Flying With Dogs Dog Travel Forum

This topic was posted in the Flying With Dogs Forum on January 10, 2016 1:19 p.m.. If you can help with this question about Flying With Dogs, please post a reply.

Terrible experience with American Airlines

I read all the information American posted online and listened to there prerecorded interactive line. I even called reservations to confirm that I was flying from Phoenix to JFK on the red-eye on Dec. 23rd. When I arrived at the airport, I was told at the reservation desk that the flight aircraft was an Airbus, which didn't take pets. None of this information had been made available to me.I had to fly the next day.

However, this was far from the worst of the problems I encountered. On the flight back to Phoenix, my dog, who had gone through TSA screening an hour before the flight, was never put on the plane. I waited and waited for him to be delivered to me. After an hour, the baggage claim office went to look for him and were told he was at the cargo building. i was then told he would be brought over in a half-hour. When he didn't show up, the baggage claim representative called New York and found that he had never been loaded and was at some place called Vetport. It was now four hours since my plane had landed. An American Airlines manager came down to talk with me and said the dog would be on the same flight tomorrow.

In the morning I called Vetport and was told American had picked up the dog at 8:30 NY time. I asked if he would be let out of his crate again and they told me no. That meant that, if he was to be on the flight I had been told, he would be in his crate for a full six hours before a six-hour flight, which would be cruel.

After trying or an hour, I was unable to get through to American reservations, so I called the baggage claim office in Phoenix and fortunately there was someone willing to make the effort to find out what was going on; It turned out he was on an earlier flight that did arrive with him at 1:37 pm.

American never made it clear before traveling that some of their large planes aren't equipped to carry pets as cargo. And if they had identified them as Airbus, it wouldn't have meant anything ro me since the aircraft was identified on my itinerary by number only. I was told these were planes American gained in it's last merger. But, how hard is it to update the information you post online? The reservation agents also need training. One told me to be sure to complain to corporate, because they aren't clear which planes accept pets and "If I complain they'll just ignore it."

Most unforgivable is the fact that American at JFK in New York never called either their Phoenix operation or myself with the information that the dog had been left off the plane. And they also didn't inform me when my dog would be arriving the next day.

Originally posted by Larry from Phoenix, AZ, US
January 10, 2016 1:19 p.m.

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AA policies

Thank you for your post. I'm sorry you went through that. I was thinking it would be impossible to take my lab back to NY with them... you just confirmed that! thanks.

Posted by Jana from Waxahachie, TX, US
April 29, 2016 9:24 a.m.

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