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When do you throw in the towel with CO?

 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 2:42 pm
  #16  
 
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You wife got lousy service across the Board. Sometimes when you hear these stories you wonder if they have a lottery and the unlucky traveler selected that day gets bad service till they limp into their final destination.

Maybe there is a secret society the CO -* as in CO negative star where everything and every excuse possible is used. As for the weather issue, I am sure somewhere on the planet had bad weather thus causing delays at EWR.

When to throw in the towel? Now!
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Old May 12, 2008 | 3:10 pm
  #17  
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Since this just HAPPENED I suggest you go to pda.continental.com , get the seat map of the plane where she wanted to go and take note of the empty seats

but hurry as this information will be gone soon
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Old May 12, 2008 | 3:22 pm
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The grass ISNT greener on the other side..I live in a US Useless Airways hub city and if you like paying to to check a bag at the curb..paying to select a seat..paying for food on the plane,paying for a cocktail in the Club..all from unhappy employees..then US is the airline to go to!..btw..if you miss your connection on most any airline and its not a mechanical problem your on your own..
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Old May 12, 2008 | 3:28 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by CAL PHL FLYER
The grass ISNT greener on the other side..I live in a US Useless Airways hub city and if you like paying to to check a bag at the curb..paying to select a seat..paying for food on the plane,paying for a cocktail in the Club..all from unhappy employees..then US is the airline to go to!..btw..if you miss your connection on most any airline and its not a mechanical problem your on your own..
The OP wasn't drawing a comparison between airlines, but merely commenting on shoddy service. It may be that most (if not all) of the legacies drop a big steaming one from time to time...doesn't mean we can't gripe about it if the complaint is justified (which it appears to be, in this case).
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Old May 12, 2008 | 3:29 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by wolfie_cr
Since this just HAPPENED I suggest you go to pda.continental.com , get the seat map of the plane where she wanted to go and take note of the empty seats

but hurry as this information will be gone soon
Assuming the direct flight that she wanted to get on was #2194 leaving GSO at 6:15 SUnday evening, a check of pda.continental.com indicates it went out with two seats empty. #4B and 16A.
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Old May 12, 2008 | 3:30 pm
  #21  
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Originally Posted by hughw
Assuming the direct flight that she wanted to get on was #2194 leaving GSO at 6:15 SUnday evening, a check of pda.continental.com indicates it went out with two seats empty. #4B and 16A.
OP should get a screenshot and append that to his letter as Exhibit 1.
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Old May 12, 2008 | 4:57 pm
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter
OP should get a screenshot and append that to his letter as Exhibit 1.

Thanks for the idea. Have got the screen shot. It was indeed CO2194, with two empty seats.
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Old May 12, 2008 | 8:10 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by hughw
Assuming the direct flight that she wanted to get on was #2194 leaving GSO at 6:15 SUnday evening, a check of pda.continental.com indicates it went out with two seats empty. #4B and 16A.
Having worked (and attempted to nonrev) with CO in the past, I feel obligated to point out that the seat map doesn't always tell the whole story. GSO-IAH is a long flight for a non-XR ERJ-145. Keep in mind that these flights are consistently weight restricted and the two empty seats may well have been held back from you for exactly this reason. "Full" doesn't always mean every seat is occupied.

That being said, the only way to figure out if the seats were indeed held or simply not taken is to escalate the issue with CO.
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Old May 13, 2008 | 11:46 am
  #24  
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I guess I have to wonder why an experienced flyer would ever schedule a 32 minute connection at EWR late in the day, connecting to the last flight of the day. I would have been shocked if she had made the connection.

Why didn't she book the GSO-IAH nonstop to begin with?

None of this excuses the attitude the OP's wife encountered, and it does appear that the delay between landing and leaving the plane was not weather related. But her problems started when she chose her original flights.
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Old May 13, 2008 | 12:43 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Stripe
I guess I have to wonder why an experienced flyer would ever schedule a 32 minute connection at EWR late in the day, connecting to the last flight of the day. I would have been shocked if she had made the connection.

Why didn't she book the GSO-IAH nonstop to begin with?

None of this excuses the attitude the OP's wife encountered, and it does appear that the delay between landing and leaving the plane was not weather related. But her problems started when she chose her original flights.
It was a reward ticket - with that being the only option provided available for the standard reward. Easy Pass was not available on that flight. Also - we all know that CO builds in at least a couple of mins in for ATC delays - and usually they can make the time up in the air.

Of course - we could have spent the $$$ for the direct ticket - but she's on a bit of a budget now - so it was either use miles or don't go.

If it is a posted connection - then it should be good. Yeah, Right.
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Old May 13, 2008 | 1:22 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Stripe
I guess I have to wonder why an experienced flyer would ever schedule a 32 minute connection at EWR late in the day, connecting to the last flight of the day. I would have been shocked if she had made the connection.

Why didn't she book the GSO-IAH nonstop to begin with?

None of this excuses the attitude the OP's wife encountered, and it does appear that the delay between landing and leaving the plane was not weather related. But her problems started when she chose her original flights.
You posted my exact thoughts. No way to excuse the agents' behavior, but come on now, booking a 32-minute connection at EWR is just asking to be abused, especially on a reward ticket. I would NEVER consider doing that. Ever. I won't even do that at CLE...
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Old May 13, 2008 | 1:53 pm
  #27  
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I'm going to say that CO's lengthy ticket reissue procedures discouraged the agent from helping you.

Most airlines can handle this in a minute or so. CO requires at least 5-10. So the agent was looking for an excuse not to help you.

Sorry it didn't work out, but as we all know, CO is great when things to well, but they completely fall apart in irregular ops.
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Old May 13, 2008 | 3:08 pm
  #28  
 
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Lousy customer service is inexcusable, but that is really not the issue. EWR has become such a quagmire of delays, that CO is doing everyone a disservice by booking ANY connection of less than one hour, much less showing them as a valid connection.

The OP learned a hard lesson that those of us who are slaves to connecting in EWR from smaller markets have also learned. I fly regularly from ORF (less than 500 mi) and only take a connection of less than 2 hours when the alternative is more than 3 hours. I don't even look at anything less than an hour.
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Old May 13, 2008 | 3:23 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by rw2841
Lousy customer service is inexcusable, but that is really not the issue. EWR has become such a quagmire of delays, that CO is doing everyone a disservice by booking ANY connection of less than one hour, much less showing them as a valid connection.

The OP learned a hard lesson that those of us who are slaves to connecting in EWR from smaller markets have also learned. I fly regularly from ORF (less than 500 mi) and only take a connection of less than 2 hours when the alternative is more than 3 hours. I don't even look at anything less than an hour.
Why not just be a grown up and book your connections with time to spare..delays happen all the time..if you dont plan extra time between flights then maybe you deserve to miss your connection..its seems like in the 80`s all the flights had 2 hours between them when i flew EA thru ATL all the time..@:-)
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Old May 13, 2008 | 3:36 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by CAL PHL FLYER
Why not just be a grown up and book your connections with time to spare..delays happen all the time..if you dont plan extra time between flights then maybe you deserve to miss your connection..its seems like in the 80`s all the flights had 2 hours between them when i flew EA thru ATL all the time..@:-)
While I would not have booked that flight; it was a legal connection that CO published and they did not step up to the plate in a way that one would expect. The service she received was awful.
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