American Airlines

Hello Mary,
AA is a very good airline! I have flown with them 3 times to Europe and once to Israel, and there has never been a problem! The food is fine, the flight attendants are super nice, and the chairs are comfy. Go for it.. buon viaggio!

I fly American alot. Here in the US and abroad. I have never had a problem with them. I have only checked baggage with them once or twice in the last 3 years and have not had a problem. As for comfort, it is all relative. lol. How comfy can one be in a 17.2 inch seat on an 8hr flight. I normally check on seatguru.com when I pick seating on a flight.

Hi Mary,
I have flown American across the Atlantic several times, although not in the last 2 years.
I have always found them to be a great airline. Comfortable seats with good leg room and decent service. One time I had a flight booked with them and I had a panic attack (it was the first time I flew after 9/11, plus I had some stress at home) and I have to say the staff at Heathrow were really wonderful. So I like American!
Enjoy your trip!

I've had great experiences with AA and have been a frequent flyer with them for 20 years. I have noted that some flight attendants aren't as cheerful as they used to be (compared to Delta on the 2 flights I had with them within the last 6 months). Well, I'm not as cheerful as I used to be either.

Gela's probably right about that...AA F/A's are not as cheerful as they used to be.

How cheerful can one be when your own company kicks you in the teeth and requires you to keep on smiling? Take away your job security and Pension provision, cap or roll back your wages and see how cheerful any one of us would be!

Now even "Barbie" wouldn't fly for them!

I fly American Airlines a lot. Like any airline in the 21st century it's not the good old days, or even the good recent days. Nonetheless, I've flown with them to Europe 8 years in a row and all over the US and they get me there. I've rarely lost a bag and then not for long. I've found American Airlines friendlier than American Eagle and I fly both. Lastly, pre 9/11 they really bailed me out when Air Canada went on strike just in time for my trip to England and Scotland.

Pam

Thanks for asking this question. I've only flown AA once and that was last August to Chicago and back. I enjoyed the flight and loved that we were asked to place our recyclables in separate bags. However, I am also considering flying AA to Paris this fall and am a bit curious about the experience of others as well.

To be honest AA is as good/bad as all the rest. G Your departing/connecting airport is more important to that question, it is all a crap shot. In my experience, no crew tries it to make your trip bad, but your seat can ruin EVERYTHING.

www.seatguru.com is you key to keeping yourself happy. Get a great seat in an exit row, only to find out it does not recline??? Have a great trip to Italy and enjoy the Grappa!

My advice would be to avoid connecting in Chicago if at all possible. In 2005, we flew British Airways to Italy. BA was wonderful, but we had to fly American Airlines to Chicago to connect. On our return, we were delayed for a few hours and shuttled to four gates before we finally got on our plane for the flight home.

I had my worst experience on AA but it really wasn't their fault. I had an opportunity for a last minute business trip to Germany which I took advantage of. Unfortunately, the ticket I got for the flight was in the back row. My seat didn't recline so not the most comfortable trip accross the pond I've had. Early the following week was 9/11, so I wasn't completely comfortable flying home on AA, again not their fault.

I have flown United, AA, Delta and British Airways (still haven't flown Lufthansa, Air France, Virgin, AlItalia, or others). Of the group only British Airways stands out above the rest with a little better food and service. Ultimately any flight I can walk away from that lands in Europe is a good one.

Hello Mary. Being in the coach section, flying across the Atlantic Ocean at night, is the same experience in any airline. With the exception that American Airlines' big airplanes had more space for my legs (slightly longer distance between the seats) than Delta airlines Boeing 767 and Northwest airlines. But I heard that changed recently. Now, there might be a lack of space for my long legs in the coach section of any airline that I can afford to fly with. I now prefer to not be in the biggest airplanes (Boeing 777) because those airplanes have more people. That means walking in the isles can be slower, and passengers may wait a longer time to get in a toilet room.

By now I'm sure many of us have heard about the massive flight delays and cancellations due to the wiring issues on the MD-80's...It's no longer just an AA issue but an Aircraft issue in general...

Mary,
I love American Airlines. I have only had great experiences with them. When my husband and I moved to Germany, we brought our dog along with us. We flew from Fl to Ohio then to Germany. On our flight from Fl to Ohio we were with a different carrier (will not mention) and they injured my poor dog, he had a nasty cut on his nose and seemed terrified when we picked him up. When we were leaving Ohio for Germany I was extremely worried he would be injured again. Well, he wasn't. They took EXCELLENT care of him. They cleaned his cage and had a toy and new blanket in there for him. He was wagging his tail and seemed not to be stressed at all. I highly recommend AA, especially when traveling with pets.

Amanda, wow!! It sounds like AA went above and beyond while caring for your Canine Companion. That is truly amazing service. Good for AA!

I do hope you took the time to give them some positive feedback. Thanks for sharing that with us:-)

I flew AA last summer and could not have been happier with their service. Flying them again this year for the first leg of our trip! Have a nice visit to Italy ... it's a fantastic country.