Didn't get the 7 day upgrade so I spent a few mins with the online chat feature. This is the transcript:
Thanks for using our online chat service. An agent will be with you in just a moment.
You have been connected to Jennifer K.
Jennifer K: Hello. Welcome to US Airways online customer support. I have received your message. I will be with you in a moment.
Jennifer K: Ian, it will be just a moment please.
ian : sure, thank you
Jennifer K: First class is sold out on flight 143, August 07.
ian: wow--all 12 seats are sold out?
Jennifer K: That's correct.
ian: okay--thank you
I don't have KVS's tool handy. Is there anyone out there that can confirm (or not) her statement?
There should be 8 seats open...call back and rant at these *bleepers* who try to hold onto the F seats for as long as they can to make some $ off it!
However if you do the gate dance...you should get your u/g as a Chairmans.
liveon777
Aug 2, 06, 7:49 am
Ehhhh, I just got the same thing for a Sunday flight 8/6 from PHL to CMH. I am waitlisted b/c there are still a couple of FC seats for sale is what I was told.
There should be 8 seats open...call back and rant at these *bleepers* who try to hold onto the F seats for as long as they can to make some $ off it!
However if you do the gate dance...you should get your u/g as a Chairmans.
8 seats open?
F4 A4 does not equal 8, they do not work by summing them together.
enviroian
Aug 2, 06, 10:34 am
I called. So professional was this CP rep. "US Airways, Geri" was how she answered the phone. Would be a little more professional if they said "US Airways, this is Geri, how may I help you Mr Ian". Oh well...I digress...
"First Class is completely sold out" said Ms. Happiness. I didn't bother to ask why I have info indicating otherwise. Guess I can't complain though. I have an exit row reclining seat (more legroom than F), will plug in my bose headphones and enjoy the free movie, and will gladly pay to enjoy much better catering than the green leaf lettuce salad 10 rows up. But hey, that's just me looking at the glass half-full :p
Ian
sdlevi27
Aug 2, 06, 10:59 am
EF shows F4 A4. Seat map shows 3 seats unassigned. I assume the FAM shows up as an assigned seat, but can they kick him off if they sell the seat?
BTW, anyone else hate how HP shows their fare buckets with a max of 4? At least with the US flights you can see the actual number of seats available (<7) to determine what the holdback is on the E bucket.
FlyerAl
Aug 2, 06, 11:39 am
I'm not sure why they're saying First is sold out on that flight when they're still selling F seats on their website. It just seems that the upgrade fare class is sold out and you'll probably clear at the gate as a CP or maybe in the next few days if they release some upgrade seats.
When you get the ones who snap "US Airways, XXXXXX", they're not the CP liaisons. Those are usually the backup (regular) agents.
When you get the ones who snap "US Airways, Guadalupe" or some foreign name like that, then you know you've reached the offshore scum and at that point you need to hang up and call back :)
EWC-JMU
Aug 2, 06, 11:53 am
When you get the ones who snap "US Airways, Guadalupe" or some foreign name like that, then you know you've reached the offshore scum and at that point you need to hang up and call back :)
This is more than a little offensive. There's no place for this on FT. :td:
KevAZ
Aug 2, 06, 3:09 pm
This is more than a little offensive. There's no place for this on FT. :td:
Only if you take it that way.
Heck there is onshore "scum" too. :D I took it as mention of bottom of the bucket outsourced customer service that provides anything but service. I highly doubt he is calling all non-Americans scum. In fact, I would bet he would agree that the CSR isn't scum, but their employer (Precision Response Corp in the Philippines and legacy US who hired them) are. Let's not get too PC when FlyerAl has no history of slinging mud at other nations, races, religions etc.
KevAZ
Aug 2, 06, 3:14 pm
I'd say that most US customers would use scum or something worse when describing this transaction. (http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2005/04/04/daily23.html)
And thanks to the "Tempe Castle" that some US East people derogatorily call it, US will now have all USA based, well trained CSRs. Not scummy at all! Thanks Doug! (http://www.itpaa.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2021) ^ ^ ^
AZ Travels the World
Aug 2, 06, 3:26 pm
As of now, there are three seats still open in F/C.
Call the old HP Plat line, your chances are much higher of getting a US West person who knows how to put you into one of them.
me4yankees
Aug 2, 06, 3:30 pm
This appears to be another example of the misdirection of phone calls and the Sabre-Shares miscommunication issue. If you are flying HP/West, try to get an HP/West agent.
sdlevi27
Aug 2, 06, 3:46 pm
As of now, there are three seats still open in F/C.
Call the old HP Plat line, your chances are much higher of getting a US West person who knows how to put you into one of them.
Wouldn't they be holding back the 3 seats for sale? Maybe all these agents mean the E bucket is empty?
FlyerAl
Aug 2, 06, 3:51 pm
My apologies if my remark was taken the wrong way. I was referring to the offshore call centre service as a whole, and not an individual res agent.
If you call the Preferred line to have an unused ticket reissued, they transfer you offshore to the "reissue desk" and the service is just plain awful.
In spite of what Doug promised regarding the elimination of offshore reps, almost a year has gone by and they're still here. In fact, if you call the old regular HP line (1-800-235-9292) an offshore agent is likely to answer the phone!
As for checking upgrade vs. revenue F availability online, you can do an award search for a 50,000mi first class award. On "West" operated flights, the same inventory (O class) is used for both awards and preferred upgrades.
me4yankees
Aug 2, 06, 3:54 pm
Wouldn't they be holding back the 3 seats for sale? Maybe all these agents mean the E bucket is empty?
The OP is CP, so he should be upgraded within his upgrade window if there are seats available. (If they want to hold the seats for sale, then they need to change the upgrade rules.)
enviroian
Aug 2, 06, 4:23 pm
As of now, there are three seats still open in F/C.
Call the old HP Plat line, your chances are much higher of getting a US West person who knows how to put you into one of them.
I did AZ, but still no dice. At least the agent I spoke told me there were still seats for sale, unlike the yahoos out east. She was very polite and professional. Made me miss my old Tempe calls :(
Ian
KevAZ
Aug 2, 06, 5:03 pm
In spite of what Doug promised regarding the elimination of offshore reps, almost a year has gone by and they're still here. In fact, if you call the old regular HP line (1-800-235-9292) an offshore agent is likely to answer the phone!
Al, they couldn't make the change overnight due to contracts. Additionally, hiring and training that many CSRs takes a load of time and management effort. I've done the same magnitude in two companies and I have to give US credit for moving as fast as they have. In addition, the decision to make the changes to the website and the manner they were deployed has made call volumes explode. Then to top it off, the misdirection of calls for SHARES based ticketing changes and questions to Sabre agents and vice versa has killed their productivity.
If they wouldn't have had the website problems and would have implemented intelligent IVR based routing, they should have had enough staff. But they didn't. They took two steps forward and two steps back...
Once the routing is fixed and as the website is improved, I think you will see higher customer service. In fact, I am willing to bet on it.
BoeingBoy
Aug 2, 06, 6:40 pm
In spite of what Doug promised regarding the elimination of offshore reps, almost a year has gone by and they're still here. In fact, if you call the old regular HP line (1-800-235-9292) an offshore agent is likely to answer the phone!
On the earnings conference call, I noticed that Doug seemed to back away from the idea of bringing all res back onshore.
Jim
murphy
Aug 2, 06, 7:14 pm
The OP is CP, so he should be upgraded within his upgrade window if there are seats available. (If they want to hold the seats for sale, then they need to change the upgrade rules.)
They've always help back seats for sale. When they release them, CPs get upgraded first, by time of checkin.
me4yankees
Aug 2, 06, 7:41 pm
They've always help back seats for sale. When they release them, CPs get upgraded first, by time of checkin.
What I am saying is that they may do this, but this is not really how the upgrade policy reads. I know this has been debated before, but if the CP window is 7 days for restricted fares, then they should release the seats to CPs at 7 days. If they want to hold them longer and sell them, then they should change the upgrade window to something shorter than 7 days.
Robertsonland
Aug 2, 06, 8:46 pm
What I am saying is that they may do this, but this is not really how the upgrade policy reads. I know this has been debated before, but if the CP window is 7 days for restricted fares, then they should release the seats to CPs at 7 days. If they want to hold them longer and sell them, then they should change the upgrade window to something shorter than 7 days.
I believe it says in the handbook something to the effect of Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. That alone tells you that there may be a limited number of seats available for upgrade at any given time. If they choose to release more into that pool later on in the upgrade timeline they are well within their right to do so. My only request is they run all elites in original order for those when they release the seats (HP never used to do this when they would release in the middle of the day).
Lance
murphy
Aug 2, 06, 9:00 pm
It's on the website. (http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/dividendmiles/preferred/upgrades.aspx#auto)
Preferred upgrade terms
* Preferred members enjoy unlimited complimentary upgrade opportunities in valid markets.
* The number of seats allocated for upgrades are capacity controlled.
I don't have a problem with them holding back seats in first for sale, as long as they upgrade us before offering GoFirst upgrades.