flightdoc

I am nearing the end of my rope. I thought that the forum ought to hear this. Yes, it is a rant. But read on for a good laugh, or more reasons to switch to a new airline.

I spent over a week trying to book an award flight on the old USAir site (this was about January timeframe) - a flight from Hawaii to Lisbon. Repeated attempts to book would find the flights for me, let me go through the whole process, and then when I hit book the site would tell me "please start again". This was interesting to me because when I tried to book HNL-LAX or HNL-SFO, the site would tell me that, "the origin city is not serviced" or something similar. But if I entered "HNL-LIS" it would give me the flight options and let me waste time before booting me. Multiple calls to the service center led to multiple different assertions from multiple assistants and supervisors that, variously, the site was working fine, the site was down, the site couldn't book that flight, etc. etc. I gave up.

Then I tried to book an award flight PIT-HNL (6-9 months in advance). Now, I have flown RT on US awards between the US and Europe 4 times in the past 4 years and never had difficulty using my miles. I usually got the flights I wanted or dates that were close. I spent 2+ hours on the phone with US customer service 3-4 times having them sift every available flight combination for a 9-month stretch and was repeatedly told "there's no award travel available". This would be semi-believable except for 1 thing: twice I had a service rep on the phone find me a RT award flight (for 2 people, no less) PIT-HNL and get all the way to my confirmation code when, both times, they put me on hold for a few minutes and then came back on to tell me "I'm sorry, that flight is no longer available to book for award travel". Apparently, they heard the "thump" of me hitting the ground after falling off the back of the turnip truck.

Then last week, I did an online search for award travel availability HNL-DEN on both US and UA, found plenty of availability, and tried to book it online. When I was summarily punted from the system, I called the service center. Twice I had a rep find an available award seat for the date and flight I wanted, and then after she allegedly booked it, she put me on hold a few minutes then came back on the line to tell me that "we no longer have availability for that flight". I finally bacame outraged enough to demand to speak to a supervisor. Unbelievably, the first time I was put on terminal hold (> 20 minutes then I hung up). The second time was a different story.

When the supervisor finally came on the line, he told me that he would give me some "advice": check the website after 7pm EST on 21 May - I would be able to book the award travel and everything else at that time because the new website would be launched and the "merger" (i.e. acquisition) would be complete. I asked why I hadn't seen an email on this and he said that was because they were trying to keep it quiet since no one had been trained on the new booking system. Sure enough, at 7:13pm EST on 21 May I checked and the new website was up and running. I re-registered, it brought up all of my old account (DM) ifo, and I proceeded to try to book award travel. Upon attempting to do so, I of course received multiple error messages such as "US doesn't service the city entered" and "sorry, that function is not in service at this time". I checked the UA website and indeed found award seats available for several flights that would work for me (but I didn't have enough UA miles left to grab the flight). After calling the DM service center and trying to book the flight, the rep informed me (again after taking me through the whole reservation process but prior to a confirmation code and after a few minutes on hold), '"I'm sorry Sir, one of the flight segments will not allow us to book an award seat". When I asked her if she could override it, she said no. Then when I asked how there was a seat available just a few minutes earlier, she proceeded to tell me that she actually could not even see seat availability for that segment. She would not even book the rest of the flight and let me pay the $400 for the one segment!

Please tell me that I'm not the only one. I am ready to scream (in fact, I have several times to the amusement of my coworkers at lunchtime). I have stuck with US all these years because I felt like they provided the best service and always responded promptly to complaints about service. I actually admire the way they pulled a fast one on the rest of the industry with this "merger" with HP. IMHO, only CO (among US carriers) has anything resembling (old) US service levels. But if my recent experience is any indication, that service is out the window. Recently, I have been able to get award seats and upgrades with both UA and CO (including on CO codeshares with NW using CO miles) less than 24 hours in advance, over the phone, with no hassle. If this continues to be the case, I'll be pulling the ejection handle on US soon. It's unfortunate that US has gone this way. LCC not. More like Zero service carrier (0SC).

Thanks for letting me rant.

Phoenix Flyer

Flightdoc-

It's not a rant. It's facts based on your experience, and based on a little more than 80% of the posts on this board, the same as 80% of all other US customers. US is imploding and most people are reacting accordingly and exiting their a/c.

BUT, when a carrier mindlessly thinks load factor is what matters most it allows the carrier to briefly not care. We are now in that brief period where US can continue to survive for a short while longer. Because their senior team is not seasoned or motivated in a manner that allows them to think holistically, they do not YET know that when more new butts rotate through their seats a much higher number of passengers are witnesses to their repetitive failures and deceit.

It's really basic math, posted many times here by many others: pleasing the same customers repeatedly and keeping them in the seats creates 15 to 35% more revenue at 13% to 22% lower variable expense...in every single US business sector. Instead, US insists on displeasing and deceiving all customers while thinking any butt in any seat is all that matters. Their "butt" and load factor mentality, in concert together, makes their impending outcome 70% to 80% worse than it would otherwise be.

They are eliminating their own brand, I believe, faster than any US brand during the last 30 or so years. All key players in Tempe are sound asleep, and talking in their sleep repeating "yes, Doug...yes, Doug...yes, Doug...".

If you wonder why they are all mal-motivated take a look at their proxies over the last 4 years. Malfeasance in executive compensation is the rule there. It's fun to watch their mess unfold. Their next steps and their outcomes are guaranteed.

DC-USCP-UAPE

I'm starting to think that Doug Parker has "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap as a consultant.

If you remember in the '80s, I believe, Al Dunlap was a hero on Wallstreet for turning around companies. His 'secret strategy' was cut everything possible - it made for a great short term gains, but ultimately bankrupt Sunbeam, Scott Paper, and others.

If the vitrol on this board is to be believed, Tempe's gains may be short lived.

bofie

top issues for me?

not the website...it will get fixed

1. crazy high prices for crappy product eg FC

2. no rollover... i'm not giving up on this one &^%$

3. Tiny 757 F cabins

4. Long RJ flights

gardener

Great - now we know they didn't announce the launch of the POS site on purpose. I am still steamed I didn't get a chance to print out my last few months activity as protection.

Flightdoc - you have every right to be steamed as well. No one should have to go thru what you did.

longing4piedmont

Who says? Please document your statistics. Bet you can't. You DO know it is against the TOS to post knowingly false information.

Better yet I bet you go into attack mode.........

KevAZ

I for one would love to see some real stats. I have some old ones on the air express shipping/postal industry but not airlines.

Art234

There was a post a while back from a friend of ours who quoted a statement from a UA exec which confirmed that the top 20% or so of an airline's frequent travelers contribute at least 40% of the airline's revenue. Customer retention is in fact less expensive in the long run than attracting new customers, and the potential rewards are staggering.

With the overwhelming sentiment among the frequent flier community going against US in numbers I have NEVER seen before (and I mean FF's NOT on the boards as well as those of us here), I think it's time to wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late.

I truly believe that the new US has all the tools necessary to succeed--they just need to realize that they can't succeed by not offering VALUE and SERVICE to their customers, especially those of us who provide a substantial portion of their revenue.

I am now off for SEA to find out if I am getting home tonight--update to follow

longing4piedmont

Art

You know I love you buddy and all the rest of the cockroaches. We had a lot of fun and we tried to make a difference. I've always held off on posting that I thought to continue to fight what was happening now was a waste of time, but I'm going to now.

It is over and has been for some time. Some of us realized before others and for some it has taken much longer. As much as I hate to say it, the time to wake up and smell the coffee does not rest in Tempe. They have made it clear what the airline is to become, they just don't want to loose the revenue that you generate in the mean time. It IS only going to get worse from here.

I tried to get you comped to the dark side last week but was told emphatically that PLT was not in the cards, only GM. This was coming from the guy at the top. It was refreshing to get to meet the management and discuss issues in an open and frank way. I didn't like several answers that I heard, but I appreciated being told how it was going to be with no hedging. (Reminded me of our conversations with Deborah) The difference was I got a response to my concerns where as the majority here are being ignored. In the end that is an answer as well. Not a professional one, but an answer just the same.

I'm truly sorry that it has come to this, but they have the coffee and the pot and that is not going to change.

PineyBob

Well I'm going to tilt at the windmill a bit longer thank you very much. Somebody in the Sandcastle through their arrogance and non responsiveness have made this personal with me.

I will get a response, one way or another. I would argue that if you're to busy to follow up with a customer then you're to busy and can't handle your job.

Phoenix Flyer

Piney-

You have it wrong. You are not tilting at windmills. It is US that is doing that. Their competitors are now also onto their game and many are in the process of sticking daggers into them. No carrier is following their lead.

How do I get into ffocus??? I have been too busy to do it.

longing4piedmont

Piney

Food for thought……

We have an expression in the south. It goes something along the lines of you might as will be peeing up a rope. Two things happen when you do. The rope turns yellow and you get it all over you.

I wish you well Mr. Quixote.

PineyBob

I have some food for thought for you as well. The urinating up a rope saying is also in use north of the M-D Line, frequently by me.

Just keep in mind it took from "Black Tuesday" in August of 2002 until December of 2003 for our first face to face with "Benny & his Jets" and from December of 2003 to August of '04 to have RoachFEST.

So if it's OK with you I'll hide out here in the Pine Barrens of NJ and MAYBE the windmill will fall over afterall.

starflyer

Sorry, now I'm confused. Is there a specific question/issue that is awaiting a response?

PineyBob

With me personally? Short answer? YES

But we have heard significant anecdotal evidence that the company is non responsive in general.

The best way to describe the situation is to say that CCY and Consumer Affairs took a Customer Satisfaction and retention approach while the Sandcastle takes a Compliant Resolution approach.

To me the ONLY real differentiator between airlines is how they treat there customers when things go wrong as they often do in any business. Honestly I'm OK with the fares for the most part. Glassware & a hot meal don't excite me. They're monkeying with DM a little to much IMO.

But the thing that just wads my knickers are events like the website debacle and their attempt to spin it. Fess up and say "It's not going as well as we planned, but we're working night and day to fix it, please pardon our dust". They do that and I'm doing a 180 on this board defending them.

Next we have the bull excrement about the best FF Program in the world! Yeah right if the only other airline is Aeroflot

You write in with an issue and you don't even get an auto response acknowledging your e-mail. That alone should tell you how much they value customers, Like not at all!

This stuff isn't rocket surgery, it's basic Business 101. Any company can win your business when everything is all peachy keen. But the measure of a great company is their ability to retain your loyalty after the poopy is layered an inch deep on the fan.

When I sold my best customers NEVER waited more than a half hour for a response from me. I built a loyal base that always kept near quota and a boat load of referrals. Again basic good business.

All they have proven to me is they wouldn't know the truth if it hit them in the arse.