Anybody flying to Jazz Fest on American Airlines?

[mfrankkk]

I have tickets on American Airline for Jazz fest. I just spent 2 days stranded in Dallas airport because of the recent FAA happenings. I'm getting worried! Does anyone have an alternate plan??

[rosetree]

I have tickets on American Airline for Jazz fest. I just spent 2 days stranded in Dallas airport because of the recent FAA happenings. I'm getting worried! Does anyone have an alternate plan??

I don't know much about it, but if they are checking the planes now, wouldn't it be better than in two weeks?
Aren't they checking planes and then retuning them back to service?

[mfrankkk]

That happened two weeks ago, too. I thought it was over then! Its a bit scarey!

[rosetree]

That happened two weeks ago, too. I thought it was over then! Its a bit scarey!

I'm sorry for you!:( If I had a solution, believe me, I would let you know. Good Luck!

[mdfest]

If your in Dallas, its not that far a drive!

[mfrankkk]

If your in Dallas, its not that far a drive!

No, I live in Tucson. Its 1400 miles away. Its little far to drive, not that I wouldn't do it if that's what it took.

[ohio]

Over 2000 flights canceled in the last few days..I sure hope they can straighten it out in the next week or so! Half the cancellations are for planes that were already checked out once. For once I'm glad to be flying Delta Connection RV jets :rolleyes:

[mdfest]

Crossing my fingers for SW.

Have to give SW props today. I was booked for an early Mon flight. Found out today i could leave a day earlier, so figured I would call to see if they could acommodate me. Gave the the first flight out on Sunday- no additional fees, nothing. 5 minute phone call. Couldnt believe it! See you 1st Sunday.

[ozzie]

Yikes!

We've already blown a pre-paid/no refund hotel in Sydney (not a cheap place to stay) on the way home 'cos Qantas have put our flight back 10 hours making our arrival the morning after.

If the worst happened, would AA refund your tix so you could go with another carrier?

[mamaroux]

me too...

when I originally booked with them, I hit the wrong date, didn't realize it until I got the confirmation and almost passed out. I called them, found out how to change it, no fees, but of course the cost of the flights on the day I needed were about two hundred more... oh well...

[ozzie]

You coming to Oz mama? :D

[Amy Winette]

Over 2000 flights canceled in the last few days..I sure hope they can straighten it out in the next week or so! Half the cancellations are for planes that were already checked out once. For once I'm glad to be flying Delta Connection RV jets :rolleyes:

I guess me too, and it takes a lot for me to say I'm glad I'm on Delta. Maybe they just aren't checking their planes but they should . . .

[NYMAMA]

I'm booked on AA and praying to the flight karma gods to straighten everything out by the 24th.
OK guys send good flight karma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ohio]

I'm booked on AA and praying to the flight karma gods to straighten everything out by the 24th.
OK guys send good flight karma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The news this morning said over 3000 flights cancelled this week, BUT, they expect all flights to be back on schedule within the next couple of days.

[festbabe]

Anyone who's stuck in Dallas on Tue 4/28 can hitch a ride with us. The fest-mobile departs Tuesday am for the roadtrip.

On behalf of Dallas - sorry you guys were stuck here. Anyone else stranded can give me a call - I'll take you out drinking.

[ozzie]

On behalf of Dallas - sorry you guys were stuck here. Anyone else stranded can give me a call - I'll take you out drinking.

Sounds like a plan! ;)

[Terry]

I have tickets on American Airline for Jazz fest. I just spent 2 days stranded in Dallas airport because of the recent FAA happenings. I'm getting worried! Does anyone have an alternate plan??

See my thread just posted, " if your flight cancels"
Good info including some specific to American

[Terry]

I have tickets on American Airline for Jazz fest. I just spent 2 days stranded in Dallas airport because of the recent FAA happenings. I'm getting worried! Does anyone have an alternate plan??

I think American should be in good shape by Fest time. I would be more concerned about other airlines that haven't canceled flights yet.

Sorry to hear about your being stranded. Are you familiar with Rule 240?
You can goggle it, if you are not. May help if you ever find yourself in similar situation.

[mamaroux]

You coming to Oz mama? :D

Oh I wish... but no, baby. I was referring to the SW post from MD. We're flying SW again. AA is actually my favorite airline because they seem to have nice wide seats for my nice wide seat! LOL

[glinda]

I think American should be in good shape by Fest time. I would be more concerned about other airlines that haven't canceled flights yet.
I agree, Terry. That is the risk for fest.

I already got notice from United that my flight from NOLA to Chicaog, booked 6 months ago, was cancelled. It's about a 2 hour flight direct, but they re-routed me thru Washington-Dulles (!!!), about an 8 hour trip. So I called to get something better and of course, everything is already overbooked that day. Best they could do is a 6 am flight. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH the airlines are nothing but a pain.

[mightyradgumbo]

It seems like there shouldn't be too many more delays but there may be a few more according to a guy I know who works in Boston at Logan for American....also the majority of the planes were MD80s so check your what kind of plane is on your flight rezzie.

[tangledupinblue]

It seems like there shouldn't be too many more delays but there may be a few more according to a guy I know who works in Boston at Logan for American....also the majority of the planes were MD80s so check your what kind of plane is on your flight rezzie.

Looks as though many other airlines have already complied with the FAA and were forced to cancel flights....and pay lots of mula...

In the past few weeks, the FAA levied a $10.2 million penalty against Southwest and conducted inspections at all U.S. airlines, leading to cancellations at Southwest and Delta. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines also canceled flights for safety inspections.

Let us hope this will be over by the time we all fly down for JF!

[NeenAtlanta]

Here's a neat site that has links to the rule 240 agreements for each airline.
http://rule240.net/

[mamaroux]

Here's a neat site that has links to the rule 240 agreements for each airline.
http://rule240.net/

oh thats great Neen! Thanks!

[mfrankkk]

After waiting in line for 3 hours on Tuesday, the agent at the counter told me they were "out of voucher" and I had to pay for my hotel room myself or sleep in the terminal. Some chose to sleep in the terminal. They gave me a voucher for transportation to the hotel and a $10 voucher to eat dinner in the terminal. I guess with 100,000 people needing hotel rooms, the vouchers did run out.

If I find myself in Dallas on the way to NO, I would call to catch a ride on Tuesday! Thanks for the offer!

[mamaroux]

yes, but if they are responsible, they should be responsible, and at least pay your bills, damn it!

[mwgirlonherown]

American has taken a pretty nasty PR hit in the last month, especially with their business travelers. I'm optimistic that American will comply with the FAA, at least for the short term.

mfrank, sorry to hear about your ordeal. I spent a couple of nights at JFK last summer (separate incidents that were weather related). What really bothered me about the whole ordeal is how unprepared the airport was. At least in Chicago, OHare provides some cots and blankets. I actually started to tear up at the sight of entire families sleeping in alcoves at the Jet Blue terminal.

[NYMAMA]

Thanks for all the info I realllly don't expect any problems by the time we are ready to fly to fest but ya never know . I printed my rule 240 info.

[mightyradgumbo]

Neen..thanks for the 240 rule information..handy stuff

From what I have read though, some of the blame is on the Feds...They are overly by the book on the way some of these planes are set up wiring-wise. These planes have been flying quite some time with a certain wiring schematic and the Feds came in and said "No it should be this way", seemingly more for consistency than safety. I don't really fault AA or any of the other airlines, as they would be flying given the choice.

While some may say that they are glad the Feds cracked down on the safety issue of it, I am looking at it as overkill on regulations to give the implication that they care about the safety of air travelers.

[ozzie]

It seems like there shouldn't be too many more delays but there may be a few more according to a guy I know who works in Boston at Logan for American....also the majority of the planes were MD80s so check your what kind of plane is on your flight rezzie.

Well of course (!) ours are MD80s.... but it's 6 sleeps until we fly outta here so I'm not gonna sweat it yet.

6 sleeps!!!!!!!

[Festnfreida]

>>While some may say that they are glad the Feds cracked down on the safety issue of it, I am looking at it as overkill on regulations to give the implication that they care about the safety of air travelers.

Quite commonly referred to as a kneejerk reaction which is quite common nowdays, methinks. But in this case among others, it almost seems as if the Feds think they have a mandate to be as disruptive of air travel in general as possible. Just my .02.

[festbabe]

..

6 sleeps!!!!!!!

Sweet!

[festivalgirl]

I agree, Terry. That is the risk for fest.

I already got notice from United that my flight from NOLA to Chicaog, booked 6 months ago, was cancelled. It's about a 2 hour flight direct, but they re-routed me thru Washington-Dulles (!!!), about an 8 hour trip. So I called to get something better and of course, everything is already overbooked that day. Best they could do is a 6 am flight. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH the airlines are nothing but a pain.

Get on "The City of New Orleans" Tuesday night & you're in NOLA Wednesday afternoon. You can check three bags up to 50# and carry on 2.

Not a bad back-up plan just in case.

[swag]

I'm from Dallas, and flying to Fest on AA. I know all the AA flights DFW-MSY are on the MD80's. But I also think that the problems will be resolved by Fest time. AA would likely be headed to bankrupcty if not - 3 weeks of 500+ cancellations daily would kill any domestic airline.

[Raqssa]

I have an American Flight leaving on the 24th....like at 7AM, my hopes are that things will have settled down in by that time OR that my early flight can get me bumped to another flight that will still get me to NOLA by at least NOON, is that too much to ask????


:confused:

[Orleansnj]

According to a recent post from American Airlines flights are back to normal

http://www.aa.com/aa/pubcontent/en_US/urls/md80.jsp


AA Flight Schedules Back to Normal

Our American Airlines flight schedules are now back to normal. We sincerely regret the inconvenience created by the cancellation of a portion of our flights last week resulting from the FAA-related inspections of our MD-80 fleet. We also thank our customers for their patience and continued loyalty during this difficult period.

Customers who were inconvenienced with overnight stays may Email American Airlines Customer Relations to request information about compensation. Or if you have other questions, feel free to contact us. Within the email form, please select "April 8-12 Flight Disruptions" from the Email Subject drop down menu. Please provide the flight number on which you were scheduled to travel and a brief description of your circumstances in the message area provided.

If you have already submitted comments, our AA team is diligently working to respond to your inquiry - and you will hear from us. Thank you for the opportunity to keep your business.

Reservation Changes Due To Aircraft Inspections
Customers who were scheduled on a flight that was cancelled may request a full refund or may apply the value of their ticket towards future travel on American Airlines. Additionally, customers scheduled to travel on any MD-80 flight from April 8 - 13, even if their flight has not been cancelled, may rebook without a change fee to any AA flight with availability in the same cabin as long as their travel begins by April 17, as shown below:

If you are traveling to, from or through... On the following dates... And your ticket was issued no later than... You may change your reservation to begin travel as late as...
Cities served by MD-80 aircraft April 8-13, 2008 April 8, 2008 April 17, 2008

One ticketed change is allowed, and no change fee will apply.

For assistance, contact our Reservations personnel at 1-800-433-7300 within the United States or Canada. If you are calling from outside the United States or Canada, please check our Worldwide Reservations Numbers page for Reservations contact information.

[luvdancin]

I'm also on American for Fest. I figure that if my flight get stuck out of Richmond or Dallas, I will just drive to Fest. Pain in the butt, but probably faster than waiting for a new flight since all the other airlines will be booked, too. If I get stuck in Dallas, maybe all the TH's who get stuck there can rent a van and drive into NOLA on the "Threadhead Bus". :D

[stlbarb]

I'm also on American for Fest. I figure that if my flight get stuck out of Richmond or Dallas, I will just drive to Fest. Pain in the butt, but probably faster than waiting for a new flight since all the other airlines will be booked, too. If I get stuck in Dallas, maybe all the TH's who get stuck there can rent a van and drive into NOLA on the "Threadhead Bus". :D

Threadhead Short Bus

[mfrankkk]

An update on my situation: American emailed me a flight voucher yesterday. It is for $500.00 that can be used for any domestic flight over the next year. Now what are the dates for the next year's Jazz fest???

[Jaypee]

Most airlines give passengers the finger, but once in a while there is a positive outcome of non-weather flight cancellations. (If I already posted this months, please chalk it up to my aging brain.)

I was scheduled to fly non-stop from Boston to Seattle Christmas night on Alaska Airlines. They announced a delay due to pilot illness. They kept us updated, but this went on for about 3 hours before they finally cancelled the flight, which was full.

In the meantime, they made an arrangement with the adjacent US Airways' gate folks to deliver snacks and beverages to our gate as we awaited the updates. Then they gave everyone a $7 voucher to the Food Court. When the flight was finally cancelled, they put us all up in the Airport Hilton (and offered taxi vouchers to locals) with breakfast included.

I was worried that since Alaska doesn't have a big presence in Boston, it would be days before they could squeeze us all onto other flights, and I was ready to just bag it. But they brought us an empty plane the next day and we had our original seats and everything.

The originally scheduled pilot flew us to Seattle. He explained that he had eaten something that gave him either food poisoning or an allergic reaction. So since it was the airline's fault (which was a fluke), we all received $300 vouchers in the mail the following week.

Pretty good customer service!

[stlbarb]

Most airlines give passengers the finger, but once in a while there is a positive outcome of non-weather flight cancellations. (If I already posted this months, please chalk it up to my aging brain.)

I was scheduled to fly non-stop from Boston to Seattle Christmas night on Alaska Airlines. They announced a delay due to pilot illness. They kept us updated, but this went on for about 3 hours before they finally cancelled the flight, which was full.

In the meantime, they made an arrangement with the adjacent US Airways' gate folks to deliver snacks and beverages to our gate as we awaited the updates. Then they gave everyone a $7 voucher to the Food Court. When the flight was finally cancelled, they put us all up in the Airport Hilton (and offered taxi vouchers to locals) with breakfast included.

I was worried that since Alaska doesn't have a big presence in Boston, it would be days before they could squeeze us all onto other flights, and I was ready to just bag it. But they brought us an empty plane the next day and we had our original seats and everything.

The originally scheduled pilot flew us to Seattle. He explained that he had eaten something that gave him either food poisoning or an allergic reaction. So since it was the airline's fault (which was a fluke), we all received $300 vouchers in the mail the following week.

Pretty good customer service!

it was probably the celery in his bloody mary.

[luvdancin]

Wow. I'm impressed. But I think I read somewhere that Alaska Airlines is always very good with customer service.

[stlbarb]

Wow. I'm impressed. But I think I read somewhere that Alaska Airlines is always very good with customer service.

probably a cultural thing. i remember reading that (long ago) eskimos would share their wives with guests. :D

[swag]

An update on my situation: American emailed me a flight voucher yesterday. It is for $500.00 that can be used for any domestic flight over the next year. Now what are the dates for the next year's Jazz fest???

Not official yet, but dates will very likely be Apr 24-26, Apr 30-May 3.

[stlbarb]

Not official yet, but dates will very likely be Apr 24-26, Apr 30-May 3.

i cant image they would change. cant move forward due to mother's day.
and i think it will be a very long time before they try a first thursday again.