When do you throw in the towel with CO?
#16
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,955
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!
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!
#17

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SJO
Programs: CO Gold
Posts: 1,230
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
but hurry as this information will be gone soon
#18
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Programs: United 1K,Marriott Platinum Premier,IHC Platinum Ambassador,Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,898
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..
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: A festering pit; a pustule of a fistula set athwart the miasmic swamps of the armpit of the Gulf of Mexico - a Godforsaken wart upon a dark crevasse of the World. (IAH)
Programs: UA Lifetime Gold, BA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold
Posts: 31,403
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..

#20


Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New York NY
Programs: UA Gold, CO Plat, CO Million Miler
Posts: 2,700
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.
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: A festering pit; a pustule of a fistula set athwart the miasmic swamps of the armpit of the Gulf of Mexico - a Godforsaken wart upon a dark crevasse of the World. (IAH)
Programs: UA Lifetime Gold, BA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold
Posts: 31,403
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: UA 1K, MM, AMEX Plat, Hertz 1, SPG Plat
Posts: 153
#23


Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 717
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.
#24


Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 7,500
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.
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.
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: UA 1K, MM, AMEX Plat, Hertz 1, SPG Plat
Posts: 153
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.
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.
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.
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,892
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.
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.
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,092
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.
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.
#28
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portsmouth, VA
Programs: One Pass Platinum
Posts: 166
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.
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.
#29
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Programs: United 1K,Marriott Platinum Premier,IHC Platinum Ambassador,Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,898
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.
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.
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: IAH
Programs: La Ministreuse de Surréalisme, CO Plat, MR Plat, SPG Plat
Posts: 11,358
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..@:-)

