AA Does it Again!

Progress ... not! For more years than we can count, we have relied on US Air to get our bodies down to SXM without issue. Since the merger we have been pushed into using the AA routes more which includes going through Miami (we do not need to rehash this issue as it was reported a few weeks ago) and basically scheduling our flights with them. Last spring after checking in on my itinerary a few weeks before departure, we learned that the routes and time had been drastically changed (overnight stay in Miami on way home). Now as I had said, if any changes were ever made even if it changed the times by 10 minutes, we were always notified by US Air. There was no notification sent to us by AA. However, knowing the routes by heart (as I am sure that many of you TTOLer's do as well), I was able to fix our schedule snafu to accommodate us better without any additional charges since it was AA's doing. So fast forward to the present day and lo and behold AA has changed the routes and times again without notifying us. This one was better though as they had me arriving in Miami at 11:16 a.m and on an 11:00 a.m connecting time from MIA to SXM. Guess they just make a passenger transfer while the two planes are in the air at the same time. Flying home I would have arrived in MIA from SXM at 6:27 p.m except that the connecting flight they had listed for me left MIA at 9:31 a.m and arrived in DTW at 12:40 p.m ...hmmm not sure how that one is possible ... and no it was not for the next day it had the same date and day.

So to make a long gripe end, instead of flying down on a Tuesday I am now going to have to fly down on the Thursday and return home two days later as well. I go for one month so it is not as bad as some folks have with only a week off. Flexibility works for me.

I figure the next casualty will be our dividend miles that we have accumulated from US Air being wiped out instead of being transferred to AA. Ah mergers, aren't they great! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Sorry about the schedule changes, but your dividend miles should already be transferred to AA. You have been able to do that for many months. I would go ahead and do that now. If you have a problem, just call the AAdvantage desk.

All these airline mergers suck. We had a wonderful thing with Continental and their EWR/SXM routes. We pretty much had daily flights all year round Now, with the United merger, I'm not sure when they fly, and they often cancel flights without any notification.

You need to update your AA profile to include email notifications. We have always received notifications when ever there was an equipment or schedule change. Just booked our return first class flight with AA on miles for June with a great itinerary. SXM-MIA-Chicago-SEA. Leave 9:00am, arrive 7:58pm same day.

I see you are from Ontario, just curious why you use AA
WestJet flies Tues [and Thursday / Sunday] from Toronto non stop. I check each yr, I see the AA flight, but it’s normally about the same price as WJ, but with a stop. Never tried Delta, they often have the best price, but it changes in JFK with less than an hour between flights.
For us non stop is worth the price, plus Toronto has WJ – 3 flights wkly, AC - 2 flights, Sunwing - 2 flights and ATrans - 1 flight. However with the Can dollar going down, SXM is starting to get expensive, wonder if some of the flights wall disappear if demand drops.
J&B

We fly WestJet also - Montreal/TO/SXM in November and luckily we have direct flight from Montreal/SXM in January. Gladly pay the extra for a dirct flight.

Airline greed by AA management. Think about this. A 7 day 6 night trip is really 5 days. One whole day going down and one whole day returning. Better to choose another airline, pay a little more and get an early flight down. More beach time.

Its not greed it's just the routes available. Want more days on island, leave a day earlier. We leave SEA on a Friday eve to arrive on a Sat noon. The day we leave we get home same day. Just plan it so it works.

For many years, Mike & I each had USAir credit cards & Dividend miles accounts plus we each had AA miles accounts that we had for over 20 years. Back in late April or early May, after learning that the 2 milage programs were being merged, I received mail that said AA had assigned us new AA account #s for each of us that contained our Dividend Miles. Then I learned that I had either to call in or go online to physically merge my 2 AA # and Mike's 2 AA #s. It was easy to do online. I kept the NEW AA # for both of us, since for us it was tied to our new AA credit cards. I had the option to continue to use the old # or the new #. I am sure the poster who is concerned about his miles will find that his US Air miles are already in a new AA account.

I was simply teasing when I said that the dividend miles would disappear. The transfer has occurred unlike my Keurig account which actually saw all my bonus points disappear when I was told that as a Canadian I could not use the American website that I would now have to order from the Canadian website. This one I am not teasing about ... sorry to add this Keurig story on.

Surick, does Tim's come in Keurig capsules, LOL?

Back to the original topic, I am of the opinion that all airlines suck, service levels are lower than ever, consolidation never improves conditions, and that we're all on our own. I am registered for flight change notifications with every airline that I use. I also use TripIt Pro as a backup/alternate solution. None are perfect, including TripIt, which has missed several US gate changes for me within the past year. We're on our own, and have to use all of the tools available to us, both airline and 3rd party.

Actually Tim Horton's coffee DOES come in K-cups... We find it here in Maryland in both the regular and the decaf versions at Bed Bath & Beyond stores...

I am booked on a trip with 7 flight segments in total...AA has changed 5 of the flight times...no notification
so last night after reading your post, I checked my Nov. flight to SXM and both flights from Madrid to MIA to SXM have been changed...again no notification...my Miami flight arrives into SXM @ 11:01 pm...is the airport still open at that hour?????

The AA evening flight is usually the last big flight of the day, but in December 2014, it arrived at 9 PM.

Edit to add--yes, you are correct! That is RIDICULOUS, landing at 11 PM. Evening flight doesn't leave Miami in November until 7 PM. That sucks. Even in the summer, evening AA flight doesn't arrive until 9:39 at night. Guess we won't be on that evening flight any more.

Sat/Sun's in January AA has a N/S MIA to SXM leaving at 1117am with two N/S returns (10a and 415p)

I was checking yesterday for a friend in West Palm that might visit us at that time...

There has always been a morning AA flight from Miami to SXM, but the evening one has not been nearly this late, at least not recently. Not sure how I feel about those new return flights from SXM.. They are also both much later..

The AA flight from SXM to MIA is a 9:00am instead of the usual 8:00am flight for June next year. I like the extra hour.

And if you are flying FF miles, the only fight available is the 11:00 PM arrival in SXM, unless you want to go high mileage bus/first class. Last yr took U Air thru Charlotte for 35000 miles round trip from Chicago, and arrived around 2:15, and they threw in first class return to boot.

Depends on when you book. The afternoon arrival from MIA with AA miles is still available for our dates with economy anytime miles along with the 9:00am departure from SXM to MIA for Saturday.

Correct, the past couple of times we've booked, we had to take the evening flight, and it wasn't QUITE so bad then, when it arrived at 9 PM. 11 PM is just stupid, to arrive. That's ridiculous. I can't imagine the car rental guys or the baggage handlers like it either.

Sorry you have had difficulties. I must say we have been flying to St. Maarten on AA for over twenty years and only once have we had any significant problem (missed our flight in Miami because our gate was occupied when we arrived-- not really AA's fault). I also get email notifications anytime there is any change to our flight (usually minor time changes). So my experience has been very good. Sorry yours have not been.

First of all - thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. Your post prompted me to check our American Airlines reservation for our November 30 return from SXM to Alaska. Needless to say, this is a rather lenthy and complex itinerary. Long story short, I found that we had been rescheduled for different flights all the way, including less than 1 1/2 hours to clear customs and connect in Miami, and arriving in Phoenix almost two hours AFTER our connecting flight to Alaska was scheduled to leave Phoenix! I had a stressful night's sleep that was followed by a phone call to American's international travel desk this morning. They couldn't have been nicer, and we now have a schedule that I consider superior to what we started with. Note: this was for two, full-fare first class tickets; your results may differ. Also, the American Airlines agent warned me that we can probably expect at least one more schedule change between now and then, but it shouldn't be significant.

LLLLLLonggggggg day Scuba!!!