Flew DCA to BOS today on AA1392 and honestly had one of the worst airport experiences I can remember.
Came in from Knoxville and we sat on the tarmac for over two hours due to wind, so I missed my original 5:30pm connection. Annoying but fine, stuff happens. Original ticket was first class, and I already accepted I’d be downgraded just to get to Boston tonight.
Went to the gate for the 6:45pm flight to see if I could standby. The gate agents were rude and flat out dishonest. First they told me the standby list was “extremely long.” After I pushed them to actually check, they admitted there was no list at all.
Then I asked about a fare difference refund since I was downgraded. They scoffed and said there was nothing they could do.
To top it off, during boarding one agent told me my roller needed to be zipped or checked. I said I’d zip it. The other agent immediately printed a bag tag and said since it was printed, it had to be checked. No discussion.
I’ve flown American for years and this is the first time I’ve felt gate agents were actively adversarial, especially as a premium cabin customer. Feels like more employees just don’t care anymore and the airline doesn’t rein it in.
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