US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Extreme Website Frustration!

Now, I'm a good and loyal roach. Mom wants me home for Thanksgiving, so I go straight to www.usairways.com.

Can't find a price I like for the dates/times I want, so I figure I'll use up some miles. That's what they're there for, right? Of course, no 20K mile seats available. Fine. For 40K I can fly up front. Perfect availability. Pick 2A all the way through. Press purchase...get an error message. It lists 5 or 6 things I could have done to screw it up (one of them being "pressing the back button"...hell no I didn't do that, I've learned MY lesson!) This was Saturday. I've tried repeatedly over the weekend, troubleshooting different things...still no dice.

Called the CP line this morning, other than charging me 50K to book the same seats, all they can suggest is calling usairways.com support. She gives me the CP line for them (who knew we even HAD that?) Apparently all that means though is someone answers faster and with more attitude. After a few questions, he insisted it was that I was using the wrong browser (Firefox at home, not the right IE at work.) Screw the fact that I had purchased a ticket online less than a week ago w/the same browser, but anyway...

Got home this evening, redownloaded IE, updated it appropriately, went through the whole booking routine (one of my flights is no longer available, but I'll survive), and BAM...same freakin error message!!!!

Yes, more than a bit frustrated at this point, I called usairways.com yet again. Explained everything up to this point. I follow her instructions to a T (security setting 'medium', cleared cache, clear files...) Keep her online while I try to book yet again, and...of course, the same error. Her suggestion to me at this point: try another computer.

After 2 computers, 3 browsers, 3 agents...I think it's time to escalate the issue. Anyone from RF have contact info for Mark, Travis, or Shawn from e-commerce? Or a better way to handle it? My other next step is to book the cheapest fare I find on Orbitz (right now <$300 direct on AA.)

Ick!

Ironically enough, I've never had a problem being able to book coach tickets online. *knock on wood* Haven't tried 1st class for a long time though.

I personally would rather give up the additional 10k to redeem over the phone instead of paying <$300 to buy a ticket.

But I would think that calling the CP usairways.com support line and ranting (sometimes yelling gets you better results than being nice, which is extremely aggravating... because even though I always try to be nice, I've witnessed people getting better results just by being mean) would get you somewhere. Well, not ranting necessarily, but telling them that you've tried this 6 differetnt ways and they should just redeem the *$#*% ticket at the 40k level for you, since they've obviously not got their stuff together yet.

Or it could just be your OS :) The bad thing about technology is that there's so many interlocking pieces you came blame anything for anything else. Maybe it's your printer driver. :)

Now I'm really perturbed. It JUST let me be BUY a ticket online with no problems whatsover using Firefox (so there Mr. You-Can't-Use-Mozilla and Ms. Use-Another-Computer!) Hopefully another phone call to the CP web support desk and/or email to Mr. Kuhn will fix this.

Is this a consipiracy to keep us all from burning those miles??

;)

Or it could just be your OS :) The bad thing about technology is that there's so many interlocking pieces you came blame anything for anything else. Maybe it's your printer driver. :)
Trust me, it is not on shell's end.

Oh I really didn't think it was. I've run into enough oddities with the US website, and really the 'Net in general, to know that all sorts of bizarre things happen for no good reason.

And I don't think it's an IAK error, either. ;)

I am a Netscape user (except for the few things that force me to IE like Sidestep), and I haven't had any booking problems on the US site in a couple of years... and I use the back button, EXCEPT when I'm booking a serious rez, then I'm a good boy. :rolleyes:

Called website support yet again, updated them on the fact that I am able to book a revenue ticket, just not an award ticket. Also told the nice woman that I expected a better answer than "try another computer" or else consumer affairs was going to get pulled into this. After a few minutes she was able to confirm that their were currently systemwide problems with DM bookings, and that I should try back later.

Of course she had no idea when "later" might be...but at least she didn't blame me for the problem :)

Now of course I'm just being hardheaded. I will get the flights I want, for 40K, booked before I leave the country Wednesday.

And today's Wash Post article about Roachfest discusses the website:

One of the biggest criticisms the travelers had was US Airways' antiquated Web site. These travelers prefer to purchase tickets online, but when they have difficulty navigating the site, get error messages whenever they hit the back space key or are unable to find available-seat maps, they leave frustrated.

The airline executives conceded that their site needs work and said they plan to unveil a new site next year. Chiames told the travelers that the airline stopped investing in the Web site four years ago because executives at that time believed US Airways was about to be acquired by United Airlines. But that plan was killed by the government in 2001, leaving US Airways to play catch-up on many things, including its Web site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27394-2004Aug23.html

Looking to take a flight next week from PIT to either ABE or PHL so I went to usairways.com looking for my options. I was never able to even get a price out of the website because of errors or it simply stopping after choosing the flights I wanted. This went on for 30 minutes before I gave up.
Seriously, the little old lady down the block with an antiques store has a website that works. How is it humanly possible in this day and age to not have a working website. :mad:
I went to CO and bought the ticket. I wanted to top off my DM account but I've got stuff to do.

Looking to take a flight next week from PIT to either ABE or PHL so I went to usairways.com looking for my options. I was never able to even get a price out of the website because of errors or it simply stopping after choosing the flights I wanted. This went on for 30 minutes before I gave up.
Seriously, the little old lady down the block with an antiques store has a website that works. How is it humanly possible in this day and age to not have a working website. :mad:
I went to CO and bought the ticket. I wanted to top off my DM account but I've got stuff to do.

I was just stopping in to see if anyone else was experiencing problems today. Currently - I get strange error messages when trying to make a simple booking ALB-PHL r/t ... and I am unable to view any of my dividend miles info.

I keep getting an error saying the database isn't accessible and to send an e-mail to them. :td:

I want my bonus miles from the current promo...so I'm waiting until the website is working again!!!

-Chris

:mad: Having trouble booking LGA-GSO. What a pain.

I was pricing flights for February today, and I got an error message that the dates were too far into the future, and the US can only book flights up to 330 days in advance. I threw up my hands in utter frustration, and went onto Orbitz instead.

I can't get into my account at all. :mad:

Isn't this outsourcing thing working wonderfully well? How well do YOU speak spanish? :rolleyes:

I was pricing flights for February today, and I got an error message that the dates were too far into the future, and the US can only book flights up to 330 days in advance. I threw up my hands in utter frustration, and went onto Orbitz instead.

I'm not saying this is OK but at least USAir is not the only airline to have this restriction, in fact SW only allows bookings for maybe 4-6 months in advance if I remember correctly.
My problem today was trying to buy a flight for next week with the most simple and basic of requirements and not even coming close to being able to complete a purchase. I've always seen the complaints but never realized how bad it has truly gotten. Good luck all.

I can't get into my account at all. :mad:


Ditto that...I'm getting a "data encryption error."

I can't even get the front page to load right now. I have never had a problem with that. Half the page comes in and that is it. And I am an IT guy and I know this is not on my side.

US management if your reading this. You really need to bring your website IN HOUSE!

I want to book 3 flights right now and I can't do it.

You guys know me on here. I am always in support of my airline but this is not acceptable. :mad:

Here is my error message:



[ServletException in:/air/displayMultFlightAvailabilityTile.jsp] org.apache.struts.taglib.html.OptionsCollectionTag '



:td:

I can't get into my account at all. :mad:

Isn't this outsourcing thing working wonderfully well? How well do YOU speak spanish? :rolleyes:

Taco, fajitas, margarita. That's about my extent of it. ;)

(Sorry, couldn't help myself, l4pi! :p )

It's still down.

It's working (mostly) fine for me! It's slow loading, and occasionally the "choose your flights" page looks a bit odd, but otherwise it's letting me research those Around the World sale fares and check my DM account.

While we're at it, a quick update on the topic of the original post. I emailed DM, copying a web guy and Deb Thompson shortly after my post. Absolutely no response. I was a slacker and didn't push the issue, but am still a little bitter about having to use 50K miles for a domestic ticket and about being ignored.