US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - PHL F concourse

Anybody use it yet and what flights are generally out of there? The reason I ask is it seems it is a hike to the other concourses or time consuming even on the shuttle.

It opened this past Saturday. The only flights are USAirways express flights on Regional Jets or turboprops. There is a shuttle that runs on the ramp(i.e. quick transfers) between F, C and A.

I arrived at Terminal F yesterday on my way ISP-ROC. Other than the fact that it took more than 10 minutes to get the jetway aligned to a Dash-8, it was fine. Beautiful terminal, and frequent bus service using new busses with luggage space! The bus goes to C-16 which is the old US Exp. gate.

The rest of the trip, however, was a nightmare. I hope the return tonight will be better but the weather is predicted to be bad also.

Has anyone visited the US Airways Club in Terminal F? It should be a big improvement if you are traveling out of PHL on US Airways, especially when delays hit. A more comfortable place to rest, and, hopefully, more competent agents (most of the PHL agents are lousy, but from what I've read on FT, the Express agents at B-16 and C-31 or whatever under the old system were awful).

I connected out of and into F on Tuesday and Wednesday. Getting on the flight out was almost a fiasco. The gate crew thought thought the plane was supposed to be at F34, which is what the info boards all reflected. With only about 15 minutes before the departure time and no plane, the pilot came by and said he found his plane at F28, which is where my itinerary/ticket said it should be.

So we all trudged to F28, but at first there was no gate agent and then there was the case of the missing FO and FA. They were coming in on another flight. Then the gate agent couldn't get the new jetway to move toward the plane. The flight departed close to an hour late after waiting for the pre-flight activity and the rest of the crew.

The connection back was smoother (after a scary flight right along the extremely bumpy edge of a T-storm last night). But still the jetway could not be used as there was nobody from the gate crew to move it. A ground crew person moved the stairs into place.

Overall, the inside of F is a nice looking terminal, probably one of the nicer sky-bus terminals. (Compare to the crowds at Cincy.) But it's obvious that Philly has not hired the right gate crews or else they just haven't been trained. (Or as PHL goes, maybe they just don't care.) I won't miss F if I don't have to connect through there.

Is it better than Concourse E at PIT?

Thankfully I can't remember the last time I was through E in PIT!! Sorry I can't give you a comparison.

Just got a e-mail from US regarding Terminal F. They're really trying to promote the darn thing! Maybe I'll get to try it in the next few weeks considering PHL-CLE now has 1 CRJ / 1 ERJ daily!

Just in case you guys didn't see the official announcement last week:
http://usairways.com/corporate/press/nw_01_0619.htm

The agents in Terminal F are employed by Allegheny Airlines (USExp) and are paid significantly less than their mainline counterparts (and mainline doesn't pay that well to begin with). Turnover is extremely high, as the staff either move over to mainline after a few months or they leave the company for one reason or another. Combine that with Philadelphia's lack of good customer service (not just the airport, but everywhere) and problems are bound to arise.

I can imagine the transition must be difficult as they used to work together at one big desk, and now they are 'on their own' to figure things out. And jetways are a hassle under the best of conditions!

As the Express agents aren't trained in ticketing, the Club and ticket counter in F terminal are staffed with mainline employees.

Does the SEPTA regional rail run to F yet?

You must go to Terminal E for ground transportation. They are not extending the rail line to Terminal F. From the press release:

Ground Transportation

- Arriving customers who require local commercial ground transportation
including taxis, should proceed to Terminal E via the escalator or elevator from Baggage Claim to the E Connector walkway.
- Departing customers who require local commercial ground transportation including taxis, may be brought directly to Terminal F.
- Private automobiles may stop curbside at Terminal F for arriving and departing customers. Drivers must use "Departing Passenger" roadways to access Terminal F.

I confess to have been mostly a lurker here as of late--but I haven't been traveling since being laid-off from Compaq on 6/1.

RE Bizjet's question/comment; my wife,12 yr old and myself have a redeye leaving SAN at 8:55pm and arriving at PHL at 5:00am on July 6th. I'm planning on using (1?) club coupon for all of us since the layover is approx.4hrs. Any tips on what to expect
from the PHL USAirways Club?

Regards,
Barry

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by barryn:
I confess to have been mostly a lurker here as of late--but I haven't been traveling since being laid-off from Compaq on 6/1.

RE Bizjet's question/comment; my wife,12 yr old and myself have a redeye leaving SAN at 8:55pm and arriving at PHL at 5:00am on July 6th. I'm planning on using (1?) club coupon for all of us since the layover is approx.4hrs. Any tips on what to expect
from the PHL USAirways Club?

Regards,
Barry </font>

The big club at PHL has quite a few amenities in the mornings; coffee, tea, milk, juice. I was there once and they had mini boxes of cereal. The PIT club had mini biscotti type thingies. The restrooms are clean and well kept.

The leather/vinyl seats are nice and the club is a good idea for a four hour get away from the mob scene down in the concourses.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by barryn:
I confess to have been mostly a lurker here as of late--but I haven't been traveling since being laid-off from Compaq on 6/1.

RE Bizjet's question/comment; my wife,12 yr old and myself have a redeye leaving SAN at 8:55pm and arriving at PHL at 5:00am on July 6th. I'm planning on using (1?) club coupon for all of us since the layover is approx.4hrs. Any tips on what to expect
from the PHL USAirways Club?

Regards,
Barry </font>

Condolences on the layoff, Barry. ITRADE said it all about the main PHL club.

well ITRADE said almost everything about the PHL club....last year there was an interesting problem with rodents and the staff seemed not particularly concerned - even telling one member that it wasn't really their problem since the airport was full of 'em and they were located over the Food Court, after all...... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif

I'm not so sure I wanted to know about rodents infesting the PHL Club...sometimes ignorance can be bliss; now I'll always be thinking about your post when I'm in PHL...especially when eating the cheese they put out in the afternoon!!

The PHL is one of the best clubs in the system. It is spacious, with good views of the tarmac (for those who are interested), and has one of the best staffs--both at the desk and at the bar of any club of any airline.

It's a favorite of mine, and you should find it very relaxing!



------------------
Regards,

Art from ISP

Hello US FTers,

I am in the PHL US club about three times a year. I noticed earlier this month that some of the cloth upholstery on individiual (one person, not sofas or love seats) chairs was frayed and definitely in need of replacement.

I do second the comments on good staff and breakfast goodies.


Cheers

I was at the PHL club last night with my kids when the RDU connection was cancelled. Finally got to GSO and then a shuttle service. But the news is that my kids thought the PHL club was the best because it was so big and they had chocolate covered cookies. The staff was great in trying to rebook me every which way to get back to RDU since I did not want to stay overnight. Also I did not know that as a CP we get more for the meal vouchers. Nice amenity.