E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES GOOD NEWS FROM A BAD FLYING WEEK By Chris Barnett March 27, 2008 -- My wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m., but I wasn't in a hotel. I was at home in San Francisco and American Airlines was on the line. The news: I was being re-routed through Chicago O'Hare to Fort Lauderdale because my flight to Dallas/Fort Worth was delayed and I would never make my DFW-FLL connection. The call was thoughtful, I thought. But American had more bad news: I was flying full-fare coach on my original itinerary and had been upgraded to first class on every leg. Now the re-rerouting put me in coach out of Chicago. Also, I'd arrive 20 minutes later going through O'Hare, explained the apologetic voice on the other end of the phone. Given what's happened at American this week, with hundreds of cancellations due to unscheduled reinspections of the carrier's entire fleet of about 300 MD-80 aircraft, I guess it could have been much worse. I can report a generally good experience on all four of my American flights. Breezing past the skycap at SFO, where American stiffs you for two bucks a bag to check in and the porter usually gets stiffed by that miserly policy, American's ticket counter was fully staffed. But no one was waiting and I got through security in a record six or seven minutes. American had a Boeing 767 on the flight to Chicago. It was outfitted with its new reclining first-class seat with two tray tables and some extra storage. With the Big Six airlines cutting back on everything, including first-class amenities, I was surprised to be offered a full breakfast: a hot egg, sausage and pineapple quesadilla with berries and a bagel. The flight attendants were smiling and patient. That was also a pleasant surprise. That said, my seatmate, a nurse who lives in Chicago and who is Gold Elite in American's AAdvantage program, was less impressed. She complained that she only gets an upgrade when she is flying with her husband, a Platinum-level AAdvantage member. "On recent overnight international flights, to London and Paris, the flight attendants were mostly grumpy and you feel like a nuisance asking for anything," she added. On the Chicago-to-Fort-Lauderdale segment, we left O'Hare about 30 minutes late. A paper-goods saleswoman who makes the run weekly and is Executive Platinum in AAdvantage, wasn't surprised. "Until the last three or four months, almost every Fort Lauderdale flight was late and you'd get attitude from the flight attendants," she complained However, she conceded the "on-time rate on this flight has improved." But the biggest improvement? "The cabin crew's much friendlier attitude." Even in coach, where the $5 turkey wrap was tasty, I found the flight attendants accommodating and responsive. On the Fort Lauderdale-to-Dallas/Fort Worth flight, Walter Rogers, a Fort Worth-based consultant, told me he also thinks American's in-flight service is "improved. But they are consistently late and you miss appointments because of it and it backs up the rest of your day." On the plus side of the ledger, Rogers is an Executive Platinum flyer and "Most of the time, I get upgraded." Still, Rogers said, he continues to be unhappy with the unfriendly manner exhibited by some American flight attendants. "I understand these people are getting hammered [by salary, benefit and work-rules concessions], but don't take it out on me," he griped. But a lot of American travelers have found the grass isn't greener on the other side of the airport at United Airlines. Technical consultant Nikki Narang, a one-time American Platinum customer, switched to United because he commutes weekly from San Jose, California, to Hartford, Connecticut. How's the switch gone? Not too well. "United is the new cattle car," Narang said. "People cut in front of you, elbow you aside. Plus, they don't tell the truth." Narang said United recently told him a flight was grounded because of foul weather in Hartford. He called Southwest Airlines and "they told me, 'We don't show weather. All of our flights are taking off on time.' " He booked Southwest, got out and, even with two stops, said he beat United's actual flight time. "Southwest turns around so fast," he explained.

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Copley News Service. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. A NOTE TO EDITORS Barnett on Business Travel is available biweekly through Copley News Service. Contact: Glenda Winders. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.