A comedian had first class tickets on American Airlines, but American wouldn’t allow him to travel in first class. He’s ranting about the experience, and it’s been watched hundreds of thousands of times in just two days.
Jim Breuer bought first class tickets for his family to Honolulu from Fort Myers, Florida. Coming home it’s a redeye through Phoenix in a domestic seat not a flat bed. They pre-ordered their meal. They have bulkhead seats in row 1. But their seats are gon. The flight is overbooked. American Airlines is looking for volunteers to take a bump and a later flight.
First class, though, wasn’t overbooked. But he and his wife were downgraded to coach, while two pilots sat up front.
I went, so you’re telling me you’re taking a paid, first-class customer, and you’re putting, please tell me at least that you have the decency to put me in an exit row or bulkhead. He goes, no, they’re taken. Of course they’re taken. They’re taken by American Airlines employees. which we got to see when we got on the plane.
…Mark in Honolulu, the supervisor. He knows my name. Mark knows my name. Because Mark took my money that I paid for, for my family, for my wife. I go out to work for me. He took it and gave it to one of his buddies that work for American Airlines. Why do I know that? Because I saw the guy pulled off and… Bro.
He was frustrated because nobody explained to him what happened. Nobody told him his rights or gave him options. And they “wait to the very last second” to spring it on him, when he’s stuck. “It was just, hey man, sorry you booked first.”
Now you’re in 18 A and B for the next six hours flying like this on your red eye. Suck it. If he said that, I would’ve had more respect.
…He goes, well, I can give you a $500 voucher. $500 voucher for thousands of dollars for two first-class tickets that I splurged to treat me and my wife before I’m going away for three months. My blood is through the roof.
- The customer’s perspective is this: American Airlines sold him a first class ticket. He paid the fare, they took the money, he’s entitled to first class. Having the seat taken away from him at the last minute, and being offered minor ducats and barely an apology is offensive. He’s right.
This is foul because the way I see it, you stole from me. You stole my ticket. You stole my money. American Airlines employee stole from me. So this shows me… You can book a first class ticket on American Airlines. You can book any ticket on American Airlines and they have no problem putting one of their employees in your seat and then lie to your face and go, it was overbooked. Lie to my face and offer absolutely nothing.
- American’s perspective is this: their contract of carriage let’s them do this. They can take your money, fail to delvier the promised product, and give you compensation equal to the difference between what you paid, and what they determine the price of the product they actually deliver is (not even what you could have purchased it for if that’s what you’d wanted, but the most someone else paid for it).
- It seems likely that a pilot did take his seat. On mainland domestic flights, deadheading pilots are at the top of the upgrade list at the airport. They get first class, but they don’t bump paying passengers. On Hawaii flights, if the airline decides to deadhead a pilot to the mainland, it has to be in first class under their union contract.
American decided they needed the pilot in Phoenix, and took away a paying first class passenger’s seat to do that. That’s the deal, but compensation for this ought to be significant.
This isn’t about one seat. It’s a customer who chooses American Airlines for their premium travel who won’t do that anymore, and who will tell everyone they possibly can not to do it either. It’s both the right thing to do to make good when failing to deliver what you’ve promised, and it can be in your interest to make the customer feel good about the transaction. Instead, this one was left stewing on an overnight flight in back when they’d spent thousands of dollars to avoid that very situation.
He stayed mad because he couldn’t even get a customer service apology for what happened:
I was a big fan of American Airlines. No longer, and I’ll tell you why. We’re going on day three and a half now of not one human being calling me.
…I still have the pulled hamstring. Which is, so my ass is killing, the pain is going down my leg, and literally the seats are like this, while all the American Airlines employees are in front of us with, you know, the bulkhead, and their, you know, their feet are lounging, and listen. They deserve it. I have nothing against the rest of the employees. I have nothing but love for all of them. But this guy, Mark, the supervisor, and the people up at top that have not gotten back to me, I have no respect for you right now.
…We land. I didn’t sleep one ounce, bro. I was sitting there for five and a half, six hours, just staring.
He was told by employees in the Phoenix Admirals Club that no, pilots don’t get first class bumping paid passengers. But that employee is wrong. They’re not thinking about the rules for transoceanic travel.
Here’s what he wants. He paid for first class tickets between the mainland and Honolulu. He doesn’t want a $500 travel voucher. He wants a first class ticket between the U.S. and Honolulu. “And I even say I don’t need round trip. I don’t even need the round trip because [this happened] one way.” I have to say that (1) American Airlines isn’t going to do that, but (2) it’s eminently reasonable. They offered him a refund of the difference in fare between first class and couch which they calculated at $400.
At the end of the day there wasn’t anything nefarious here. American Airlines followed the rules. But their employees handled the customer service aspect of this poorly, and the airline really should do more there.
(HT: Travel Zork)
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