Sitting on the plane feeling so mad and angry. American Airlines and their Citi bank card can all go straight to consumer hell. What a mess! Surprise at the airport... you want your luggage to go home that will be $75.00...oh that first bag flys free benefit DOES NOT apply internationally (funny it does when we fly to Haiti). WHHHAAATTT..... Oh you want to talk to a supervisor about it... You need to wait 20 minutes. My wallet has been hijacked by this airlines again.. Wish I could have left a pile of Costa Rican dirt and some bad laundry and said here keep the luggage. If this is a rule it must be written in the "invisible" part of the fine print someplace.
I realize all airports are different. After our extended luggage charge, discussion at check in, I stopped and purchased a small water and paid those "top dollar" airport water prices. We start loading the plane and they take the water, it's not even open I have had it for three minutes. REALLY! When you buy water inside the loading zone you get to keep it. Reminder to self - I am not in the US... I only bring this up since my normal calm self gets very anxious without a bottle of water on the plane. One time it took 3 hours to get the attention of a flight attendant to get water. Now I don't know if this is a Costa Rica rule or American Airlines that you give up your water at the gate. Plus I need that water for my flying med.... Which by now I really need to take after the earlier encounter withe the luggage. When we boarded the plane I asked the flight attendant if I could have a quick water when the passengers settled before take off to take my med (since mine was taken away)....I am carrying my Back pack and camera and she shoves a glass at water me and says here. I asked very calmly don't you think I could spill on the other passengers as I climb over them to my seat. She just shrugged and said you will have to deal with that.... Great way to meet your neighbors as you climb over them with a full glass of water to the window seat while trying to balance your flying necessities....
I arrive at my upgraded seat I just paid an additional $51.00 for the day before.... It's occupied. A family with two kids and two parents... The man says very nicely do you need to sit by the window, they split my family up on the plane and we are not sitting together. I said sorry, I paid extra for that seat and AA needs to figure it out. Splitting up a family what are they thinking? He advised me they purchased their tickets a year go. The lady asks you good sitting by my 3 year old... Sure! Honestly captain confusion reigns. By this time I really need my water and med. I may be buying a drink if they ever come down the aisle. Oh do you think you get a blanket to offset the freezing air as one of your $51.00 upgrade... That would be a NO.
Eventually some lady gives up her seat who is on a cane and needs a wheel chair to get off the plane so the family ends up together across a row, still sitting by me. They are all together and happy. And now I have the guilts since the older lady with the cane gave up her seat. But, I am thinking she probably was assigned the seat and didn't pay.
Good news we took off on time. My head is throbbing, I could really use a water and Advil. I know I can't be the only consumer that is having issues with AA. Last month it was the 400.00 they would not apply to Mikes ticket to Hawaii that we were 6 days late in realizing - it is from the booking date and not the fly date that you have to redeem. Several emails to mars, you can only email the consumer complaints department at AA, no phone calls and no real people, you would be better off calling mars and talking to an an alien. I think AA employes HAL from 2001 a space odyssey. You get a dumb email response and zero, zip we don't care, sorry charley email response #801. They don’t care.
Yes, I am venting. Next I am going to get up and clear these breakfast trays for everyone. When they asked if we wanted a breakfast tray I didn't know they met for the entire flight. They gave us a breakfast sandwich - here is the picture
(I am questioning what the black mystery ingredient is) It was frozen... It went from very cold to icy. You know me I asked the flight attendant like a total tourist do these egg sandwiches always come cold? Oh the 737's don't have ovens?, he informed me. I wonder if they were served hot food in 1st class? Guess the "low life" coach people don't get the use of ovens in 1st class or warm eggs. You get some type of token meal on international flights. They called this Breakfast.
Going to try and watch a movie and relax. Using the food tray as a weather shield against the cold air. Yes I turned off the vent. It is freezing on this plane. Oh the movie is the Kermit Muppets movie. Seriously.
Sitting in Dallas checking the boarding passes for seats and guess what, Jeff, Heather and Hunter are not sitting together...we just now caught it, seat assignments were done in San Jose. Jeff did pick seats and had 3 seats together originally... What happened? Should be interesting to see how the mystery passenger handles sitting next to 17 months of energy. Heather has seat 23A and Jeff and Hunter have seats 27E and F. This is making me laugh we will see how the passenger shuffle goes and if the attendants are with us or against us!
Happy to report all went well. Hunter he is an amazing traveller he slept for 3 hours.
Now if any of you are up to date with Emily Post and the proper etiquette for in flight bathroom breaks... I have a few questions that need answering.
Setting the scene:
You have held it as long as you can and you know if you don't get up and go you will hit turbulence. The pilot will have to circle the airport four or five times due to weather and you will be confined to your seat for the duration of the flight. After all these thoughts you decide to leave your window and seat, climb over your row mates and go for it. Now, as you walk down you notice a good size line waiting. The question when the exiting bathroom people try and pass you in aisle to go to their seats, so the two of you don't become intimate, which way are you supposed to turn your body? Butt to butt or what? And then where do you put your body and which body parts go where as you wedge yourself into another passengers face, who is sitting in their seat as two people try to pass in the plane aisle?
Just saying I had body contact today with a complete strangers. AWKWARD.... Just looking for suggestions on bathroom aisle crossings while flying. This has to be one of the funniest things that happens on a plane. Body contact with complete strangers that you would not even say hello to in the supermarket check out line and your touching in a plane...
This was great therapy for my American Airlines furstration. Just like being a parent, a friend, or grandmother…. I am a consumer and I take it seriously when I feel that someone has been unfairly treated. God, expects me to be a good steward of what I have and donating money un-necessarily is not one of them and getting nothing in return from a corporate giant with no customer relations is something that needs to be complained about openly. To bad they have us backed into a corner and our choices are becoming fewer.
Love their new slogan something about their “New Face”. might be new but still has the same bad service. IRONIC… I am flying them again in 3 weeks to Kauai…. Hoping I can put up a glowing positive review. Best part of any flying experience to arrive home safely. We did and I thank the pilots for all they do and all they know…. Safety first before issues.
Found some previously started posts from CR that I want to polish and get posted along with more pictures…. Hugs so good to be home
Flying from San Jose to Oso Penninusla
The always adorable Co-Pilot
and that is how it is done in Costa Rica.
