We had a pretty good experience. Enjoyed both the flights. Crew was very good and helpful.
They issued seat assignments and sat my 2 year-old in the row behind me, separate from me and my daughter. Communication/ customer service was terrible. They told me to change it in London, then in London, they told me to talk to the cabin crew, then a supervisor came and stuck us in the back of the plane when we were supposed to be in row 25. Overall, they need to really work on their customer service. Additionally the food was terrible and they ran out of meals and didn’t have any kid options. To top it off there was no in-flight entertainment for the first hour of the trip.
We missed the connection because we had to wait for a shuttle from the plane to the Terminal. Also, we needed assistance and none was available.
When we arrived at the airport - 1st step - printing out your boarding pass - no issue. Not long lines as these machines. 2nd step - processing your bag drop off. There was only one associate there to help 10 kiosks. We had a family in front of us for 20 minutes trying to work on the machine and figure out every step for 4 pieces of luggage. My husband alerted the associate who was able to assist the family. Highly suggest that there are more associates to assist in this process. Besides this issue, security check went very quickly. Our flight was direct to Philadelphia. We had to carry our bags down two flights of steps, then out to the tarmac to a bus, then carry our bags up two flights of stairs to the plane. No one on the flight was expecting that long trek. I could see some people were struggling a bit. All in all - great flight crew, plane was clean and food was great!
There were no gluten-free vegan options available, so food was very limited on this flight, and some of the crew weren’t especially helpful about it. To make matters worse, a passenger was sick on board, and although the area was cleaned, the smell lingered for the rest of the journey. On top of that, we ended up circling for an extra hour, which only made the unpleasant situation drag on even longer.
Checking in prior on line and wait time at Gatwick was terrible. I would rate a big fat ZERO.
I checked in to bags, one arrived one was delayed. I did not receive the bag for 4 days - arrived on Tuesday, received bag on Saturday!
It was ok. Our flight was delayed 2 hours, and then again on arrival. The explanation given felt feeble.
The booking agent, cheapflightsfares, messed up, and the information for the seats we paid extra for was not sent to American Airlines. We were separated on the return flight and sent to the lowest economy section. The flight attendant helped arrange seating at the back of the plane to allow my wife and me to sit together.
I liked the comfort of the seats, very attentive crew, and the meals were excellent.
