American Airlines Admirals Club…
I have a complaint about the way my family and I were treated at the American Airlines Admirals Club in San Jose, CA on November 17, 2003.
My parents and I were ticketed for American Airlines non-stop flight 268 from San Jose, CA to Boston, MA with a scheduled departure of 1:30 p.m. We arrived at the airport at noon. Soon after 12:30 p.m. the flight was rescheduled until 3:00 p.m. An hour and a half later, it was pushed back even further until an estimated 4 o’clock departure. Somewhere around 3:00 p.m., the ticket agent announced that the flight was completely canceled due to “mechanical failure”.
After quickly calling American Airlines Customer Service (a pleasant experience, by the way) to book ourselves on a new flight, we were all rescheduled for a non-stop red-eye flight leaving San Jose at 10:30 p.m., which resulted in us having to wait another seven hours at the gate. We had no transportation available at that hour and thus had no choice other than staying at the airport.
I entered the Admirals Club, which was located directly across from the gate. I then asked the lady sitting at the front desk if they could make accommodations for us in the Club, as my mother, who is handicapped, would have greatly appreciated a more comfortable place to sit and relax. She said yes, for a charge of $50 per person. Obviously, I said that was unacceptable. She then offered admission for the three of us for a total of $100. I left.
I contacted American Airlines corporate headquarters and was directed to a supervisor located at Dallas/Forth Worth. I explained the entire situation to her, including the fact that I was trying to find more acceptable accommodations for my handicapped mother — even if it was just for her benefit alone. The supervisor, whose name I do not remember, put me on hold for several minutes while she made several phone calls to the San Jose area to accommodate our meager needs. Again, like the previous customer service representative, she was exemplary in her efforts. She came back on the line and said that she had spoken with “Oscar” in the San Jose Admirals Club, explained the situation with him, and had arranged for complementary access to the Club for all three of us in consideration of our inconvenience for the delayed flight. I thanked her profusely. “Talk to Oscar,” she said.
Imagine our surprise after I had successfully transported both my parents and their luggage into the Admirals Club only to find out that, once again, the representative at the Club refused our entrance. I asked for and spoke directly with Oscar Paredes, who had accepted the arrangements with the Forth Worth supervisor. Oscar denied making any kind of deal with her, stating simply that he would let us all into the Club for the bargain basement price of $50. I explained that that was not was agreed to, but he was firm in his denial and refused to allow us the entrance granted to us by the Forth Worth supervisor. Given no other choice, we left.
Needless to say, I had to take my parents and their luggage the short distance back to the gate, but it was a major inconvenience and terribly upsetting. I was extremely disappointed by the attitude, the rudeness, and the lack of courtesy of the Admirals Club personnel, specifically Oscar Paredes. I have flown American Airlines exclusively for the past decade, and I am now beginning to rethink that wisdom.
I am hard-pressed to come up with a specific remedy that would be satisfactory, but I expect you to make amends by presenting me with a substantial benefit that I can transfer to my mother to make up for the terrible behavior of the San Jose Admirals Club representatives. It was not for my comfort that I asked for this accommodation on your part, it was for my mother. Yet our request was rudely and unjustly denied after it had been rightfully approved by one of your own supervisors.
Since American Airlines satisfactorily resolved this complaint, I’m closing the comments on this page. If you have anything to add, click over to the response and leave your comment there. Thanks!