For some customers, online chatting or sending a DM may be a quicker way to reach the airlines

It’s the recorded message no traveler with flight troubles wants to hear. “Due to an earlier technical issue we’re receiving more calls than we typically do and are unable to take your call at this time,” United Airlines told callers Sunday afternoon.

Travelers trying to reach American Airlines’ toll-free customer service line the same day were put on hold and offered the option of a callback that ranged from one hour and 14 minutes to one hour and 42 minutes.

And this was on a relatively calm travel day.

Airlines have promised reduced hold times this summer because of robust customer-service hiring and a plethora of self-service tools. Yet reaching an airline representative can still take a long time. These waits are particularly harsh when bad weather and other issues drive cancellations and delays as they did over the long weekend that included Father’s Day and the Juneteenth holiday.

Excerpt from WSJ
Read the full article