US Airways Consumer Reviews - Page 4

After reading the reviews on this site, I was regretting my decision to use US Air (didn't really have a choice... death in family and US AIR was my only quick and reasonably priced option. From beginning to end my flight were hassle free, and I found US Air's personnel to be helpful and friendly. I did not check any bags, so that eliminated one whole potential problem. My flights from Harrisburg, PA to Dallas through Philadelphia were uneventful, flights left on time and arrived early in both cases.

It was my return flights which prompted me to post a review. The first leg from DFW to PHL was on a smaller Embraer 190 which I would recommend choosing as your flight option whenever possible, they always seem to have just a little more legroom despite SeatGuru's listing of having the same pitch as most of the other airlines... two abreast seating is always nice as it eliminated the center seat potential problems.

Despite being full, the flight attendant, whom I regret not getting a name for (He was a middle-aged Black man. I hope if he reads this he'll excuse the description) who I watched introduce himself to passengers who asked questions, and then addressed them by name when passing by later. He was unfailingly pleasant and humorous in his PA announcements.

We arrived 30 min early into PHL and I went with my traveling partner to the US air gate desk to check out the possibility of catching an earlier flight rather than waiting 2+ hours for our original flight. Initially the gate staff stuck to their guns that it would cost $50 to change to an earlier flight, after some good natured (and polite) prodding she either got tired of us or we charmed her into working some kind of magic and she called us to the gate and handed us boarding passes to the earlier flight... that all happened so quick that again, I regret getting her name. (Maybe just as well, she might get into trouble for working her magic.)

The final leg flight also got in early with no incident. Perhaps, since most of the time people only take the time to write a review when they've had a bad experience and seldom do so when everything works out, maybe US Air isn't as terrible as posted reviews indicate. I may regret choosing them in the future, but as of my latest experience I would fly again with them with no hesitation.

Just an aside, they do seem to have what seems to be an ass-backward policy of charging a fee to change to an earlier flight that is not full (and not allowing standby status unless the flight is full) while allowing a no fee switch to standby status on a full flight. I would think that allowing a no fee switch to an early flight would fill up the earlier flight thus opening up seats on later flights that might be available as normal flight delays/cancellations, etc cause missed flights as the day goes on. Just my opinion.

To make this story short and to the point, as short as possible!!! We flew from Florida to Maine for a family vacation, had no problems! Flew out of Boston on Aug 12 (so we had tickets to fly!!) arrived 5 hours early in Boston, and there was a line out the door for only US Airways, we waited 4.5 hours just to check our luggage! During our long stand in line, the agents were announcing for people to call the US Airways 1800# and start the process of re booking flights because most people are missing their flights due to the long line!

(While we are all waiting in line, we start to watch how many agents they have working! Guess what not once during the 4.5 hours we waited in line, were there more than 5 agents, and 2 of the 5 were only helping first class people!) I know the airline had people stranded for 2-3 days due to some weather issues, but to be this far behind days and days after the weather cleared up was crazy!!

We finally get to the agent after 4.5 hours, and he says "hi, let me guess you missed your flight?" I said yes! He had the nerve to tell me we should arrive earlier next time so we have time to wait in line! I said, "thought 5 hours was plenty of time!" (Is this guy for real I thought!) He said "I cannot get you home for 3 days." After making him try harder, he offered us a flight into NC from Boston, and we would be put on a 10 pm flight into Florida from NC the next night! So we did that, paid for hotel in NC out of our pocket and food etc. (Mind you we have kids traveling with us!!!)

Get to the airport to check in our luggage 12 hours early because we had no place to hang out other than the airport the next day, and I give the agent our boarding passes for the 10 pm flight that the agent in Boston gave us...... Not stand by!!! Confirmed seats on this pm flight! She couldn't find out reservation, called a supervisor and couldn't find any proof we ever flew to Maine or anything! (If we had not had the boarding passes in our hands, she said we would have been buying new tickets because the system lost everything about us!!)

She said in 23 years never seen this happen, but couldn't get us home for another 2 days! I freaked out and she finally overbooked the 10m flight to get us home, we were given vouchers to use on our next flight to be upgraded to first class....

We finally arrived home 3./5 days later! I called the airline today to find out about these vouchers they gave me to upgrade us, well seems no one knows anything about them! And they don't give out upgrades anymore! So now I have nothing! No one will even help me! I will resend email and cert letter this week and see if that helps again! This is wrong what they did and they don't even care!

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- Original return trip from St. Maarten on 7/26/08 to DFW through Philadelphia. Departing at 2:50 PM arriving at DFW at 11:46 pm. US Airways flight # 1036, T.O. Saint Maarten 2:50 pm, arrive Philadelphia 7:19 pm. We arrive at Airport at 12:00 pm as instructed by US Airways for International flight. At approximately 1:50- 2:00 pm started boarding flight- about 30 min early? At about 2:15 & everyone was boarded we were told that we were waiting on a few passengers who had left the gate area probably because boarding time was 2:20. 2:45 still waiting on these missing passengers?

3:00 still waiting, captain over loudspeaker explained that they must have gone online & US Air showed our flight as 2 hours late because original incoming aircraft from Philadelphia had mechanical problems, returned to gate and was switched out. He said there was a Charlotte flight departing about 2:45 and those people were bumped & we were given their plane.??? The other plane would not be arriving until approximately 5:00 pm.

Problem now is the missing passengers have already checked in and have luggage on board and being an International flight we can'€™t leave without them unless we remove their luggage. As far as I know no luggage was ever removed and no one else boarded the plane. Approximately 3:45 we took off. Captain then explained that we were going to Philadelphia after a stop over in Charlotte to change crews and refuel. What the heck is going on!!!

This is a 3 ½ to 4 hour flight and we were told that on returning flights there are no snack boxes, sandwiches etc. They did have 3-5 boxes left over from arriving flight which were given to first class passengers. We would not be allowed off the plane in Charlotte because we needed to clear customs.

You would think competent people might arrange to have the pantry restocked while they are refueling and changing crews. Flight crew updated connecting flights and for the most part assured us we would all be on our way home maybe on a different flight that evening. Other than that the crew seemed most interested in selling your duty free stuff which were well stocked even on returning flights and getting people to sign up for US Air Credit cards. We were not able to enjoy the movie "21"€ due to repeated interruptions by the male flight attendant hawking these items over the P.A.

About 7:15 landed in Charlotte and sat on the ground about 1 hour, took off for Philadelphia about 8:15 pm. The new crew was very short with passengers and just overall not friendly or helpful. They explained since plane had not been restocked they would not be running the beverage cart, but, and I quote "If anyone absolutely has to have something to drink press your call light and we will see what we can do."

The flight attendant nearest us sat in his jump seat most of the flight. Near the end of this flight after no information or updates on connecting flights had been given we asked and were told first by the flight attendant and then by the captain that we would have to find out at the gate after clearing customs.

Landed little after 9:00 pm, picked up our luggage and discovered one of our large suitcases had been ruined. it appeared to have been crushed ruining the frame and now the wheels point different directions and the built in metal support across the back is hanging off. It now has to be carried as it no longer will roll. Thank God for the 50 lb. rule.

After clearing customs we were met at the ticket area by US Airways reps who were very nice and gave us our new boarding passes for a 7:30 flight the next morning. It is now around 9:45 PM. She handed me several slips stapled together and thumbed through them confirming there were 4 boarding passes, food vouchers and hotel voucher. We were then instructed to meet the Sheraton shuttle and to hurry as their restaurant would close by 10:00. We rushed quite aways (dragging the broken suitcase) ground transportation and just missed the shuttle. We had already been told it would come back every 20 minutes or so.

While we waited I looked through the vouchers and discovered there were only 3 instead of 4. I rushed all the way back, had to go through long explanation with a security agent & his supervisor to regain access to the international area. I was told by the US Airways rep I would have to get my boarding pass at the gate the next morning. I requested they look through their stack one more time and sure enough there was the missing boarding pass and vouchers.

I rushed all the way back to ground transportation and we had missed the next couple shuttles but the driver assured my wife he would return for us which he did & all seemed to be looking up. It is now about 10:30 but the hotel is only a few minutes away.

We arrived in the hotel lobby at about 10:40 pm with our luggage in tow (no bellhops to assist) and were told restaurant closed at 11:00. My wife hurried off with our 4 vouchers to order us a sandwich while I got in line at check in desk. When I finally got to the clerk I was told the driver had dropped us at the wrong Sheraton. I was told we would have to take all of our luggage and walk across a parking lot to another Sheraton.

The shuttle driver walked in about now and I told him he had taken us to the wrong hotel, he debated with the clerk back and forth blaming each other and he left. (he was off duty now). The clerk explained to me there was nothing she could do as they had no rooms and as far as getting the luggage to the other hotel she didn'€™t know what to tell me. I pulled the luggage cart into the restaurant and parked it next to our table. Even though the restaurant is now closed we have ordered and our sandwiches were being prepared.

Because of the constant mistakes of the day my wife decided to walk to the other Sheraton and at least get us checked in while we waited on our food. About the time our food arrived she returned and informed me that they originally said they also had no rooms either and only after arguing with them were they able to come up with 1 room with 2 double beds. We were traveling with our 2 nearly grown sons (19 & 15) and had two room vouchers. Both boys and myself are over 6 foot and over 225 lbs. One of hotel vouchers was not honored.

We finished eating about 11:30 and the bill for 4 sandwiches, chips and soft drinks (no alcohol) was 77.04 and with 20% tip came to 93.04. Our 4 meal vouchers from US Air = 40.00. We now left and walked across the parking lot in a strange town at almost midnight carrying and dragging suitcases etc. from a weeklong trip for four adults and went to bed. One son had to sleep on the floor. We were in bed by 12:30 am exhausted and we had to be up at 4:30 am to catch the 5:40 am shuttle to catch the 7:30 am flight.

At the airport and checked in by 6:30 am all looking good. Spent another 40-50 on breakfast at the airport. No vouchers. At 7:05 boarding time gate agent explained we would board in just a moment that they were missing one flight attendant. This message was repeated a few times over next 30 minutes. At 7:35 departure time agent said attendant was checked in at the airport and on her way to the gate. This was repeated a couple more times for next 20-30 minutes.

At around 8 said they had located attendant and she was not at the airport but about 45 minutes away??? We were finally boarded by attendants not assigned to our flight waiting on this one to arrive around 9:00. When the attendant did arrive she said it was her day off and US Airways had asked her to come in for this awol attendant. We finally took off I believe around 9:30. Also during the entire trip we had to keep rearranging our scheduled transportation back home. We finally arrived at DFW right at 24 hours after we arrived at the airport for 2 flights with a combined flight time of about 6-7 hours.

Tuesday morning 7-29 at 11:15 I called the customer service # (1-800-428-4322) listed on our confirmation. I first spoke to ** who said the only way to file a complaint is to go online to your website. I asked what would I do if I did not have access to the internet? ** repeated the previous statement.

Until now I have kept my temper and have been polite to every person I have dealt with but I am now out of patience with US Airways. I then explained to her that I did not wish to go online that I called the # US Airways provided me for customer service and now that they were on the line I wished to speak with a human. I asked that she transfer me to a supervisor rather than arguing with her. Before she could transfer me she needed our confirmation info which she confirmed a few times and then asked the nature of my complaint. Finally she transferred me to Supervisor **.

I started explaining why I was unhappy and ** stopped me about half way through and said he couldn't help me and again said I had to go online to file a complaint. I told him I did not wish to go online and what would I do if internet service was not available? He then offered me a phone # to another US Airways customer service. 866-523-5333. I now asked him why it took 20 minutes for anyone to offer that #. ** should have done that in the first minute of the call when she was telling me my only option was to go online.

I called this # and it went to an automated message saying "œDue to high call volume US Airways will not be able to take my call and please visit our website and fill out a form." Now I know why they didn'™t give me the #, because no one answers it.

So here I am online where I did not wish to be and I am completely put out with US Airways and it'€™s policies. Your company is nowhere near as good as it used to be. And I still would like to talk to a human. This was submitted and confirmed electronically 7/29/08. 8/15/08 11:00 am resubmitted. Have never heard from US Airways. Tried calling again and was told the only people I can talk to at US Airways are the reservation clerks and the lost baggage people. Neither of these could help me.

TUCSON, ARIZONA -- This is a long letter, but before dismissing it you may want to go to your computer, go to this link (**), and watch Carol Anne Gotbaum, a lone woman, being tackled by several policemen at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on September 28, 2007. This woman died while in police custody at Sky Harbor Airport. This is the image and story that my friends, from San Francisco to New York, have of Phoenix Sky Harbor. Then, take the time to read my somewhat lengthy narrative about my experience at Tucson International Airport (TIA).

Yesterday, Saturday, August 9, 2008, a US Airways employee, **, tried to use the TAA police force to punish me for expressing a legitimate grievance. My domestic partner, **, was flying back to Wichita, KS, to visit his brother who is terminally ill with a malignant brain tumor. Like most working people, ** had only a few days to see his brother and this time was valuable. Unlike most people, ** has severe, adult-acquired hearing loss which is partially alleviated by a cochlear implant. However, his hearing is not good enough to negotiate difficult situations or to hear announcements made over loudspeakers in areas of high ambient noise like airport terminals.

** had a seating assignment from Tucson to Phoenix on US Airways, but could not get a seating assignment online from Phoenix to Wichita the evening before his flight. We suspected the flight was oversold. We drove to the airport early to obtain a seating assignment and I spoke with the US Airways staff as ** has a communication disability. He frequently misapprehends what has been said to him, especially if the context is unusual or uncommon.

At the US Airways ticket counter, ** informed us that ** could not get a seating assignment in Tucson; rather he would have to fly to Phoenix to get his seating assignment. I asked why this was so, and ** replied that the flight might be oversold. There was no offer to reschedule the flight from Tucson, and the implication was he had to fly to Phoenix and take his chances or lose his ticket. This was accompanied by a disparaging remark about the ticket being purchased through Priceline.com.

I told ** that ** would not be able to hear announcements regarding flight status and possible standby arrangements. Still, Jessic** did not have the authority to obtain ** a seating assignment, so I asked to speak with her supervisor, **, who supposedly had the authority to assign ** a seat. ** made the first call to ** at 3:10 PM. After a second call and waiting 20 minutes I told ** to catch his flight and text message me if things went wrong. Only then did ** think to write up a notice of disability to alert Phoenix US Airways staff of **'s communication difficulties.

Since I had already waited twenty minutes I asked ** to place a third call to **, and ** arrived a 3:35 PM spoiling for a fight. Without giving a blow by blow description, our interaction resulted in my fleeing the airport with ** chasing me down. The TAA police officers who determined that I had done nothing wrong, Officers ** and **, sent me on my way shaken and disillusioned.

Late yesterday afternoon, when safely in my own home out of TAA police jurisdiction, I called the TAA police at 5:40 PM to inquire whether ** had committed assault. I was told an officer would call me back. At 6:24 PM, I called back and was put through to Corporal **. We discussed whether **'s actions had risen to the level of assault, and he took down my statement and assigned a case number **.

I called the airport police again on Sunday morning, August 10, 2008. I talked with Sergeant ** (sp?). Sgt. ** explained that airline and rental companies involving the TAA police force in disputes was common at TIA, and it was often unwarranted. Further some airline employees were frequent callers for police assistance in situations that do not warrant police involvement. (The TAA police were, on the whole, balanced and professional. They were surprisingly forthcoming, but I know how to chat people up.)

Sgt. ** characterized the incident involving ** from US Airways and me as a misunderstanding, perhaps a situation that got out of control. I think she believes that to be true. However, that is not my analysis or my perception.

My perception is that **, the US Airways supervisor, was angry that I had the audacity to ask to see her. That I had the temerity to have her subordinates call her three times. She was fuming because I had the endurance to wait twenty-five minutes and not walk away angry and impatient. She was furious and determined to act punitively, even if that action required deception and false accusation. Why do I come to this conclusion? There are several reasons.

She did not go to the staff side of the counter; rather she walked up to me on the passenger side of the counter and stood uncomfortably close to me. Could she address my problem without the use of a computer terminal? Her demeanor was hostile and aggressive. **'s statement that “she didn't like my attitude” was both condescending and irrelevant. This statement was meant to provoke. When I told her that if my partner were to be stranded in Phoenix I would write letters of complaint with her as the primary focus, she cynically chose to characterize this as a threat.

When she asked me, “are you threatening me,” I knew this was a thinly veiled attempt to construe this as a threatening situation: it was a set-up. When I replied, “I am not threatening you physically, I am threatening to write letters,” I was purposefully dispelling the notion of physical threat. Perhaps if I had been more quick witted I would have said that I was informing her of the consequences of her poor customer relations. In any case, it was clear that there was no physical threat.

However, **, unable to accept that I would not fall into her trap, decided to act as if I had: she screamed for the police, and because she was so threatened (I am being facetious) she followed me without police escort outside the building and several hundred yards down the sidewalk toward the street while I repeatedly told her that I was walking away and I wanted her to leave me alone. In between screaming for help she spokes less audible remarks of “getting me.” Her actions were deliberate, cynical, and calculating.

When threatened, I and most people try to distance themselves from the person who is threatening. **'s choice to follow me, hounding me down the sidewalk towards traffic, was not the choice of a threatened person. It was the choice of a disgruntled, angry person who wanted to cause me harm. My question is why did she feel the airport police (or security) would back her up?

What is the institutional culture of the TIA and how did this contribute to her libelous accusations? Again, Sgt. ** told me that this type of incident, airline and rental car company employees calling the police to resolve customer conflict is common and that seldom does the dispute rise to the level of criminal threat. Further, Sgt. ** told me that some employees routinely call security to resolve what should be resolved with good customer relations.

If this is routine, apparently there is no repercussions for those employed at the airport that make hyperbolic accusation and use airport police as de facto goons. Has airport security replaced the railroad goons of the 19th and 20th centuries? Are airports, including the usually friendly Tucson airport, virtual police states where legal and legitimate disputes are resolved with the threat of police force? This kind of behavior would not shock me in Newark, but it shocks me in Tucson.

After speaking with Corporal ** and Sergeant I now know that the TAA police force are not goons, but how would I know that while being pursued by a harpy like ** who was screaming for them to do what? arrest me for threatening to write letters of complaint. How was I to know that I would not be shackled to a bench like Carol Anne Gotbaum who died in the custody police at Phoenix Sky Harbor in September on September 28, 2007. When faced with apparent misuse of authority and poor institutional culture, I often find it useful to follow the revenue stream. Your website contains the following statement:

"TAA does not receive any local tax dollars. Operations are funded through revenues from parking, space rentals, land leases, fuel sales, airline landing fees, and concessions. Capital improvements such as runway and terminal construction are funded through state and federal grants."

If airline landing fees and concessions such as car rentals are major sources of revenue, do these financial interest either directly or indirectly affect the use of TAA's police or security forces? Is it in TAA's financial interest not to upset their sources of revenue by instating repercussions for companies whose employees use TAA police to intimidate passengers and customers? Is this why company employees feel free to use TAA's police to resolve disputes that should be resolved by good customer relations? How well does this serve the economic interest of greater Tucson?

I realize the TAA police do not feel that they are threatening, but when TIA patrons are faced with police with badges, weapons, and handcuffs, most are intimated and, to some degree, threatened.

The current issue of The Economist features articles about Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the headline is: Speaking the truth to power. If you are the power at TAA, I must speak the truth to you. Using police force to intimidate TIA's customers is wrong. Unless there are repercussions for airline and rental car company employees who de facto use the TAA police as a force of intimidation to quiet customers who are voicing grievances, the TAA is tacitly condoning this behavior.

This is the United States of America, and we have the right to state our grievances. In a perfect world these grievances would be reasonable and legitimate, but that is not a requirement. Acting within the law is a requirement.

Unfortunately, my experience at TIA is probably indicative of more widespread deterioration of service in the airline industry. I travel relatively often and I usually fly coach: I see how employees treat the least of travelers. I have seen hints of disgruntled airline employees using the threats of police intervention to quell the dissatisfied of those suffering through delayed, overbooked, and cancelled flights.

I've had a TSA security agent bark at me like a drill sergeant during a random search at Logan International Airport while I was being a model of cooperation. This bad behavior, or power run amuck, is done in the name of security. How does this make us more secure? I like Tucson. I think of it as a special place to live, but after this experience I feel I might as well be living in any major city in the USA.

The events of September 11, 2001 are a great tragedy. The cynical use of the threat of terrorism to instill compliance and fear in the traveling public cheapens the lives lost and the bravery of those who responded. It is shameful. If TAA is passively complicit in promoting this, TAA is responsible. TAA is as responsible as ** who cynically made false accusations and as responsible as US Air who promoted an irrational and vengeful employee like ** to a position of authority.

I am writing to share my horrific experience flying with your airline this past weekend. My purchased, confirmed itinerary was as follows: Aug 1, 2008; flight 3676 8.55pm BWI - 9.35pm PHL; flight 3350 10.55pm PHL - 12.12am BUF.

I arrived at the gate at the BWI terminal at 8.45pm. The gate agent told me I was late and I had to wait until after the standby passengers were processed. Let me stress here that they had NOT started processing any stand-by passengers which meant my seat had NOT been assigned to anyone else. I know this because there were NO agents at the counter - only the agent at the gate who told me I could not board despite the fact that I had a purchased confirmed seat and nobody was processing any standby passengers.

After about 5 minutes of us both just standing there at the gate, the agent went behind the counter and started processing standby passengers. She made me wait while she allowed 3 standby passengers to board and then told me I could board.

The agent tore my boarding pass, let me through the gate onto the tarmac. At the base of the airplane stairs, a baggage handler took my carry-on bag to stow it. I started up the stairs to the plane. The US Airways gate agent came out of the terminal and told me that I cannot board the plane. I came off the stairs and started walking toward her. She signalled for my bag to be retrieved from the cargo area and the baggage agent brought my bag. At that point, the gate agent signaled for another standby passenger who had been waiting in the terminal to board the plane.

The gate agent rushed back into the terminal without giving me a chance to ask what had just happened and I had to rush to follow her back inside. Inside, the gate agent said another gate agent will take care of me. After about 15 minutes, the other agent told me the next flight is at 7.30am on Aug 2, through PHL arriving at BUF at 11am.

I asked if there was anything earlier, or if he could check a different carrier. He said no. I asked if I would be refunded should I choose to not take the 7.30am flight. The agent said he did not know and had no way to find out. I asked if he could book me on a flight later the next day. He said no - that he could do absolutely NOTHING except put me on the 7.30 flight.

Now the whole reason for trying to get there on Friday night is this: I was going to Canada for Caribana. My uncle was supposed to pick me up at BUF airport and we would drive into Canada. My uncle had to work until 7pm on Saturday which meant that if I arrived at BUF at 11am on Saturday, he could not pick me up at the airport.

I called the US Airways number from my cell phone to find out if they could tell me whether I could be refunded for the ticket if I didn't take the 7.30 flight. The agent who spoke to me said that I would not be refunded, and that if I wanted to take a different flight, I could, but I would be charged a $150 change fee, plus the difference in fare.

I spent about 20 minutes on the phone trying to figure out what I should do. At about 9.30, I asked the counter agent to check again to see if a different carrier had any flights leaving earlier. The agent says: well Southwest has a flight that's leaving in 10 minutes, but there's no way you'd make that. Had he given me this information at 8.10 when I first asked him, I would've been able to make that flight, but he had instead told me that he couldn't check other carriers.

At this point I realized that these agents had had ZERO intention of doing anything to assist me from the time the gate agent held me back from boarding so she could let standbys board. I left the airport and paid $40 to get back home.

At home I searched for a car rental that I could pick up in BUF at 11am. Everything was sold out as it was Caribana weekend. I looked at the bus schedules and found 3 buses going from BUF to Toronto. - at 3pm, 4pm and 9pm. The next day I paid $40 to get back to the airport and boarded the 7.30am flight. That flight was delayed due to "weather" and I arrived in PHL at 9.10 missing my 9.20 connection to BUF.

The gate agent in BUF told me the next available flight out was at 2.45pm. I went to a different US Airways ticketing counter and the lady there put me on standby for an 11.45am flight. There were 2 other standby passengers on that flight and the gate agent told us to have a seat and he'd take care of us. The confirmed passengers boarded and then the agent went onto the plane and asked if anybody would be willing to give up their seats for a free ticket.

Two people volunteered and came off the plane. After about 20 minutes of waiting while the gate agent did whatever behind the counter, one of the other standby passengers went up to him and asked if we were getting on the flight. The gate agent says something to the effect of "Oh that flight's long gone!"

US Airways agents are clearly not very courteous since he couldn't even bother to TELL us that we weren't getting on the flight, despite the fact that 2 people volunteered their seats. So I got on the 2.45 flight and arrived in BUF at 3.45pm. By the time I got to arrivals, it clearly made no sense trying to find the bus station and trying to catch the 4pm bus.

My uncle wouldn't be able to pick me until 8pm, and the next bus left BUF at 9pm. So I was resigned to wait for 4 hours in the airport. I decided to check the car rental agencies to see if there were any cars at all. Alamo told me they had an SUV, but it would cost me $99 per day. After consulting with my aunt, she said I should rent the SUV and drive to Canada instead of wasting 4 MORE hours in the airport. So I did. I arrived at my Canada destination at 6pm. Needless to say, I (and my aunt and cousin who had to wait for my arrival) missed all of Caribana.

Now I had rented the SUV for a day, since I can't afford more than 1 day at $99! So on Sunday, which we had planned to spend sightseeing in Canada, we had to spend in 4 hours of traffic trying to get back to BUF airport to return the car. Despite the fact that we left 2 hours earlier than necessary, we arrived at the car rental place 2 hours late, and I was charged late fees for the car.

So thus far, I've wasted all day Saturday, all day Sunday, missed Caribana which was the whole point of the trip, and I've spent an additional $125 for a car I shouldn't have had to rent, not to mention made my relatives miss Caribana and waste all of Sunday too! All because a gate agent refused to let me board the plane - first by purposely holding me back before she even started processing standbys, and then by pulling me off the plane after she let me board it!

I enjoyed my Monday and Tuesday morning and then returned to the BUF airport for my return itinerary: Aug 5, 2008; flight 3663 4.14pm BUF - 5.31pm LGA; flight 3759 6.35pm LGA - 7.54pm BWI. The initial announcement was that the 4.14 flight was delayed to 4.51. At around 4.45 they announced that the plane has technical problems and flight is cancelled. They rerouted me through PHL and put me on an 8.45pm flight out of PHL arriving BWI very late. Got home at midnight, which would have been fine except that because I was not at home when I initially planned to be, one of my clients gave my $1200 design contract to a competitor.

So here's the tally: $80 - from having to drive to and from the airport 2 extra times; $125 from the car that I wasn't supposed to have to rent; $1200 lost contract because US Airways couldn't honor their flight schedule and 2 WASTED DAYS for me and my relatives in Canada. It is only fair that I get a full refund of my money, plus compensation, since US Airways was not able to provide any of the services I paid for, and the result is that I ended paying out $205 extra, plus losing a $1200 contract.

Wrote to US Airways customer service regarding ripped luggage on my return trip from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. I checked two bags prior to my flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco via Charlotte in very good condition at check-in. When I picked up both bags at the SFO carousel, my small duffel bag was fine, but the larger 28" Ricardo two-compartment bag was badly ripped at the seams of the top of the hanging compartment. My jacket was even falling out of the large whole. I immediately took my luggage to the US Airways service center adjacent to the carousel.

After a short wait, the main female worker told me that obviously my bag got stuck on something in transit, and the tear was the airline's fault. She said that she could give me a replacement piece of luggage, which I said would be fine. She replied that it would not be the same make or color, but close. Again, I said this would be fine. She then looked at the bag and said that it's possible that I could just take the bag to a cobbler to get it repaired. She and I looked closely at the bag and I pointed out that the fabric had been ripped totally from the seams and had started to fray.

It's very possible it couldn't be repaired, and as I live in a city without a car, getting a cab to take it to a repairperson in itself would be costly on my part. She then said she'd just give me an air check. I said I didn't want an air check; I wanted the replacement or the fee covered if it could be guaranteed repairable. She refused and said she'd give me a coupon good for $100 for my next US Airways flight (voucher validation number [withheld], cpn [withheld], baggage number **, flights 1434/1455, ticket number [withheld]). I didn't feel this was right, and I said so. Instead, she said that she couldn't do anything else.

As I had just spent almost 12 hours until this point), I didn't look at the air check too carefully. When I got in my shuttle to go home, I noticed that the $100 was only good if I booked a flight worth more than $500. More likely I'd save $25 on a trip if I take one in the next year. I feel like I got bait-and-switch treatment several times over the course of 15 minutes, and to make matters worse, I wheeled my luggage 15 blocks to the nearest cobbler and back, who laughed when I asked about repairing my luggage. He said "It's beyond hope." Now I have a worthless air check and no decent-sized luggage!

I received the standard, "Thanks for your email" message back, with a promise to attend to my email in 5-7 days. 10 days went by without a peep, so I wrote to them again. Today I received their response saying a seam split or zipper damage would normally be considered a manufacturer's defect or the result of over packing and not a result of negligence or mishandling on the part of US Airways, and that they're unable to offer any type of monetary compensation for this incident. They've suggested me to contact my personal property or travel insurer to see if I have coverage for an incident such as this.

Now, it's great I got a response, but this wasn't normal wear and tear or a manufacturing issue. There's a massive hole and strings. Nothing was wrong with the bag when I handed it to them that morning. Even worse, the service person in SFO admitted that they caused the hole! The main female worker told me that obviously my bag got stuck on something in transit, and the tear was the airline's fault. She acknowledged that the rip was the airline's fault, and not mine. My bag was not over packed, and was obviously ripped in transit. I also sent an additional email containing photos of the non-manufacturer's rip and hole.

This is absolutely ridiculous. The airline caused the massive rip/hole, and I have no good travel bag (and I travel a lot for work). Also, my confidence is obviously not restored, and I'll do everything possible NOT to fly US Airways from now on.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA -- I was booked on a US Airways flight from Kansas City to Richmond, VA (with a stop in Charlotte) to get back home on 3/7/08 after a week-long business trip. Our flight from KC to Charlotte was mostly uneventful, except for a delay in actually parking at the gate in Charlotte due to what our pilot termed "complete incompetence" on the part of the ground crew. We finally got there and were grateful to have enough time to grab some lunch on our way to our next flight to get us home to Richmond. We arrived at our gate (E18) shortly before 2 PM, with the flight scheduled to depart at 2:29. Whew!

There were some delays in boarding the flight, as the plane was a bit late getting in, but the gate agent assured us they would make it a quick turnaround in order to get us to Richmond on schedule. We did board the plane at 2:15 and all seemed to be going well until the pilot came on the PA to state that there was a problem with some "maintenance paperwork," and they'd have to resolve that before we left. 2:15 became 2:45, then 3:15, then 3:30 (with occasional updates that they were "still looking" for the mysterious paperwork).

At 3:45, after sitting on that plane for an hour and a half, the pilot admitted that an FAA inspector was on board demanding to see the plane's registration and until/unless they could find it the plane could not leave. We were all asked to deplane and were told the flight was "not cancelled YET," but they had no idea when or if it would fly out. We were offered the option of trying to get on a later flight but were told that our luggage would not be transferred although it should make it to Richmond "eventually."

We tried to get the gate agent at E18 to put us on the 4:10 flight out but she got frustrated by the long line of people and just told us all to run to C14 (where the next flight was boarding) and try to get a seat on it from there. After sprinting nearly a mile to that gate, we waited in another long line, only to have THAT gate agent decide she didn't want to deal with this. They closed the flight and told everyone (even those who'd called the US Airways toll-free number and "confirmed" a seat on the 4:10 flight) to go to US Airways Special Services for assistance.

By the time it was our turn at the Special Services desk, there were NO SEATS available on any of the 3 remaining US Airways flights to Richmond that evening. All were full, as passengers on our quasi-cancelled flight had called, gone to other agents or otherwise snagged a seat on these (probably already overbooked) flights. We were told that our only option was to get a flight out in the morning. As my coworker and I were both in a hurry to get home to our families, we quickly calculated how long it would take to drive (5 hours) and decided that a rental car was, at that point, our best bet to get home.

When we asked the customer service rep about a refund for the flight we apparently weren't going to use, we were instructed to call a toll-free number after we got home. Great service there. Although at that point, we really didn't care as we felt pretty confident that since this was business travel, our employer will get the money back one way or the other. During all this, US Airways seemed to have no real interest or concern in getting us home at anything approaching our original schedule.

And let's not get into how they had managed to fly that plane for weeks without having the proper registration on-board. Makes you wonder what other regulations they flout on a regular basis. The only thing US Airways did RIGHT on this occasion was to finally cancel the registration-less flight and move the luggage to the next flight heading to Richmond. By the time we got to Richmond International late Friday night, we saw that the luggage from our cancelled flight was actually already there waiting for us. A pleasant surprise at the end of a grueling, 15-hour day of travel. If I have any choice at all, I will NOT be flying US Airways again.

If I don't have the option (for business reasons), you'd better believe I won't travel further than a reasonable driving distance, just in case. UPDATE as of 3/11/2008: After sending an e-mail request for a refund for the cancelled flight yesterday, I received a response last evening that my card would be credited for the cost of the cancelled flight. The credit hasn't posted yet, but as soon as it does, I will consider this resolved.

I still don't think it's a great customer experience and I think they have a long way to go to live up to their "Customers First" promise (like, for instance, getting me home themselves and close to the originally scheduled time?) but they will at least have made me "whole" financially.

I can't tell you how many tens of thousands of miles I have logged on all carriers, both before and after 9/11. Business travelers certainly know things were very different with the airlines after that day. Like all business travelers, I have had situations that were inconvenient, or frustrating. But I have never been LIED to my face like I was with these morons. My return from Hartford, CT to Charleston, SC was a nightmare of frustration from US Scare.

Friday, October 19 was a bad weather day for the Eastern US. Our flight from Hartford departed the gate on time, but we got a ground hold on the tarmac for 45 minutes en route to Philadelphia. (Since they departed the gate as scheduled, the flight is considered, "on time". Just FYI, that is why they will sit away from the gate. They make their departure numbers look good.)

Ground holds usually mean, "Hey, we are messed up here at the destination, so if you aren't on the way yet, stay there." So I figure my connection at Philly is delayed leaving - no worries. Boy, was I wrong. We arrived 1 hour late in Philly, at the time my connection was scheduled to leave. I rush to the next concourse to LITERALLY see them pulling the gangway from my plane. I take this in stride, since things DO happen. I go down to the check-in counter to rebook. I get a new flight (4 hours later) connecting through Washington National at 6:50pm. After wandering around Philly airport for 3 1/2 hours, I get on board ready to get home.

We pull out from the gate, and sit on the tarmac yet again. And we wait. And we wait. Finally, we take off. Pilot expects we should arrive 15 minutes before my connecting leaves. OK, I'll get home, but my luggage won't. No worries, things happen. It's a bad weather day. We arrive Washington National 5 minutes before my connecting flight was scheduled to depart, but least I am on the same concourse this time. Oh, cool, the connecting flight is delayed 45 minutes. GREAT! I can make it! Then comes the announcement, "We have cancelled flight 3377. Please see the check-in agents for re-booking."

Nice young fellow at the check-in counter tells me the flight was cancelled for OPERATIONAL reasons. No other flights are available that night. Hotel vouchers WILL be provided, but all hotels are booked. If you can find a hotel, they will provide a voucher. He even gets up on the little place where you weigh in the bags and announces to all 50-75 of us on the same flight the exact same thing he just told me.

Being a savvy business traveler, I'm not about to verbally abuse this guy. He's just doing a job. After confirming with him that IF I find a room, I get a voucher, I leave to call my travel agent and let them do their agent thing. My agent works a miracle and finds me a reasonable priced room in Washington DC on a Friday night. I head back up to the counter to collect my voucher. I am met by another ticket agent, who says, "No sir, that flight was cancelled due to air traffic control. We will not provide hotel vouchers for that. Nor do we provide cab vouchers, or meal vouchers." I ask for a supervisor, the supervisor comes out and says the exact same thing.

I see other passengers who were at the counter earlier when I was there. I ask them, "Did you get a hotel voucher?" Yes, they did, but can't find any hotels that will honor them since US Airways won't pay the hotels. A couple of other passengers acknowledged THEY got vouchers, for hotels, cab, and meals. I asked the supervisor about these other people. He answered, "I do not know about what their situation is. You are not getting any vouchers, that is all. Goodbye." Then he turned on his heel and walked into the back, never to be seen for the next 30 minutes while I was at the counter trying to help these other travelers make hotel arrangements.

This was my absolute LAST time ever flying US Scare. I hope and pray that they DO go bankrupt. That is one miserable beast of business. I am a grown-up, I can deal with tough situations. One thing I will never tolerate is out and out LIES like I saw from US Airways. The only good thing about US Air is that because of them, we will eventually get a Passengers Bill of Rights. How does that movie quote go? "We're mad as hell, and we're NOT going to take it anymore!"

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- I can't emphasize enough how rude the people who work for US Airways in the Philadelphia airport are. As a matter of fact, I have never encountered such lousy customer service in any consumer experience in my life. I arrived at the Minnesota/St. Paul airport at 10 AM for a 12:30 flight to Philadelphia where I would then connect on to Hartford. I was told my flight would be delayed because of storms in Philadelphia and the airport had shut down.

At 1:10 they loaded us on the airplane and we taxied out to a spot on the runway and sat there until 3pm. They said the airport in Philadelphia wasn't open because of the weather so they took us back to the terminal so we could get off the plane, stretch our legs and get a snack since they couldn't provide everybody on the plane with one.

At 3:30 they loaded us on the plane again and pulled up to spot near the runway to wait for takeoff then the pilots immediately turned the plane engines off because we couldn't take off yet with the situation still a mess in Philadelphia. We sat on the plane until 6pm and the pilots informed us the weather was easing up and we would be taking off shortly. Why did they load us on the plane and make us sit there all this time if the airport we were flying to was closed like they had been telling us? We finally leave and land in Philadelphia at 9:15PM and sat on the runway until 11 pm because they said there were no gates available.

I looked out the window and saw gates open on other concourses which had US Air planes at the gates next to them but I guess they didn't care about that and they were determined to use concourse B no matter how uncomfortable it was for us after sitting on this plane for so long in Minnesota and Philadelphia. When we were finally allowed to escape this plane they had us sit on for almost 6 hours, we get off the plane to find out if we will be lucky enough to make our connection to Hartford and came across a rude counter person who just said to go to customer service at the check in counter.

There was a couple in front of me that spoke very little English and were trying to find out where get they should go to for their flight to Frankfurt, Germany. The US Airways agent just said go to the check in counter for help. He didn't seem too concerned with helping these people that told her they spoke very little English.

As my fiance and I were going to the customer service counter because no more flights were going out at this point in the evening, we tried to help them and had them follow us to customer service. The line was long because so many people were being re-booked because so many flights were canceled because the weather closed the airport for a long period of time. A supervisor came out of the back and told us the bad news that because so many flights were canceled, all hotels in the area were full and we probably would be stuck in the airport for the night.

I was in line for an hour and then decided to use my cellphone and called the toll free number for the US Airways to re-book my flight, and after an hour of sitting on hold, I was finally able to speak with somebody and re-book another flight to Hartford.

If I stayed in line with the other travelers, I would have waited even longer because when midnight came, most of the agents were done with their shift and only a few people were working for the airline despite a line that had several hundred people waiting in it to have their flight re-booked. Before I left this long line, my fiance and I didn't want to leave the German people alone because they didn't speak English and were going to be stuck overnight in an airport.

I then realized I should have checked their tickets to see if they were continuing on with US Airways back to Germany. They showed me their tickets and if the attendant who was waiting for us after we got off the airplane took a few seconds to check their tickets instead of telling them to go to customer service, they could have made their connecting flight to Germany. Great Customer service US Airways!

We then spoke to a supervisor and asked him if anybody working in international travels would be able to translate or help out these people and explained how they spoke very little English. Showing very little interest in their problem, he said there wasn't anything he could do and told us to tell them to keep waiting in line. Thanks a lot buddy.

I then decided to call the toll-free number and connected with international travel within 5 minutes and asked them if they had somebody that could speak German that would be able to help these stranded travelers and they did. I guess that nighttime supervisor felt it was more important to drink his cup of coffee and talk with a security guard rather than to try to help these foreign travelers in need of assistance.

After sleeping in the airport all night with my fiance and 10 year old daughter, the next day is even worse when it came to customer service from US Airways. I went to the self service check in and I print up my tickets only to find out there is nobody there to tag my bags and check my ID so we can go to the gate. I, along with several other travelers that used the self service check-in were waiting for service, asked a US Airways agent if there is anybody working this area and all she said was "I don't work it".

We waited and looked for somebody else to help us but nobody appeared so we asked her if she could get somebody to help us and all she said was "Talk to somebody down there". We walked about 40 feet to the US Airways customer service agent that was standing next to the self service check-in terminal in that area and asked for assistance but she said "That's not my job, go talk to her" and she pointed to the woman that had sent us to see her. We told her that the woman she told us to see was the one that told us to see her and she rudely said "I don't work there. Go see that woman and stop being so rude".

All we wanted was our bags checked so we could escape the LOUSY treatment we have been receiving from US Airways employees at every encounter we had with them. When we finally got our bags checked and went through security, the topic among many passengers was how rude the US Airways employees were and a regular business traveler from the Philadelphia area told us they are always rude.

When a customer from the Philadelphia area is so critical of the airline and states their employees are always rude, it shows you this is not a one time event. I forgot to mention, we got at the airport at 10 AM the morning of our flight to Philadelphia, passengers were loaded up on the plane at a little after 1pm and 2 of our 3 bags got lost. It took 3 days to finally get them back from US Airways.

US Airways was by far the worst airline experience I have ever encountered in all my years of flying. Never mind how many hours I sat on a runway without a chance to take takeoff because the airport I was flying into was closed because of storms (why load if the airport you are going to is closed), it didn't matter that I sat on the runway for almost 2 hours after landing in Philadelphia waiting for a gate to open so I could finally get off the plane and move on to my connecting flight. The one thing I will remember from this trip was HOW RUDE AND UNHELPFUL THE EMPLOYEES OF US AIRWAYS WERE.

LONDON -- I am a Silver Preferred Dividend Miles member, # ** and US Lawful Permanent Resident, and I undertook an Envoy Class trip to the UK by US Airways, leaving the US on Thurs, July 26, 2007, with return flight booked for Weds, Aug 15, 2007. On Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007, I arrived at US Airways check-in at Gatwick Airport, London, to check-in for my return flight to the US, 733 to Charlotte, NC, with onward connecting flight 4446 to Lynchburg, VA. My Flight Confirmation number was **.

At pre-check-in screening, I presented my UK passport and my US Green Card to an ICTS employee named **. I pointed out that my Green Card had expired and I produced the required I-797 Notice of Action (Receipt Notice) extending my Green Card for one year beyond its expiration. I had been assured by the US Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) prior to leaving the US that that receipt, coupled with my expired Green Card, is all that is needed to allow me to re-enter the US.

Indeed, that I-797 states that, ‘Your conditional resident status is extended for a period of one year from date of expiration on your form I-551, conditional resident card (green card). During the one-year extension, you are authorized employment and travel.'

** informed me that I would not be permitted to fly with an expired Green Card. I pointed to the above paragraph on my I-797 and explained what I had also been told by the US Citizenship & Immigration Service, and ** said she would call the US Embassy to confirm that. She asked me to return to the US Airways service desk in 15 mins and, when I did so, she told me that she had called the Embassy and they had told her I could not fly.

A US Airways employee at the service desk then offered to call the Embassy and explain to them what other documents I had. She called them in my presence but failed to explain that I had my I-797 with me. She told me that the Embassy had said I could not travel, and that I would need to go to the US Embassy in London to request a Letter of Transportation.

My flight was cancelled and I was then booked on the same flight the next day, Aug 16, 2007. I had to book into a hotel and make my way 30 miles to the US Embassy in Central London. On arrival at the Embassy, I was refused entry because I did not have an appointment. I pointed out that US Airways at Gatwick Airport had sent me, but was told by security that they had repeatedly told US Airways at Gatwick to stop sending people to the Embassy as they would not be admitted without an appointment.

When I asked at Embassy security how I could arrange an appointment, I was given the phone number of the US Embassy Appointment Line, and I called from a payphone opposite the Embassy. The first available appointment was on Tues, Aug 21st, 2007, i.e. 6 days hence. That meant that I was effectively stranded, and I called my wife in the US to ask her to approach our Congressman's office for assistance.

My wife emailed the Embassy and in response to that email I was granted an appointment at the Embassy at 9am the next day, Thurs, Aug 16th, 2007. Because I had been booked onto flight 733 on Aug 16th, I again had to cancel my flight.

I attended at an interview at the Embassy with two officers from the Department for Homeland Security, who asked for my Green Card and any other documents. When I produced the I-797, i.e. the same document I had presented at Gatwick Airport the previous day, the officers asked me why US Airways had refused me permission to fly. I told them that ** claimed to have spoken to the DHS at the Embassy, but the officers were adamant that no one had spoken to them. Further, they confirmed that my documents were perfectly adequate and acceptable for travel and that US Airways was incorrect in refusing me permission to fly.

They went on to say that US Airways had clearly not read the Carrier Guidelines issued by the DHS, or they would have known the documents were acceptable, and that US Airways routinely referred anyone with questionable documents to the Embassy, despite being repeatedly instructed not to do so, in order to avoid any possibility of incurring fines.

The officers agreed to issue a Letter of Transportation to avoid any further problems with US Airways and, because my documents were in order and I should not have been refused permission to travel, they even went so far as to waive the $165 fee normally charged for the letter. I called US Airways that afternoon and rebooked for flight 733 the next day, Friday, Aug 17th, 2007, and attended at the US Airways check-in desk the next morning.

** was again on duty, and asked whether I now had the proper documentation to allow me to fly. I explained that the documents I had presented previously were perfectly acceptable, according to the US Embassy, but I produced the newly-acquired Letter of Transportation anyway. I asked ** for her last name, and told her that I intended to pursue the matter on my return to the US, but she refused to identify herself, and simply referred me to the US Airways service desk.

I went to the service desk and asked them for **'s last name, but the three US Airways employees on duty claimed not to know it, though they work with her daily. They told me that ** works for ICTS, not for US Airways, but when I pointed out that she was manning a US Airways desk, they agreed and confirmed that ICTS is employed by US Airways to vet passengers.

In summary, then, these are the salient points: 1) I was refused permission to fly because my documents were supposedly not in order, although they were in order, as confirmed by the DHS at the US Embassy, London; 2) It would appear that ** did not call the Embassy, despite her claim to have done so; 3) I was sent to the US Embassy despite US Airways having been repeatedly instructed not to send refused passengers there without an appointment; 4) I incurred extraordinary expenses, c.$2000, because of US Airways' error in refusing me permission to fly; 5) On asking an ICTS/US Airways employee to identify herself, that employee, and her colleagues, declined to do so.

Prior to me taking any further action, I would appreciate receiving your proposal for dealing with this frustrating and costly experience in a satisfactory manner.