wony99
Aug 11, 07, 5:46 pm
Hello everyone. I was wondering if someone could help me find an e-mail for the various members of the Board of Directors for US Scare. Specifically, I would like to include Doug Parker in the multitude of individuals I would like to relate the following letter to:
(Sorry for posting the book of Psalms, but I would like to know if others have had similar experiences)
"I am writing to you today to express my most vehement disgust with the way I was treated on and before Flight 3361 on Friday, August 10 by your staff at the Philadelphia airport. This information must be relayed to you in writing as when I tried to express myself directly to your employees (even management) I was met with rebuke and dismissed without comment.
"So, that you understand where I am coming from, I travel a lot. I annually log over 150,000 miles in the air on a combined total of at least 5 different airlines. I have friends in the airline industry and am fully aware of what “can” and “cannot” happen as a matter of procedure and in the spirit of customer service. I am also aware of what management and staff can and will do to avoid passenger confrontation and pass responsibility. Again, I only offer this information so that you have a frame of reference that these comments are coming from someone who is experienced and travels weekly, and not a first time flyer.
"When I arrived at the airport, I expected a delay, so I had planned accordingly, arriving well ahead of my scheduled departure. When I got to the ticket counter, I found several kiosks inoperable, or malfunctioning. When I attempted to tell someone, they seemed more interested in unnecessarily controlling what was a relatively friendly crowd as opposed to actually doing something to increase the efficiency of the check in process, thus speeding up the process for everyone.
"When I finally found a working kiosk, it would not let me check in, a problem that I have seen before. I stood patiently at the kiosk while several agents stood around apparently “waiting” for the luggage belt, which had broken down, to start moving again. After about 20 minutes of patiently waiting, I realized that my extra time that I had budgeted was quickly being eaten up. I obtained the attention of one of the agents and they quickly and easily checked me in.
"Once I got to Security, since I am a frequent flyer, I displayed my credentials to gain access to the shorter security line at the C concourse. I was told that the fact that I was an elevated status on other airlines meant nothing if I was not of a status on US Air and was returned to the long line. When I inquired how long I should expect to wait, I was met with a blank stare, a conceited smile and a shrug. As I walked away, I could hear a snide “good luck” being uttered in my direction. I turned around and expressed that my flight was boarding (or so I thought, but we will get to that) and asked if I could still go down the short line since there were no others there. Again I was rebuffed. Fellow travelers around me bonded together at my rejection and ushered me and three others in a similar situation to the front of the line, where we met up with where we would have been had we just been permitted to go into the short line, like I am allowed in every other airport in which I travel. The fact that they would be so specific to only recognize US Air credentials when there are several airlines accessed through that security checkpoint seemed rather pretentious and childish to me since every other airport with lines of this nature allow for flyers of all airlines to enjoy this benefit.
"Once through security, I, literally, ran down the concourse to my gate, thinking that they would be about half boarded by this point. When I got there, I found that we were delayed 15 minutes, waiting on a flight crew. After 30 minutes, the flight crew arrived, sans First Officer. Over the next hour and a half, I tried to be patient and understanding thinking that the FO was coming in from another flight that was delayed. When I inquired how long we would be waiting, I was met with “we don’t know, we can’t find him in the system.” A myriad of thoughts ran through my mind, least of all was “how can an airline not know what the schedule of one of it’s pilots is, especially in this post-9/11 environment in which we operate?”. After further pressing and several agent changes at the gate, we were still no closer to getting any information than we were before. Finally, a manager arrived to address the concerns of a passenger who needed his medications. When I posed the question to him, he blew me off saying that “flight crews are ‘out of position’ “ so there was no way for him to tell what was going on. I asked him how an airline could not know, or at least, take the time to investigate why they had a missing pilot. He then tried to blame the situation on weather, which was asinine and a way of deflecting blame.
"Two hours after our expected departure time, the FO comes lazily strolling up to the gate, grinning like a Cheshire cat. When someone asked him what kept him, he responded “I was asleep”.
"Let me step back here and explain what that did to my demeanor. I expect delays, especially with US Air. I build that into my travel plans. I know things happen on the East Coast on Fridays, why deny it. As a result, I was frustrated, but accepting. When I heard that comment from him, my acceptance turned to disgust. How dare the incompetence of a pilot unnecessarily delay a full flight for over two hours. I was so infuriated by that, I immediately went to the counter agents, who had to have heard the comment since it was 3 feet from them, and asked what they were going to do for this obvious error on the part of the airline. So that they would understand why I was so irate, I explained to them the totality of my situation; that I was going to miss a wedding that evening because of the FO’s incompetence. The same manager as before again turned me away saying that it was weather related. I pose this question to you….How?
"Even now, recounting these grossly rude and obviously avoiding responses and actions, I am frustrated and disgusted almost to the point that I cannot articulate this recount.
"Once we boarded the plane, I recognized that we were doing a boarding that was premature when compared to normal boarding and that we would be in position for a bit while paperwork was finished. After 30 minutes and the cockpit door was still open, we realized that there were other issues. Finally, the pilot came on saying that they were waiting for someone to get them information so that they could finish the paperwork.
"Once the cabin door was finally closed, we continued to sit. After another 15 or 20 minutes, the pilot comes over the PA and explains that he is now waiting for the ground crew to “unhook” something, which, as someone who knows, generally, what goes on outside of the aircraft prior to takeoff, baffled me since the electrical and communications connections should have been disconnected far prior to this point. I took it as another way of avoiding the acknowledgement of additional incompetence. Shortly thereafter, he announced that we were waiting for the jet-bridge driver to pull the bridge back so that we could push back. 10 minutes later, he announced that they could not find the driver and were still looking. The only thing I could think to myself is that the driver was in the same place the FO was and was napping too.
"By this time, the entire aircraft was getting testy as we were all seeing through all of the “smokescreens” that the crew was trying to use to stall. As a result, we were murmuring amongst ourselves, trying to vent our frustrations amongst ourselves because, after the flight attendant summoned the pilot back to the cabin to calm down one man, we figured we should not comment to him further for fear of being accused of “interfering with flight operations crew” and being escorted off the plane in by Federal Marshalls with a brand new pair of stainless steel bracelets. The flight crew did nothing to even hint that it would not happen.
"Because this was an Embraier 170, the headrests elevate. Being 6’4, I find it very comfortable to raise this to support my head. Just prior to take off, the FA was doing his final run up and down the aisle, glaring at everyone. I can only assume that he was trying to see who was going to snap at him next. On his way back up to the front from the rear galley, he reached up and slammed my headrest down with no warning. As the rest came down on the back of my neck, I felt a sharp pain go down my spine as it hit my back. Of course, given the circumstances, I did not feel as if I could comment at all, so all I did was wince, endure the pain and add one more item to the list of atrocities I had experienced that day.
"When we finally arrive in Columbus, Ohio, 3 hours after our anticipated arrival, I felt like kissing the ground knowing that my turmoil was over. Needless to say, the trip to the wedding was a bust. I showed up later for the party, and got to regale others with my misery of the day. Additionally, I had planned to conduct several business phone calls while on my way home from the airport and while I drove to the wedding. These, too, were cancelled. Unfortunately for you, I had to explain myself to my customers, some of which had planned to detract from their vacations just to participate. The only way to do this was with the truth.
"I feel that the way I was treated demands recompense. There should be no one, for any reason, that should have to deal with the ignorant attitudes, poor professionalism, and complete lack of respect that I received. At the bare minimum, I should be entitled to credit in my account for the price of my fare as well as a voucher for future travel. This should be the beginning of the amends. Another step that should be taken is a formal reprimand, or worse, for the AWOL FO. Additionally, I feel that US Air owes a letter of apology to each and every passenger on this flight. Other airlines are much more gracious than this over far less. As a business based upon customer service, and the obvious lack thereof in my experience, I can only wonder how far-reaching these attitudes and incompetence has permeated the organization.
(Sorry for posting the book of Psalms, but I would like to know if others have had similar experiences)
"I am writing to you today to express my most vehement disgust with the way I was treated on and before Flight 3361 on Friday, August 10 by your staff at the Philadelphia airport. This information must be relayed to you in writing as when I tried to express myself directly to your employees (even management) I was met with rebuke and dismissed without comment.
"So, that you understand where I am coming from, I travel a lot. I annually log over 150,000 miles in the air on a combined total of at least 5 different airlines. I have friends in the airline industry and am fully aware of what “can” and “cannot” happen as a matter of procedure and in the spirit of customer service. I am also aware of what management and staff can and will do to avoid passenger confrontation and pass responsibility. Again, I only offer this information so that you have a frame of reference that these comments are coming from someone who is experienced and travels weekly, and not a first time flyer.
"When I arrived at the airport, I expected a delay, so I had planned accordingly, arriving well ahead of my scheduled departure. When I got to the ticket counter, I found several kiosks inoperable, or malfunctioning. When I attempted to tell someone, they seemed more interested in unnecessarily controlling what was a relatively friendly crowd as opposed to actually doing something to increase the efficiency of the check in process, thus speeding up the process for everyone.
"When I finally found a working kiosk, it would not let me check in, a problem that I have seen before. I stood patiently at the kiosk while several agents stood around apparently “waiting” for the luggage belt, which had broken down, to start moving again. After about 20 minutes of patiently waiting, I realized that my extra time that I had budgeted was quickly being eaten up. I obtained the attention of one of the agents and they quickly and easily checked me in.
"Once I got to Security, since I am a frequent flyer, I displayed my credentials to gain access to the shorter security line at the C concourse. I was told that the fact that I was an elevated status on other airlines meant nothing if I was not of a status on US Air and was returned to the long line. When I inquired how long I should expect to wait, I was met with a blank stare, a conceited smile and a shrug. As I walked away, I could hear a snide “good luck” being uttered in my direction. I turned around and expressed that my flight was boarding (or so I thought, but we will get to that) and asked if I could still go down the short line since there were no others there. Again I was rebuffed. Fellow travelers around me bonded together at my rejection and ushered me and three others in a similar situation to the front of the line, where we met up with where we would have been had we just been permitted to go into the short line, like I am allowed in every other airport in which I travel. The fact that they would be so specific to only recognize US Air credentials when there are several airlines accessed through that security checkpoint seemed rather pretentious and childish to me since every other airport with lines of this nature allow for flyers of all airlines to enjoy this benefit.
"Once through security, I, literally, ran down the concourse to my gate, thinking that they would be about half boarded by this point. When I got there, I found that we were delayed 15 minutes, waiting on a flight crew. After 30 minutes, the flight crew arrived, sans First Officer. Over the next hour and a half, I tried to be patient and understanding thinking that the FO was coming in from another flight that was delayed. When I inquired how long we would be waiting, I was met with “we don’t know, we can’t find him in the system.” A myriad of thoughts ran through my mind, least of all was “how can an airline not know what the schedule of one of it’s pilots is, especially in this post-9/11 environment in which we operate?”. After further pressing and several agent changes at the gate, we were still no closer to getting any information than we were before. Finally, a manager arrived to address the concerns of a passenger who needed his medications. When I posed the question to him, he blew me off saying that “flight crews are ‘out of position’ “ so there was no way for him to tell what was going on. I asked him how an airline could not know, or at least, take the time to investigate why they had a missing pilot. He then tried to blame the situation on weather, which was asinine and a way of deflecting blame.
"Two hours after our expected departure time, the FO comes lazily strolling up to the gate, grinning like a Cheshire cat. When someone asked him what kept him, he responded “I was asleep”.
"Let me step back here and explain what that did to my demeanor. I expect delays, especially with US Air. I build that into my travel plans. I know things happen on the East Coast on Fridays, why deny it. As a result, I was frustrated, but accepting. When I heard that comment from him, my acceptance turned to disgust. How dare the incompetence of a pilot unnecessarily delay a full flight for over two hours. I was so infuriated by that, I immediately went to the counter agents, who had to have heard the comment since it was 3 feet from them, and asked what they were going to do for this obvious error on the part of the airline. So that they would understand why I was so irate, I explained to them the totality of my situation; that I was going to miss a wedding that evening because of the FO’s incompetence. The same manager as before again turned me away saying that it was weather related. I pose this question to you….How?
"Even now, recounting these grossly rude and obviously avoiding responses and actions, I am frustrated and disgusted almost to the point that I cannot articulate this recount.
"Once we boarded the plane, I recognized that we were doing a boarding that was premature when compared to normal boarding and that we would be in position for a bit while paperwork was finished. After 30 minutes and the cockpit door was still open, we realized that there were other issues. Finally, the pilot came on saying that they were waiting for someone to get them information so that they could finish the paperwork.
"Once the cabin door was finally closed, we continued to sit. After another 15 or 20 minutes, the pilot comes over the PA and explains that he is now waiting for the ground crew to “unhook” something, which, as someone who knows, generally, what goes on outside of the aircraft prior to takeoff, baffled me since the electrical and communications connections should have been disconnected far prior to this point. I took it as another way of avoiding the acknowledgement of additional incompetence. Shortly thereafter, he announced that we were waiting for the jet-bridge driver to pull the bridge back so that we could push back. 10 minutes later, he announced that they could not find the driver and were still looking. The only thing I could think to myself is that the driver was in the same place the FO was and was napping too.
"By this time, the entire aircraft was getting testy as we were all seeing through all of the “smokescreens” that the crew was trying to use to stall. As a result, we were murmuring amongst ourselves, trying to vent our frustrations amongst ourselves because, after the flight attendant summoned the pilot back to the cabin to calm down one man, we figured we should not comment to him further for fear of being accused of “interfering with flight operations crew” and being escorted off the plane in by Federal Marshalls with a brand new pair of stainless steel bracelets. The flight crew did nothing to even hint that it would not happen.
"Because this was an Embraier 170, the headrests elevate. Being 6’4, I find it very comfortable to raise this to support my head. Just prior to take off, the FA was doing his final run up and down the aisle, glaring at everyone. I can only assume that he was trying to see who was going to snap at him next. On his way back up to the front from the rear galley, he reached up and slammed my headrest down with no warning. As the rest came down on the back of my neck, I felt a sharp pain go down my spine as it hit my back. Of course, given the circumstances, I did not feel as if I could comment at all, so all I did was wince, endure the pain and add one more item to the list of atrocities I had experienced that day.
"When we finally arrive in Columbus, Ohio, 3 hours after our anticipated arrival, I felt like kissing the ground knowing that my turmoil was over. Needless to say, the trip to the wedding was a bust. I showed up later for the party, and got to regale others with my misery of the day. Additionally, I had planned to conduct several business phone calls while on my way home from the airport and while I drove to the wedding. These, too, were cancelled. Unfortunately for you, I had to explain myself to my customers, some of which had planned to detract from their vacations just to participate. The only way to do this was with the truth.
"I feel that the way I was treated demands recompense. There should be no one, for any reason, that should have to deal with the ignorant attitudes, poor professionalism, and complete lack of respect that I received. At the bare minimum, I should be entitled to credit in my account for the price of my fare as well as a voucher for future travel. This should be the beginning of the amends. Another step that should be taken is a formal reprimand, or worse, for the AWOL FO. Additionally, I feel that US Air owes a letter of apology to each and every passenger on this flight. Other airlines are much more gracious than this over far less. As a business based upon customer service, and the obvious lack thereof in my experience, I can only wonder how far-reaching these attitudes and incompetence has permeated the organization.