Today, as many times before, I got a notice that one of my flights was delayed, and I realized that I’d need to rebook my connection. I carry my American Airlines Platinum Card with me, which contains the phone number to call for service.
It’s on the back of a light gray card in light gray TINY font. The photograph above is actually a magnification to double the size of the card, and I can actually read the number.
In the “real world” with the card in my hand, that is impossible. My 60-year-old eyes, with bifocals, cannot possibly read anything on the back of this card. The font is too small, and then it’s gray on gray, with very little contrast.
What is American Airlines thinking?
There is so much white space on this card. They could easily double the font size. They could make it bold, dark black on white, so you can read it with ease in a poorly lit airline gate area, the card on your knee while you’re fiddling with your phone.
This is not limited to American Airlines. I just checked a few other cards, like my Hilton Hotels card, and it’s got the same problem.
American Airlines – not all your customers are young eagles or owls with night vision eyesight.
We can’t read your cards!
That’s what the app is for 🙂
No excuse! The AA app actually sucks. Other than getting flight updates, it’s pretty clunky. Even getting a boarding pass requires “training.” Geez. And the app is the worst when you have 10 minutes before a flight and you need to make a change for a connector. No way. Can’t be done. You need to call. I just tried to find the Platinum desk phone number, and it’s not in the app. So the only number there is the regular number, and believe me, that is not the one a Platinum member has time and patience for. THAT’S WHY THERE IS THE CARD. The card should be readable. That’s why it exists!
I was mostly kidding. I’m used to the Virgin/Alaskan app which is great!
Oh, don’t get me started on Alaska. When I book on AA, and it gives me an Alaska flight, you can’t even find your flight to book seats. The two systems don’t communicate, and you need the record locator on Alaska to even find the reservation. But you can’t log in and search for it, if you don’t know the record locator. So every time this happens, I need to call, just to get the record locator. Then I can log in and manage my seats. That may be better on the app, but I doubt it. I don’t use Alaska often enough to bother with the app.