Is American Airlines a good airline to travel with?

Is It Safe to Travel with American Airlines?

American Airlines is one of the largest and busiest airlines in the world, with customer traffic exceeding 200 million per year. Being a member of the Oneworld alliance and the Oneworld Transatlantic Joint Business, American Airlines provides passengers with many destinations and ways to earn and utilize frequent flyer miles.

However, in the more recent past, American Airlines has received negative attention from customers and other travelers regarding passenger treatment and flight reliability. These include low leg space in the economy class, poor airline services, high check-in baggage charges, and flight delays or cancellations, which have been the reasons for low customer satisfaction ratings for American Airlines.

Is American Airlines still a viable mode of air transportation today?

Below are the potential benefits and drawbacks identified by our specialists in case you are thinking of flying with American Airlines.

Benefits of Booking American Airlines Flight

The advanced and wide-route network connects numerous destinations. American Airlines, being one of the largest airline companies, serves more than 350 destinations in 50 countries globally. If your preferred travel destination is within the United States or in Europe, Asia, or South America, then someone will get it sorted for you at American Airlines’ flight schedules.

Integration Through Vital Gateways All the hubs of American Airlines are situated in cities such as Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. Therefore, getting from one flight to another is often quite easy. Their hubs also offer convenient, nonstop service to many important domestic and foreign business cities.

Full Spectrum of Earnings and Redemption Affiliations Several airlines in the group offer codeshare relationships with other airlines in the Oneworld alliance, including British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, and Japan Airlines. Its loyalty program Advantage also has non-flight partner companies whose services and products you can use to earn and redeem your miles, and they include hotel and car rentals. This allows the traveler to have the freedom to work, spend, and optimize their American Airlines miles most conveniently.

Exquisite Lounges; New Premium Services Current key strategies that American Airlines has implemented include the enhancement of facilities for those traveling on premium classes. Their Flagship Lounges give customers an exclusive and lavish welcome to the flight, that can include a restaurant-style meal and free premium alcohol. For longer international flights, amenities in the premium cabin sections, such as a fully flat bed seating arrangement, ensure travelers arrive refreshed.

Now that we’ve outlined the benefits of flying American Airlines, here are some of the drawbacks of this airline company.

Let’s face it, even the seats in economy class are not very comfortable to sit on for a long period of time. One of the main concerns raised by many clients is the lack of space in their standard economy class seats when they fly with American Airlines. Still, some problems persist, such as poor economy-class comfort due to the plane’s steep pitch of 30-32 inches. In this view, setting up domestic flights, which are relatively longer than many international ones, poses a major comfort problem for taller travelers or those with longer legs due to confined space. Attempts at charging more for better seating arrangements also attract an additional cost.

Lack of Quality in In-flight Entertainment Systems and Connectivity The way that American Airlines tends to lag behind competitors is in offering quality in-flight entertainment. The airline offers an economy class for a fee to have access to the seatback screens as a feature that competitors such as domestic and international majors offer free of charge and have a more diverse list of movies, TV shows, and other programs. Their in-flight WiFi service can also take time and may not even be available on some flights, depending on the airline or the plane type. If someone intends to either get a job or watch movies/shows, it is disappointing that they don’t have consistent internet and media for Americans.

High Checked Baggage Fees Every domestic airline has the same checked baggage fees, apart from the second checked baggage fee that American Airlines charges more than Delta or United Airlines. Extra bags plus operational oversize/overweight baggage charges were pretty much a turn-off and made it expensive for families or those people who have many things to carry as they travel with American Airlines. They also charge more for pet cargo than most other airlines that transport them.

Several of the flights that it operates are also known to suffer from frequent delays and cancellations. Federal transportation data revealed that during the initial half of 2022, more than a quarter of all American Airlines flights either arrived late or were delayed, and almost three percent were canceled. Challenges cited as having caused the delays include scarcity of labor, climate control, and congested schedules. The disruptions in the United schedule were many times more than those that affected other airlines such as Delta and United. You will always experience a lot of disruptions on the timetable of America if you plan to fly with this airline, which is capable of ruining well-planned itineraries.

The Bottom Line

Decades of efforts to enhance the company’s operational efficiency to increase its profitability and more recent head-scratching over labor relations issues and other operational problems have eroded the company’s value proposition for today’s travelers, making American Airlines just an average carrier. However, there is still a noticeable return of some premium service gimmicks, mostly for business-class loyalty members, while their basic economy-class service delivery is quite uninspiring.

While American Airlines’ domestic competitors can offer better flight schedules or hubs in your home region, you are generally better off for a hassle-free and enjoyable trip with the airline. However, for those who may not mind the inconveniences of limited service, flexibility, and creature comforts, and those who value the lowest possible price, American fares may still offer value for one’s money when traveling is just about getting from Point A to Point B.

Book your American Airlines ticket now and experience comfort and reliability. Call +1 833-902-2090 to speak with our travel experts.