After my experience flying Continental Airlines this weekend...

[KidStallyn]

I would suggest that you spend the extra $10 or $20 bux on a different airlines so you can avoid the customer service nightmare and travel nightmare my family and I had to experience in coming home from my wifes grandmothers funeral this past weekend....Here's a copy of my letter to thier management. It is quite lengthy....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Morning.

My name is Dustin Holmes, and I am contacting you today regarding one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had to put my family through, and it was a result of Continental Airlines extremely poor customer service.

As a result of a death in the family, we had to schedule a last minute trip from Phoenix, AZ to Syracuse, NY to attend the funeral of a family member. My family of four booked whatever reservations we could get using the Orbitz travel service. Due to the length of the flight, we had to settle for a quick turnaround trip where we flew out on Friday (using United Airlines) and returned on Sunday (using Continental Airlines). Friday's trip out to Syracuse went seamless. Although our United plane was late arriving to Chicago due to weather and a smaller plane being sent from Chicago to Phoenix, they were kind enough to hold the their express service to Syracuse a few minutes so that the 5 or 6 passengers could make the last connecting flight into Syracuse. Our luggage even made the connection with no problems.

Upon completion of our weekend funeral plans, my family was getting ready to head back to the airport when we were apprised of the delay via the Orbitz service that our Continental Airlines flight to Cleveland was going to be over an hour late leaving Syracuse. We decided to head to the airport anyways after talking with Customer Care and the fact that we still had to travel over 45 minutes to the Airport and return our rental car. We arrived at the airport almost 2 hours prior to our originally scheduled 6:20pm flight. Upon returning the car we proceeded to the checkout line; where we sat in line for aver 50 minutes while a single check-in agent manually serviced each person who was on the delayed flight. There were only 4 passengers in front of us at the time. When we approached the ticket agent, he assured us that there was no possible way we would miss our connecting flight in Cleveland. As they can "turn a plan around in less then 20 minutes." We asked if there was another way we could travel, possibly through Chicago, and he said that he didn't have the authorization to do that. We got our boarding passes and proceeded to the gate. At the gate we saw an agent there and also asked him about the delay and he too assured us that there would be no problem making our connecting flight. We had over an hour layover so everything should work out fine. As the time passed, I was logged into Continental.com and saw that the incoming flight kept getting delayed longer and longer, we continued to ask the gate agent with each new update and he assured us that the information he had was more accurate and that we wouldn't miss our flight. He also said that there were "No other flights he could get us on, to Phoenix.". But he did make a secondary reservation on the next morning's 7:30am flight out of Cleveland as a "backup". The fact he told us there were no other flights was an outright and blatant lie. See, there were approximately 15 passengers that were ticketed on the flight 2212 that had connecting flights to Phoenix. My party had 4 of those tickets. To my surprise, 5 of those individuals, who arrived AFTER us at the airport, managed to get on a 7:15 United Airlines Flight to Chicago and then on to a connecting flight to Phoenix . Yet we were still being told that we would make our connecting flight no problem.

Finally our plane arrived in Syracuse, and we were in the air to Cleveland, over an hour late. Pushing the outer envelope of making our connecting flight, but since there were still 10 passengers that were on the flight, they assured us that they would hold the flight a few minutes and make the time up in the air, as that's standard procedures.

We arrived at our gate in Cleveland at 8:50pm, a full 15 minutes prior to the 9:05pm departure time of our connecting flight to Phoenix. To our AMAZEMENT, the flight from Cleveland to Phoenix had already left the gate and taken off, a FULL 15 minutes AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! The fact that this plane was already gone violated your own policy printed directly on your tickets:

"Boarding Requirement - Passengers must be prepared to board at the departure gate with their boarding pass at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure."

The gate that we were to board at was no more the 20 feet away and across the aisle from our arrival gate in Cleveland, we could have EASILY made the transition. Now traveling with a family of 4, with two 8 year old boys is not easy. First off, they were completely messed up by the two hours that they had to adjust to in a 24 hour period, but add in the fact that we lost an extra hour in the new observance of Daylight savings time. My children were hungry and tired, and at that point of the evening, there was absolutely NOTHING open in the Cleveland Airport. Those of us that were traveling to Phoenix kind of all stuck together. Continental Airlines did provide us with a hotel to stay at in Cleveland, which did have shuttle service. But, no meal vouchers were offered. It's sad enough that airlines have completely lost touch with reality to where they think that .5oz of Honey Roasted Peanuts could actually satisfy the hunger of an adult male weighing 185 pounds, but to add onto that, when I asked for the can of soda, the stewardess told me "that's against airline policy." All to save a buck.

When we got to the hotel, we were informed that the shuttles start at 4am, and go out every 20 minutes. So we asked for a 5am wakeup call. Realize that our bodies still had not adjusted to the time change, which meant that we were essentially making our 8 year old children wake up at 2am. I attempted to call Continental Airlines "WE-CARE" line, but promptly hung up when I was informed the wait time was over 45 minutes. Sleep and the well being of my family were more important at that point as it was already 10:30pm. So, we had no food, our clothes were in security hold for transfer to Phoenix the next morning, and it was late, but at least we had a hotel room. We got our 5am wakeup call and proceeded to Cleveland Airport where we were met with probably the most rude reception yet. The female attendant at the check in counter obviously needed a little refresher training in "WE CARE", because she surely didn't was clearly expressed by her attitude. We kindly asked her that we were traveling with small children and that they had booked their seats away from ours, and in the exit rows. Her exact response was in a rude and snotty tone, "What part of there's nothing I can do about it here did you not understand?? this flight is overbooked!" It's that professional customer service right there that really set the tome for the morning. Even my children were amazed at her 'chipper' attitude towards customer service.

After that experience, we headed to our gate, when my wife and I were both subjected to SSS (Special Security Screening). Not that I minded, but I thought it was quite amusing after being subjected to the sarcasm by the check in attendant a few minutes earlier. It seemed like a little bit of payback for me asking to be seated with my young children, who are not experience airline travelers. Once we got to the gate, a full 90 minutes ahead of the 7:30am departure, I decided I would make the call to the "WE CARE" line. And that's were things got even better. I was told that we were "Lucky" to get a hotel room. I was lectured about how Continental Airlines does business, from a so called supervisor. Not once was I ever respected as a person who, had just spent top dollar on your airlines for booking a flight at the last minute to attend the funeral of a family member that had just passed away. There wasn't a single I'm sorry for your experience, there was an attitude of "I can't believe you have the nerve to call and complain". Not exactly what I expected from a customer service line called "WE CARE". The phone line, if your going to support it with your current personnel should be called "NOT-RLLY". Because it's gone to your employees heads that the airline is doing well, as she clearly informed me about how Continental Airlines made a profit the past two quarters and how she enjoyed her profit sharing. Not something a professional customer care representative should probably say to a person who had just subjected their family to a funeral and one of the worst return flight experiences. I understand customer service. I own my own business, in which our goal is to create an "Exceptional Experience" with each and every person that walks through the door of my coffee house. What I experienced with your "Customer Service" was far from exceptional, it was deplorible. Convicted Criminal are treated with more dignitiy then I was as a paying customer. It was elitist and troubling. I didn't feel as though I was a person who was responsible for the salary that the person on the other end of the phone call. I didn't feel as though any person at any of the customer service points along the way cared that we had a choice of airlines and that that they represented the Continental Airlines Brand. I don't think they understood that they're representation of that brand, goes with a customer on future travel arrangements. See, not only am I a business owner, I'm also an engineer at Honeywell Aerospace and am required to regularly travel for my company. Through our reservations systems, we are allowed choices of airlines. I plan on making it known through my management that we should not use Continental Airlines when booking business travel. Other low cost alternatives should be used. My family and I will also not be using Continental Airlines when it comes to making our Christmas reservations in our week long stay at Disney World this year. Along with that, I will make sure that the 16 other family members who are flying across the United States also not use your airlines. I'm sorry, but I am willing to pay a few more dollars for less hassle. United Airlines set the bar pretty high when they held their plane for my family on our flight from Chicago to Syracuse, ensuring that we would not miss our grandmother's funeral. The gate agent called ahead to Chicago gate agent to let them know we would be there to make the flight. We even came across nice people who were familiar with Chicago and got us through the airport in the quickest route possible as to not hold up the flight for too long. They went above and beyond in their service. Even our bags made the connection without incident. I will also note, that EVERY SINGLE member of our family who attended this funeral this past week (20 in all) who flew with United Airlines, all made it home to their final destinations on time. Of these groups, 2 were graciously upgraded to business class upon their arrival at NO charge, due to the circumstances. And the one group who missed their connecting flight in Dulles, the airlines did everything in their power to make sure that they would make it to the Funeral on time. We were the only group that had to suffer rude behavior and elitist attitudes from the Continental airlines customer service representation.

I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to hear about our terrible experience with your airlines, as I hope that in the future, changes will be made. Until then, you can consider me, my family, and my company ex-customers.

Regards

Dustin C. Holmes

[donnasaurus]

Kid,

I feel your pain. The sad part is that many of the airlines have taken this attitude of "we're doing you a favor by putting you on our airline". This, reasoning on their part, is based on the fact that all the airlines overbook and very seldom is there more than a couple of vacant seats on any flight. Don't you love deregulation?

I hope they even read your letter, but as I'm sure you have thought, to make changes might be asking too much from them.

[KidStallyn]

Kid,

I feel your pain. The sad part is that many of the airlines have taken this attitude of "we're doing you a favor by putting you on our airline". This, reasoning on their part, is based on the fact that all the airlines overbook and very seldom is there more than a couple of vacant seats on any flight. Don't you love deregulation?

I hope they even read your letter, but as I'm sure you have thought, to make changes might be asking too much from them.

Trust me....I'm not a quiet person.....My voice WILL be heard in many different arenas...I have already discussed it with my management here who is in charge of travel, and they are considering removing Continental Airlines off of our options. I was supposed to travel on tuesday again on Continental but had to cancel due to a sudden illness....However, my travel partner got to experience some of my nightmares as his flight out was on Continental.....It's something in thier system.....I travel quite a bit, and have only encountered this type of problem once before with Delta Airlines. I received a personal phone call from their regional VP after a similar letter. Brand tarnishing can take away from a LOT of good things a company does, and people do not forget. There are many options out there in the Airline industry, and people do have choices. Thank goodness for that. I for one won't be giving them another dime until something has been drasctically fixed.

[Hollywood]

Hey Kid,
Sorry for your loss and that the experience was that much worse due to the airline. Let us know if something comes from the letter. I would expect a phone call begging forgiveness as the absolute minimum.

[phillycard]

**** Kid, that sounds like a nightmare. Your letter, if I would have read it and been a member of upper management, would have resulted in heads rolling. I'll tell you another thing too. The girl with the "What part of" attitude would have been cussed the hell out. One thing I don't tolerate is a snotty attitude when I am being courteous and professional. Especially in light of your circumstances. Keep us posted if they respond back.

[Drachir]

Kid,

I fly a lot too and whenever I can I use USAirways (formerly known as America West). They have treated me great and I have even received a first class upgrade once without even asking for it. Since that experience I try to fly first class every time. I just flew to Denver, CO a couple of weeks ago and had a connecting flight to Las Vegas, NV which was a first for me since I try to fly non-stop. Anyways I asked for the First Class upgrade and received it for an extra $100 which is not bad in my opinion although my 2 upgrades were almost double my airfare from Phoenix to Denver but well worth it. It was also a one day trip and funny thing is when I flew back to Phoenix I had the same exact flight crew that was on the day before from Vegas to Denver. I said, "Hey good to see you again as you were on yesterday's flight." The reason I remembered this though because I must confess one of the flight attendants looked like he was 14 but he was cool. He was shocked because most people don't make just one day trips. I was in Denver just handling an Arena Football game though for my business and had to be back to work the next day.

I also flew Delta once and said NEVER again. Had to fly Frontier Airlines once to Atlanta because America West didn't go there but it was not too bad.

[KidStallyn]

**** Kid, that sounds like a nightmare. Your letter, if I would have read it and been a member of upper management, would have resulted in heads rolling. I'll tell you another thing too. The girl with the "What part of" attitude would have been cussed the hell out. One thing I don't tolerate is a snotty attitude when I am being courteous and professional. Especially in light of your circumstances. Keep us posted if they respond back.

Thier response back was nothing short of excuses after excuses. They of course blame the "delay" on weather. What they didn't say was that weather in Houston, effected my flight in Syracuse, becuase that's where the plane originated from early in the morning. Me, I don't buy that excuse. re-route traffic, etc. If your system is so jacked up that weather in Houston will effect all of your flights around the rest of the US, then you need to rethink your planning and routes system. My flight out on United via Chicago had weather involved, and United was smart enough to recognize that fact, use a plane that was sitting idle in Chicago that was going to go somewhere else, and send it to Phoneix. And when the delayed flight into Chicago got there, that plane would be used for the one we eventually got. The plane that eventually made it to Phoneix was smaller, so they had to find alternatives for 12 people with flexible schedules. They offered round trip airlines if people were willing to go through San Franciso on an alternate carrier and then catch a United flight to Chicago.....All the while in that stressful situation, they kept their smiles on and made a disasterous situation fully recoverable and pleasant. Finally, we did arrive to Chicago almost 40 minutes late, they were kind enough to CALL AHEAD and hold the plane to Syracuse for us....They even got us through the maze of people and concorses at Midway without problem. My family was literally the last to board the flight...

Anc contiental jsut left us behind to fend for ourselves, and then gave us attitude and lip the next morning. United's going to kick thier butts at this rate.

[NJCardFan]

Thier response back was nothing short of excuses after excuses. They of course blame the "delay" on weather. What they didn't say was that weather in Houston, effected my flight in Syracuse, becuase that's where the plane originated from early in the morning. Me, I don't buy that excuse. re-route traffic, etc. If your system is so jacked up that weather in Houston will effect all of your flights around the rest of the US, then you need to rethink your planning and routes system. My flight out on United via Chicago had weather involved, and United was smart enough to recognize that fact, use a plane that was sitting idle in Chicago that was going to go somewhere else, and send it to Phoneix. And when the delayed flight into Chicago got there, that plane would be used for the one we eventually got. The plane that eventually made it to Phoneix was smaller, so they had to find alternatives for 12 people with flexible schedules. They offered round trip airlines if people were willing to go through San Franciso on an alternate carrier and then catch a United flight to Chicago.....All the while in that stressful situation, they kept their smiles on and made a disasterous situation fully recoverable and pleasant. Finally, we did arrive to Chicago almost 40 minutes late, they were kind enough to CALL AHEAD and hold the plane to Syracuse for us....They even got us through the maze of people and concorses at Midway without problem. My family was literally the last to board the flight...

Anc contiental jsut left us behind to fend for ourselves, and then gave us attitude and lip the next morning. United's going to kick thier butts at this rate.

Kid,

While I don't condone Continental for what they did to you and your family(believe me I can give you my share of Continental horror stories), I have to call you on the above statement in bold. I worked 4 years for American so I have an unique perspective and can play devils advocate with a pretty good knowledge of the airline business. Every airline has a hub. Ours was in Chicago and Dallas as well as St. Louis when we bought TWA. We even had sub-hubs if you will in NY(international flights) and Miami(international and Caribbean flights). So, it's not that easy to just say an airline should "re-route" traffic. It would have been easier had your stopover been in Houston because, as I've experienced with American in Dallas and USAir in Philly, they could have used another aircraft because that's where they are based. I remember having a discussion with a woman checking on a flight from LaGuardia to Ft. Lauderdale and the reason it was running late was that the equipment was late getting to NY from Chicago because of weather. Her response was, "Well if you don't have enough planes then you shouldn't be in business!" I told her that if we had 1 airplane per route, that flight from NY to Florida would have been $1000 or more because Boeing, Mcdonald Douglass, Airbus, ect. doesn't supply airlines with aircraft out of the goodness of their hearts. In all actuality, using 1 aircraft for multiple routes saves the consumer alot of money. And believe me, weather is the biggest pain in the *** to air travel bar none.

That said, your experience with them was horrible to say the least but they were right in one aspect. They weren't obligated to supply you with any compensation whatsoever due to weather. Rule 240 clearly states that the airline is only liable if the cancellation or delay is the fault of the airline but most if not all accomodate passengers because, frankly, it's good for business.

As for the attitude of the person at the counter, as inexcusable as it is, sometimes you have to put yourself in their shoes. Job himself would eventually become annoyed if he were a ticket agent during bad weather. Chances are you were after about 30 passengers who demanded stock in the airline because their flight was delayed or cancelled. Just watch the A&E show Airline to see what I mean. Again, I can tell you horror stories from ******* passengers I had to deal with and believe me it grates on you after a while and don't get me started on some of the bungwipes I had to deal with on 9/11.

Anyhoo, the best advice I can give you is to go as far to the top as you can. When you deal with "supervisors" on the phone it's a good bet that they are more than likely one step above a regular ticket grunt. We had them at American and they were called RSD(I forgot what that meant. Regional Sales something). But the last thing you should have done is threaten them with not flying with them anymore and telling your friends, relatives, ect. Making the whole airline suffer because of a couple of numbnuts' is pretty extreme. Would you like it if one of your customers said that they'd never go to your coffee house ever again just because they had one bad experience? Probably not. Also, another piece of advice would have been to go directly through the airline itself. It might have been more expensive but most if not all airlines have bereavement fares that are pretty flexible. The reason why you might not have been able to go through another connecting point could have been the restrictions of your Orbitz tickets. Internet tickets can be very, very restrictive allowing for almost no changes. Sometimes no changes at all.

As for your connecting flight puling away early. That is pretty asinine but they might have decided that you wouldn't get there on time but they could have waited. However, you might have made the flight but your bags would have not. Anyhoo, I hope this helps you to see the point of view of the other side and again, I don't condone the attitude of the employees as no matter what they are supposed to be professional but I'd cut the airport agents a little slack. The WE CARE person, however, should be fired.

[Hollywood]

Thier response back was nothing short of excuses after excuses. They of course blame the "delay" on weather. What they didn't say was that weather in Houston, effected my flight in Syracuse, becuase that's where the plane originated from early in the morning. Me, I don't buy that excuse. re-route traffic, etc. If your system is so jacked up that weather in Houston will effect all of your flights around the rest of the US, then you need to rethink your planning and routes system. My flight out on United via Chicago had weather involved, and United was smart enough to recognize that fact, use a plane that was sitting idle in Chicago that was going to go somewhere else, and send it to Phoneix. And when the delayed flight into Chicago got there, that plane would be used for the one we eventually got. The plane that eventually made it to Phoneix was smaller, so they had to find alternatives for 12 people with flexible schedules. They offered round trip airlines if people were willing to go through San Franciso on an alternate carrier and then catch a United flight to Chicago.....All the while in that stressful situation, they kept their smiles on and made a disasterous situation fully recoverable and pleasant. Finally, we did arrive to Chicago almost 40 minutes late, they were kind enough to CALL AHEAD and hold the plane to Syracuse for us....They even got us through the maze of people and concorses at Midway without problem. My family was literally the last to board the flight...

Anc contiental jsut left us behind to fend for ourselves, and then gave us attitude and lip the next morning. United's going to kick thier butts at this rate.

What did they have to say about the attitude of there employees?

[.O.]

Hey Kid,
I just saw a piece on NBC News regarding filing complaints with the airlines.
They said you are better served filing a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Evidently once a complaint is filed with them the airlines can't ignore it like they can when you complain to them.

Here is a link to their site.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

[KidStallyn]

Hey Kid,
I just saw a piece on NBC News regarding filing complaints with the airlines.
They said you are better served filing a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Evidently once a complaint is filed with them the airlines can't ignore it like they can when you complain to them.

Here is a link to their site.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

You da man....Filed!

[Mibrilane #56]

I think the words "Continental Airlines" on the ticket should have been the first warning that something was horribly, horribly wrong... :frown:

[AussieCardinal]

i'll make sure to avoid Continental Airlines when im over there

[BullheadCardFan]

Kid,

I know that traveling with children is difficult in itself .. so for you to have to go through what you did is terrible ..

I'm glad there are people like you that take the time to write these kind of letters so the management actually knows what goes on in real life ..

Will they respond properly by reprimanding the rude employees .. ??

Will that depend on whether they are union or not ... ??

[KidStallyn]

Kid,

I know that traveling with children is difficult in itself .. so for you to have to go through what you did is terrible ..

I'm glad there are people like you that take the time to write these kind of letters so the management actually knows what goes on in real life ..

Will they respond properly by reprimanding the rude employees .. ??

Will that depend on whether they are union or not ... ??

So far I've gotten back nada.....They haven't done squat to my knowledge....Thier first response was inadequate laced with excuses to try and rationalize what they did.....Their 2nd response to my reply.....Non-Existant....Continental Airlines is dead to me....

[Drachir]

I'll be flying to Dallas this weekend on you guessed it USAirways! Only way I fly but I will let you know my experience again this weekend as they usually treat me like royalty but maybe that is because I always upgrade to First Class 30 hours before the scheduled flight is to take off. It is worth the additional $100 to do that.

[.O.]

I'll be flying to Dallas this weekend on you guessed it USAirways! Only way I fly but I will let you know my experience again this weekend as they usually treat me like royalty but maybe that is because I always upgrade to First Class 30 hours before the scheduled flight is to take off. It is worth the additional $100 to do that.

USAir is who I fly with 99% of the time. I logged over seventy thousand miles last year and I expect to do around the same this year. I get upgraded to first class probably 85% of my flights.
First class is the only way to fly.

[NJCardFan]

Hey Kid,
I just saw a piece on NBC News regarding filing complaints with the airlines.
They said you are better served filing a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Evidently once a complaint is filed with them the airlines can't ignore it like they can when you complain to them.

Here is a link to their site.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm


This is because if they get enough of them the DOT fines them or something along those lines. When I worked for American we used to get updates on how many complaints per airlines and Continental used to almost always be near the bottom with United. We were always in the middle and USAir, Northwest, and Delta were around the top.

[NightHawk11and81]

USAir is who I fly with 99% of the time. I logged over seventy thousand miles last year and I expect to do around the same this year. I get upgraded to first class probably 85% of my flights.
First class is the only way to fly.

What exactly is the difference, for those of us too cheap/poor to ever consider flying first class?

[Drachir]

What exactly is the difference, for those of us too cheap/poor to ever consider flying first class?First of all each seat is full leather chairs that are very comfortable and recline as that is the biggest difference. You can actually sleep comfortable in them unlike the small coach seats. You have more leg room and you have baggage space plus you get treated very well by the flight attendants. They know you have either flown a lot with the airlines or that you paid the extra money to get pampered.

[NightHawk11and81]

First of all each seat is full leather chairs that are very comfortable and recline as that is the biggest difference. You can actually sleep comfortable in them unlike the small coach seats. You have more leg room and you have baggage space plus you get treated very well by the flight attendants. They know you have either flown a lot with the airlines or that you paid the extra money to get pampered.

Gotcha. Seeing as how all I do is turn on the iPod and relax, I'm fine in coach. Good thing, I couldn't afford first class even if I wanted it.

[Drachir]

Gotcha. Seeing as how all I do is turn on the iPod and relax, I'm fine in coach. Good thing, I couldn't afford first class even if I wanted it.Actually if you fly USAirways you can probably afford to upgrade to First Class but you have to do it 24 hours before your flight takes off if they have it available and it only cost $100 to upgrade. It is well worth it. You have to try it at least once but I must warn you if you do you will never go back to coach.

[.O.]

What exactly is the difference, for those of us too cheap/poor to ever consider flying first class?


Not mention free drinks.

Seriously though as Drachir says the difference in confort level is night and day.

Fortunately I fly enough that I automatically get upgraded most of the time and even if I had to pay the extra money or use miles for the bump I would.

[NightHawk11and81]

Not mention free drinks.

Seriously though as Drachir says the difference in confort level is night and day.

Fortunately I fly enough that I automatically get upgraded most of the time and even if I had to pay the extra money or use miles for the bump I would.

You must be flying the wrong airline, I've received free drinks on every single flight. I thought that was standard procedure?

Actually if you fly USAirways you can probably afford to upgrade to First Class but you have to do it 24 hours before your flight takes off if they have it available and it only cost $100 to upgrade. It is well worth it. You have to try it at least once but I must warn you if you do you will never go back to coach.

Drach, you don't know how tight I am with my wallet, I might be cheaper than Bidwill pre-2004. Even if I try it and enjoy it tremendously, the odds are pretty high that I'll go back to coach. I haven't flown US Airways in years, it just doesn't seem worth it to fly KC to Charlotte to Dulles. Plus, US Airways tends to be more expensive for me than other airlines. I usually fly American or Delta.

[.O.]

You must be flying the wrong airline, I've received free drinks on every single flight. I thought that was standard procedure?

I should have said alcoholic beverages.

[NightHawk11and81]

I should have said alcoholic beverages.

Oh, gotcha. I wasn't thinking alcohol because that wouldn't be a draw for me, I've never drank and never want to drink.

[AZFAN777]

I haven't flown US Airways in years, it just doesn't seem worth it to fly KC to Charlotte to Dulles. Plus, US Airways tends to be more expensive for me than other airlines. I usually fly American or Delta.


You must be smoking crack or thinking of Southwest, they are the ones who have all the connections. I fly USAirways to DCA (reagan) all the time for work and I've never had a connection. Plus they are way cheaper than anyone else. American Airlines is by far the most expensive Airline. My company wont even consider them. I just did a search on Americans website and they have 0 direct flights to DC. They all connect in Dallas.


AMERICAN AIRLINES 1664 PHX
Phoenix Apr 01, 2007
07:25 AM DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
11:45 AM 757 Economy
View Seats 868 Food for Purchase 5 hr
55 min

AMERICAN AIRLINES 512 DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
12:35 PM DCA
Washington Apr 01, 2007
04:20 PM M80 Economy
View Seats 1192 Food for Purchase
Alert: Terminal change.
Total Price
959.80 USD

US Airways


8:45 AM Phoenix, AZ
3:54 PM Washington, DC (Reagan)
44US Airways
Non Stop Details / Seats
4 h 9 m
Coach: $729
First: $829


You can fly first class on USA for $150 less than coach on American.

American Airlines sucks, I cant stand those guys.

[NightHawk11and81]

You must be smoking crack or thinking of Southwest, they are the ones who have all the connections. I fly USAirways to DCA (reagan) all the time for work and I've never had a connection. Plus they are way cheaper than anyone else. American Airlines is by far the most expensive Airline. My company wont even consider them. I just did a search on Americans website and they have 0 direct flights to DC. They all connect in Dallas.


AMERICAN AIRLINES 1664 PHX
Phoenix Apr 01, 2007
07:25 AM DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
11:45 AM 757 Economy
View Seats 868 Food for Purchase 5 hr
55 min

AMERICAN AIRLINES 512 DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
12:35 PM DCA
Washington Apr 01, 2007
04:20 PM M80 Economy
View Seats 1192 Food for Purchase
Alert: Terminal change.
Total Price
959.80 USD

US Airways


8:45 AM Phoenix, AZ
3:54 PM Washington, DC (Reagan)
44US Airways
Non Stop Details / Seats
4 h 9 m
Coach: $729
First: $829


You can fly first class on USA for $150 less than coach on American.

American Airlines sucks, I cant stand those guys.

I always fly in to Dulles, and I've never got a direct flight to DC, I enjoy connections. I flew home for Thanksgiving on AA for just under $210 roundtrip. It was easily the cheapest (used Kayak to compare flights) and an airline I am quite comfortable flying. It would be nice if I could occasionally connect in Chicago instead of DFW for some variety, but overall, I've been very satisfied with AA.

I've never flown Southwest other than one vacation when I was 10, I have never once found it to be cheapest. Usually I can only get their more expensive fares, at which point it's better to try American or Delta.

[NJCardFan]

You must be smoking crack or thinking of Southwest, they are the ones who have all the connections. I fly USAirways to DCA (reagan) all the time for work and I've never had a connection. Plus they are way cheaper than anyone else. American Airlines is by far the most expensive Airline. My company wont even consider them. I just did a search on Americans website and they have 0 direct flights to DC. They all connect in Dallas.


AMERICAN AIRLINES 1664 PHX
Phoenix Apr 01, 2007
07:25 AM DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
11:45 AM 757 Economy
View Seats 868 Food for Purchase 5 hr
55 min

AMERICAN AIRLINES 512 DFW
Dallas/ Fort Worth Apr 01, 2007
12:35 PM DCA
Washington Apr 01, 2007
04:20 PM M80 Economy
View Seats 1192 Food for Purchase
Alert: Terminal change.
Total Price
959.80 USD

US Airways


8:45 AM Phoenix, AZ
3:54 PM Washington, DC (Reagan)
44US Airways
Non Stop Details / Seats
4 h 9 m
Coach: $729
First: $829


You can fly first class on USA for $150 less than coach on American.

American Airlines sucks, I cant stand those guys.

You obviously have no understanding of the airline business. There's a reason why USAir has flights non-stop from Washington to Phoenix: They merged/bought America West. American's hubs are Dallas, Chicago, and St. Louis(to a lesser degree). Tell me, how many non-stops does USair have from say LA to Washington? Answer: none. American has 3. How about a popular route like LA to NY. American has 10 nonstops where USAir has none. Does that make them bad? No because USair would have nonstops from lax to Philly, which is one of their hubs as is Charlotte, NC.

As for who's better? I like them both. I like American because of their more room in coach but I like USair because they have more non-stops from Philly. I'm using them for my trip to Vegas next month. I tend to keep my options open.

[NightHawk11and81]

You obviously have no understanding of the airline business. There's a reason why USAir has flights non-stop from Washington to Phoenix: They merged/bought America West. American's hubs are Dallas, Chicago, and St. Louis(to a lesser degree). Tell me, how many non-stops does USair have from say LA to Washington? Answer: none. American has 3. How about a popular route like LA to NY. American has 10 nonstops where USAir has none. Does that make them bad? No because USair would have nonstops from lax to Philly, which is one of their hubs as is Charlotte, NC.

As for who's better? I like them both. I like American because of their more room in coach but I like USair because they have more non-stops from Philly. I'm using them for my trip to Vegas next month. I tend to keep my options open.

American also has Miami as a hub to a lesser extent. USAir also acquired America West's hub in Vegas as part of the merger, which caused a downgrade in its Pittsburgh hub. Had its takeover of Delta been successful, the airline's hub in Charlotte (a fortress hub, by the way) would have been downgraded as well in favor of Delta's larger Atlanta hub.

[NJCardFan]

American also has Miami as a hub to a lesser extent. USAir also acquired America West's hub in Vegas as part of the merger, which caused a downgrade in its Pittsburgh hub. Had its takeover of Delta been successful, the airline's hub in Charlotte (a fortress hub, by the way) would have been downgraded as well in favor of Delta's larger Atlanta hub.

The Miami hub is only a hub for Carribean and South American routes and a couple of European routes. But Chicago and Dallas are the main 2 with Dallas being the home base. Speaking of which, here are the home bases of the major airlines(if I can remember them all):

American-Dallas
America West-Phoenix
Delta-Atlanta
USAir-Philly
Southwest-Dallas
United-Chicago
Northwest-Minneapolis

Oh, how many people remember Eastern Airlines, National Airlines, or Braniff?

[Drachir]

I would suggest that you spend the extra $10 or $20 bux on a different airlines so you can avoid the customer service nightmare and travel nightmare my family and I had to experience in coming home from my wifes grandmothers funeral this past weekend....Here's a copy of my letter to thier management. It is quite lengthy....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Morning.

My name is Dustin Holmes, and I am contacting you today regarding one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had to put my family through, and it was a result of Continental Airlines extremely poor customer service.

As a result of a death in the family, we had to schedule a last minute trip from Phoenix, AZ to Syracuse, NY to attend the funeral of a family member. My family of four booked whatever reservations we could get using the Orbitz travel service. Due to the length of the flight, we had to settle for a quick turnaround trip where we flew out on Friday (using United Airlines) and returned on Sunday (using Continental Airlines). Friday's trip out to Syracuse went seamless. Although our United plane was late arriving to Chicago due to weather and a smaller plane being sent from Chicago to Phoenix, they were kind enough to hold the their express service to Syracuse a few minutes so that the 5 or 6 passengers could make the last connecting flight into Syracuse. Our luggage even made the connection with no problems.

Upon completion of our weekend funeral plans, my family was getting ready to head back to the airport when we were apprised of the delay via the Orbitz service that our Continental Airlines flight to Cleveland was going to be over an hour late leaving Syracuse. We decided to head to the airport anyways after talking with Customer Care and the fact that we still had to travel over 45 minutes to the Airport and return our rental car. We arrived at the airport almost 2 hours prior to our originally scheduled 6:20pm flight. Upon returning the car we proceeded to the checkout line; where we sat in line for aver 50 minutes while a single check-in agent manually serviced each person who was on the delayed flight. There were only 4 passengers in front of us at the time. When we approached the ticket agent, he assured us that there was no possible way we would miss our connecting flight in Cleveland. As they can "turn a plan around in less then 20 minutes." We asked if there was another way we could travel, possibly through Chicago, and he said that he didn't have the authorization to do that. We got our boarding passes and proceeded to the gate. At the gate we saw an agent there and also asked him about the delay and he too assured us that there would be no problem making our connecting flight. We had over an hour layover so everything should work out fine. As the time passed, I was logged into Continental.com and saw that the incoming flight kept getting delayed longer and longer, we continued to ask the gate agent with each new update and he assured us that the information he had was more accurate and that we wouldn't miss our flight. He also said that there were "No other flights he could get us on, to Phoenix.". But he did make a secondary reservation on the next morning's 7:30am flight out of Cleveland as a "backup". The fact he told us there were no other flights was an outright and blatant lie. See, there were approximately 15 passengers that were ticketed on the flight 2212 that had connecting flights to Phoenix. My party had 4 of those tickets. To my surprise, 5 of those individuals, who arrived AFTER us at the airport, managed to get on a 7:15 United Airlines Flight to Chicago and then on to a connecting flight to Phoenix . Yet we were still being told that we would make our connecting flight no problem.

Finally our plane arrived in Syracuse, and we were in the air to Cleveland, over an hour late. Pushing the outer envelope of making our connecting flight, but since there were still 10 passengers that were on the flight, they assured us that they would hold the flight a few minutes and make the time up in the air, as that's standard procedures.

We arrived at our gate in Cleveland at 8:50pm, a full 15 minutes prior to the 9:05pm departure time of our connecting flight to Phoenix. To our AMAZEMENT, the flight from Cleveland to Phoenix had already left the gate and taken off, a FULL 15 minutes AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! The fact that this plane was already gone violated your own policy printed directly on your tickets:

"Boarding Requirement - Passengers must be prepared to board at the departure gate with their boarding pass at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure."

The gate that we were to board at was no more the 20 feet away and across the aisle from our arrival gate in Cleveland, we could have EASILY made the transition. Now traveling with a family of 4, with two 8 year old boys is not easy. First off, they were completely messed up by the two hours that they had to adjust to in a 24 hour period, but add in the fact that we lost an extra hour in the new observance of Daylight savings time. My children were hungry and tired, and at that point of the evening, there was absolutely NOTHING open in the Cleveland Airport. Those of us that were traveling to Phoenix kind of all stuck together. Continental Airlines did provide us with a hotel to stay at in Cleveland, which did have shuttle service. But, no meal vouchers were offered. It's sad enough that airlines have completely lost touch with reality to where they think that .5oz of Honey Roasted Peanuts could actually satisfy the hunger of an adult male weighing 185 pounds, but to add onto that, when I asked for the can of soda, the stewardess told me "that's against airline policy." All to save a buck.

When we got to the hotel, we were informed that the shuttles start at 4am, and go out every 20 minutes. So we asked for a 5am wakeup call. Realize that our bodies still had not adjusted to the time change, which meant that we were essentially making our 8 year old children wake up at 2am. I attempted to call Continental Airlines "WE-CARE" line, but promptly hung up when I was informed the wait time was over 45 minutes. Sleep and the well being of my family were more important at that point as it was already 10:30pm. So, we had no food, our clothes were in security hold for transfer to Phoenix the next morning, and it was late, but at least we had a hotel room. We got our 5am wakeup call and proceeded to Cleveland Airport where we were met with probably the most rude reception yet. The female attendant at the check in counter obviously needed a little refresher training in "WE CARE", because she surely didn't was clearly expressed by her attitude. We kindly asked her that we were traveling with small children and that they had booked their seats away from ours, and in the exit rows. Her exact response was in a rude and snotty tone, "What part of there's nothing I can do about it here did you not understand?? this flight is overbooked!" It's that professional customer service right there that really set the tome for the morning. Even my children were amazed at her 'chipper' attitude towards customer service.

After that experience, we headed to our gate, when my wife and I were both subjected to SSS (Special Security Screening). Not that I minded, but I thought it was quite amusing after being subjected to the sarcasm by the check in attendant a few minutes earlier. It seemed like a little bit of payback for me asking to be seated with my young children, who are not experience airline travelers. Once we got to the gate, a full 90 minutes ahead of the 7:30am departure, I decided I would make the call to the "WE CARE" line. And that's were things got even better. I was told that we were "Lucky" to get a hotel room. I was lectured about how Continental Airlines does business, from a so called supervisor. Not once was I ever respected as a person who, had just spent top dollar on your airlines for booking a flight at the last minute to attend the funeral of a family member that had just passed away. There wasn't a single I'm sorry for your experience, there was an attitude of "I can't believe you have the nerve to call and complain". Not exactly what I expected from a customer service line called "WE CARE". The phone line, if your going to support it with your current personnel should be called "NOT-RLLY". Because it's gone to your employees heads that the airline is doing well, as she clearly informed me about how Continental Airlines made a profit the past two quarters and how she enjoyed her profit sharing. Not something a professional customer care representative should probably say to a person who had just subjected their family to a funeral and one of the worst return flight experiences. I understand customer service. I own my own business, in which our goal is to create an "Exceptional Experience" with each and every person that walks through the door of my coffee house. What I experienced with your "Customer Service" was far from exceptional, it was deplorible. Convicted Criminal are treated with more dignitiy then I was as a paying customer. It was elitist and troubling. I didn't feel as though I was a person who was responsible for the salary that the person on the other end of the phone call. I didn't feel as though any person at any of the customer service points along the way cared that we had a choice of airlines and that that they represented the Continental Airlines Brand. I don't think they understood that they're representation of that brand, goes with a customer on future travel arrangements. See, not only am I a business owner, I'm also an engineer at Honeywell Aerospace and am required to regularly travel for my company. Through our reservations systems, we are allowed choices of airlines. I plan on making it known through my management that we should not use Continental Airlines when booking business travel. Other low cost alternatives should be used. My family and I will also not be using Continental Airlines when it comes to making our Christmas reservations in our week long stay at Disney World this year. Along with that, I will make sure that the 16 other family members who are flying across the United States also not use your airlines. I'm sorry, but I am willing to pay a few more dollars for less hassle. United Airlines set the bar pretty high when they held their plane for my family on our flight from Chicago to Syracuse, ensuring that we would not miss our grandmother's funeral. The gate agent called ahead to Chicago gate agent to let them know we would be there to make the flight. We even came across nice people who were familiar with Chicago and got us through the airport in the quickest route possible as to not hold up the flight for too long. They went above and beyond in their service. Even our bags made the connection without incident. I will also note, that EVERY SINGLE member of our family who attended this funeral this past week (20 in all) who flew with United Airlines, all made it home to their final destinations on time. Of these groups, 2 were graciously upgraded to business class upon their arrival at NO charge, due to the circumstances. And the one group who missed their connecting flight in Dulles, the airlines did everything in their power to make sure that they would make it to the Funeral on time. We were the only group that had to suffer rude behavior and elitist attitudes from the Continental airlines customer service representation.

I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to hear about our terrible experience with your airlines, as I hope that in the future, changes will be made. Until then, you can consider me, my family, and my company ex-customers.

Regards

Dustin C. HolmesThanks Kid! I have now experienced Continental's joke of an airlines first hand as I traveled to New Orleans this weekend and NOT one flight was on time as they were all delayed. I had a connecting flight to Houston and understand with the bad weather there it was no big deal. Actually I am incorrect as one flight wasn't delayed and actually left early which had me puzzled. My flight from New Orleans to Houston was delayed by 45 minutes because the flight crew arrived late and they told me no worries about the connecting flight in Houston. My connecting flight in Houston left 15 minutes early as I missed it because they were pulling the walkway away when I got there 20 minutes before my flight was to take off. I was like you got to be kidding me and the other flight crew said don't worry as they already let them know that we were arriving late. I was on standby for the next flight which was to leave at 12:04 PM only to get lucky and get on that flight but after we got on it and was sitting around for about 45 minutes they decided the plane couldn't fly and made us all leave that plane to board another plane. Total delay on that flight 2 hours. You better believe I will be sending them a bill for the 3 hours I missed at work because of their negligence of the flight crew arriving late in New Orleans. So glad I am flying American when I go back the end of July for Arena Bowl XXI.

[NightHawk11and81]

Wow, another Continental horror story. Guess I've been lucky, my only problem was that the plane was small.

[NJCardFan]

I actually have a U.S. Air horror story. Last month me, my wife, and my in-laws went to Vegas from Philly. Now, we book our tickets back in March and we reserved our seats at that time. The night before our flight we were checking in online and noticed that our seats had changed(we went from a window aisle to window/middle). Not a huge deal but I didn't feel like sitting in the middle for a 5 hour flight and I wasn't going to subject my wife to that on her birthday so I relented and took the middle. Yuck. That said, those who fly USAir know that they offer meals but you have to buy them. They made an announcement that they would be serving meals for $5 but they don't have enough for everybody. Of course, they ran out. There were about 6 or 7 rows of passengers who didn't even get the opportunity to plunk down $5 for a stale sandwich or fruit platter or even the snacky box. My wife and I were able to get a snacky box each which we split with my inlaws sitting behind us. Believe me there were some pissed people. The question here is they knew it was a completely booked flight so why not have as many meals ordered as passengers? Anyway, we got to Vegas fine and dandy. Then came the return flight.

Our return flight was on 5/5, a Saturday and our anniversary. Again, keep in mind we had reserved our seats a few months prior. We get to the airport and come to find out that my wife and I were moved from row 24 to row 33...the 2nd to last row in the plane. When we got to the gate we talked to the gate agent who was extremely nice. No lie, she was very courteous and very nice. Which was a tough thing do be considering that our 4pm flight was being delayed until 7pm PDT. I asked why we were moved and according to her, the ticket counter moved us to accommodate some other passengers travelling together who happened to check in before us. I was a tad puzzled by this considering that my party, 4 of us, were in the same record so this ticket agent who switched us had to have seen the 4 of us in the same record sitting on row behind the other. Puzzling still was that apparently row 33 was open so why didn't they put those people there instead of us?! This girl couldn't answer that and since it wasn't her fault, I let it go(it was at this point that I knew that a stern but professional e-mail was coming USAir's way).

OK, like I said, the flight was being delayed 3 hours so the airline gave everyone $10 food vouchers. In an airport, $10 for food is knocked out by a cup of coffee and a donut but we managed. What we did was wait for later and bought food to eat on the plane because based on our outbound flight, we pretty much expected they'd run out so we planned ahead. Anyhoo, the flight was delayed because of a software problem while the plane was in Philly so since it wasn't a weather problem, I knew at this point that I had them but, again, I was going to wait until I got home. That brings me to this, because the flight was delayed 3 hours, we didn't hit Philly until about 3am. Then we go to the baggage area to claim our bags. No need to mention that we were the only flight in at this time. Well, they start sending bags on one carrousel then after about 20 bags it stopped. We were all about losing our patience by now, all 120 or so passengers, when a lady came and said the rest of the bags would be coming tinto another carrousel...on the complete opposide side of the baggage area. This was beginning to sound like a sick joke. Well, we finally got our bags, about 4am and had to wait another 30 minutes for the parking bus. We finally left the airport around 5am and had to pay for a full day of parking(gotta love the Phila. Parking Authority).

Well, the next day, I sat and wrote a strongly worded(not nasty) e-mail to USAir, just to vent but didn't expect anything in return, maybe a e-mail of apology if that. Well, 2 weeks later I received a (form) letter of apology and......4 transportion vouchers at $250 each. Our original tickets cost $200 each so this was cool. We immediatly set up another trip to Vegas(we got 2 free nights at the Freemont. I know, not the most glamerous hotel in Vegas but free is free and since the Mirage was no prize either we figured 'what the hell') and the vouchers covered another 4 tickets.

So, in short, if you have a problem, just write a letter or e-mail and be professional but stern and they'll work for you.

Oh, Kid, how did you make out with Continental from March?

[82CardsGrad]

Does anyone actually believe that one airline is better than another?? C'mon... They all suck. The entire industry is so ripe for massive overhaul...
I have been flying extensively for more than 15 years, and the only airline I can say that was noticeably better than the rest was Singapore Air... Forget about the rest. They all have one thing on their mind, squeeze the most profit from every dollar they collect... The customer is merely an afterthought...

[NJCardFan]

Does anyone actually believe that one airline is better than another?? C'mon... They all suck. The entire industry is so ripe for massive overhaul...
I have been flying extensively for more than 15 years, and the only airline I can say that was noticeably better than the rest was Singapore Air... Forget about the rest. They all have one thing on their mind, squeeze the most profit from every dollar they collect... The customer is merely an afterthought...

The problem with the airline industry, to be quite frank, is that there are simply too many passengers. You have abou 15 or so domestic carriers flying out of every major city in America and anyone can fly. Back in the day only those who could afford it could fly and alot more attention was given to detail.

[NightHawk11and81]

I haven't noticed much of a difference between any of the airlines either, but that's also because I don't really look for anything extra from the airlines when I fly. It's nice only having to worry about myself, I just get on and enjoy my iPod.

[Portland Card]

. . . . Upon returning the car we proceeded to the checkout line; where we sat in line for aver 50 minutes while a
single check-in agent manually serviced each person who was on the delayed flight. There were only 4 passengers in front of us at the time. . . .

Hell Kid, this would have been enough compensation for me . . . .

:ha:

[kjbad]

The problem with the airline industry, to be quite frank, is that there are simply too many passengers. You have abou 15 or so domestic carriers flying out of every major city in America and anyone can fly. Back in the day only those who could afford it could fly and alot more attention was given to detail.

NJ, the commerical airline industry may have that problem, but it's like trying to ride Greyhound instead of renting a limo. The difference between riding Continental (even 1st class) and riding on a chartered flight is NIGHT and DAY. Those who can afford it get their own chartered flight, the masses are left to answer the cattle call on Southwest or get their luggage tossed and lost on another carrier.

[KidStallyn]

Well...I flew to Detroit on Biz a month or so ago.....And I flew US Airways, and had a GREAT experience. In November, I'll be flying to New York City for the marathon, so YOU KNOW WHO I'll be booking that flight with. Non-Stop with US AIRWAYS! Not sure if it's going to be me and the WIFEY...Of solo by myself or not. I couldn't be happier with the service we got from them!

[Drachir]

Well...I flew to Detroit on Biz a month or so ago.....And I flew US Airways, and had a GREAT experience. In November, I'll be flying to New York City for the marathon, so YOU KNOW WHO I'll be booking that flight with. Non-Stop with US AIRWAYS! Not sure if it's going to be me and the WIFEY...Of solo by myself or not. I couldn't be happier with the service we got from them!I've always had a great experience with USAirways. American Airlines has treated me pretty decent but than again there are 3 rules that I live by and I broke 2 of them on Continental this weekend.


NEVER take a connecting flight whenever possible ALWAYS fly direct!
Always select your seats close to the front as possible and upgrade to First Class if available!
NEVER check luggage take what you can carry. If you do check luggage make sure it doesn't matter if the airlines loses it or not.


I broke rule number 1 and rule number 2 although Continental never even gave me a choice of where to sit and just put me in the back of the plane. I did select window seats which they gave me. I'll be sending them a bill though of lost wages and some other compensation. Plus I will be disputing it on my credit card which is easy to do since I didn't get what I asked for along with the fact that the ball was dropped several times on this flight.

[KidStallyn]

I've always had a great experience with USAirways. American Airlines has treated me pretty decent but than again there are 3 rules that I live by and I broke 2 of them on Continental this weekend.


NEVER take a connecting flight whenever possible ALWAYS fly direct!
Always select your seats close to the front as possible and upgrade to First Class if available!
NEVER check luggage take what you can carry. If you do check luggage make sure it doesn't matter if the airlines loses it or not.


I broke rule number 1 and rule number 2 although Continental never even gave me a choice of where to sit and just put me in the back of the plane. I did select window seats which they gave me. I'll be sending them a bill though of lost wages and some other compensation. Plus I will be disputing it on my credit card which is easy to do since I didn't get what I asked for along with the fact that the ball was dropped several times on this flight.


Wow...your 3 rules to live by are WAY different then mine.

1. Never get less than twelve hours sleep.
2. Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city.
3. Never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.

Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.

[kjbad]

I've always had a great experience with USAirways. American Airlines has treated me pretty decent but than again there are 3 rules that I live by and I broke 2 of them on Continental this weekend.


NEVER take a connecting flight whenever possible ALWAYS fly direct!
Always select your seats close to the front as possible and upgrade to First Class if available!
NEVER check luggage take what you can carry. If you do check luggage make sure it doesn't matter if the airlines loses it or not.




Interesting list...I'm the opposite in a lot of ways.



Take connecting flights when they are cheaper, and be willing to give up seats if asked so you can get ticket discounts and flight vouchers when you help someone else out. I've gotten free flights, free hotel rooms, rental car discounts, and more airline miles this way, and it ALWAYS works. Basically, don't be in a hurry - that's when they have you by the throat.
Always get an aisle seat and try to get the back if possible (so you can stretch out, get to the restroom and talk to the flight crew if you need extra attention. I'm never in a hurry to get off the plane because I know my bags are checked, so I stop rushing. Makes my whole trip easier. )
Wear shoes that come off easily and EXPECT to be pulled out of the line to be searched. Especially if you're BLM.
Put everything in one large bag vs. many smaller bags, and try not to be the last one to check your luggage. (Last on does not mean yours is 1st off!) The luggage guys usually grab the bigger bags first because they like to go faster as they unload, not slower.


Once I learned to stop rushing in the airport, I got back 10 years of my life.

[NJCardFan]

Well...I flew to Detroit on Biz a month or so ago.....And I flew US Airways, and had a GREAT experience. In November, I'll be flying to New York City for the marathon, so YOU KNOW WHO I'll be booking that flight with. Non-Stop with US AIRWAYS! Not sure if it's going to be me and the WIFEY...Of solo by myself or not. I couldn't be happier with the service we got from them!


I guess the moral of my story was that although my flights were horrible with US, they did compensate me into giving them another chance. I'm pretty much hamstrung into flying them because they are the only carrier who goes direct from Philly to most places and I smply refuse to fly Southwest. That said, here are a few pointers to travellers:

1) When checking baggage, never put valuables in your checked luggage. This is what your carryons are for and whenever possible, always carryon a change of clothes(including underwear). When leaving town, don't worry about carrying on toiletries because you can always get a shave kit from the airline or at worst your hotel always has a shop to buy that stuff. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have your current address on your bagtag and make sure it's a good bagtag. Don't reley on the paper ones the airlines have. If you have to, use the paper ones to put the name of your hotel or wherever you are staying on the bag. Makes it easier for them to find you once they locate it if it's lost.

2) Eat before you get on the flight. It amazes me how many people would complain about the airplane food. You don't have to eat it. I made that mistake of not eating first and look where it got me. At least buy your own and bring it on.

3) Always be professional. Don't scream, yell, jump and down and spit wooden nickels. This will get you nowhere and may make your situation worse. Always remember that the gate agents, reservationists, ect are not responsible for cancelled or delayed aircraft. Simply put: you get more flies with honey...

[NightHawk11and81]

I've always had a great experience with USAirways. American Airlines has treated me pretty decent but than again there are 3 rules that I live by and I broke 2 of them on Continental this weekend.


NEVER take a connecting flight whenever possible ALWAYS fly direct!
Always select your seats close to the front as possible and upgrade to First Class if available!
NEVER check luggage take what you can carry. If you do check luggage make sure it doesn't matter if the airlines loses it or not.


I broke rule number 1 and rule number 2 although Continental never even gave me a choice of where to sit and just put me in the back of the plane. I did select window seats which they gave me. I'll be sending them a bill though of lost wages and some other compensation. Plus I will be disputing it on my credit card which is easy to do since I didn't get what I asked for along with the fact that the ball was dropped several times on this flight.

My 3 rules are nearly opposite on two of them, although I agree on the last one.

1. Always take a connecting flight unless you have no other option but to fly direct.
2. Select seats on the aisle and always in coach as this is still cheap and more comfortable than the middle or window. Pick the seat closest to the front on the aisle only. Do not spend the money on first class.
3. Do not check luggage unless you have no choice.

Following these rules, I've yet to have a bad experience on a flight. I did not enjoy a flight on Northwest, but that was because I sat at the back.

[JollyRoger]

Good advice and thanks for the info. I'm flying to Florida for business next month on (gasp) Continental. Wish me luck. :)

[Drachir]

Hey Kid,
I just saw a piece on NBC News regarding filing complaints with the airlines.
They said you are better served filing a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Evidently once a complaint is filed with them the airlines can't ignore it like they can when you complain to them.

Here is a link to their site.
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htmBumping this up as this is where I will be filing a formal complaint against Continental in the next few days. I vote them the worst airlines so far.

[NCCardsfan]

It is true Continental Airlines is terrible even on a good day. USAirways aint much better either.

Truth be known, airline travel in general is pretty much the same as Greyhound....except for the altitude.
:Rolleyes:

[NJCardFan]

Well, I have a follow-up to my U.S. Airways experience from May. We went back to Vegas Labor Day weekend using the vouchers they gave us and I have to say that this go around was 180 degrees better. The flights were smooth and early. Yes, I said early. Everything was great so there are good flying days as well. Oh, as for that website for complaints, a majority of those complaints are just stupid ones. People complaining weather delays or cancellations, stuff like that.

[ambushk]

My rules are probably different than anyone's, but then I am an odd-ball.

1. Never fly when you can drive. There may be more automobile accidents than airplane accidents, but 300 people hardly ever die in a car accident, and nobody wants to "jack" my old beater.

2. Always go directly to your car and bypass all the security. Carry as much luggage as you want, unless you lose your own things.

3. Stay in a cheaper hotel, to make up for the difference between gas and airfare. If I'm going to another town, I have to assume that I'm not going to look at the inside of a hotel room. Oh yea. Never drink the booze in the mini-bar.

[NightHawk11and81]

My rules are probably different than anyone's, but then I am an odd-ball.

1. Never fly when you can drive. There may be more automobile accidents than airplane accidents, but 300 people hardly ever die in a car accident, and nobody wants to "jack" my old beater.

2. Always go directly to your car and bypass all the security. Carry as much luggage as you want, unless you lose your own things.

3. Stay in a cheaper hotel, to make up for the difference between gas and airfare. If I'm going to another town, I have to assume that I'm not going to look at the inside of a hotel room. Oh yea. Never drink the booze in the mini-bar.

Those are good rules. Of course, mine are only for flights, but yours make a lot of sense.

I'll be flying Northwest for Thanksgiving despite having sworn it off after last time. But this one should be enjoyable, I shouldn't be on the back, and I have a stop in Detroit on the way, so I'm looking forward to it. Put simply, it was the cheapest available. That's how I pick my airlines and my flights.

[ambushk]

As usual my statements were a bit sarcastic, but I have no love of my feet being off of the ground. It's been years since I last flew. The last airline I used sent me a bill for the deep fingernail gashes I left in their arm rests. I hate heights so much that I even walk along the inside walls of high rises. Extreme? Oh course, it's me.

Have fun on Thanksgiving, eat lots of turkey so you can have a good nights sleep afterwords.

[NightHawk11and81]

As usual my statements were a bit sarcastic, but I have no love of my feet being off of the ground. It's been years since I last flew. The last airline I used sent me a bill for the deep fingernail gashes I left in their arm rests. I hate heights so much that I even walk along the inside walls of high rises. Extreme? Oh course, it's me.

Have fun on Thanksgiving, eat lots of turkey so you can have a good nights sleep afterwords.

Not planning on sleeping too much, I've got a flight the day after back to Kansas City so I can make it to the Missouri-Kansas football game that Saturday in KC.

After that, no flights for a while unless MU goes to a bowl that would be insane to drive to from Virginia, since I'll be on winter break.