志言智語

If you pay money to buy stuff from a company, you will assume the  company will take care everything. But, it doesn't work with American  Airlines (AA). That was my experience:

I suppose to fly with AA  on July 15 from Lima, Peru to LA, USA. When I try to check in 3 hours  ahead the boarding time, I can't find the AA flight number in the Lima  International Airport. I asked at least 3 crews from the airport. I  finally figure out that I should check in with another flight company,  LAN. I have no idea why it takes so long to wait in the check-in line, I  wait one hour (even more) to check in my stuff. Things happened, they  said the flight is over booked, you have to stay in Lima a night.

Due to my original flight was Lima to LA, LA to Tokyo, Tokyo to Taipei  (all with AA flight numbers.) If my flight delay, It might be a problem  for those transfers. But the crew from LAN in Lima said no problem, they  rebook the ticket for me. The new one is Lima to LA(LAN), LA to San  Francisco(United), San Francisco to Taipei(United).

I thought,  just 12 hours delay, not a big deal. But the new issue came out when I  arrived LA. Since the US government believes that all people transfer  from US may be "terrorist", so before you transfer to another country,  you have to be checked by C.B.P, also your luggage will not be transfer  automatically. You have to get it out, and put it back again.

After I put my luggage into the luggage carousel, I didn't have my  boarding pass from United Airlines yet. But I have just two hours to  transfer, I be really quick from the Tom Bradley International Terminal  to Terminal 4 to get my boarding pass from United. When I was in  Terminal 4, the United Airlines said that I don't have booking number.  "You have to ask American Airline" Time flies, it was one and half hour  before the plane I supposed to take depart, I walk tree terminals to  American Airlines to ask the details.

The American airline was  not efficient, the took forty minutes to deal with this with no answer.  The only answer I got is "You should ask LAN, which is the company  brought you to LA." But my question is, I pay a lot money to American  Airline, but you can't deal with this? So, if you can't deal with this,  why you authorized LAN to change my flight in Lima. By the way, due to  my time was rush, I went to the AA First Class to ask the question.  After talks to the crew, she said that "you should go to economy class  to line up." I don't know how you will feel at the moment, but I was  freaked out. I never have this kind of feeling before.

I have only half an hour to boarding at the moment I want back to see the LAN crew. It took another hour to contact LAN in Peru,  and rebook another ticket so I can fly to Taipei directly from LA with  China Airline. But, I don't know where my luggage is.

I  just got back to Taipei, and ask the baggage claim from China Airline to  find my luggage. The conclusion is, American Airline is not trustable,  unless you want to try my waiting and unpleasant experience.

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