Useless OneWorld

First of all, everything is fine. Now that I´ve gotten that out of the way, can I just say how useless the hyped OneWorld Alliance is if one of their passengers is re-routed on a participating company´s flight?

Take for example, my mother. She missed her connecting flight in Miami to Buenos Aires due to American sitting on the runway in Dallas for 30+ minutes and then her having to go to three different terminals in Miami. American re-routed her through Santiago on LanChile to arrive 3 hours later than originally scheduled. Meanwhile, I know none of this since I had already left for the airport. After her no-show, I go to the OneWorld check-in section at the Buenos Aires airport. Only a lady from LanChile was there, and I ask her if she could check to see if my mom was on the flight from Miami. She told me that she worked for LanChile and not for American. I pointed out that both companies were part of the OneWorld Alliance and she said that passenger lists are not shared. That´s helpful, especially when the passenger who was supposed to be on American is REROUTED on your OWN COMPANY. I´d like to add that all of these conversations were in Spanish (and that mine thankfully is awesome today), so it isn´t like I´m the Ugly American speaking in loud, slow English.

Anyway, I then had to go talk to superbitch at American. Because no one was at the counter, I went to the hidden American office behind the check-in counters. I asked superbitch if my mom was on the flight that arrived this morning. She checked the passenger list and said no. Then I asked if she was on the flight that arrived yesterday morning and she said no. Then she curtly said that I would have to talk to my mom. I said "gracias" and took some small comfort in that superbitch had ratty bleached hair and has to stare at a computer screen all day long.

Don´t you think that if you (a) worked for American and (b) had a passenger flying on American that you´d be able to tell someone that the passenger was re-routed on your superspecial OneWorld Alliance? Isn´t everything supposed to be easier with all this codesharing? Apparently not.