US Airways is at it again

[SparrowHawk]

No kidding, when you get one side of a story, you tend to believe it. Especially when the poll is comprised of people whose hobbies include complaining about companies.

So then Oh Oracle of knowledge what exactly is US's "side of the story" They had ample opportunity to respond in detail so we are left with Mr Berkowitz's version of events.

 

[Art at ISP]

At the end of the day the customer paid for a SEAT, part of which was usurped by another passenger due to size.

IF US policy on passengers of size was not followed (and it appears it was not), then I believe the customer is due a FULL refund.

The rest is open for debate......as long as FAR's were observed (and I have no idea on that count), I think the matter is between the customer and the company...

There are SOME times when the company actually gets it right.....this MAY or MAY not be one of them.....

Sorry to disagree with you Bob, but another airline we know well is leading the race to the bottom in customer relations, and that one is NOT based in Tempe....

Happy Thanksgiving ALL....

 

[malikie]

So we have a customer claiming the guy next to him was obese. Maybe the guy next to him was hefty. Add that heftyness to the complaining customers own size. Could this have caused the discomfort and the complaining customer is in denial the he himself could have been part of the problem but denies it?

 

[tadjr]

People sizers right next to the bag sizers. If your butt doesnt fit here you have to buy two seats. Lol

 

[SparrowHawk]

So we have a customer claiming the guy next to him was obese. Maybe the guy next to him was hefty. Add that heftyness to the complaining customers own size. Could this have caused the discomfort and the complaining customer is in denial the he himself could have been part of the problem but denies it?

Many things could be at play in this. One that has to be considered is what you're alluding to. Having spent big chunks of my career in customer facing roles, one learns very quickly about what I call "Fish Stories". Often what starts out as a 10" barely legal trout turns into the only Great White Shark caught in a fresh water lake. This is a part of human nature that we call all do without. However to varying degrees it exists in all of us.

We have one version of the story, Mr Berkowitz's. The alleged "Morbidly Obese Man", US Airways, The Agents & flight crew are all silent. In fairness to US, I've been seated next to some people who could stand to miss a few meals. I also get that there likely isn't an agent alive who wants to tell a customer "You're to fat to fly, you have to buy two tickets." However it appears that US violated its own policies in dealing with this.

The ONE thing that troubles me with this story is that the complaining customer didn't speak up and demand to be accommodated on another flight with another airline if required. Granted there wouldn't be much time to do this and since US doesn't allow an agent to make a business decision he likely would have missed his flight.

No one has denied that the person sitting next to him was a "Person of Size". The customer bought a ticket which guaranteed him a seat. The seat was neither used or useful to the purchaser through no fault of their own, which to me means he is entitled to a full refund.

 

[nycbusdriver]

People sizers right next to the bag sizers. If your butt doesnt fit here you have to buy two seats. Lol

Not a bad idea....two poles set a given distance apart. If you can walk through, unimpeded, without having to turn sideways, you only need one seat. If not, you have to purchase two.

Another problem can be three wide-shouldered men in a 3-across seat. That's also miserable for everybody since only the guy in the middle gets to sit up straight, if the other two let him. If not, he has to lean forward the entire flight.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Not a bad idea....two poles set a given distance apart. If you can walk through, unimpeded, without having to turn sideways, you only need one seat. If not, you have to purchase two.

Another problem can be three wide-shouldered men in a 3-across seat. That's also miserable for everybody since only the guy in the middle gets to sit up straight, if the other two let him. If not, he has to lean forward the entire flight.

Your second paragraph is my situation exactly ! These freakin's CRJ-200's are Satan's Chariot in that regard.

Honestly a "People Sizer" isn't exactly a dumb idea. Not sure I agree with your suggestion as to how to do it. It is worthy of discussion I think.

Also, since the airlines treat us like self loading cargo why not price tickets by the pound and distance flown?

 

[Jester]

Before the merger, I once flew from CLT to PHX, as a non-rev, and I was seated next to a very large, heavy and kind younger woman... not that anyone would use the word "petite" to describe me either, by the way. Center seat, and it would be a long flight. Poor woman couldn't get the table down to eat the in-flight meal (shows how long ago it was), as it rested on her abdomen at about a 30 degree angle relative to the floor. Thankfully, one of the FA's saw the situation, and there was a lone seat on the plane, but it was in FC. The FA must have recognized me as an OAL non-rev, and as I also dressed in business attire, especially as US was very strict about non-revs at the time, I readily accepted the FA's invitation. I was forever grateful, because I have had back severe spasms sitting a very uncomfortable position for hours at a time on a plane.

As I don't work in-fllight, I have wondered why SWA will allow all their employees to use in jump seats on their flights, while at US only FA's and pilots are allowed to use the jump seats. I have no way of knowing if the flight in question from ANC to PHL had any Company non-revs, but I think some type of policy which allows Company employees to use the jump seats, if those seats are available, especially under the story's circumstances. I fully understand the priority to FAs and pilots on those seats, but if those seats were available otherwise, I don't see a problem.

So Proposes Jester.

 

[Reed Richards]

As I don't work in-fllight, I have wondered why SWA will allow all their employees to use in jump seats on their flights, while at US only FA's and pilots are allowed to use the jump seats. I have no way of knowing if the flight in question from ANC to PHL had any Company non-revs, but I think some type of policy which allows Company employees to use the jump seats, if those seats are available, especially under the story's circumstances. I fully understand the priority to FAs and pilots on those seats, but if those seats were available otherwise, I don't see a problem.

So Proposes Jester.

F/As were always welcome in cockpit jumpseats (after any pilots) prior to airplanes flying into buildings (at least that is what I remember..may have been stopped sooner.) But it was Company and/or FAA policy that stopped it either way, not the pilot group.

Last time I heard, the current contract proposal by the F/As was to contractually not allow any other employees in their jumpseats. Since it is Thanksgiving, I will not comment any further on that.

As to non flight crew, there might be issues with being able to perform duties from the jumpseat..such as opening doors..which all crew are qualified to do. I don't know, especially if what you say is true about "any" SWA employees being allowed. Anyone?

RR

 

[Jester]

I don't know, especially if what you say is true about "any" SWA employees being allowed. Anyone?

Well, the person I know is a SWA ramp agent and they can even list themselves for a non-rev flight for a jump seat (although I doubt the one on the flight deck), according to what he told me. But again, the priority are for the FAs and pilots. I doubt SWA FSAs are trained on in-flight procedures, so I said "any" Southwest employee.

So Clarifies Jester

 

[cynic]

As to non flight crew, there might be issues with being able to perform duties from the jumpseat..such as opening doors..which all crew are qualified to do. I don't know, especially if what you say is true about "any" SWA employees being allowed. Anyone?

Yes, anyone that meets exit row seating requirements and it a Southwest employee. It sure would be nice to have the same policy here.

 

[necigrad]

At the end of the day the customer paid for a SEAT, part of which was usurped by another passenger due to size.

IF US policy on passengers of size was not followed (and it appears it was not), then I believe the customer is due a FULL refund.

The rest is open for debate......as long as FAR's were observed (and I have no idea on that count), I think the matter is between the customer and the company...

There are SOME times when the company actually gets it right.....this MAY or MAY not be one of them.....

You started off by assuming the customer was truthful, then assumed that everything else MIGHT have gone wrong. Isn't is POSSIBLE that the customer was full of it himself? Maybe HE was the overweight one perhaps? We've only gotten one side of the story, so you assume it's factual, because customers NEVER lie...

 

[SparrowHawk]

You started off by assuming the customer was truthful, then assumed that everything else MIGHT have gone wrong. Isn't is POSSIBLE that the customer was full of it himself? Maybe HE was the overweight one perhaps? We've only gotten one side of the story, so you assume it's factual, because customers NEVER lie...

Well since there has been ample time for US Airways through it's spokesperson to deny the events as reported then one can assume that US Airways agrees with the events as reported.

When one considers that hardly a week goes by with out some airline incident and that as the smallest of the majors (Including WN) US Airways seems to have an much higher percentage of said events relative to its overall size. One must not question/blame the customer for the actions of an airline that has demonstrated time and again that it cares little for customers or employees.

US Airways reaps the seeds it sows with their attitude toward Employees and Customers alike. US Airways has created their reputation. To blame the customer is typical and not the least bit surprising, especially from those who have consumed mass quantities of DUI Doug's special "Parker Punch" over the last ten years. Entire slates have wiped clean of common sense.

 

[Iclubbabyseals]

So we have a customer claiming the guy next to him was obese. Maybe the guy next to him was hefty. Add that heftyness to the complaining customers own size. Could this have caused the discomfort and the complaining customer is in denial the he himself could have been part of the problem but denies it?

Perfessor? Is that you?

I mean, maybe the guy next to him reeked of seal oil. Add that to the fact that Mr. obese's nether regions never could touch the seat cushion with the arm rests down. Why don't we just speculate about a person's oral hygiene, their religion.

As Art implied, the company failed. It might be tempe or the individual agent or people in between. The complainant should have a full refund to him, without silly and useless speculation trying to blame him.

This tempe culture of blame the customer absolutely reeks. and not of seal oil.

 

[Art at ISP]

You started off by assuming the customer was truthful, then assumed that everything else MIGHT have gone wrong. Isn't is POSSIBLE that the customer was full of it himself? Maybe HE was the overweight one perhaps? We've only gotten one side of the story, so you assume it's factual, because customers NEVER lie...

There has been no rebuttal or refuting of the customer's claim, therefore it is assumed to be correct.

As stated elsewhere, both the company and alleged customer of size have remained silent.

I was merely trying to give the benefit of the doubt in this case after stating the conclusion I came to after no one offered a rebuttal AND the company offered compensation which was considered by the customer to be inadequate....

Customers lie all the time---as do company employees......a sad fact of human nature.....