I arrived at the airport at 9am this morning, even though my flight was originally scheduled for 3pm. I tried to get on the standby list, willing to pay the additional $50. I was told that all flight were full from SYR to ORD. On the 1pm, at least 3 standby employees got on the flight. When I asked the gate agent why I had not been offered to get on the flight, I was told that I was not an executive, gold or platinum member.

I guess AA can afford to let the plane go even if they could make an additional $50 for letting other passengers to get on earlier flight.

AA, you really suck!

” How to ruin somebodies wedding in 10 easy steeps”

” 10 Things you don’t want to do on your first date”

Check it out link is in my signature.

§ 250.6 Exceptions to eligibility for denied boarding compensation.

A passenger denied boarding involuntarily from an oversold flight shall not be eligible for denied boarding compensation if:

(a) The passenger does not comply fully with the carrier’s contract of carriage or tariff provisions regarding ticketing, reconfirmation, check-in, and acceptability for transportation;

(b) The flight for which the passenger holds confirmed reserved space is unable to accommodate that passenger because of substitution of equipment of lesser capacity when required by operational or safety reasons;

FYI, I just sued a telemarketer, GFK automotive, in Santa Monica Small Claims Court. They even sent their New York counsel. And guess what: I won. And I’m a syndicated advice columnist, not a lawyer.

P.S. Joe, just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the story about the lien on the plane.

Oh, and one more thing: companies doing business in a particular state will need to have what’s called an “agent for service of process.” You can probably serve them in your state and they have to come to court there (the law is the “International Shoe Case” — yes, I really do my homework). That said, I’m not the lawyer, Joe is…so doublecheck whether this works in your case. If it does, with this kind of service (to an “agent for service of process”), you just do it registered mail and it should get there just fine. I think it costs $15 to serve them that way. And you should be able to find out who their agent is on your secretary of state’s website.

Don’t let big companies victimize you! If they’re big and in the wrong, go after them. It’s the right thing to do, and it may keep them from victimizing others in the future.

And when it comes down to it, the reason for travel is not important here. It is apparent that AA wronged Dr. Singh, and I commend him for standing up to them. More people should stand up to large companies who count on their customers not fighting back (whether they’re airlines, insurance companies, etc.). These large companies count on people just rolling over. From personal experience I know that even just sending a letter on legal letterhead usually scares companies straight.

Though I fly rather frequently, I have never had much occasion to fly on AA; and after hearing horror stories like Dr. Singh’s and that AA is starting to charge $15 for a first checked bag, I’ll avoid them whenever possible. Too bad United is also on my s*** list (for several instances of changed tickets with no notice whatsoever). Anyone know of any half-way decent airlines???

“Due to the weather the flight was overbooked”? This is the lamest excuse possible and makes little sense – and it would be very interesting to hear it explained in small claims court. If, for example, AA had a delayed or cancelled flight due to weather they’d wouldn’t just be bumping one or two passengers downstream.

The Dr. should ask his local Small Claims Court legal advisor how to subpeona AA’s cancellation/delay records for that day if he wants to test that excuse. They’ve opened the door in the letter, he should have no trouble with the court. He might even be able to subpeona Operations Officers, Customer Relations Officers, the CFO, and the CEO to explain themselves and their policies. I’m willing to bet that rather than comply with all that he’ll get a settlement check from AA.

Saying it’s “his” fault is arrogant and ignorant. Bottom line, he was there with plenty of time, he checked in 12hrs early, whether it was a FF ticket or not is irrelevant. AA issued a contract that is expected to be honored, and it was not for no apparant reason.

Take them to small claims court, if they don’t show up, lien their planes so they can’t fly.

Furthermore, the information that he is a second-year resident plays a key role: he probably has no real control over his schedule. He may have only been able to get a narrow band of days off from his residency to present at this conference, or he may not have been able to find someone to cover an extra day’s worth of shifts so he could arrive early. Residents typically work at least 80 hours a week, and often much more depending on their specialty.

So cut him some slack… not everyone has the time or ability to pad in extra travel time for every event in their lives.

Anyway, the complainant received a full refund plus a $250 voucher and got to his destination on time with other carriers. I wouldn’t be holding my breath for anything more than that – especially after reading the correspondence. I realize that English is his second language, but more care could be given to writing in a clear and concise manner. Accusing AA of unscrupulous and illegal behavior is not a recipe for acquiring additional compensation.

Oh, and I agree with Miriam – leaving a meeting early to catch a flight is bad form. When things go long, it’s usually because the meeting is productive and additional time is required to discuss the issues. I usually book a later flight (or a next-day flight) and try to get on an earlier plane if things wrap up early.

Was this a frequent flyer ticket he was using? In which case it may be legit for American to have bumped him to accomodate revenue-producing passengers whose flight was cancelled.

And, yeah, while it is not desirable to fly in just before a presentation, business travelers do it all the time. One of my pet peeves is the converse – people leaving meeting early because they arranged their flights based on the earliest time the meeting might end. My usual approach is to book an airport hotel and fly back the next morning, but that isn’t always feasible.