ClueByFour
Sep 3, 00, 5:38 pm
This is my first (not counting rec.travel.air) trip report. It should have been a no-brainer, but since I had such an entertaining time, I decided to make a go at it.....
PIT-BNA on US 961 1740 EST (10/1)
Left work and cruised to PIT, where I found a spot in long term that was only about a 10 minute walk (counting the moving walkways) from Lanside. Cuised out to the gate at about 1700 or so, to grab my boarding pass, meet my SO and the rest of the party traveling to my friend's wedding, and grab a meal. Sat in Hot Licks in concourse B, enjoying a Yuengling.
Boarding began at around 1725. We had seats in the back of the bus (I have not had status since US still had preferred-plus). We had seats 15a and c on an MD80 in the old silver livery. These things are, IMHO, horrid in coach. Pilot came on to apologize for the heat in the plane--US had apparently pulled it out of the hanger not to long before. They button it up, and we wait to push back. And wait. And wait. Pilot informs us that a relay won't close, and they need to kill the electricity to the plane to try to rectify. This does not work. Pilot calls maintenance (PIT is the largest US hub). 40 hot minutes later, they deplane us and tell us they will see if they can grab some equipment coming in for a delayed flight (did I mention that they had just rolled this thing out of the hanger and that PIT is US' largest hub)?
Having an e-ticket and no status, and knowing better, I leave the plane and head right for Special Services. SO calls my cell phone about halfway there to inform me that the flight is cancelled. I'm 3rd in line. Kind (I thought) agent at special services puts us on a flight leaving at around 7.45 to CLT, and a flight 9.55 from CLT-BNA. Cool.
PIT-CLT 1945 on US 168.
Grabbed another beer, and then wandered over to the gate (about 5 gates down the B concourse) for the flight to CLT. Boarded at 1930 or so to a bulkhead row in coach on the A320, which the agent had kindly blocked the middle seat for us. These airbus 320s that US is introducing are nice, quiet, and look to have decent pitch, even in the back. Flight to CLT pushes a bit late, since the weather is crummy at CLT, and they were in flow control. Uneventful flight, standard coach peanuts and pop service. We landed at CLT around 2120 or so. To find that....
CLT-BNA on US 183.
This flight was supposed to leave at 2199. When we deplaned from the previous flight, we saw immediately that they were already delayed until 2355. Upon asking the agent, I was told that the plane was going to be delayed from HOU. Okay. Off to a convenient brewpub to waste the voucheres US had provided. CLT needs more telephones with laptop ports, closer to the gates.
At around 2340, the gate agent tells us that the higher ups at US have now decided to send our plane to Kansas City, and they are going to pull another plane out of the hanger and call the oncall crew, and that we might leave before they call the night at 0200. Riot ensues. Gate agent spends a lot of time passing out US consumer affairs snail mail addy, phone number, and email info. I'm not suprised by this, as half of these passengers were on the original flight from PIT. They drag out another MD80, whose cockpit leads me to believe that this plane is almost as old as my 24 years. Boarding ensues at 0055 or so. Uneventful flight to BNA, I slept in 5A, and missed any service runs. We arrived at the baggage claim to find that our bags had been sitting outside the US baggage office, despite the fact that a US employee was in the office with other bags, asleep (they apparently came down on the next direct flight from PIT). The national car guy was kind enough to wait for us to arrive.
1. US could not find a plane at PIT? Geez, I'm glad I live here, so that if they ever royally screw me on a mechanical failure, at least I can go home.
2. Putting us on a flight they knew to be delayed (CLT-BNA) without a word is underhanded, IMHO.
3. Flat out lying to the crowd in CLT about their intentions for the inbound plane is underhanded.
4. US had to know they had a problem, and should have prepped another aircraft at CLT before midnight.
BNA-PIT 1255 on US 2355
Returned the car, and hit the US check in. Collected BP, checked bags, and headed for the lunch (1200, or so). Checked email, and boarding started around 1235 or so. These F100s are also horrid planes, with small overheads. I waited so long to make these reservations that we were stuck in 19A and C, one row from the back and right next to the engine. Pushed on time, and another uneventful flight to PIT (standard peanut and pop drink service).
Next stop--MS word for the nastygram to US consumer affairs.
PIT-BNA on US 961 1740 EST (10/1)
Left work and cruised to PIT, where I found a spot in long term that was only about a 10 minute walk (counting the moving walkways) from Lanside. Cuised out to the gate at about 1700 or so, to grab my boarding pass, meet my SO and the rest of the party traveling to my friend's wedding, and grab a meal. Sat in Hot Licks in concourse B, enjoying a Yuengling.
Boarding began at around 1725. We had seats in the back of the bus (I have not had status since US still had preferred-plus). We had seats 15a and c on an MD80 in the old silver livery. These things are, IMHO, horrid in coach. Pilot came on to apologize for the heat in the plane--US had apparently pulled it out of the hanger not to long before. They button it up, and we wait to push back. And wait. And wait. Pilot informs us that a relay won't close, and they need to kill the electricity to the plane to try to rectify. This does not work. Pilot calls maintenance (PIT is the largest US hub). 40 hot minutes later, they deplane us and tell us they will see if they can grab some equipment coming in for a delayed flight (did I mention that they had just rolled this thing out of the hanger and that PIT is US' largest hub)?
Having an e-ticket and no status, and knowing better, I leave the plane and head right for Special Services. SO calls my cell phone about halfway there to inform me that the flight is cancelled. I'm 3rd in line. Kind (I thought) agent at special services puts us on a flight leaving at around 7.45 to CLT, and a flight 9.55 from CLT-BNA. Cool.
PIT-CLT 1945 on US 168.
Grabbed another beer, and then wandered over to the gate (about 5 gates down the B concourse) for the flight to CLT. Boarded at 1930 or so to a bulkhead row in coach on the A320, which the agent had kindly blocked the middle seat for us. These airbus 320s that US is introducing are nice, quiet, and look to have decent pitch, even in the back. Flight to CLT pushes a bit late, since the weather is crummy at CLT, and they were in flow control. Uneventful flight, standard coach peanuts and pop service. We landed at CLT around 2120 or so. To find that....
CLT-BNA on US 183.
This flight was supposed to leave at 2199. When we deplaned from the previous flight, we saw immediately that they were already delayed until 2355. Upon asking the agent, I was told that the plane was going to be delayed from HOU. Okay. Off to a convenient brewpub to waste the voucheres US had provided. CLT needs more telephones with laptop ports, closer to the gates.
At around 2340, the gate agent tells us that the higher ups at US have now decided to send our plane to Kansas City, and they are going to pull another plane out of the hanger and call the oncall crew, and that we might leave before they call the night at 0200. Riot ensues. Gate agent spends a lot of time passing out US consumer affairs snail mail addy, phone number, and email info. I'm not suprised by this, as half of these passengers were on the original flight from PIT. They drag out another MD80, whose cockpit leads me to believe that this plane is almost as old as my 24 years. Boarding ensues at 0055 or so. Uneventful flight to BNA, I slept in 5A, and missed any service runs. We arrived at the baggage claim to find that our bags had been sitting outside the US baggage office, despite the fact that a US employee was in the office with other bags, asleep (they apparently came down on the next direct flight from PIT). The national car guy was kind enough to wait for us to arrive.
1. US could not find a plane at PIT? Geez, I'm glad I live here, so that if they ever royally screw me on a mechanical failure, at least I can go home.
2. Putting us on a flight they knew to be delayed (CLT-BNA) without a word is underhanded, IMHO.
3. Flat out lying to the crowd in CLT about their intentions for the inbound plane is underhanded.
4. US had to know they had a problem, and should have prepped another aircraft at CLT before midnight.
BNA-PIT 1255 on US 2355
Returned the car, and hit the US check in. Collected BP, checked bags, and headed for the lunch (1200, or so). Checked email, and boarding started around 1235 or so. These F100s are also horrid planes, with small overheads. I waited so long to make these reservations that we were stuck in 19A and C, one row from the back and right next to the engine. Pushed on time, and another uneventful flight to PIT (standard peanut and pop drink service).
Next stop--MS word for the nastygram to US consumer affairs.