American Airlines Automated Flight Information

Calling an airline can be time-consuming because this type of company is always busy helping customers. Not only do people call to plan flights, but travelers may need to make special arrangements if they have a disability or are traveling with young children. Delayed or lost baggage may be another reason for calling the 800-223-5436 customer service number at American Airlines

I'm interested in traveling to the West Coast next year. I called the American Airlines customer service number to see if I could get a better deal by scheduling the flight several months in advance. In the past, I've scheduled flights a few weeks to a month before a trip.

When I called, an interactive voice system greeted me and told me I could use the American Airlines app or go to American Airlines.com for faster service if I needed to make reservations or change travel plans. The system then thanked me again for calling. It then stated that by going to AA.com, I could handle trip management tasks such as adding a carry-on bag or requesting wheelchair service.

The voice called me by my first name and said it matched my phone number to my AA Advantage account. Then, it asked me if I was calling about today's flight status and, if not, for what date. I told it I wanted to inquire about scheduling an April flight to San Diego.

The system began asking me several questions about arrival and departure times. My response was, "I don't know." Then, it shared some departure times. It asked if I needed more flight times, and I said, "Yes," but I was hoping that would get me to an agent. The system said it would transfer me to someone who could give me flight details.

A different automated voice told me to listen carefully because menu options had changed, and all representatives were assisting other callers. The system said rather than waiting on hold, someone could call me back within 26-35 minutes, and I would not lose my place in line. It told me to press one for a callback, or I could schedule it another time. There was also an option to press to hear an explanation of a callback. After listening to the automated system, I decided to call back later at a better time for me.

I was disappointed because I couldn't speak to an agent on this call, but I wasn't surprised. I've called this airline for assistance in the past, and I can't remember when I didn't have to wait for a callback. I already have the airline's app and know how to go to the website, but sometimes, I have questions that an agent could answer better.

If I can speak to a human, that's what I prefer. I don't need to spend over four minutes trying to communicate with a machine, which was my frustration with this call. In my opinion, setting up the voice response system to offer a callback option near the beginning of a call shouldn't be that difficult.