TODAY I SAW...

Possibly the worst business decision i can remember seeing.

American Airlines is in the middle of a HUGE quagmire (sp) having canceled hundreds of flights nationwide for failing to comply with FAA regulations regarding electrical wiring. HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS!!! Literally Hundreds of Thousands of People have been affected, and stranded, and offended, and pissed off... and the CEO of AA "Takes Full Responsibility" but claims AA can handle the loss of the tens of millions of $$$.

In the middle of this is a lady, we'll call her Cathy (not her real name), and Cathy went to the airport for her flight today. Her business trip calling her to go somewhere that doesn't really matter, and upon her arrival at the airport she's stuck in the quicksand of thousands of people standing in line to fix what is irrevocably broken. Waiting lines that are HOURS LONG... and watching flight status boards with more cancelled flights than can be counted. She's not going to make her flight... she's not even going to get on her flight... and in fact, she chooses to go home.

Well... it turns out AA didn't (let me repeat, DID NOT) cancel her flight. The did cancel the 5 that preceeded it, and the 6 that were scheduled after it... but her's... well... they decided to let that one operate as scheduled.

Guess what airlines do when you don't show up for a flight that actually flew.... yep... they cancel the rest of your ticket and don't give you a refund for any of it! The wont reinstate your flights, they wont re-accomodate you on another departure next week, they won't do anything for you.

Now I understand that they weren't obligated to do anthing for Cathy. She bought a ticket on a flight that actually flew when it said it was going to fly, and she had chosen not to get on it... too bad... so sad...

But c'mon!!! You've already lost TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!! Is it really gonna break the bank to let Cathy fly on a plane next week without charging her another $600???!!! Is it really so horrible to understand why, when looking at a line of enough people to populate the country of Venezuela, she decided to go home? Can't we use just a smidgeon of common sense and a dash of compassion and at the very least refund the ticket she bought???

According to American Airlines Executive Connections... it would seem that the answer is... NO.

What a shame.