A woman is calling out American Airlines after claiming that a host of issues with the carrier led to her family nearly losing a $20,000 trip.
In a video with over 379,000 views, TikTok user Bethany Fischer (@loveandfoxes) tells users after a terrible day of air travel to “never fly American Airlines.”
“They’re holding all of us hostage at IAH in Houston,” she starts. “My flight was at 8. We got here at 6. It’s now 3, and they have no idea when we’ll be flying. They don’t know where our luggage is.”
How did this flight booking go so wrong?
What Happened On This American Airlines Flight?
According to Fischer, her family planned to go on a Disney Cruise. The total cost of the cruise for the entire family was $20,000.
Knowing that cruises recommend getting to the origin city a day before departure, Fischer’s family booked a flight that left on Saturday at 8am. Their cruise departed on Sunday at 3pm.
Even with this wiggle room, Fischer states in a follow-up that “American Airlines still couldn’t get us there on time.”
“The first delay happened before we even got to the airport, super early in the morning, and we were gonna miss our connecting flight, so they automatically rebooked us,” Fischer recalls. “At that point, the weather delay started happening, and the American Airlines gate agents just abandoned ship. And there were hours where there was nobody there. There were no updates about new boarding times.”
Consequently, the family decided to rebook with United. The problem? American Airlines had lost their bags.
“We finally get a hold of another American Airlines employee to ask about what we should do about our bags. And she tells me, ‘We requested them to be at baggage claim. Give them like 20 or 30 minutes,’” Fischer says.
After waiting for 30 minutes, then an hour, then another hour, the family realized that the bags were not going to be there anytime soon.
Things Get Worse
Eventually, it gets to a point where Fischer and her family are fewer than two hours away from their new flight. If they miss this, they will be unable to get to their destination—and thus miss their cruise.
When Fischer’s family informed the staff of this, she says their response was both unsympathetic and unbelievable.
“She told them, ‘If we don’t get on our flight, we’re gonna be out $20,000,’” Fischer states. “And the lady goes, ‘I don’t care if you’re out a million dollars.’”
This response put Fischer’s family—specifically, her sister—into overdrive. After a considerable amount of pressure from Fischer’s sister and family, the staff finally seemed to find the group’s luggage.
Even though they had less than an hour until their new flight, the family made it, finally landing in their destination at 1am.
“The point is that there was like a three-and-a-half, four-hour window where American Airlines lost our luggage and wouldn’t fess up to it,” Fischer concludes.
“United Airlines did get us here on time. Very thankful,” she adds. “And I stand by my comments about American Airlines being terrible. Feel like I’ve earned this vacation.”
What Are A Passenger’s Rights In This Situation?
The United States Department of Transportation has pages explaining a flyer’s rights. This includes a flyer’s rights when their flight is delayed or canceled.
While an airline must refund a canceled flight regardless of the reason for cancellation, this often isn’t the case for delays due to weather.
Generally speaking, most airlines in the United States will simply make an effort to place the flyer on the next flight to their destination via their airline. If a flyer chooses to rebook their flight with another airline without the express written permission of the original airline, they are not likely to receive any compensation.
However, this is where traveler’s insurance can play a role. Depending on the traveler’s insurance, various costs accrued by the family could be covered. This could include the cost of catching up with the cruise, the value of the cruise itself if missed, expenses incurred during the delay, and more.
Many credit cards offer traveler’s insurance as a benefit. As such, travelers in this situation may want to try reaching out to their credit card company to see if there is any assistance that they can provide them.
Fischer notes in her follow-up that she has traveler’s insurance; however, she does not say if she attempted to utilize it in this instance.
Commenters Are Upset
In the comments section, many misunderstood Fischer’s specific circumstances. Those who did understand her predicament shared their own travel gripes.
“This is why Apple Tags go into my suitcases,” a user declared.
“My mom’s connecting flight was canceled mid-air by American Airlines and had to book her the next flight home for 1,500 with a promise to refund her. This was in 2023, she never received the refund,” shared a second. “I will never fly with them because of that.”
“I travel for a living. Flights post covid have been more expensive and less reliable than ever, and they are skipping amenities, even with airline status and whatnot,” a third wrote. “No idea why people are beating you up here. Airlines suck.”
@loveandfoxes @American Airlines please release us from your clutches EDIT: we are flying a day before the cruise but they couldn’t get us on a flight. 48 hours before sail isn’t early enough? #americanairlines #airportdiaries
BroBible reached out to American Airlines via email and Fischer via email and Instagram direct message.