The consolidated US Rant Thread ("I'm mad / I hate / How could they? . .")
Jun 14, 2013, 8:43 am
#211
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Programs: United
Posts: 17
The $25 has nothing to do with the "work" the airline does. There is no correlation of price vs effort. If you want to take a bag on the plane, it costs $25. Period. It doesn't guarantee fast service; it doesnt even guarantee it'll arrive on-time, on your flight, or without damages. The $25 allows your bag to fly. Think of it as a ticket for your bag.
And I only had to wait 20 minutes to have it tagged after checking myself in at the kiosk! My flight wasn't leaving for three hours--what's the rush? I could have easily spent another hour or two in line and still made my flight.
And who am I to expect a certain level of service and care for my bag? When I picked up the sopping wet bag in Greensboro, I should have knelt down and recited a prayer of gratitude that US Airways had worked a miracle--they actually delivered my bag on the same plane on which I was flying to the same airport where I landed. I cannot imagine how a company can deliver this kind of wonderful service for a mere $25!
It's almost as if I had flown on my own private jet with its own attentive, helpful, friendly staff! When I discovered that all my clothes were wet, why didn't I realize that this was just a pre-soaking procedure that US Airways offers for passengers returning home with dirty laundry?
I have flown other airlines that are supposedly famous for good service, for example Singapore Airlines, but now I realize that US Airways is the one that really sets the standard for great service among the world's airlines. I'll never fly any other airline but US Airways again!
Jun 14, 2013, 8:56 am
#212
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,294
It seems to me that there are two issues here in BobHWS's situation:
The first is lousy and/or lazy and/or inattentive service. That happens everywhere from time to time for various reasons, some good, most not. It's annoying -- at least, it annoys me, too. It's possible that US is worse here than other airlines; I wouldn't know. What I do know is that it is unlikely that US wants it to be that way, and certain that things won't improve if they don't know what is not working. So a reasonable note to customer service about the delays in check-in and the negligence of baggage (getting soaked, that is) would be a good thing all around, IMHO.
As for the credit card thing, others have made the right point: It depends on what you are looking for from a card. The Barclays MC lets me get 10,000 PQMs annually and that's a big deal for me. I'm off on a a hell of a cheap getaway with others thanks to the $99 companion fares. Works for me. I don't use the card in Europe because of the surcharge. There I can use, among others, my United Chase Visa. But you know what? I don't check bags (not even to Europe), so that doesn't do much for me. So, like the others say, on this front, each to his or her own. I'll sure miss the Barclays MC when Citi and AA take over.
The first is lousy and/or lazy and/or inattentive service. That happens everywhere from time to time for various reasons, some good, most not. It's annoying -- at least, it annoys me, too. It's possible that US is worse here than other airlines; I wouldn't know. What I do know is that it is unlikely that US wants it to be that way, and certain that things won't improve if they don't know what is not working. So a reasonable note to customer service about the delays in check-in and the negligence of baggage (getting soaked, that is) would be a good thing all around, IMHO.
As for the credit card thing, others have made the right point: It depends on what you are looking for from a card. The Barclays MC lets me get 10,000 PQMs annually and that's a big deal for me. I'm off on a a hell of a cheap getaway with others thanks to the $99 companion fares. Works for me. I don't use the card in Europe because of the surcharge. There I can use, among others, my United Chase Visa. But you know what? I don't check bags (not even to Europe), so that doesn't do much for me. So, like the others say, on this front, each to his or her own. I'll sure miss the Barclays MC when Citi and AA take over.
Jun 14, 2013, 8:20 pm
#213
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA Plat/2MM, DL Silver, UA Silver (via Marr), Marr LTT, HH Gold (via cc), Hyatt Disc
Posts: 1,039
You're right, what am I thinking? I consider myself so fortunate that US Airways was even willing to sell me a ticket in the first place. I'm so blessed! I should be grateful that they didn't also charge my bag the same fare that they charged me, $475. $25 is such a bargain!
And I only had to wait 20 minutes to have it tagged after checking myself in at the kiosk! My flight wasn't leaving for three hours--what's the rush? I could have easily spent another hour or two in line and still made my flight.
And who am I to expect a certain level of service and care for my bag? When I picked up the sopping wet bag in Greensboro, I should have knelt down and recited a prayer of gratitude that US Airways had worked a miracle--they actually delivered my bag on the same plane on which I was flying to the same airport where I landed. I cannot imagine how a company can deliver this kind of wonderful service for a mere $25!
It's almost as if I had flown on my own private jet with its own attentive, helpful, friendly staff! When I discovered that all my clothes were wet, why didn't I realize that this was just a pre-soaking procedure that US Airways offers for passengers returning home with dirty laundry?
I have flown other airlines that are supposedly famous for good service, for example Singapore Airlines, but now I realize that US Airways is the one that really sets the standard for great service among the world's airlines. I'll never fly any other airline but US Airways again!
And I only had to wait 20 minutes to have it tagged after checking myself in at the kiosk! My flight wasn't leaving for three hours--what's the rush? I could have easily spent another hour or two in line and still made my flight.
And who am I to expect a certain level of service and care for my bag? When I picked up the sopping wet bag in Greensboro, I should have knelt down and recited a prayer of gratitude that US Airways had worked a miracle--they actually delivered my bag on the same plane on which I was flying to the same airport where I landed. I cannot imagine how a company can deliver this kind of wonderful service for a mere $25!
It's almost as if I had flown on my own private jet with its own attentive, helpful, friendly staff! When I discovered that all my clothes were wet, why didn't I realize that this was just a pre-soaking procedure that US Airways offers for passengers returning home with dirty laundry?
I have flown other airlines that are supposedly famous for good service, for example Singapore Airlines, but now I realize that US Airways is the one that really sets the standard for great service among the world's airlines. I'll never fly any other airline but US Airways again!
Jun 17, 2013, 8:55 pm
#214
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Programs: United
Posts: 17
BobWHS: I hope you can understand that the point about the $25 is that that is an industry standard; no status, no credit card, you pay to check a bag regardless of what you "did" to get it into the system. You would be much better off, and find a more sympathetic audience, if you focused more on the conditions your bag was delivered than replying to (factual) responses with overarching sarcasm.
Also, I understood full well that I would have to pay to check my bag on US Airways. I'm not complaining about that. I'm complaining that I paid for a service and I got lousy service--a 20-minute wait to get my bag tagged and a soaking wet bag on my arrival.
I did note that it would be nice if the US Airways credit card had the same benefit as a United credit card, i.e., one bag checked free, but I knew that it didn't. I knew I would have to pay for the checked bag and I did so without complaint. Again, my complaint is that I paid for a service and I got bad service.
I did send a complaint via email to US Airways and they sent me an unsatisfactory response. They apologized that my initial flight on the PHL-->GSO leg of my trip had been cancelled.
Fine, but I never complained about that. I understand that flights get cancelled for lots of legit reasons and I was rebooked on the next flight. They also apologized that my bag got wet in Greensboro (where it was not raining on my arrival), but I had complained that it got wet in Philly where it was raining hard and my bag had obviously sat outside for awhile.
The right thing for US Airways to do in my situation would be to give me a credit or a voucher for $25 that I could use to check a bag on my next US Airways flight. That's the kind of simple, non-cash benefit that any service company would offer to a customer when it fails to properly deliver a service.
For example, last year in Vegas, when I rented a car from Avis, I noticed later that it was pretty dirty. I noted the dirty condition of the car in the customer survey they sent me. They contacted me, apologized and sent me a $50 voucher good for a year. It was a small gesture, but it prompted me to rent from Avis the next time I rented a car.
Most airlines are so bad that they don't even bother to send out the kind of routine customer surveys that we are bombarded with by virtually every business with which we come in contact these days.
US Airways is a bad airline that is about to merge with another bad airline, American. The result, as Stanford Business School professor Jeffrey Pfeffer explains in this Businessweek article, will be a bigger, worse airline.
The American-US Airways Merger Is a Bad Idea
businessweek.com
By Jeffrey Pfeffer
February 13, 2013
Endlessly repeating falsehoods won’t make them true—something that stock analysts and the press need to learn about mergers in general and airline mergers specifically. So no, the much anticipated American-US Airways merger is unlikely to be a success by any measure...
Pick your preferred performance measure, and see if it shows any relationship with size...In general, the bigger the airline, the lower the ranking.
How about internationally? Measured by total passengers carried, the top 10 list from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) contains not one of the top 10 of the World’s Best Airlines from 2012 as reported on the CNBC website...
...The simple fact is, as Gary Hamel commented years ago, zero plus zero still equals zero. Or in the airline business, if you take one troubled airline and combine it with another, all you get is a larger catastrophe.
The problem is not size—economies of scale are not that important in many industries, not just airlines, and are achieved in any case at sizes much smaller than the larger companies. The problem for the airlines is a flying experience that causes people to want to drive for short trips and to avoid long trips if they can...
...As research by Claes Fornell, founder of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, demonstrates, customer satisfaction drives profits—and shareholder return.
Last edited by BobHWS; Jun 18, 2013 at 4:34 am
Jun 18, 2013, 7:11 am
#215
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SYR
Programs: US/AA-Platinum, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Gold, AVIS-Presidents Club, National-Executive Elite
Posts: 2,755
The price you pay for your bag has nothing to do with the level of service of it.
I'm a US Gold, and I pay nothing for my bag, and I still get the same service. Whether you pay, or dont pay, it matters not.
Now, that being said, there are expectations for ANY customer for luggage treatment. But, paying $25 doesnt guarantee anything more.
Please read my post before chastising it.
Jun 18, 2013, 8:30 am
#216
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Programs: United
Posts: 17
Jun 19, 2013, 1:17 pm
#217
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest
Posts: 296
My wife and I were on a flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix yesterday -- a suboptimal experience indeed. Part of that is the Philadelphia airport itself -- way too little space for each of the gates -- so crowds get more than a bit crowded and tense. Worse than that are the various elements of inadequate staffing. The flight was a full 187 passenger A321. We were in first class so we missed a fair amount of the stress. There only only one person handling the gate traffic (and using the really poor PA system that haunts the Philadelphia airport). One woman was in a wheel chair -- due to non-existent staff, other customers wheeled her down the gateway. That REALLY shouldn't happen. What made things worse was the extra 90 minute delay on the ground to load baggage (schedule flight was for 6PM, takeoff was at 7:30PM). This place arrived at the gate at 5:30PM -- so I expected some delays -- but really 90 minutes for baggage loading? I'd note as is often the case, communications were rare, late, and untruthful. Not until about 6:45PM the pilot announced the delay was due to baggage loading (true enough we could see that out the window). At 7PM he announced the loading was complete -- it was not -- as was obvious to anyone looking out the right side of the plane.
Again, I try to avoid the Philadelphia for a number of reasons (flight delays due to 2nd class citizen handling from NY controllers, really bad security clearing from overseas transfers, poor physical plant, understaffed and often surly staffers), but I must note this was one of my least enjoyable experiences there.
Again, I try to avoid the Philadelphia for a number of reasons (flight delays due to 2nd class citizen handling from NY controllers, really bad security clearing from overseas transfers, poor physical plant, understaffed and often surly staffers), but I must note this was one of my least enjoyable experiences there.
Jun 19, 2013, 1:55 pm
#218
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SYR
Programs: US/AA-Platinum, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Gold, AVIS-Presidents Club, National-Executive Elite
Posts: 2,755
Jun 19, 2013, 2:31 pm
#219
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,294
My wife and I were on a flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix yesterday -- a suboptimal experience indeed. Part of that is the Philadelphia airport itself -- way too little space for each of the gates -- so crowds get more than a bit crowded and tense. Worse than that are the various elements of inadequate staffing. The flight was a full 187 passenger A321. We were in first class so we missed a fair amount of the stress. There only only one person handling the gate traffic (and using the really poor PA system that haunts the Philadelphia airport). One woman was in a wheel chair -- due to non-existent staff, other customers wheeled her down the gateway. That REALLY shouldn't happen. What made things worse was the extra 90 minute delay on the ground to load baggage (schedule flight was for 6PM, takeoff was at 7:30PM). This place arrived at the gate at 5:30PM -- so I expected some delays -- but really 90 minutes for baggage loading? I'd note as is often the case, communications were rare, late, and untruthful. Not until about 6:45PM the pilot announced the delay was due to baggage loading (true enough we could see that out the window). At 7PM he announced the loading was complete -- it was not -- as was obvious to anyone looking out the right side of the plane.
Again, I try to avoid the Philadelphia for a number of reasons (flight delays due to 2nd class citizen handling from NY controllers, really bad security clearing from overseas transfers, poor physical plant, understaffed and often surly staffers), but I must note this was one of my least enjoyable experiences there.
Again, I try to avoid the Philadelphia for a number of reasons (flight delays due to 2nd class citizen handling from NY controllers, really bad security clearing from overseas transfers, poor physical plant, understaffed and often surly staffers), but I must note this was one of my least enjoyable experiences there.
But your post reminds me of something that I had meant to post in the positive section: Sometimes they (including ATC) do things right. Last week, on the first day of the U.S. Open, the weather was lousy. Lots of people, like the golfers, were cooling their heels much of the morning. Flight Aware showed delays well into the afternoon. And more bad weather was coming right in time for the end of the afternoon bank of WC flights, just like yours. We had pretty much given up on the idea of getting out without a 3+ hour delay, if at all. And yet the WC inbound landed and was reloaded expeditiously, and they pushed us out as fast as they could, just as the rains started up again. I suppose this is ATC and not US, but it has been a while since I remember getting from door closed to wheels up so quickly. Made it not only out, but in a bit early. Never would have imagined it that day.
So they can do better, as they should.
Jul 1, 2013, 8:08 pm
#220
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA Platinum, UA Gold, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 179
Phone Lines Down for hours Friday 6/28-Saturday 6/29
I guess this is a rant, but I really just wanted help, understanding, and advice.
I was trying to book an open jaw awards reservation on Friday night. Little did I know the hell that I would go through. I'm sure you all know you can't book open jaw awards online. The prompt automatically hung up on me after I gave it the flight info. I stopped giving it the flight info and repeatedly called trying to get through eventually just pushing 0. The longest call was on hold for 6 hours. I did not get through until Saturday at noon EDT. I made a decision at this point that i was not going to pay or at least ask if I could get a partial waiver of the $50 x 2=$100 award fee. I asked for a supervisor and told them that it had taken me about 20 hours to finally get through (My cell phone usage was 693 minutes... 11.5 hours, I did sleep for 8ish hours haha) They said never no way. My logic was that $50 goes towards a representative or an online booking system neither of which was available. I realize the fee is just a revenue generator and not actually for that purpose, but that makes me want to pay it even less. I already exhausted going to my local us airways counter, sending a message, filing a BBB complaint, and trying to reach them via Twitter(none worked yet) to get a flight booked. They still said no to waiving any of the fee so I put the booking on hold.
Some of you may be thinking why didn't I just wait. Well I saw other flights I wanted filling up and knew this one would because the lower award rate is very limited. In fact it has filled up since Saturday. Check AMS-PHL Jan 25th. There is no longer the lower award rate so I was right. Others may say well the people stuck in airports are obviously more important. I've been there and I know that. My point was that when there are some storms, even a lot of storms, US Airways phone system should not shut down, should not auto hang up when you answer prompts, and should not leave you on hold for 6 hours to no avail. When I am flying these flights and I'm the one stuck because of weather, I would hope they improve the system. I really felt sorry for those people, but I did not want to lose the opportunity to use my miles for this trip. It really isn't my fault they don't have the support to handle their own customers.
I said all of that previous paragraph because when I called back, all hell broke loose. I had the representative pull up the reservation on hold and asked for a supervisor. I told her I had been trying to book my flight for 20 hours and it was a big hassle. I may have sounded a little stressed but not angry or yelling. She went insane. "I got here at 7AM this morning and there were 500 calls on hold, everybody is working overtime for 1.5 time pay! There are floods in New York and customers sleeping in airports and you're sitting at home!!!!" I just asked for her name and ID. She said Kelly 7WS(not sure if thats right she was insanely yelling). I said I'm sorry this was so hard on you and hung up.
What should I do now? Do I have any grounds for any apology at the least from US Air? Is there even a remote possibility of them waving a portion of the fee?
$100 isn't a big deal, but my wasted time and this behavior definitely were. I don't think getting angry at me for her superiors poor planning and lack of employees is really my fault. 500 calls on hold means they do not have enough people handling calls. I am sorry to all of those who flew on Friday and Saturday and hope things worked out for them.(although, I'm not sure who they could have talked to)
I was also wondering about the 757 on my return flight which I posted that here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...l#post21024485
I was trying to book an open jaw awards reservation on Friday night. Little did I know the hell that I would go through. I'm sure you all know you can't book open jaw awards online. The prompt automatically hung up on me after I gave it the flight info. I stopped giving it the flight info and repeatedly called trying to get through eventually just pushing 0. The longest call was on hold for 6 hours. I did not get through until Saturday at noon EDT. I made a decision at this point that i was not going to pay or at least ask if I could get a partial waiver of the $50 x 2=$100 award fee. I asked for a supervisor and told them that it had taken me about 20 hours to finally get through (My cell phone usage was 693 minutes... 11.5 hours, I did sleep for 8ish hours haha) They said never no way. My logic was that $50 goes towards a representative or an online booking system neither of which was available. I realize the fee is just a revenue generator and not actually for that purpose, but that makes me want to pay it even less. I already exhausted going to my local us airways counter, sending a message, filing a BBB complaint, and trying to reach them via Twitter(none worked yet) to get a flight booked. They still said no to waiving any of the fee so I put the booking on hold.
Some of you may be thinking why didn't I just wait. Well I saw other flights I wanted filling up and knew this one would because the lower award rate is very limited. In fact it has filled up since Saturday. Check AMS-PHL Jan 25th. There is no longer the lower award rate so I was right. Others may say well the people stuck in airports are obviously more important. I've been there and I know that. My point was that when there are some storms, even a lot of storms, US Airways phone system should not shut down, should not auto hang up when you answer prompts, and should not leave you on hold for 6 hours to no avail. When I am flying these flights and I'm the one stuck because of weather, I would hope they improve the system. I really felt sorry for those people, but I did not want to lose the opportunity to use my miles for this trip. It really isn't my fault they don't have the support to handle their own customers.
I said all of that previous paragraph because when I called back, all hell broke loose. I had the representative pull up the reservation on hold and asked for a supervisor. I told her I had been trying to book my flight for 20 hours and it was a big hassle. I may have sounded a little stressed but not angry or yelling. She went insane. "I got here at 7AM this morning and there were 500 calls on hold, everybody is working overtime for 1.5 time pay! There are floods in New York and customers sleeping in airports and you're sitting at home!!!!" I just asked for her name and ID. She said Kelly 7WS(not sure if thats right she was insanely yelling). I said I'm sorry this was so hard on you and hung up.
What should I do now? Do I have any grounds for any apology at the least from US Air? Is there even a remote possibility of them waving a portion of the fee?
$100 isn't a big deal, but my wasted time and this behavior definitely were. I don't think getting angry at me for her superiors poor planning and lack of employees is really my fault. 500 calls on hold means they do not have enough people handling calls. I am sorry to all of those who flew on Friday and Saturday and hope things worked out for them.(although, I'm not sure who they could have talked to)
I was also wondering about the 757 on my return flight which I posted that here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...l#post21024485
Jul 1, 2013, 9:22 pm
#221
Moderator: American AAdvantage & Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PHX
Programs: American ExPlat; Marriott/SPG Lifetime Plat; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,116
One thought comes to mind: Take your story to Facebook and/or Twitter. It seems to be what US customer service pays attention to.
Jul 1, 2013, 10:19 pm
#222
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA Platinum, UA Gold, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 179
My only hope I think is to call tonight until I get a good supervisor or just take the hit. This is using all my miles so I don't mind choosing another airline after this, but Delta is the only other one in my area so I don't really have any flexibility. I will let them know this is my last booking with them even if it costs me more to book another. I'm sure they could care less. Its just a drop in the bucket, although I think it will be a downpour if they are this bad at handling their airline now pre-merger.
Jul 20, 2013, 2:02 pm
#223
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA Platinum, UA Gold, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 179
Just as a followup, US Airways did respond via phone and email. They just basically said their service is not suppose to be like that, but they won't do anything about it or for me. The customer relations department says they have no power to book anything, change anything, or refund anything. I am not really sure what the purpose of a customer relations department is if they cannot do anything. I'd be glad to provide the emails stating that they cannot do anything and the minutes used.
I wasted 11 hours of cell phone minutes and it took about 21 hours to get through. I shudder to think what it would have been like if I was stuck somewhere. I thought United was bad when I got stuck in Newark in March 2012, but I guess US Airways found a way to do worse. I guess I'm down to flying Delta and pre-merger AA.
I really don't recommend flying US Airways and I've been flying them for 10+ years at least. If something goes wrong, they won't help and you won't have any method of getting help.
I wasted 11 hours of cell phone minutes and it took about 21 hours to get through. I shudder to think what it would have been like if I was stuck somewhere. I thought United was bad when I got stuck in Newark in March 2012, but I guess US Airways found a way to do worse. I guess I'm down to flying Delta and pre-merger AA.
I really don't recommend flying US Airways and I've been flying them for 10+ years at least. If something goes wrong, they won't help and you won't have any method of getting help.
Jul 24, 2013, 10:06 pm
#224
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: somewhere in F, hopefully
Posts: 670
I could write for about 5 hours about all the things I hate about US. I am slowly losing my status because I have started to use another airline (not a legacy carrier, FWIW) on a regular basis (goes to show you how little status actually means to me--it's all about customer service to me at this point). I'm down to gold now. I can sum up my main beefs with them in six sentences: I never get anywhere on time with US. They have a lot of unpleasant employees. They have a lot of poorly-trained employees. Their processes have no consistency. They treat their elite like crap. Their planes are prehistoric. 'Nuff said.
Last edited by sunnyjl; Jul 24, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Jul 25, 2013, 12:15 pm
#225
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SYR
Programs: US/AA-Platinum, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Gold, AVIS-Presidents Club, National-Executive Elite
Posts: 2,755
I can sum up my main beefs with them in six sentences: I never get anywhere on time with US. They have a lot of unpleasant employees. They have a lot of poorly-trained employees. Their processes have no consistency. They treat their elite like crap. Their planes are prehistoric. 'Nuff said.
Their planes, in fact, are on average, the newest of all the legacy carriers. You should research your facts first.