Originally Posted by
marcworld
1) Can't check in online
Why? More detail on this point needed to comment. When did you try? how did you try? How did the problem manifest itself?
Originally Posted by
marcworld
2) Checking in at the airport, they ask me what kind of seat do I want. I had already chosen seats online! They say, no you didn't. (Yes I did.) Got decent seats anyway...ok no big deal, but
But if, as you say above, you did not check on online, then your seats - while reserved - would still not be locked as far as checkin staff are concerned.
Staff offered you a choice, really don't see why this point is here.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
3) ATH-BCN Flight is listed an hour late. Eventually became 3 hours late. Status is never updated.
On who's system? Athens airport?
Originally Posted by
marcworld
4) I can accept that all refreshments are paid, even water...but the refreshments were just outrageously overpriced. A bottle of water and a tiny little bag of almonds set me back almost 7 euros. Obscene.
What price were you expecting to pay?
This seems quite normal to me, across many carriers.
I think you are the one who must have come in with unrealistic expectations.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
And most of the menu was unhealthy fast food garbage. Like, complete garbage. I could get something at McDonalds, set it on fire, eat the charred item, and still come out healthier that something from that Vueling menu.
The vueling menu contains many healthier options the some other airlines I've been on!
However, again, what on earth were you expecting them to be selling? It's snack food.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
5) Seat pitch - pretty brutal, but I'll give them a pass on this one too, low cost carriers are what they are.
so why is it in the list?
Originally Posted by
marcworld
6) My next flight, BCN-RAK, is listed online all day as 1hr late. I appreciated the notice, thinking, well I can just show back up at BCN later and enjoy my dat at Sitges. But then at the last second, the status is changed back to ON TIME. So I freaked out and RAN back to the airport...only to wait at the airport for 2 hours. Not only did it go back to being 1 hr late, it was even later. The Flightstats page says "79 minutes" but that's pretty generous, we didn't really get off that plane until 90+ minutes late. They don't really inform you of status or reasons or anything at all.
So don't leave the airport. Again, maybe this is expectations, but you should arrive at the airport at the scheduled time regardless. Anything can happen, aircraft substituted. And as with any situation, things can change in both directions, decisions reversed etc.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
7) This flight was very late at night, supposed to depart at 11:45pm, so when I'm getting onto the plane after 1am, I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open. I kind of stumbled a little at the plane door. And I was mad, and my face looked grumpy I'm sure. A very stern male flight attendant kind of scolded me in Spanish, asking me "are you alright?" but in a very accusatory tone, as if I was a drunk or something. (I was completely sober.) I had to convince this guy I was fine and healthy instead of ripping his head off about the inexplicable lateness.
Could be language issues. Could also be bad staff member.
When both occur, it is a problem.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
8) THE CROWD - is this all europeans? Just all spaniards? Just Vueling low budget travelers?
You seem keen on blanket generalisations:
But they were all sick - plane full of coughing people who don't cover their mouths and who have absolutely no respect for personal space, or polite queueing, or patience at all. Both flights, the plane landed and everyone immediately jumped out of their seat - while the plane is still moving on the tarmac - and shoving themselves into the aisles to be the first one off. I'm always in a hurry, so I'm kind of sympathetic, but yeesh this was just crazy. And blatant line cutting in the jetway too! Standing there, waiting for people to board and the coughing jackholes behind me not only refuse to stay back (let's cough our germs onto everyone!) but they even tried to shove up in front of me while I was standing there!
The flight probably had a lot of people from loads of countries, and with varying cultural backgrounds with regard to how queues occur and what is expected.
How much personal space were you expecting in a queue? Based upon some of your other points in this post - while it should not be sardines - I'm concerned it might be unrealistic.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
9) My bag was damaged, not enough to file a claim (and I doubt they would care or do anything) but damaged still.
Again, this just sounds like a run of bad luck. Bags do suffer wear and tear in the baggage systems, and that often occurs as a series of randomly occurring specific events, rather than continual wear as you would get with fading or friction, etc.
My approach is: Is the bag damaged beyond acceptable levels for wear. If it is report it no matter how small the damage, if not, accept it as part of use.
Originally Posted by
marcworld
So when I'm boarding, I ask the guy, "can you tell me what is the new arrival time?"
He can't figure it out. He is totally confused. He tells me "it's 3 hours minus 2." Well the flight time is wrong. His idea of the time zone difference is wrong. He stumbled some more and then said something like "you figure it out."
I said "that was not helpful, at all."
I don't think he understood me or cared.
Again, I think your expectations from ground staff are WAY off. They will be handling loads of flights a day, to all sorts of places. Other than the turn around on the ground at their airport, and the schedules for that departure operation they will have no involvement with the wider flight.