Rome Flight returns to PHL

[USFlyer]

Media reports like this do more harm than good. What would they have rather US done? Have the plane keep flying and crash somewhere along the way? I mean really. Mechnical issues surface, you deal with it. It's life. Get over it.

 

[FLYLOW22]

US needs upper management with b##ls; that will stand up for the employees and defend their company name and reputation.

He's too busy sitting... at the bar.

 

[US1YFARE]

Media reports like this do more harm than good.

good. i hope they do. US deserves it.

 

[frqntflyer]

Media reports like this do more harm than good. What would they have rather US done? Have the plane keep flying and crash somewhere along the way? I mean really. Mechnical issues surface, you deal with it. It's life. Get over it.

Exactly - deal with it - don't just give out flyers to people with a phone number on they have to call to get rebooked - and probably be on hold for 30 minutes first! More often than not - if I am on a late United flight - and miss connect - I have a voicemail when I get off my first flight telling me the flight I have already been rebooked on - don't have to call anyone - don't even have to go to "special services" - they just do it! Sounds like they had 2 hours until that plane got back to Philly - should have had everyone already rebooked when that plane arrived back at the gate!

 

[BuffaloJoe]

Media reports like this do more harm than good. What would they have rather US done? Have the plane keep flying and crash somewhere along the way? I mean really. Mechnical issues surface, you deal with it. It's life. Get over it.

Its not that the plane had mechanical issues, it was that the passengers were made to make their own plans. No hotels offers being discussed at first, just told them that they had to plan themselves.

They should have came over and announced that they 1st would make everyone a hotel arrangement then work on the flights. By telling the passengers, that they had to find their own way first, it makes more problems than it helps. And with all the fiasco at US and the other airlines, of course the media will jump at everything. Just got to do things correctly.

 

[singh4us]

He's too busy sitting... at the bar.

Gee, I wonder what would have happened if this were DoUgIe's flight on March 25ht when he and his family flew PHL-FCO??? Would they have then found a spare airplane and crew????? :down:

 

[zethya]

..What p##ses me off when it comes to PHL and the mention of the operation there, is that yes, US needs to do a lot of work to fix it; no doubt about it. The manning needs to be at levels of a hub (they're not).

But for goodness sake, why does the City of Philadelphia never take a hit for the fact that it has a crap airport, with delapidated facilities, that are in the dark ages. That the runways are too close together, that the taxiways can't handle the volume.....

WAKE UP TEMPE !! STOP LETTING YOUR EMPLOYEES TAKE ABUSE FOR YOUR SHORTCOMINGS. GROW SOME.

So let's see now, if the PHL airport were magically transformed into say (insert your favorite airport here), then the passenger baggage losses (now the worse in the industry) would be solved, the poor quality of inflight services (among the worse in the industry) would be solved, the physical interior condition of the aircraft (see many observations already posted here and elsewhere) would be improved, the physical condition of the Terminals would be improved (the leasing airline's contracted responsibility). Did I leave anything out? The largest reason for US Airways poor reputation in the industry has nothing to do with their Hub airport, it has to do with the mindset of the leaders of the airline. They have virtually no experience managing a very large airline with extensive international services and are in a constant learning mode at the unfortunate expense of the passenger and employee. Fix US Airways first, then you can credibly blame PHL. Ever notice WN (or anyone else) complaining about PHL?? No, they want to expand by 40+ additional flights/day. It's a well known fact that the airport is in dire need of a complete redesign to increase on-ground efficiency (excepting the gem, Terminal A) and the FAA and the city are working on that plan to be unveiled later this year. Not many astute businesses would abandon a building which contained their largest profit center because it needed refurbishment. US Airways, and most everyone else, use PHL because of it's strong regional passenger base, not because it's physically a great airport. For your information, PHL has several times requested that US reduce their number of daily flights to alleviate congestion. Parker did comply to a token extent a little over a year ago, but not enough to really see much improvement. A final point, Parker and US can reduce/eliminate their services at PHL anytime they wish if they feel it's in the best interests of their company. No one is begging them to remain in Philadelphia, other than themselves. In summary, don't focus blame for US's massive internal problems on PHL airport until you fix your own house, including that part of PHL you're responsible for.

 

[N924PS]

"This has been a paid political announcement." "This is Southwest Airlines and we approve of this message."

 

[jerseyfinn]

Mechanical issues do pop up from time to time and they will of course be a headache to those pax who get caught up in the mess. There's not much anyone can do about that.

However, US does have the ability to provide better customer service in this situation that goes above and beyond handing out an 800 number or whatever they gave those pax.

Granted, you're stranded no matter what happens, but if US wants to step up to the plate and make a difference, it sure missed a chance with the FCO flight. Sure, there's no immediate solution, but re-routings can be made then and there and people at least know what/when the next step is going to be.

We had an experience several summers ago flying AY from HEL-JFK. Thunderstorms divert us to IAD where we are routed to refuel and to then head back to JFK. But the plane is struck by lightning on the tarmac and that's the end of the show. By this time it is 11PM and we've been in the plane for 16 hours. No Finnair people other than the FC to help us at IAD.

They take all 200 plus pax into the terminal where a skeleton crew of LH personnel immediately begin rebooking people ( with the AY FAs trying to help ). Two busses are arranged for flocks of folks willing to take a night bus to JFK. The rest of us are rebooked out the next day. In our case, they booked us IAD-PHL since flying to JFK was of no use to us ( we live near PHL ). We get to sleep past midnight in an airport hotel with a 6 year old. It was a long hard day, but the airline did the best that it could for us.

US misses the point about what a flight disruption such as the FCO flight does to people and how it can make a bad day into something less bad with a little bit of face-to-face effort. People dopn't expect perfection, they just want someone who listens and makes an honest effort to help. That's what good will is all about. I don't know if this word is in Tempe's vocabulary.

Barry

 

[phillyphlyer]

As I said previously it is next to impossible to rebook on this pig of a system....I have been involved with returned aircraft countless times in my years at US...Things were done different in the past..I have stood at the tkt counter til the morning shift comes in(4:00am)rebooking pax...yes we also have chartered buses to JFK...but the attitude in Tempe and the crap res system have changed things for the worse...at 8:00 there are still at least 4 transatlantic flts and 3 or 4 domestic flts on terminal A you add up how many agts that takes....please dont take it out in the agts, we are doing the best we can with the tools we are given

 

[CV580ETOPS]

That is so much easier than entering 1phlnce! The antiquated SABRE system entry gave you all the connections for OA. It is quite an improvement with SHARES to spoon feed a dozen pop up boxes with the exact routing you want, provided you know OA schedules and connecting points. Life is indeed good! Oh thank you SHARES god! from delivering us from SABRE.

Reading responses like yours, 2 words come to mind.....

 

[singh4us]

I remember during the BA wet lease agreement in '96 at BWI, whenever we would get a certain BA a/c (don't remember the tail number)we knew we would have issues. Many a night the US team would have to rebook/re-accommodate customers due to broken a/c. Oftentimes we hired chartered motorcoaches and sent pax to IAD on BA. Just before I transferred from BWI to PBI, we had a cancelled flight due to MTC. The BA duty manager called US charter exec and chartered pax on a B727 from the US Shuttle fleet to get pax to JFK. She also sent all of the F/C and B/C pax on the Concorde. Poor Beth had a nervous breakdown shortly there after. The point is, that we did all possible to get pax to LHR at any means.

 

[allstrike]

If there gonna be going they better get Boeings...So the Bus broke hu,thought they always new where they were cause they always new where they werent....lol.

 

[computer guy]

Here's a stupid question. US has a 333 overnighting at PHL. I'm guessing it's there for maint or if another plane has a mechanical.

In the two hours or two that it would take the original flight to get back to PHL, why couldn't have readied the other plane to go to FCO?

Two hours notice would hopefully be enough time to start getting it readied and to find a crew (I'm presuming the existing crew would have timed out) so when they landed they would just have to move everyone and everything over to the other aircraft.

This would put them maybe 5-6 hours behind schedule but then you probably wouldn't have all of the bad PR that is being generated.

You then take the 333 that is malfunctioning and work on it the rest of the night to try and get it ready to the 9:30am departure to PR.

 

[frqntflyer]

Here's a stupid question. US has a 333 overnighting at PHL. I'm guessing it's there for maint or if another plane has a mechanical.

In the two hours or two that it would take the original flight to get back to PHL, why couldn't have readied the other plane to go to FCO?

That just makes too much sense. I thought of the same thing - but didn't post it because it was just too logical!