It Takes a Thief: American Airlines Edition
Between work and play, I travel a lot. I’ve had some very interesting airport/flying experiences – ranging from sitting next to an Olympian on her way to the Games, watching a young lady get taken off the plane on a stretcher from being too drunk BEFORE the flight took off for Vegas and the captain accidentally leaving his cabin microphone on and telling his co-pilot about his … exciting night.
And while frustration is common with delays and changes, my frustration on an American Airlines flight to San Diego, CA yesterday was a different breed:
Roughly 45 minutes into the flight, they started the beverage offerings and I ordered my traditional mini-bottle of fine Chardonnay for $5.00. I hand the flight attendant a crisp $20.00 bill that I had just taken out of an ATM and am told he will return with change. I drink my wine, read my book and fall to sleep about an hour later.
At some point between that time and landing, I feel something lightly grace my hand and I look up with one opened eye to see the attendant sliding my change under my hand, trying not to wake me. I woke up and got settled, looked down at the change and realized he had only given me $5.00 back. No worries – it happens. I hit the little button above my seat, the same attendant came over and I alerted him of the mix-up.
He came back about 10 minutes later with the correct change, at which point I was done thinking of the situation … until the gentleman sitting next to me sits back down from his bathroom break. He reports that as he is waiting for the restroom, he sees the attendant laughing with someone else in the back room while he removes the owned $10.00 from his personal wallet, makes some kind of sarcastic comment and then comes to deliver my money.
Really?
I consider myself a generous guy, but a self-imposed 200% tip by the attendant is a little much, especially when he was trying to take advantage of the fact I was asleep and not thinking about my change. I liked American Airlines. While it’s no Virgin, I fly it over 50% of the time … at least I did. I couldn’t believe what had taken place, and am horribly disappointed in American Airlines. I might still push a formal complaint, however I would rather rely my loyal blogospherians to closely consider which airline they choose for their next trip. I know I will.
Have your own American Airlines story? I’d love to hear it.
I am John Roa, a web entrepreneur from Chicago. Welcome to my blog!
You got your correct change but assume he was trying to steal some of your money because he was laughing and talking with somebody as he removed a 10 bill from his wallet? O.K. I wasn’t there, but I feel pretty confident he did not intentionally do anything wrong. I am an AA Flight Attendant. A couple things here. Yes, it really is very easy to forget who you owe change to and how much you owe. I try to keep track by writing it down on a napkin, but in the course of serving 100 drinks, I have occasionally screwed up. Second, we are asked by the company to carry a “change fund” of 20 singles with us when we start our trips. Most of us aren’t that diligent. But any change I make that isn’t from money collected from other passengers comes out of my own wallet. Lastly, it sounds like you don’t know what, exactly, he was saying/laughing about as reported by your seatmate. One thing we (crew members) often joke about to one another is a passenger who gets worried about having waited a while and still not have received their change. We commonly make cracks about how we brought our parachutes and are gonna jump with the old lady in 10-F ’s 3 dollars! He probably wasn’t saying this about you because you weren’t conveying a worried/suspicious tone with him (at least you don’t mention having done so). The point is, based on how it generally works, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
Chris – I wish you were right! However, the majority of the story above is the account from the passenger next to me who witnessed this behavior in the back of the plane and was ADAMANT about his intentions.
Hi John – I have yet to experience a story like that, and I’m sorry to hear it. Most of the stories I have with airlines have to do with decisions made far away from the airplanes themselves. Why offer a Pringle’s size can of chips when there is barely enough room for me in the seat? And not even a bag of peanuts or pretzels?!
I was on an AA flight when I paid to upgrade to first class – something I probably shouldn’t pay for but I do. About a decade ago I flew nonstop for a year and always got upgrades and the service was nice. On this flight, I didn’t get anything to drink until the flight took off – I would always get something before takeoff, even water.
They should just call it what it is – Lowest Common Denominator Airlines – and stop pretending to be something they are not.
mp/m