Airline's customer service line leaves frequent flier in holding pattern
How long should American Airlines take to answer its phone when you want help - say, with something you rarely encounter, such as using frequent-flyer miles to book an overseas trip, or simply because you're unable to use its website?
How long should American Airlines take to answer its phone when you want help - say, with something you rarely encounter, such as using frequent-flyer miles to book an overseas trip, or simply because you're unable to use its website?
That was Stephen Seplow's question, after five thwarted attempts to get through using the reservations number on the back of his new AAdvantage MasterCard. Once he waited on hold 30 minutes before hanging up in disgust. Another time, he lost his place in queue when he was transferred to a nonworking line - a problem I replicated three times when I called.
Seplow joked that he had come to suspect that American, as it wraps up its merger with US Airways, "is operating a scam miles program." At least I think he was joking - the former Inquirer writer and editor, who retired in 2001, was known for having a dry sense of humor. But the issues he raised are no joke.
It turns out that they can partly be blamed on the merger - a complicated, multiyear process in which US Airways' Dividend Miles program was absorbed into AAdvantage in March but US Airways will continue to operate separate call centers until sometime this fall.
But the underlying issue - "How long should it take to get a human being on the phone?" - is even trickier. When it comes to American and other airlines, the answer depends on who you are - or at least how frequent a flyer you are.
For years, all the major carriers have offered special numbers to passengers who qualify as "gold," "platinum," or otherwise commercially precious. For those who don't count as elite, there's no law or rule requiring an airline to answer the phone within any period of time. But there are strategies to cope - beyond complaining to the airline, Congress or federal regulators.
Seplow is representative of many Philadelphians who are adjusting to the latest airline consolidation. They had limited choice in air travel because US Airways' hub here dominates Philadelphia International Airport. Now they have even less choice, because there's one fewer carrier.
What went wrong. The particular problem Seplow faced may be related to the reservations number printed on his credit card: the main US Airways reservation number: 800-428-4322. American officials say it should eventually get you to the right place, but concede that there may be some glitches related to the incomplete integration, especially now that Dividend Miles is history. Call it call-center interruptus.
The bigger picture? Seplow isn't an elite flyer, a category of customer that airlines try to never keep hanging.
Melody Niese, managing director of reservation planning, told me American prioritizes calls for elite-status flyers but aims to answer everyone as quickly as possible, following internal standards that are "definitely in line with the industry's."
The airline aims to meet an "80-60 rule": answering 80 percent of calls within 60 seconds. Though she declined to go into details, Niese added: "That's not a goal we've been meeting," a shortcoming she blamed on both weather and merger challenges.
How to cope. American recommends calling its main reservation number, 800-433-7300, instead of the US Airways number - no matter what, but especially with an AAdvantage-related question.
Beware the IVR - the interactive voice-response system American runs can seem as dimwitted as any "intelligent agent" software. But once you get past it, American's system offers a feature US Airways' didn't: an offer of a return call within a designated window. Waiting 30 to 40 minutes for a callback is better than sitting on hold.
What else is changing. Niese says one bit of good news for customers is that American is adopting US Airways' "more sophisticated" reservations system; it doesn't just know you're Gold-level elite but also that your flight tomorrow was canceled.
On the downside, be warned that American, unlike US Airways, doesn't let you extend frequent-flyer miles, which expire after 18 months of inactivity, for a $9 fee. So if what you are is an infrequent flyer who likes to accumulate points for an occasional splurge, you'll need a new strategy.
There are options, including using an AAdvantage credit card or making purchases in its eShopping online mall. But some members will inevitably lose miles, and pleading isn't likely to help. "It's not our policy to restore them," Niese says.
215-854-2776@jeffgelles