An American Airlines passenger drove 45 minutes to choose his seats after its customer service line left him on hold for nearly 4 hours

• A passenger was on the phone for four hours trying to book his seat.

• He decided to drive 45 minutes to the airport to find his seat.

• The travel frustration faced by passengers this summer is reflected in this example.

An American Airlines passenger who spent nearly four hours on hold with the airline's customer service center became so frustrated that he drove 45 minutes to the airport to rebook his seats.

Brain Driver, a radio station manager, had to rebook his flight home after a business trip to Denver ended early. He tried to change his flight using the airline's website and mobile service, but couldn't.

After calling the airline's customer service center, he was given a time to return. He spoke to a helpful agent on the airline's chat platform, but still had trouble choosing seats.

The driver tried to call the airline again but was told to wait because the lines were busy. He spent three hours and 45 minutes on hold and drove 45 minutes to book his seat at the airport after he tried again the next day.

Driver said the airline call center experience was the worst he had ever had.

A spokesman for American Airlines told The Journal that weather and air traffic control issues were behind the longest hold times it had ever seen.

The airline said in a statement that the experience did not meet what they aim to deliver. The hold times were lower in the middle of the month, according to the spokesman.

American Airlines did not reply right away. The driver was not reachable for comment.

As airlines struggle to cope with rising travel demand and passenger numbers, the plight of the driver is a symptom of the travel frustration faced by passengers.

Between June 16 and the end of the Juneteenth long weekend, at least 35,000 flights were canceled by US carriers.

There's no singular issue, but ongoing staff shortages across the industry, exacerbated by mass layoffs during the Pandemic, have left the aviation system with little slack to cope with disruptions caused by poor weather, technical glitch, or high passenger demand.

Long lines at airports have been caused by airlines adjusting their flight schedules.

Business Insider has an article on it.