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The Street
Danni Button

American Airlines' Solution to Customer Complaints Is Concerning

Should you find yourself traveling with American Airlines (AAL) -), let's all hope you don't experience anything worth complaining about. If you do, you may have a difficult time talking to a real, live human.

Earlier this year, travel site One Mile at a Time revealed an automated email response that the international airline sent out in response to customer complaints. The filter process, the author alleges, was a means to make it harder for customers to claim money owed to them due to airline delays.

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Now, according to a more in-depth investigation, American Airlines reportedly has an AI attendant that responds to emails named Gemma Flint. The automated system kicks in when customer service messages reach a certain volume. The system is queued to send messages with certain words directly to a real customer service representative. None of those terms cover the compensation airlines are legally required to pay customers.

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The automation of the process, including the boilerplate email response, has reportedly made the overall customer service experience more frustrating for everyone involved. By the time complaints make their way to a representative, customers are frustrated by the process, having had to respond to the email yet again just to speak with a real person. 

One commenter on the article said that pursuing these claims shouldn't be a "second job". And while frequent fliers may find themselves often having to reach out about unfortunate traveling moments, claiming compensation might be more of a chase for those flying with American Airlines.

American is not the first to utilize AI in its operations. Air Canada announced it would use the technology back in March, saying it would address customers impacted by flight delays or cancellations.

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