My usual London -> Palm Springs journey to see the fam is a long enough journey with either a transfer in LAX or in Dallas depending who I'm flying with. I typically go with British Airways so that I can fly out of T5, enjoy the actually tastey "low fat/low cholesterol" meals, make the most of the vast selection of on-demand in-flight entertainment, and collect my BA mileage. This time I thought I was flying BA to Dallas, then switching to American Airlines for the Palm Springs leg. At least, that's what my itenarary stated. Sadly, I was wrong, and it was American Airlines the whole way through. Now, it's been some years since I was last I last flew with them, and I nearly forgot how bad it is. In fact, I don't remember it being this bad.
Firstly, the food was comparable to what you get in US shopping mall food courts; it made the hot food on Easyjet flights seem luxurious! Dinner was a choice of spinach lasagne which had several layers of processed cheese caked on top, or chicken paella which resembled more of what it was suppposed to be. So that's what I went for. When I bit into the pieces of chicken, I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually chicken. I don't think I really want to come up with what it could've possibly been, especially after reading about the Taco Bell using beef substitute fiasco! With that I got a side salad with a tub of Thousand Island. For those of you who aren't familiar, its a popular American salad dressing which consists of ketchup and mayo. Plus, a number of bits and pieces you wouldn't place inside your child's school lunchbox. Oh and breakfast was a true winner, Domino's style thick cheese pizza (a mini version) and 5 grapes in a sealed box. AA certainly deserve the award for best in-flight junk food! I'm sure it's a fav amongst teens and families!
Secondly, the in-flight entertainment was far below standard. They didn't even have on-demand system, which has now become a standard on long-haul carriers. So I actually had to watch a film half way through or wait 30 minutes to catch the next showing. Not to mention the selection was meager. There were a few recent blockbusters such as "Tron: Legacy", "Little Fockers", and "The Tourist". The rest were films I haven't heard of and TV series that flopped years ago. Obviously, AA don't set aside a budget for in-flight content acquisitions and the same go for their systems!
Next thing I noticed is that the staff are so lax about health & safety, a bit too lax. Is this observation coming from me being used to the British obsession with "health & safety"? Or are the crew really that complacent that not everyone had their seat belts on during intense turbulence? Also one of the crew members was quite persistent on getting me drunk on the complimentary wine. I asked for ONE bottle of wine when my dinner was served, and that was enough for me, I didn't want another. Nevertheless, the guy was keen to ask "more wine, ma'am?" every single time he passed through with the drinks trolley the entire journey. Funny enough, he failed to notice the number of times I didn't have my seat belt on when I was asleep during the patches of turbulence....and here I always thought that Americans were big on health & safety rules.
Anyway that leads my to my final rant on AA. When I arrived in Dallas on time (albeit a very bumpy roller coaster like descent), I casually made my way to the next gate where I'd board my flight to Palm Springs and soon be at my Mum's. No, not quite. There was a whee bit of rain outside, nothing unusual to the rain we get in London, and American Airlines claimed it to be adverse weather conditions. As a result, they canceled at least 20 or so flights that afternoon. Their excuse was that Dallas is on "tornado watch" and a little spot of rain requires Dallas Fort Worth Airport to cancel flights. Great. I was placed on the next available flight, which was the following day at 9am. Before I could even react with a shock or anger, I was handed a list of phone numbers to 3 different chain hotels where AA can provide a "distressed passenger" discount. Hang on a minute, AA decided to cancel my flight, and they won't even cover my hotel? Let alone book the hotel for me? I was not a happy camper and neither were the rest of the stranded passengers queuing behind me. It's moments like this that it pays off to have travel insurance.
SLEEP
I ended up staying at the Hawthorne Suites just a 5 min courtesy shuttle bus away from the airport. Thankfully, the hotel was clean, no dodgy people about, and the bed was uber comfy. I got a full night of solid sleep, and a complimentary full breakfast buffet. For $89, it was excellent value for money and exactly what I needed after such a tiring journey. The staff was very friendly and helpful too. They answered all my questions, arranged for a wake up call, scheduled the courtesy van right when I needed it, and they reminded me about the van half an hour in advance -very efficient. So if you find yourself stranded at Dallas Fort Worth Airport and you want a clean, safe, comfortable, and good value for money mid-range hotel, choose Hawthorne Suites on Plaza Drive.
In the end, I managed to get to Palm Springs on the rescheduled flight. It only took me 38 hours to leave my flat in London and get to my Mum's doorstep in sunny Palm Springs!
VERDICT:
American Airlines: :-(
Hawthorne Suites (Dallas Fort Worth): :-)
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