On a recent flight from Miami to Atlanta aboard an Airbus A319 EOW airplane operated by American Airlines on which every seat was equipped with an in-flight entertainment system, mine was out of order for the entire flight.
1,000 AAdvantage Miles Compensation For Inoperable In-Flight Entertainment System
Although the duration of the flight was less than two hours, it was delayed — and the monitor in the seat back in front of me displayed the following words:
Micro-Sd Card
Communication Error.
Please check Micro-Sd Card.
I first called attention to this issue to a member of the flight crew, telling her that I was unable to watch the safety video. She looked at the screen momentarily and said that she would return to try to fix it.
She never returned.
During the snack service in which Biscoff cookies and a choice of beverage were distributed to all of the passengers seated in the economy class cabin, I informed a different member of the flight crew of the issue. His response was that he had never seen that happen before; but when he is done with the snack service, he will have something for me.
He returned after the snack service was completed and — through a small electronic device which he held in his hand — gave me 1,000 AAdvantage miles as compensation for the inoperable in-flight entertainment system; and that they should appear in my membership account after the flight has completed.
Summary
I have mixed feelings on this experience: yes, that was a quick and easy 1,000 AAdvantage miles to have earned for doing practically nothing — although I would have preferred to have had access to the in-flight entertainment system for that flight, as everyone else had access — but on the other hand, I just cannot help feeling that perhaps that was not enough and wondered if I am simply being ungrateful.
American Airlines claims to make things great for its customers. I did not feel like they made anything great with the resolution of this issue. Instead, what was done was simply better than nothing at all, I suppose.
The 1,000 AAdvantage miles still have not been added to my membership account at the time this article was written.
What do you think? Should I have received more in terms of compensation — or just be happy with what I got?
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
