Back in the day, traveling by plane wasn't just a necessity, it was a luxury. Only the fanciest of people could afford to do it and, even then, they would dress up in their Sunday best in order to take to the skies.
Nowadays, however, pretty much anyone with a decent paycheck can afford to take at least one trip every couple of years, and some flights end up costing less than a train journey if you book them at the right time. Because of this, nobody really considers plane journeys as a particularly special experience these days, instead, we basically treat them as more of a chore than a treat.
This, in turn, leads to
some people misbehaving on flights. Obviously, this can be a huge issue for airlines, as you can't exactly just kick someone off a flight when you're traveling at 37,000 feet in the air.
For this reason, one airline has come up with a secret system for judging its passengers and it could affect how you get treated while flying.
The "Helix System" is used by American Airlines in order to rank their passengers based on past interactions with individuals, but they like to keep it on the down low. In fact, they probably won't even acknowledge it exists if you try to find out your own ranking.
According to travel site thepointsguy.com:
"There’s no way of finding out your Helix Score. Agents will have this score in front of them when you call, interact on social media or file a complaint. However, agents seem to be instructed to “play dumb” if you ask about your score. While the rare customer has been able to get their score by asking, I’ve never had an agent even acknowledge the system exists."
Passengers can score between one and five "Eagles", with the higher number indicating a better traveler.
However, according to frequent flier JT Genter, "Even if you do get an AAgent to reveal your Eagle rating, it might not be relevant for long. Everyone’s Helix score updates nightly."
But what determines the ranking?
Essentially, it's all down to how you behave. If it's your first flight with AA and you get into an argument with a steward over not having enough leg room or go off on a drunken rant about why you should definitely be allowed a seventh whiskey because you're a paying customer, you probably won't be seeing a particularly high Eagle rating.
But, if you prove yourself to be a loyal and sensible flier, you've got a good shot at winning some perks.
"However, being a blindly loyal customer might not work in your favor
," adds Genter.
"It seems the primary purpose of this score maintaining valuable customers that they might lose to other airlines."
He goes on:
"If you’re a long-time elite who’s flying less now than before — presumably because you’re using other airlines — your score might notch up. Similarly, your score might bump up if you’ve had a recent flight cancellation, long delay or customer service failure."
Basically, the system is in place to make sure that American Airlines doesn't
screw over its customers too much - but also to make sure that they don't get abused too much, either. If you want to nab yourself a good rating and ensure that your travel goes smoothly, all you've got to do is be a good passenger.
