Recently, I flew on US Air from San Juan to Burlington, VT via Philadelphia. Of course, there was a storm and I got stranded by US Air and I have to say... I'm starting to understand why so many airlines are in trouble and might never recover. It's the attitude and management just doesn't get it.
Follow up:
While I am upset that US Air stranded us and offered no compensation, that's not the point. I realize this happens and that's why I use my American Express card to book travel, so I have the flight delay insurance. But what I saw in the three days that I was stranded by the airline in Philadelphia leads me to believe that the airlines (and US Air in particular) just don't understand their customers.
First of all, I have to point out that US Air (as well as many other airlines) now charge for baggage. You can't bring liquid on the plane, which basically leaves you with the need for at least one bag. US Air has decided to start charging for EVERYTHING except the vomit bag on the airplane. You can't get so much as a glass of water without paying. $1 for coffee, tea or water and $2 for a can of Coke. They even had advertisements on the seat tray... but who would pay for such advertising, considering that there is no more reason to lower the tray. The fact that they don't have even TAP water is a little disconcerting to me, especially considering that you are supposed to drink a glass of water for each hour you are in the airplane to avoid dehydration.
As for the cancelled flight... well, no one bothered to start rebooking customers by any priority. US Air just asked customers to stand in line and rebook them one by one. How long was the line? Well, it was at least two hours, if not longer with little information. There were three CSRs at the six terminals where we were. I tried to call to rebook only to get a recording telling me that it would be about 2 hours by phone. Finally another customer gave me a special phone number and I managed to secure another flight on another day. Of course, when we finally made that flight, they got us to the runway before they cancelled the flight... haha!
But what I saw on the day we finally left Philadelphia was certainly an eye opener to an airline that just doesn't get it. We stood in line to standby for the first flight on the day, only to see the airplane leave the airport with 17 empty seats because they wanted to leave on time and they didn't have time to get the 7 passengers in line on to the plane. The next flight... they actually had to offer free tickets to get people off, because it was overbooked.... seats that would have been empty if they had managed to get the 7 standby passengers on the first plane.
But what really gets my gall is that the CSRs just don't care and can't bother to even smile. US Air, please understand this, I can get a packet of peanuts, a glass or water (or even a coke), free luggage and a smile on many of your competitors for no extra charge. The people at the airport can smile (real or fake, I don't care,) but I want to feel like you want me on your airline... not that I am an inconvenience!Make me feel welcome. Make me want to come back and to choose your airline.
As many airlines point out, I have a choice when I travel and well... you are now at the bottom of my choices. Heck, I'll even pay more money to fly with another airline. It isn't just price.... it's customer service as well. It's clear... you don't want us on your planes and it shows!
