100,000 LCC travelers stuck...

[legacy-to-LCC]

I'll go with "stupifying"!

Anyway to sorta stay on topic I was in LAS Friday trying to get home with all of the silliness in PHL going on. What struck me is the COMPLETE indifference of the staff there. Well all but one person anyway. Here are some observations,

1.-I noticed at least 2 G/A's per gate instead of one at most East stations. Don't know if this is a result of SHARES or not. But it is DOUBLE the labor cost, which IMO shows poor management and cost controls.

2.-You can not be rebooked at the gates you MUST go to the Customer Service Counter. This was not a short walk from where the Mesa flight from SAT dumped me. This delayed getting in the queue to be rebooked.

3.-CP desk has a 24 min. wait!!! INEXCUSABLE!! Deborah Thompson would not have allowed that to happen! At least it never did before this wonderful team landed. this and item #2 further delayed getting rebooked and diminished my chances of getting out.

4.- I wait another 15 minutes before I speak to Lorena and am told "Best I can do in Monday." I gently told her that she needed to "Do better and look at alternate cities and airlines", Never looking up or making eye contact she says "I've been told not to rebook on other airlines". I mention rule 240 in the contract of carriage and she still refuses, I ask for a supervisor and after advising me to "GO downstair if you want a supervisor" I told her, "you have a phone right there call", she does and advises me to sit off to the side. Needless to say she was of NO HELP. 10 minutes go by and the lady sitting next to her says, "are you being helped?" I reply "Yes I'm waiting for a supervisor, apparently being a Chairman's from the East means nothing out here" she says "Oh YES IT DOES" takes my boarding pass and asks what cities in the east are acceptable, I knew EWR was already closed. I tell her BWI, DCA, IAD, ABE and I don't care how many connections so long as I get home Sunday night late to do laundry. She calmly starts looking and I say "when you find something just tell me and I'll nod yes or no so we can move quickly" OK, she says. Next thing you know I'm off to BWI in First and life is good. So what's the problem you say? If not for Ann I'd be stuck. Most CP's don't earn it with liesure travel and Lorena's ignorant behavior, borderline rudeness & uncaring attitude should not be tolerated. I've seen this to many times when I'm out west.

5.-Based on my experience there are far to many Lorena's and not enough Ann's out west. Which if you look at the posts on this board is not surprising.

6.- With all of the consternation and angst of folks trying to get back east the LAS-BWI red-eye went out with 5 open seats. Why I don't know. If they could rebook at the gate maybe it would have left full, who knows?

If not for Ann and her attention to detail and can do attitude I'd still be in LAS. This situation could have been handled better. To me this is one more example of the uncaring attitude towards customers that starts at the top and works its way right into the pea brain of the Lorena's of the world employed on the HP side of US Airways.

but, piney, Lorena received her training directly from the distinguished 'parker/kirby school of cost-nuetral customer satisfaction'...wasn't that indicated on her name-tag??

 

[songbirdstew]

How long can DoUgIe keep BS-ing the public? Its getting OLD.

Just heard Dougie is planning his next take over.............

of the Betty Ford Clinic.

 

[Itestwell]

but, piney, Lorena received her training directly from the distinguished 'parker/kirby school of cost-nuetral customer satisfaction'...wasn't that indicated on her name-tag??

How about the news reporting that the stranded passengers were *refusing* the free tickets US was trying to give them because they did not want to be on US anymore after this.....

Unreal. When will it end?

 

[BuffaloJoe]

How about the news reporting that the stranded passengers were *refusing* the free tickets US was trying to give them because they did not want to be on US anymore after this.....

Unreal. When will it end?

I would take the Free Ticket, use it on a UA flight that US Codeshares with. B)

Also NBC Nightly news is gonna have a piece on it. They showed PHL!

 

[SKY HIGH]

Spring break is here! flights are packed full, the storm hits the the 2nd largest hub and flights have to cancel. The bulk of these flights are express flights and there are no seats left to put people on, it's a weekend, it's spring break and again flights were already packed.

sky high states: EXTRA SECTIONS???? Anyone, is that feasible????


only stating opinions.

 

[Itestwell]

I would take the Free Ticket, use it on a UA flight that US Codeshares with. B)

Also NBC Nightly news is gonna have a piece on it. They showed PHL!

US officials keep saying that the flights are all full due to Spring break, so there are precious few seats available for rebooking these people (makes sense). My question is:

What did the other airlines do? Were not they full as well? :wacko:

 

[BuffaloJoe]

NBC just showed PHL, I am flabbergasted that many had their luggage. But then again, it was never checked in yet! OK I understand that its Spring Break and How are the other airlines in PHL handling that?

 

[UWCactus]

US officials keep saying that the flights are all full due to Spring break, so there are precious few seats available for rebooking these people (makes sense). My question is:

What did the other airlines do? Were not they full as well? :wacko:

The other airlines don't have a HUB in PHL where the mess for US begins ....on a good day...let alone a bad storm day!

OHHHHH Now I understand!!

It's only the CEO and Senior Management's responsibility when things go right!!!! How conveinient!!!! Perhaps you should write a book, Here's a working Title.

"Scapegoating your employees for fun and Profit"

Do you even believe what you post? Or do you get this stuff directly from the Sandcastle? Do you really think that NO ONE in the executive suite was aware that the proverbial manure was on the fan? I was born at night but not last night, JEEEESUS.

I don't know where in my post you created your own intepreation of "Scapegoating your employees for fun and profit"! Get real. If you had any idea of how I support the employees you wouldn't make such a foolish statement.

 

[Itestwell]

The other airlines don't have a HUB in PHL where the mess for US begins ....on a good day...let alone a bad storm day!

Ok, but thousands of flights were cxld in EWR, JFK, LGA, BOS, etc... Those flights were full with Spring breakers etc... and the airlines that have large operations in those areas are NOT reporting ~100,000 people still looking for seats. Hub, shmub, I don't buy it.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

The other airlines don't have a HUB in PHL where the mess for US begins ....on a good day...let alone a bad storm day!

US has 2/3 of PHL market, that leaves the other 1/3 for the other airlines. They had to deal with it also and I know AA and UA flights are generally full, so they must be having problems too.

 

[Itestwell]

US has 2/3 of PHL market, that leaves the other 1/3 for the other airlines. They had to deal with it also and I know AA and UA flights are generally full, so they must be having problems too.

So why is it only USAirways making not only the Local news, but the National news as well?

 

[songbirdstew]

US officials keep saying that the flights are all full due to Spring break, so there are precious few seats available for rebooking these people (makes sense). My question is:

What did the other airlines do? Were not they full as well? :wacko:

The way I understand it, other airlines cancelled on Thursday night and Friday and repositioned their crews and a/c as much ahead of the storm as possible. US of course being the seasoned airline of the NE did no such thing. I read somewhere that they stated it would not be neccessary.....IDIOTS !
However, I am with whoever said that this is MUCH more than just the storm.....we have bounced back from bigger storms than this before and it didn't take...hm, what are we going on.... 3 days ???
Today in CLT there were pax yelling at the sales people trying to push the credit cards in the terminal. I haven't done a cash cow announcement in 2 days....everyone I talk to says they will never fly us again.....my guess, they will if it's the cheapest way to get where they want to go.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

So why is it only USAirways making not only the Local news, but the National news as well?

That is because US Airways is the leader of excellence. h34r:

 

[songbirdstew]

So why is it only USAirways making not only the Local news, but the National news as well?

Excellent question. I know CNN was covering the mess as a whole but just kept showing our jets and ticket counters. Perhaps it is because most other airlines watched the weather channel and pre-planned for the event and positioned their crews and A/C. Perhaps it is because they don't have a HUGE base like PHL where almost everyone commutes to and couldn't commute to when this thing hit...and one other thing.
Other airlines don't have the cheapest RES system available: SHARES

 

[BoeingBoy]

Tempe has very little to do with calling the shots on weather strategy in the East. Talk to OCC in PIT for that.

Somebody was coordinating the two sides enough to ask the FAA to stop both East and West departures to PHL at the same time. Care to reveal who it was?

Jim