America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) - Anyone use America West out of PHL?

UsAirways might tank and I worry about how I can fly without setting foot on United or American. Is AW any good from PHL? Upgrades easy?

UsAirways might tank and I worry about how I can fly without setting foot on United or American. Is AW any good from PHL? Upgrades easy?

Where do you plan on flying from PHL?

Despite being born there, I have only to/flown from PHL twice on HP. I recall being upgraded three out of the four segments. The flights were full and so was F. Since PHL is more of a business route, you'll probably be in competition with other HP elites from PHX or LAS.

. . . Is AW any good from PHL? Upgrades easy?
I've flown the PHL/PHX route several times over the past few years and been upgraded on most of them. But despite being HP Gold, I didn't make the upgrade on the early evening flight returning to PHX this week and, though I got my requested seat location (2 or 3 rows behind 1st), the middle seat was taken in my row . . . luck of the draw, many other middle seats were empty.

Food quality if First is OK but not anything to brag about. Haven't eaten the Coach buy-onboard meals in a while but they seemed pretty good for the price the one time I did. Brought food with me this time because I'm trying to cut carbs a bit.

Can't compare to USAir as I've only flown it once (PHX/PIT) in recent memory.

SWA is new to this route but, since it has no first class and I dislike the cattle call line up, I prefer HP.

i fly hp 4/5 times a year from phx to phl, and enjoy the flight. i am silver, and bat a 100% upgrade on the route. i posted a trip report here from my june trip if you want to read about the service, including both F and Y food. for a 4 hr flight, hp is enjoyable

I started flying HP about two years ago, right after the legendary Ben Baldanza announced that US didn't want customers like me. I fly out of PHL about 10 times per year, connecting in PHX to various other destinations. I've been very happy with HP and I've been upgraded 95% of the time.

I really like HP's reasonable one-way fares. I've had flexibility with HP that I never had with US, NW, CO, etc.

I'm glad you posted. I've recently relocated to south Jersey and will be flying out of PHL on a more regular basis. I was kinda curious about it myself.

UsAirways might tank and I worry about how I can fly without setting foot on United or American. Is AW any good from PHL? Upgrades easy?

Don't blink, you'll miss the HP desk unless you know in advance it's staffed by CO staffers under contract.

Was at PHL when a mechanical occured, apparently CO is contracted for all mechanical problems as well. In our case we ended up sitting at the gate for 2 hours due to CO placing the HP flight below theirs in priority so (as per the captain) they started dialing up random repair places and got somebody to come in from home (on a sunday) to fix the problem.

Don't blink, you'll miss the HP desk unless you know in advance it's staffed by CO staffers under contract.

Last week, I stood in the FC/Elite line at the PHL ticket counter to check in for my FC seat to PHX. A roving CO agent approached me and said that the line was for CO customers only and that HP FC customers must use the coach line to check in. First time that's happened.

Last week, I stood in the FC/Elite line at the PHL ticket counter to check in for my FC seat to PHX. A roving CO agent approached me and said that the line was for CO customers only and that HP FC customers must use the coach line to check in. First time that's happened.

OUCH! How horrible. I wonder what HP would say if you wrote them an e-mail or a letter?

Please follow up on it and let us know. I'd love to see what they have to say about that.

Last week, I stood in the FC/Elite line at the PHL ticket counter to check in for my FC seat to PHX. A roving CO agent approached me and said that the line was for CO customers only and that HP FC customers must use the coach line to check in. First time that's happened.

Sorry to hear this happened to you. I've never had a bad experience with the CO ground personnel in PHL. In fact they have been very helpful on a few occasions when there has been a problem (flight cancellation, etc).

Were you in the right line? The HP Elite checkin line in PHL is separate from CO - it's on the extreme right of the ticket counter.

Last year I made HP my elite Plan B as I am also a US CP for the likelyhood of
of a US failure. I have found FC service comprable to US on HP and pretty much upgraded at close to 100%. A word of warning about comped status. You must finish your required mileage for your comprable comped status on HP by the end of the year or lose it. So get started soon. I started in August and did my 75,000 platinum miles on HP by the end of the year, as well as finish my 100,000 to keep US CP status for this year.

Were you in the right line? The HP Elite checkin line in PHL is separate from CO - it's on the extreme right of the ticket counter.

I must have been in the wrong FC line at the ticket counter. Didn't know there was two.

Was the separate HP line added after the CO divorce? It's such a small counter and I've never noticed it. Thanks!

I fly the HP PHX-PHL-PHX route at least twice a quarter, and the flights are usually pretty full, and I rarely miss an upgrade as a Gold/Plat.

But I have also noticed the sometimes-poor service from the PHL CO counter agents, who don't necessarily provide best-in-class service to HP flyers.

You'll find service to be exactly the same as US. BOB food service in Y. In F, you'll find lots of cold plates, no glassware and no silverware = same as US. Warm meals served on the PHX/LAS-PHL route during mealtime flights only, and food quality is very similar to US. The pre-flight drink is a little more common in F on HP than US, but still not 100%.