American Airlines Reviews 3,051

Worst travel experience I’ve ever had with American Airlines. I travel a lot for work, and my girlfriend travels frequently for work as well — neither of us has ever dealt with anything like this.

Flight was delayed repeatedly (up to ~4 hours), then suddenly changed back to a near-immediate departure while I was actively trying to rebook based on what I was told over the phone — that I would be eligible for a full refund.

I was running through the airport trying to make it, waited nearly an hour at the counter, and was then told I couldn’t board and should have “known” to confirm I was still taking the flight despite all the changes.

End result: missed flight, overnight drive, ~$500 rental car, sick and exhausted for work the next day. Refund: $45.

Completely unacceptable. Never had anything close to this level of miscommunication and handling.

Brian Miami was the best representative I have literally ever spoken to in my whole life. I was having such a horrible day and his peace and kindness made me so much happier. I’m glad he exists.

Very, very, very bad.

Worst airline ever flew January, multiple canceled flights, I have been trying to get back to PA threw American canceled delayed flights, actually left gate had to go back and get more fuel. I will never book American again, over 24 hours to get from Austin to Harrisburg, they have lots of excuses.

The worst experience I have ever had. First, my initial flight from Tampa to Miami was delayed by two hours; consequently, I missed my connecting flight in Miami. They automatically rescheduled my flight for the following day, also they do not provide accommodation if you live less than two hours away from the airport. They take no responsibility for anything—they are completely disrespectful.

Bought a so called First Class flight… that was a lie … not first class at all for the money that I paid! Buyer beware! Check the airliner/ jet that you will be flying on! Not first class at all .. total rip off … if its a 700 or 737 your not getting the total first class flight you paid for!

I take this one particular flight 6005 from Charlotte to Gainesville. I have taken this route at least 50 times and it got delayed at least by 40 minutes to 2 hours every time. They say there is a maintenance scheduled on this every time. I wouldn't be surprised if this aircraft crashes mid air. Avoid American airlines, they have no respect or value towards customers waste of time.

Why is American Airlines such a dirt bag?

I had to bail out of a trip to Italy almost two months ahead of the scheduled departure. My tour refunded my money, the side-trip vendors refunded my money, my trip insurer refunded my money, but not American Airlines! They kept it!! No refund of almost two thousand dollars.

I was given a credit for the canceled flights (Like I want to fly with them again), but have no idea what the value of this "credit" is. The Airline also will not return, without credit, more than one hundred dollars I paid them for a seat in their sardine can.

What other business in the world does this? I can't name a store
or any other business who does not refund money for cancellations or returns. Why not from American Airlines? The government had to bail them out and now the public? The government needs to outlaw this travesty.

My final flight connection got cancelled 30 minutes before boarding my flight. They couldn’t get me on any other flights til the morning and wouldn’t pay for accommodation stranding me overnight because they claimed they “weren’t responsible for the cancelation” and they could not remove my bag from the grounded flight. Had to book last minute with United and the United crew ended up transferring my bag for me. Skip the headache and book with United.

The flight was oversold and I was forced to give up my seat. Luckily they rebooked me and upgraded me so bitter sweet I guess.

I absolutely do not recommend this airline—please do not fly with American Airlines. We booked a flight for our son through this airline for the first time on April 2 for $165 back in January. By mid-February (six weeks before the flight), our travel plans had changed, so we canceled the flight through the website. We did not receive a confirmation. We then sent several emails to American Airlines but never received a response. After another 3 weeks, we called. Only then was our flight canceled, and a $99 cancellation fee was charged. However, we did not receive the remaining $65 back; instead, it was noted as a credit. We asked several times for the money to be transferred back to our account, but nothing happened. We also never received a response to further emails. The customer service is so poor that you can’t even call it service. I cannot recommend this airline.

Only one star because there isn’t a way to rate them lower. Customer service is non existent. Service on the flightis negligible. Operations are poor.

Worst customer service I have ever experienced from an airline! Will never rebook with them. Long wait times, getting hung up on, getting laughed at by supervisors, lack of care or basic respect, no desire to remediate concerns, inconsistent communication from rep to rep, zero desire to retain customers!!! I would rather fly frontier or spirit than ever book another American Airlines reservation. Unfortunately now I’m stuck with $1700 in credits.

No communication about delays and we experienced 3 to 4 hr delay going and coming back from our trip. Worst experience is taking bus from South Bend airport to O’hare Chicago. Delays stacked onto delays. Overall horrible experience flying American Airlines.

Horrible customer service. I tried calling to book a flight. 3 times I never got to a person, 2 times to people overseas who were hard to understand and not helpful.

We had a very poor experience traveling from Orlando to GEG on American Airlines (Flights 3100 and 814 on April 20). At boarding in Orlando, a gate agent became hostile toward my wife over a slightly expanded carry-on and forced her and our child to check their bags, despite us explaining that one bag contained a necessary medical device that needed to remain accessible. The interaction was upsetting and left my wife in tears for most of the flight.

When we arrived in GEG, one of our checked suitcases was severely damaged with a crushed corner and is now unusable. We filed a claim, but it was denied as “normal wear and tear,” which does not reflect the actual condition of the bag.

When we attempted to resolve the issue at the airport, we were met with dismissive behavior from a manager and were even threatened with police involvement simply for asking for assistance.

Overall, this experience involved poor communication, lack of empathy, and no meaningful resolution for either the treatment we received or the damaged property. It was stressful for our family and resulted in both emotional distress and financial loss.

We are requesting that American Airlines management review this situation, as we would still appreciate a proper resolution if someone is willing to take ownership and follow up appropriately.

My purchase of a flight failed because my AA number was not recognized and the apparent procedure to either do without AA number or issue a new onendoes not exist. how do I purchase as just a face off the street? I have not flown AA in a long time partly because 35 years by United does it better.
EDIT. the fault was not wholly the airline's process. After finding the 30+ year customer card, we saw it had one less character than I submitted. A smart human would have discovered that fact and suggested a way to fix the problem. But AA is too far advanced in automation to have found and fixed such an error that almost lost a client. Q: will AI save AA from simple errors?

I recently flew with American Airlines on flights AA1482, AA2218, AA2838, and AA1396, and the overall premium cabin experience was far below expectations.

Two out of four of these flights were First Class, with the remaining in Business Class—making the lack of quality even more disappointing given the level of service being sold.

Cleanliness was unacceptable—I had to wipe visible grime off my own seat and my companion’s seat, and the towel came back black. On the final flight (AA1396), there was leftover trash, dirt, and even a non-working power outlet. The lavatories were also not properly maintained.

Meal service was equally disappointing. A pre-ordered meal (confirmed in advance) was not honored, and the alternative options were poor. I even reached out via in-flight chat, but instead of resolving the issue, I was simply told to file a complaint afterward.

Wi-Fi on multiple flights was essentially unusable, preventing me from working, with no option to upgrade to a more reliable connection.

To make matters worse, boarding conditions raised safety concerns. On April 10, there was a noticeable gap between the aircraft and jet bridge that could pose a risk, especially to children or less mobile passengers.

What’s most frustrating is the response from American Airlines. Despite outlining multiple issues across several flights, they acknowledged only part of the complaint and offered 5,000 miles (roughly $50 in value). They also directed me to review their Conditions of Carriage, which felt dismissive rather than a meaningful attempt to address the situation.

This response reflects how little value is placed on the experience of their First and Business Class passengers.

The flight attendants themselves were professional, but the overall product and follow-up response did not meet the standard expected for a premium cabin.

Based on this experience, I cannot justify the cost of flying First or Business Class with American Airlines and would strongly reconsider flying with them again.

I don’t like to complain and usually give businesses grace when things go wrong. But people should know about this experience.
I bought a round-trip ticket to Norway through American Airlines. My flight there was smooth. While in Norway, I was on a cruise with limited internet and didn’t check email often. After the cruise, I flew to Oslo for my return trip home. My flight was scheduled for 11:45 a.m., so I set my alarm with plenty of time.

When I woke up, my phone showed my flight was boarding. American Airlines (partnered with British Airways for this leg) had moved my flight four hours earlier. They sent only one email buried among many others. I had both airline apps with notifications enabled, but neither alerted me.

I rushed to the airport but arrived 10 minutes after takeoff. There was no American Airlines or British Airways desk—only a shared information desk. I was told a British Airways desk would open before departure, but it never did, even though a flight to London left at my original 11:45 time.

The information desk told me to call the airline. American Airlines said British Airways had to rebook me. British Airways said American Airlines had to handle it since they issued the ticket.

So I was stranded in a foreign city with no help, while both airlines blamed each other. I eventually bought a $500+ one-way SAS flight to London so I could catch my connection home.

After returning, I contacted American Airlines. They apologized and offered airline miles. When I asked again, they told me to complain to British Airways.

Needless to say, I won’t be flying American Airlines again anytime soon.

I’ve always been upset since they changed the mileage program. It was so good before now, it’s like why even bother.