<p>^^^^^^Also flying AA to see D for Mother’s Day and graduation. But taking a direct flight, nowhere near O’Hare. Crossing fingers for everyone this weekend.</p>
<p>Sorry Tutu, I can only think of two, and it’s unlikely you would ever fly on them. Most carriers work on such a shoestring budget, they’d never consider that.</p>
<p>There really are ways to limit your risk, and many people have mentioned them. Take a direct flight if possible, stay away from problem airports like ORD, go early and make sure there are multiple backups, try to get an elite status with the airline so they take care of you better, never ever check your bags if you might actually need them. And if you really need to get somewhere, go a day early if you can, that’s the best idea. Keep your eye on the weather (in the winter), and adjust your schedule to avoid risk. Though it can be hard with non-refundable tickets, elite status waives plenty of charges.</p>
<p>DH and I flew back from Europe on AA last month. The surliness of the flight attendants on that flight was beyond anything I’d ever experienced. They started out by announcing that their FA crew was short, so service would be limited. It was like pulling teeth to get a drink of water and some of the bathrooms ran out of TP.</p>
<p>When questioned, one of the FA winked and said they were “told” to call in sick, and that is why so many flights are short staffed. </p>
<p>I would LOVE to be done with American.</p>
<p>“When questioned, one of the FA winked and said they were “told” to call in sick, and that is why so many flights are short staffed.”</p>
<p>And the passengers are the ones who suffer. You sure don’t want to fly with a company when they are going through contract negotiations, or there is something going on between management and employees. For these flights to push, it often takes above and beyond effort for the workers to do their jobs, it’s not just showing up. It’s noticing things that could go wrong before they actually become a problem, it’s hustling when it’s necessary, it’s being diligent and proactive. People need to want to do things right to make it all come together. Everybody wants to be safe, but an angry employee doesn’t have to help to make the flights go on time.</p>
<p>busdriver, thanks – I certainly understand your reticence and where I live there aren’t many choices anyway.</p>
<p>I must be the odd person here because I try to fly into ORD or DEN if I’m flying United and into ATL or SLC if I’m flying Delta. I live on the west coast so Alaska is my airline of choice for flights when I’m not heading east.</p>