24 Jul 2025
During a recent trip, I encountered multiple issues with American Airlines that have left me extremely disappointed.
First, at the Myrtle Beach Airport, an American Airlines agent insisted I pay for two checked bags for myself and my daughter, despite our tickets including checked luggage. I explained this to the agent, but she said I had to pay and then request a refund. Later, when I spoke with another agent at a different airport, she confirmed that the Myrtle Beach agent should have simply verified the ticket and checked our bags without charging us. I submitted a refund request online and have followed up with multiple calls, but I have yet to receive a response.
Then, just two weeks later, my family flew to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The return trip was a nightmare. While en route to the airport, we received a delay notification for our flight, which meant we would miss our connection from Miami to Cincinnati. The flight itinerary changed so many times that we weren’t sure if we’d be flying out at all that day. Eventually, we boarded—but we had lost all the seat assignments we had paid for.
When we finally landed in Miami late that night, our connecting flight had already departed. We were told that if we wanted American Airlines to cover our hotel stay, we would need to fly to Chicago, then on to Cincinnati. Staying overnight in Miami was not covered. We were only provided with $12 meal vouchers.
We agreed to the new routing, but at boarding for the Chicago flight, we learned that while our luggage was loaded on the plane, our names were not on the passenger list. At that point, the situation became infuriating. Upon arrival in Chicago—very late at night—we were initially told we did not qualify for a hotel. After complaining, we were sent to a Super 8 motel that smelled awful and was far below reasonable standards.
After this experience, I have no intention of flying with American Airlines again anytime soon, if ever. I flew Delta to Atlanta last weekend and the difference in service was night and day.