotten there much faster anyway,
given the traffic between there and Baltimore that time of day!

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Ravchaz wrote:
If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange a
bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

5:45? In that case I don't think you'd have gotten there much faster anyway,
given the traffic between there and Baltimore that time of day!


I fail to understand what you are saying here.

The original flight was to land at BWI at 4:08. Instead, we landed at DCA at
5:45, then had to get to BWI (since that is where my car was.)

Obviously, it takes whatever amount of time it takes to get from DCA to BWI.
But waiting for transportation simply adds more time to the total. Whence the
passion to defend AA's non-feasance?

Charles

If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange
a bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

This is unfortunatly a situation where the left and right hands are
evidently unaware of the other. At least AA personnel at DCA did what
they could to provide transportation, even through they were not informed
about the circumstances prior to your arrival.

In article ,
(Ravchaz) wrote:

Ravchaz wrote:
If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange a
bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

5:45? In that case I don't think you'd have gotten there much faster anyway,
given the traffic between there and Baltimore that time of day!


I fail to understand what you are saying here.

The original flight was to land at BWI at 4:08. Instead, we landed at DCA at
5:45, then had to get to BWI (since that is where my car was.)

Obviously, it takes whatever amount of time it takes to get from DCA to BWI.
But waiting for transportation simply adds more time to the total. Whence the
passion to defend AA's non-feasance?

I suspect AA ground staff at MIA either 1) forgot or 2) just passed the
problem on to DCA ground staff

If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange
a bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.

This is unfortunatly a situation where the left and right hands are
evidently unaware of the other. At least AA personnel at DCA did what
they could to provide transportation, even through they were not informed
about the circumstances prior to your arrival.

I agree. The ground staff at DCA did what they could, and did it as quickly as
they could, and remained calm despite a lot of really angry people screaming
and yelling. Either MIA ground staff never notified DCA, or else MIA notified
someone at AA corporate HQ, who never notified DCA. Someone somewhere goofed
up.

Holden McGroyne wrote:

If a flight is cancelled at 1:30 and they know that 70 people needing
transportation are landing at DCA at 5:45, that is enough time to arrange
a bus. The flight was not *diverted* mid-air.


This is unfortunatly a situation where the left and right hands are
evidently unaware of the other. At least AA personnel at DCA did what
they could to provide transportation, even through they were not informed
about the circumstances prior to your arrival.

Is it that difficult for the AA people at one airport to call those at
another?