‘This is every airline sister’: Viewers defend American Airlines after traveler calls company out for failing to rebook flight

Two passengers traveling from London to Indiana urged viewers to "never, ever fly with American Airlines again” in a viral video posted to TikTok. However, commenters were critical of the pair for singling out the one airline, with many claiming this is a common issue regardless of airline.

Upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for a layover, user Natalie (@natcatslat) and her friend Delaney (@del388_) discovered that their flight to Indiana had been canceled in the American Airlines app. No reason was given for the cancellation and they had no option to book another flight, Natalie says.

The clip has been viewed 825,700 times since it was first posted June 17. 

@natcatslat @American Airlines ive never had a worse experience with another airline. You are officially below Spirit… #travel #airline #storytime #americanairlinesflightcancelled #americanairlineflight #newarkairportdelay #flightcancelled #badcustomerservice #sos #travelstory #tiktoktravel #tiktokviral #americanairlines ♬ original sound - Natalie

“So we hop on the phone with American Airlines’ help service, and we get talking with this guy, explain to him what’s going on, and he tells us that our flight was canceled due to air traffic congestion,” she explains. 

They couldn’t be placed on another flight on the evening of June 16, their original departure date. They were offered the chance to fly out of New Jersey at 7 pm the following day instead, with the customer service representative assuring Natalie and Delaney that hotel accommodations would be covered by the airline once he received approval from his supervisor.

“I’m probably on hold for about five minutes when he comes back and tells me that they actually can’t pay for accommodations because this wasn’t their fault and that we were on our own,” Natalie reveals in the video.

With no other options, they boarded three different trains to New Jersey and took an Uber to their hotel. The morning of their flight, they were forced to check out of their hotel by noon and head to the airport, having nowhere else to go. They arrived seven hours before their flight and approached the United Airlines desk to get their boarding passes. 

“Last night we had the confirmation on our American Airlines app for our new flight information, but this morning when we pulled it up, it wasn’t there,” Natalie says.

The desk agent used their passports to try locating them in the system but discovered that no flight reservation existed under their names. She then directed them back to American Airlines, claiming there was nothing United Airlines could do on their end. 

“They didn’t even book our flight that we paid all these expenses that we’re not even getting compensated for,” Natalie concludes her video.

Some users expressed sympathy for Natalie and Delaney, calling for American Airlines to do better, while others acknowledged that the issue was out of the company’s hands. 

“So sorry this happened but if it was an ATC problem it really wasn’t their fault,” one commenter wrote. “This is why we get travel insurance.” 

“This isn’t just AA,” another user shared. “This happened to my daughter and I last week on Delta. Just a bad situation and sorry you’re dealing with it.” 

Several argued that the issues Natalie faced—and the lack of support from American Airlines—were common across the industry.

"This would happen with any other airline," one viewer claimed.

"I fly 300 times a year. Happens with all of them all the time," another wrote.

In a follow-up video, Natalie revealed that she flies frequently and has experienced canceled flights before.

“What was really the issue is that when we did get things figured out with a new flight, they never actually booked the flight for us, which is how we ended up with no tickets. He never finished the confirmation process,” she reiterates. 

@natcatslat #stitch with @Natalie hope this clears some things up! And thank you to the people who have similar stories and understand our position! @Delaney ♬ original sound - Natalie

Regarding her phone call with the customer service representative, Natalie adds that they initially waited in line for over an hour to speak with someone in person before approaching an American Airlines help desk employee. They were then told to call the customer service number if they wanted to get on a flight that night. 

The Daily Dot reached out to Natalie via TikTok comment.

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