CO1724 IAH-AUS serviced via bus
 

(Those of you that think MD80s are bad will really enjoy this)

So, my sweetheart is “flying” ATL-IAH-AUS this evening. ATL-IAH arrived on time, but IAH-AUS was not nearly as smooth. After being delayed for three hours for mechanical problems (in fifteen minute intervals, of course), the gate agent announced that a bus would service the route.

That’s right, the flight was supposed to arrive around 7:30pm CT in AUS, but it’s now 10:30pm CT and the non-continental-branded bus has just left IAH with a driver that is soliciting passengers for directions to AUS.

I refuse to believe that there wasn’t another aircraft at IAH for them to service this route. It’s unacceptable to me that this last-resort was used at IAH and, additionally, that something was only done after delaying the flight for three hours.

Unbelievable. Has anyone seen them give up on a route like this before and just put everyone on a bus?

I think that they should arrive around 1am, but CO is claiming 1:30am. When bussing into AUS, where do passengers deplane (or debus as the case is)?


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daniel baker -- [email protected]

*LOL* Even better, do they make you keep your cellphone off for the duration of the "flight"? I've never heard of CO doing that EVER. I'd think they'd be more likely to do the hotel voucher thing and leave the next morning, or press another aircraft into service. Think someone on the ground got a bit 'overinventive?'

I was at the CO express terminal this summer in EWR. I was delayed for my Express flight to IAD along with all other flights.. however I recall the flight from EWR to Albany was cx so they bussed them up there, I couldn't believe it, thats a good five hour ride from EWR in bad weather no less..

Relatives of mine are OnePass members and moved last year to a spot in NJ that was closer to ABE than to EWR. CO does offer a "flight" from ABE to EWR, but the flight is a shuttle. I presume it counts as a flight segment. My kin were unwilling to try it and usually just drive the extra distance to EWR!

I was stuck at EWR without a plane a couple times... once I was going to BOS. If they had bussed us it would have been faster (incoming a/c got diverted to BWI). Of course, the delays trickled out. Must have sucked to be on the flight scheduled to leave an hour before mine; it didn't arrive for at least another couple hours...

What's the difference between F and Y on a bus? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I don't know, but if we talk about it for any length of time, SOMEONE will chime in and say the folks in F on the bus are the ones who actually deserve to be there, they are treated appropriately like royalty, no one riding in Y on the bus was ever promised or guaranteed access to the busses F section, and they should be grateful for being allowed on the bus at all. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by NJDavid (edited 09-01-2001).]

In Jan after flying from LGW into a very foggy EWR, then milling around for 2-3 hours with 10,000 other similarly stranded folks, CO made an announcement they were chartering a bus to get we 30 very tired people to Philly. We helped the bus driver with the proper directions, and I was very happy to de-board the chartered bus at Term D in Philly. We received ff miles too.

As for "not having an extra aircraft in IAH", it is usually not having a "legal crew" on hand that prevents flying at this point.

MisterNice

The IAH-EFD and IAH-HOU flights are often serviced by bus (or van or taxi) when weather prevents the flights from taking off. I took a van from EFD-IAH once and did receive my miles.

I have twice seen them send a plane load from SAT to IAH on a bus due to weather conditions. IMO it's cheaper to lease a bus than put a plane load of people up in a hotel.

Years past, CO actually had shuttle bus service between HOU & IAH. You got 500 miles and 1 segment for the trip.

Baker:

Did they give any compensation to the passengers??

HOLLYHP: The bus from ABE to EWR is the best way to get through the major construction, traffic, and parking problems at EWR. IT COUNTS FOR A SEGMENT, you can keep the cell phone on the whole trip, and the Driver(pilot) deals with the idiots on the road better than you could. The parking charge at ABE beats the one at EWR and you have a better chance of your car still being there. when you return. I have even taken it on a December 30th when I was short some segments for a new Elite level (before they raised the fare). On the return, it beats having to find your car, drive out of the airport and on I-78, etc., etc., etc. Try it; you'll like it.

Last December my flight from Houston to Steamboat, Colorado couldn't land due to weather so we landed at DEN. Then CO had three coach busses try to get us to Steamboat in a blizzard (not even offering to fly -or even drive- us there at a later time). The bus I was on lost its brakes and nearly caused a serious accident. The driver insisted on continuing! Luckily, the police soon closed the highway in both directions forcing CO to get us all hotel rooms for the night. We completed the bus trip in the morning.

No, but I've yet to write my letter. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Isn't this the type of situation perfect for rule 240?

pointman writes: Perfect?, yeah for the airline, the only provisions for compensation are for denied boarding, period. For misconnections, equipment substitutions, mechanical and weather delays you get nada. In the case of mechanical delays you can get meals, lodging and/or transportation on another carrier, but compensation?, nope, sorry.