# American Airlines 3 hour delay



## Joyce (Sep 24, 2009)

Any compensation for a mechanical failure and delay on a plane? We had already boarded after being delayed for 1 1/2 hours and then taken off the plane for an oil leak. Haven't new rules been set up for this kind of delay?We arrived at 3 AM insted of the scheduled midnight arrival. Thanks


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Sep 24, 2009)

I've read that the Congress is still considering a Passenger's Bill of Rights, but I don't think there is one yet. And I think that was to be about delays on the tarmac over 3 hours. Perhaps, you can get compensation from the airline.
Liz


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## gorevs9 (Sep 24, 2009)

Joyce said:


> Any compensation for a mechanical failure and delay on a plane? We had already boarded after being delayed for 1 1/2 hours and then taken off the plane for an oil leak. Haven't new rules been set up for this kind of delay?We arrived at 3 AM insted of the scheduled midnight arrival. Thanks


.

So they delayed your flight to fix an oil leak.   IMHO, the best compensation for me would be knowing they fixed the problem and I was able to get home safely.


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## EZ-ED (Sep 24, 2009)

gorevs9 said:


> .
> 
> So they delayed your flight to fix an oil leak.   IMHO, the best compensation for me would be knowing they fixed the problem and I was able to get home safely.



AMEN!!!!!!


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## Pat H (Sep 24, 2009)

Call AA customer service and complain nicely. They will probably offer you some vouchers and/or miles.


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## Carolinian (Sep 24, 2009)

The old NWA used to hand out everyone on such a plane a compensation packet while still on the plane.  It contained a number of coupons, one good for free long distance phone calls, one for a free drink, and one for compensatory ff miles.  If you were an elite, you could email customer care and get several thousand additional compensation miles.  Since the Delta takeover, that is one of the many things that were negatively impacted and is not done anymore.

You might at least email AA and ask for compensatory miles.  It will probably help if you have elite status


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## LisaRex (Sep 24, 2009)

When I was little, our road trip to Florida was delayed an entire day waiting for a mechanic to repair a broken radiator in the middle of Georgia. On a Sunday. Had to wait til Monday. Talk about inconvenient. 

My daughter's Girl Scout troop's recent Amtrak trip to Washington DC was delayed by 3 hours.  We'd stayed up all night in anticipation of the 3:15am departure.  At 1am we were called by the leader and told to go back to bed and try again at 6am.  Talk about inconvenient. 

I'm not sure what you expect because your plane had a mechanical issue.  Yes, it's inconvenient to wait for a repair.  But these things happen.  And it's nobody's fault.  This wasn't the case of an airline deliberately overbooking a flight and leaving folks stranded.  Nor were you left on a tarmac for six hours without working toilets or food.  Even with a Passenger's Bill of Rights, you'd  have no recourse for such a short delay, relatively speaking.  Because, of course, getting there safely supercedes your convenience.


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## Stricky (Sep 24, 2009)

There are no U.S. federal regulations that require any compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight (domestic). International flights do have some regulation depending on the laws of the country you are flying too.

Some airlines have their own self imposed rules and they are usually available online.  AA does not spell out any compensation that I saw (link below). 

https://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.d...nt/conditionsOfCarriage.jsp#ResponseSchedules


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## nazclk (Sep 24, 2009)

*Time Delay*

I had a six  hour delay on mechanical problems a couple of years ago on American and when I called they basically said "we got you home didn't we"
They gave me a $75 voucher for a next flight.


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## Talent312 (Sep 24, 2009)

You want some cheese with your whine? Sorry... a 3-hour delay seems like small potatoes to me.

How about a cancelled flight due to a little rain that requires an overnight in Newark at your own expense? Or a 5-hour delay that results in you getting to a hotel at 2AM, when your next flight is at 6:45 AM (leaving ~ 3 hours to sleep)? Or a landing in which your plane slides off the end of the runway in a snow storm?  

I daresay, we all have horror stories, in which no compensation was offered.


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## Patri (Sep 24, 2009)

Once we sent our kids off to see relatives. The plane was delayed as the crew realized the wrong fuel was in the tanks, and they had to siphon it out and put in the right kind. I appreciated the delay so they would get there safely. That was our compensation.


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## dmbrand (Sep 24, 2009)

The wrong fuel!!


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## Joyce (Sep 24, 2009)

You are all so right. The bottom line is getting there safely.


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## Icc5 (Sep 24, 2009)

*Vouchers Given*

We had a 4 hour delay from them a few years ago.  It was my wife, me, my son and my son's friend.  They gave us 4x$100 vouchers but our story was a little different.  They waited till the last minute, changed the time and then announced it.  This happened 2 or 3 times and the last time they changed it and the gate and forgot to announce it.  We did make it to the gate but wouldn't have known about it without us asking.
I wrote in just as above and about a month later the vouchers arrived.
Bart


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## UWSurfer (Sep 24, 2009)

Our adventure was documented here: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67674

We got free RT flight voucher for a future flight, only to have the airline go out of business a week and a half later, leaving us stranded.   

I must admit I do enjoy reading my accounts of that adventure, if only because it was so absurd.


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## Luanne (Sep 24, 2009)

UWSurfer said:


> Our adventure was documented here: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67674
> 
> We got free RT flight voucher for a future flight, only to have the airline go out of business a week and a half later, leaving us stranded.
> 
> I must admit I do enjoy reading my accounts of that adventure, if only because it was so absurd.



At least they didn't go out of business before getting you home.  We had that happen on a return flight Maui to SFO.     Our flight was grounded, and no more planes from that company ever flew again.


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## UWSurfer (Sep 24, 2009)

Luanne said:


> At least they didn't go out of business before getting you home.  We had that happen on a return flight Maui to SFO.     Our flight was grounded, and no more planes from that company ever flew again.



If are talking about the OP...yes.

If you are talking about our mis-adventure...they DID go out of business before we got home.   In a second thread I noted that adventure and ended up paying Continental ~$2600 to fly four of us home one-way.    Aloha had gone under earlier in the week, stranding their passangers and ATA followed a few days later leaving lots of folks stranded on the Islands over spring break. 

A very memorable trip!!!


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## Courts (Sep 24, 2009)

I think I'll stay home from now on.   


.


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## Luanne (Sep 24, 2009)

UWSurfer said:


> If are talking about the OP...yes.
> 
> If you are talking about our mis-adventure...they DID go out of business before we got home.   In a second thread I noted that adventure and ended up paying Continental ~$2600 to fly four of us home one-way.    Aloha had gone under earlier in the week, stranding their passangers and ATA followed a few days later leaving lots of folks stranded on the Islands over spring break.
> 
> A very memorable trip!!!



Oh yikers, I do remember that!  And so many people think it should be "no big deal" to get stranded in Hawaii.  As you and I both know, yeah it is a big deal.  Especially when you have no place to stay, no car, and are supposed to be going home to go back to work. :annoyed:


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## nazclk (Sep 25, 2009)

*Stranded in Paradise*

How much luckier could you be, stranded in Hawaii.  Wish it could happen to me sometime


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## Luanne (Sep 25, 2009)

nazclk said:


> How much luckier could you be, stranded in Hawaii.  Wish it could happen to me sometime



Think stranded, no hotel, no rental car, no way home.  Yeah, it's a lot of fun.    You spend all of your time trying to find a way home, and a place to stay while you're looking.


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## PigsDad (Sep 25, 2009)

I agree -- even being stranded in one of the most beautiful places on earth is still _stranded_.  Not fun for anyone.

Kurt


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## UWSurfer (Sep 25, 2009)

Luanne said:


> Think stranded, no hotel, no rental car, no way home.  Yeah, it's a lot of fun.    You spend all of your time trying to find a way home, and a place to stay while you're looking.



It's always situational.  

Had it just been me with no other demands on my time I'd be just fine extending my stay.  However with work expecting me back for a conference the following week, kids required to be back in school after a holiday with 10's of thousands of others also stranded...it was not a good situation. 

That said, at least we weren't stuck in Chicago in February!!!!


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## Talent312 (Sep 26, 2009)

UWSurfer said:


> It's always situational... at least we weren't stuck in Chicago in February!!!!



After arrival from Amsterdam, getting stuck in Newark, NJ, even if only overnight (curtesy of a cancelled flight) and paying rack-rate at an airport-hotel may not seem like much to some, but to me, it was miserable enuff.


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## Luanne (Sep 26, 2009)

I don't care how nice, or miserable, a place is.  When you're stranded there, it's not fun.  It's not like choosing to extend your vacation.  It's like being stuck with no place to stay, and no sure way of getting home.  If you're lucky enough to find accomodations, you're most likely either a) dependent on whoever put you in that situation finding you a place to stay, or b) being out of pocket the costs of your lodging.  So, the whole experience is probably going to cost you additional money.  While it might sound wonderful to be stranded in Hawaii, it's not.  We almost got stranded another time when our plane was the last one to be allowed to leave the Maui airport before Iniki hit the islands.  Yeah, that one would have been a real blast.


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## Kel (Sep 26, 2009)

I don't think it's that big of a deal for you.  But, go ahead and try and get some compensation if you want to.  

I feel bad for the people who may have missed a connecting flight.  They might need some kind of compensation.


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