Our April 2nd connecting flight from Phoenix to St. Louis was cancelled due to lack of Flight attendants??? We arrived at McCarran airport at 5:30am for a 7:00am flight with no issues. The flight arrived in Phoenix at roughly 8:00am. We were told on the plane that the connecting gate was A26. When we got off the plane we saw on the monitor that flight 158 from Phoenix to St. Louis was cancelled. Talking to someone at the gate desk, we were told we would need to go to the customer service desk.
After waiting in line for three hours, we were told that the flight was cancelled due to there not being enough flight attendants. There apparently were at least three flights cancelled at this same time, one to Burbank, one to Dulles, and ours to St. Louis. The customer service agent at the counter, while nice enough, was not able to help us at all. We were told that we could not get on ANY America West flight out on Sunday, but were confirmed on a flight the next day. That normally would be fine, but we have 4 year old twins that were left in someones care in St. Louis. The person caring for our children would no longer be available after Sunday so we HAD to get home at some point on the 2nd. This was NOT just an issue where I wanted to be home to go to work, or was tired and wanted to get home. You can surely understand that two four year olds cannot be left alone. We were also told that there were NO flights on ANY other airline through any city to St. Louis on the 2nd that we could get on. While waiting in line we had heard rumors that it would be Tuesday before we could get out, so I had called Southwest Airlines on my own and put a hold on two seats on the only flight they had open. This flight left Phoenix at 7:50pm on April 2nd. After we were told there was no way to get out of Phoenix, I asked the customer service agent at the desk about the flight on Southwest. She stated that she knew many people were going on their own and booking flights through Southwest. I can confirm this since most of the 7:50pm flight were people that were stranded by America West. She also stated that she felt that America West would refund the unused portion of our America West ticket as well as pay for the tickets on Southwest, since this whole thing was the fault of America west. She said however that we would need to call customer service, and then they would probably make us put the request in writing. So based on her advise, we purchased the tickets on Southwest, which were full fare ticket at $319 a piece. Today I placed a call to America West customer relations. After telling the story to the agent I was told that while she is sorry, all they can offer is a $150 voucher for future travel. And that she can “try to get the unused portion of our tickets refunded”. I explained to her that I had paid $296 a piece for the America West flight, and $319 for the Southwest flight, so this trip has cost me over $1200 at this point through no fault of my own. She put me on hold for a couple of minutes, and then came back and offered me $200. I refused. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was refused. The agent told me that they were all supervisors and she had full authority to help me. My feeling is that at a minimum I should be refunded the total amount of the America West ticket, and not any kind of voucher for future travel. This will at least get me CLOSE to being even on this trip.

Am I just out of luck on this? It seems to me that they offer more than this for "volunteers"? Should I just keep calling? I have already sent a letter addressed to the CEO for what good that will do?

First, never ever wait in line for three hours. I would have gone back out to the main ticket counter before waiting in line for three hours.

Second, use the customer service link on HP's website. It has always worked for me.

Third, always ask for the supervisor at the airport if you are not getting a satisfactory answer from an agent. They can most certainly page a supervisor.

Fourth, when the stated problem is an AIRLINE problem (such as lack of FA's), it is HP's responsibility to get you to your final destination. Apparently, they don't have agreements with WN at PHX. Fine, then, they needed to find an alternative situation. That's why I would have asked for a supervisor at the airport.

Fifth, I would rather pay slightly higher fares than to have near 100% loads on every flight. Basically, the airlines have very little leeway in which to re-accomodate people these days.

Sorry to hear about your experience. If you look at HP's contract of carriage (http://www.americawest.com/common/resources/_downloads/DGR.pdf), Rule 240, this is a schedule irregularity. They are not required to refund you the amount you paid WN. That was your choice to fly WN. They do have to refund you the unused portion of your HP ticket. Now if they are offering you $200 vouchers in addition to refunding you the unused portion of the ticket, then that's about as good as you are going to get. They will not refund your whole HP ticket as you used part of it.

Well I spoke to a much more friendly agent yesterday from customer relations who responded to my letter. They offered me a refund on the unused portion of the America West ticket, plus vouchers for the difference between the Southwest ticket and the refund and the $200 compensationper person. Seems fair, although all I really wanted was just my money back for the Southwest flight. Frankly the thought of flying that airline again doesn't excite me too much at this point.

Well I spoke to a much more friendly agent yesterday from customer relations who responded to my letter. They offered me a refund on the unused portion of the America West ticket, plus vouchers for the difference between the Southwest ticket and the refund and the $200 compensationper person. Seems fair, although all I really wanted was just my money back for the Southwest flight. Frankly the thought of flying that airline again doesn't excite me too much at this point.
Unless you have a FF account with them where they could also (or instead) give you miles, then it sounds like you made out ok. They gave you more than they had to even though it feels like you should have received more. Unfortunately, I think it's about the same for any airline.

I must agree with earlier thread from "Justhere". I am HP employee. I do not work is Customer Service. However, the biggest mistake people make is when an airline reaccommodates passengers due to irregular operations within the airline's control(mechanical, no crew members, oversold, etc). If the operating carrier cannot reaccommodate passenger on flights within the same airline. Most carriers will look into reaccommodating passengers with other airlines. Most airlines have interline agreements that allow the airlines to accept each other tickets. However, the tickets from the orginal airline must be endorsed by HP (or whatever airline is reaccomdating their passengers) to the airline the passenger will be flying on. Southwest does not interline with any other airline (with the exception of their partner ATA). So when passengers decide to make their own arrangements whether with WN or any other airline they pretty much on their own and the carrier will not reimburse you for making your own arrangements. However, if you make a complaint in writing via fax, mail, or e-mail they can refund your unused portion and they will give you a voucher for future travel. So remember let the airline handle your reaccommodations so they can properly endorse your ticket over to the next airline and it will not have to cost more money.

I have been rebooked on SWA by HP before but they gave us a check and we had to go to the ticket counter and buy a ticket. SW wouldn't just take the endorsed HP ticket like othe carriers will. If they(HP) called SW and said we need X seats SW may have told them no becuase the flight was full or close to full, but you as an individual can go buy a ticket becuase they do oversell the flight (they just won't do that in bulk from another airline I assume).

I have been rebooked on SWA by HP before but they gave us a check and we had to go to the ticket counter and buy a ticket. SW wouldn't just take the endorsed HP ticket like othe carriers will. If they(HP) called SW and said we need X seats SW may have told them no becuase the flight was full or close to full, but you as an individual can go buy a ticket becuase they do oversell the flight (they just won't do that in bulk from another airline I assume).

Next time if you paid the ticket on WN from PHX-STL earlier. You won't fly on America West again. You need to get booked the ticket on SWA for next time for your future trip to Arizona. Or if probably you will taken on AA from STL-DFW-PHX or taken on DL STL-SLC-PHX is much better to get seat available on their flight.

I also, have had flights cancelled once upon a time - one was a SAN-PHX. When I got word at the gate, instead of waiting in line behind most of the pax that had started to form a LONG line up to the GA, I just exited security and went back out to the ticket counter. They wrote some rule on my boarding pass and told me to go to WN for the flight... my original HP flight was at 5pm and the WN flight I got on was at 5:05 (or something like that). Other than the SSSS I got from WN (probably for the last minute & one way ticket.. haha), I got there just in time to make my YYC connector - and was quite pleased with how HP put me on WN immediately.

Another time, my YYC-PHX flight was cancelled one morning (HP 246 at 7am) and my final destination was SAN, arriving at 11:40. HP called me 6 hours in advance on my cell, and had already rebooked me on a UA flight leaving at the same time getting into SAN at around 11:45. Aside from losing an HP F seat (UA instead, was great enough to put me in E+ since I was *S from AC Prestige way back when...), I was, again pleased at how they handled my cancellations - it was almost seamless.

I'm sure, both times the fact that I was waving my Platinum card helped the situation a bit. ;)

I have found that you will get different offers for compensation from HP CS reps. If you don't get something reasonable, call back at another time. It's always important to note the CS reps name, so you don't get the same one the second time.

On the voucher, you should *always* request that it can be used by someone else. Otherwise, they can be tough to use.

Why dont you try and email Dougie P? Oh wait, HE NEVER RESPONDS!! I think that HP and US are driving good customers to CO, AA, DL, and NW. 85 segments on US this year, a few major problems with 4 emails sent to US and NOT A SINGLE ANSWER!

Oh well, I will take my suitcase and $60K+ a year I spend to someone who VALUES my business!

I have to say, I was re-accomodated out of ONT. The last ONT-PHX flight cancelled, and the rebooked us on Southwest. We just went over to their counter, surrendered the HP BP and was given a SW BP. Very simple. Yet, when a flight got cancelled in PHX due to mechanical.. they said they have no inter-line with SW nor any way to re-accomodate us... strange the answers u get at different places.

I have to say, I was re-accomodated out of ONT. The last ONT-PHX flight cancelled, and the rebooked us on Southwest. We just went over to their counter, surrendered the HP BP and was given a SW BP. Very simple. Yet, when a flight got cancelled in PHX due to mechanical.. they said they have no inter-line with SW nor any way to re-accomodate us... strange the answers u get at different places.

I bet in small stations the station managers work out their own deals and the do whatever they have to behnd the seens later. Also in PHX major AWA disruptions can cuase big headaches for SWA so that is probably the diff.