CPRich

Seriously? No, really, seriously?

85, 80, 79, 75, 57 and 46 are anywhere near in the ballpark of 30/12 in the everything-is-rosy-sorry-for-the-small-problem-see-you-next-flight world of US supporters?

The Iraqi Defense Ministry analogy just keeps popping into my head.

me4yankees

Although humorously written, this "letter" was dead on. This could have been written about CLT, as the conditions were the same, as I was there on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and had a very similar, sad, frustrating experience. However, our displaced passenger information was distributed on white paper in the form of a letter, listing hotels/phone numbers/rates (that were almost all booked when we called; we found one available that was not on the list) and encouraging us to call the US 800 number (which was useless.)

There were even signs posted at some of the gates stating, "If you are traveling to the Northeast, please call 800-428-4322 for re-accomodation." In other words, "Don't ask me to help you!"

I even witnessed a gate agent who said to a group of standby customers, "Don't ask me any more questions or ask me for any more information, or I will call security."

I have been caught up in many weather-related airline inconveniences in the past 10 years of frequent flying and I have never seen anything this negative happen to so many people.

woolfcross

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't having a busy signal on the CP line for hours on end a first?

I, too, have often been caught in bad weather (and other severe travel situations, like 9/11, when I was in NYC, mid-journey on a US-booked itinerary). But I don't recall EVER not being able to reach the CP line--the life preserver that has kept me loyal to US for so long.

No waiting on long and surly lines--just a quick call to the CP angels who would "fix" the problem, no matter how great (which in this case would probably have meant being re-booked on a flight a day or so later).

I understand, of course, that thousands of distressed passengers were calling in, so the lines were overwhelmed. But before, US must have been doing something different, keeping some agents free--"dedicated" to helping CPs--for I could always reach them with, at the worst, a short wait time.

DCAorBust

In February, I was stranded in MIA on AA under similar weather-related problems in the NE. (In fact, my flight left OT without me because I was wading through two hours of self-service check in with folks whose flights had canceled the day before). I was relegated to standby with 220 other passengers. The gate agent made similar "Stop bothering me, there's nothing I can do announcements." Without status on AA, I knew that standby was hopeless.

Even in a well-staffed major hub, AA suffered from self-inflicted wounds including long ticketing lines, longer security lines, and a failure to manage the crowd.

The difference?
When I called AA reservations I was speaking with an agent within 20-30 minutes. Despite my lack of status, the call wasn't answered in Manila. Consequently the agent was able to understand me and intuit my situation without prompting. For instance, she knew that under the circumstances IAD-BWI-DCA would all be acceptable. She had the sense to ask whether my need was dire enough that I'd consider self-funded ground transport from somewhere along the NE Amtrak corridor. Moreover while the agent was booking us into JFK, she kept her other eye fixed on the last MIA-DCA flight. Miraculously 2 seats opened and she nabbed them. We were home by midnight. Oh, and without asking, we each received 2 follow-up emails: the first gave us 10k apology miles to compensate for a mechanical delay on our outbound flight; the second gave us 4k miles to compensate for the disruption caused by the substantial wait time at MIA check-in. (I can hear US blaming the passengers for only showing up 2-hours in advance of departure).

What was our urgency? We were booked on US to leave DCA at 7:00 the next morning. Whilst on standby in MIA, I suffered through 3 phone calls to US reservations (each with a 30+ min hold time) trying to change my next day departure. The first call disconnected. The second call disconnected when I said the magic words: "Is there a supervisor I can speak with?" The third agent was utterly useless, perhaps she spilled some coffee and could no longer read her script. I suppose I should be thankful for the ineptitude, since AA got us home to DCA in time to make the US flight, thus saving me change penalties.

Of course flying with US didn't go unpunished: a gate snafeu at PHX caused us to get bumped from our confirmed trans-con F seats. In fact, just last week I spent 114 minutes on the phone with CSD seeking return of 20k DM used when I booked the upgrade. Shouldn't I have been refunded as a matter of course? Oh, and forget about any apology bonus miles.

The lesson? Both airlines were dealing with a weather problem. Both suffered from internal mistakes. AA just tried harder, I noticed, and appreciated it.

After a 3 year hiatus I am resuming travel this year. Unfortunately I've already booked myself half-way to silver on US. Flying US without status is absolutely miserable. I'm hoping that having access to the SP agents will make it bearable--next year, ugh. In the meantime I guess I'll just apportion my travel between the carriers using AA whenever convenient.

martin33

So far for Monday, everything sure is (gulp!) "rosy"--- US has reached what passes for "normal" for them these days: 35% on-time departures and 62% arrivals. Delays look particularly bad at PHL, however: 72% of departures have been delayed, but then again that was improved from a perfect (perfectly awful!) 100% rate of delay on Sunday.

Blame that east coast weather? Getting hard to do, on Day 4, with CO showing 72% on-time departures so far today at EWR. Even US is managing 40% at DCA and LGA. But alas, they'll get no credit for that. AA is running 79% on-time departures at LGA and 75% at JFK. DL is over 90% at LGA, and 50% at JFK (DL's pale imitation version of the PHL black hole phenomenon). B6 is showing 62% so far today at their JFK home.

GadgetFreak

US has less than half the percentage of ontime flights as DL or AA and is more than 10 times as high in percentage of canceled flights. That is a very, very big difference.

FrequentHopper

At that point, I'd have simply demanded they print out a paper ticket for me, and then gone straight to the United, Delta, AA, or CO desk and booked a connection. If she called security on me, I would have had the story as front page news across the country the next morning.

me4yankees

I was shocked and was glad I had kept my distance! Being stuck in CLT is better than jail!

FrequentHopper

They don't have the ability to put people in jail (regardless of their desire to the contrary). If I'm at check-in, being reasonable/unthreatening, and asking information about how US Airways is going to fix my already-paid-for itinerary, and getting threatened, I'm well within my rights to ask -- pointedly and without threatening -- how they're going to fix it.

Airline employees and executives need to remember they already have our money, and treating us like dog poo, threatening us with hollow threats of "arrest" for wanting information, and other behavior is completely unacceptable.

US FFs should plan their next trip carefully -- if US Airways screws up again with this magnitude, they should be prepared to demand a printed ticket and walk over to Delta or AA or UAL. Failing that, they should call their credit card issuers and challenge the charge for the ticket.

If US Airways has $20 million in revenue in a given day either vanish into the coffers of other airlines or evaporate when the issuing banks demand their money back for service not rendered, that should get attention -- especially from the "count every ounce of Diet Coke" guys running things these days.

Unfortunately for the vast majority of US travelers, especially FFs, you get the worst of all worlds -- stranded in the airport, with nasty service and lame excuses, and US gets to keep your money anyway.

me4yankees

It was a sad sight. I had been on standby for one flight and had seen many of these people then and then the same group again for the second flight. They just had questions about how the standby was supposed to work, whether the list would be really rolled over (I do not think everyone was rolled over), did they have other standby destination options...just typical questions. That particular agent just did not want to field the questions. What the agent should have done, if not willing or able to help, was to try to direct them to someone who could or was willing to help.

FrequentHopper

Remember, you can only be arrested for violations of the law. Asking a "customer service" agent when (s)he's getting you home, and how, isn't violating the law in any way, shape or form.

Threatening assault or violence is, but (s)he'd have to perjur himself/herself to claim customers were doing that.

Remember -- you've paid for a service. You're not receiving the service. You have every right to demand that service be immediately rendered, or failing that, your money returned to in full you quickly and cheerfully -- regardless of airline "policy."

Stand firm on that point. I'm tired of the near-fraud I'm seeing in aviation where airlines think that they can keep your money and not get you to your destination on time (or at all).

A couple of years ago, I was in Toronto (and living in London). I flew UAL and UAL screwed up my connection, resulting in a missed flight to Washington (and thus a missed flight home to England). She gave me a spiel about how "these things happen" and finally said "well I cannot get too concerned, you only spent $850 on this ticket round-trip" (it was a coach fare). To which, I replied "I bought a ticket to get from London to Toronto on this date at this time, and to return back to London from Toronto on the flight you've just cancelled. I didn't buy a lottery ticket that MIGHT get me there if United is feeling benevolent. Please deliver the service for which I contracted for."

She looked at me cross eyed and sent me over to Air Canada, who got me home.

Finally, think of it this way -- if US Airways flew you to a destination and then your credit card charge was declined, do you think they'd accept a "policy" that allowed you to pay them whenever you felt like, however you felt like, for service they'd already rendered? Of course not. They'd demand immediate payment in full.

Why should it be different for customers who have already paid and demand the service contracted for?

me4yankees

FrequentHopper - I agree completely.