Of all the preposterous fees to cross my desk, I think this one deserves an award.
AMERICAN AIRLINES
Stewart Kiritz catches an early flight from Nashville to San Jose via Dallas. But when his connection falls through, he’s stuck at DFW and is forced to pay $780 to fly back to San Francisco. Does he deserve a refund?
When something goes wrong on a trip, you don’t always get the compensation you deserve — you get what you negotiate. Alright, maybe that’s not an original line, but it is an appropriate way to introduce Barbara Leon’s case.
Cory Garner is the director of distribution strategy for American Airlines. You may have heard about American removing its flights from Orbitz this week and Expedia’s subsequent action to “de-emphasize” American’s fares. I wanted to find out why – and how it might affect customers. Here’s our interview. Why did you remove your flights from [...]
Codesharing, or allowing multiple airlines to sell tickets on the same flight as if it were their own, can lead to a lot of confusion. And it’s more than just a matter of, “What flight am I on?”
Booking a flight online may be convenient, but it’s far from problem-free. Just ask Charles Bornheim, whose son is holding an extra airline ticket he booked through Orbitz.
The results of our weekend survey are in, and they’re a little bit of a bombshell. I asked you to name your least favorite major domestic airline, and the fact that US Airways won is no surprise.
Nancy Schmuhl thought she’d paid for her American Airlines tickets. But the airline had one last bill for her: A $20,000 invoice for “certain fraudulent bookings” she is alleged to have made.
All Leslie McCormick wanted was to convert her Marriott points to American Airlines miles. But what should have been a simple transaction was complicated by a little red tape and a severed corporate relationship, and now McCormick’s points are going nowhere.
Attention frequent fliers: If you can’t get a confirmed upgrade on your next flight, don’t do what Jim Downey did.
Fees on top of fees. It used to be the kind of hyperbole with which I spiced up my columns. But now, thanks to American Airlines, it’s real. The airline this morning introduced something called a Boarding and Flexibility Package that allows you to pay a fee and get priority boarding, offers a $75 discount [...]
To get an idea of how badly airlines might treat your luggage in the summer of 2010, consider the latest offer by The Stafford London by Kempinski. It’s called the “Baggage Emergency Response Squad.”
Josh Banta and his wife cashed in some of their hard-earned American Airlines miles to fly from New York to Miami for a funeral. But the tickets weren’t free; they paid $125 for the privilege of using their miles within 21 days. That’s a fee someone has yet to explain to me.
It seems like just yesterday that American Airlines scrapped its More Room Throughout Coach program, which made flying in the back of the plane a more civil experience by adding a few extra inches of legroom. But that program was announced a decade ago and killed five years later.
I’ve been getting quite a few questions like Joyce Fishman’s lately. She’s afraid her airline is about to go on strike, leaving her stranded.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
I'm on Facebook: Please "like" 
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? If you're having trouble with a travel business - any business - and you've reached a dead end, maybe I can help. Send me an