DL terminal in PHX is in T2 while US is in T4, hence, the PAX needs to take the shuttle bus for connecting. I guess, that was another complication.
US Airways loses track of 2 teens
- Thread starter 700UW
- Start date
DL terminal in PHX is in T2 while US is in T4, hence, the PAX needs to take the shuttle bus for connecting. I guess, that was another complication.
Did you give those teens directions drrstrav?? Well no wonder they got lost! Delta is actually in Terminal 3, North Concourse.
I didn't say it was a right, but on the other hand, it is most certainly not a luxury.
What your post is saying is that if the father had paid $1,000 for the same ticket, then there would have been an agent to meet the two kids in PHX to tell them what their itinerary change is. I think not -- US messed up by saying they will have someone meet them in PHX and they failed. It has nothing to do with the price of the ticket, and you know it.
/rant/
Had a 14 year old the other night booked TPA-LAS-ONT on US (leaving at 920pm arriving ONT about 130am) then connecting on DL ONT-SLC-BIL leaving around 6 or 7am. We're talking a 14 year old who is expected to spend about 5 hours overnight in the ONT airport. What the h&ll are these parents thinking setting up a flight for their kid like this? I personally would like to see NO unaccompanied kids on any flights nonstop or connecting until they turn 18. Even though we ARENT responsible for them if they are 15 or over, we still usually end up taking care of them when things go wrong. The parents dont want to take care of their kids, but let something go wrong and its all the airlines fault for whatever happened. People, you need to take some responsibilty here for your kids. If they arent capable of taking care of themselves if something goes wrong, then dont send them alone. Same thing for grandma with alzheimers. If you arent concerned enough to fly with them, dont spaz on the airlines when something happens. We cant babysit everyone. Sounds like the kids here WERE pretty capable of traveling on their own and did what they thought they were supposed to do. Problem was the change of plans enroute and not getting the info to them. At 16 years old though they are not to be escorted and US technically had no liability in not getting them on the new flight, although it would have been nice if they had been able to intercept them in PHX and reroute them. Who knows who was called and what info they were given to try to get them updated in PHX. Also we're only getting one side of the story here and its already resulted in dad getting half off the kids trip next time.
/end rant/
Had a 14 year old the other night booked TPA-LAS-ONT on US (leaving at 920pm arriving ONT about 130am) then connecting on DL ONT-SLC-BIL leaving around 6 or 7am. We're talking a 14 year old who is expected to spend about 5 hours overnight in the ONT airport. What the h&ll are these parents thinking setting up a flight for their kid like this? I personally would like to see NO unaccompanied kids on any flights nonstop or connecting until they turn 18. Even though we ARENT responsible for them if they are 15 or over, we still usually end up taking care of them when things go wrong. The parents dont want to take care of their kids, but let something go wrong and its all the airlines fault for whatever happened. People, you need to take some responsibilty here for your kids. If they arent capable of taking care of themselves if something goes wrong, then dont send them alone. Same thing for grandma with alzheimers. If you arent concerned enough to fly with them, dont spaz on the airlines when something happens. We cant babysit everyone. Sounds like the kids here WERE pretty capable of traveling on their own and did what they thought they were supposed to do. Problem was the change of plans enroute and not getting the info to them. At 16 years old though they are not to be escorted and US technically had no liability in not getting them on the new flight, although it would have been nice if they had been able to intercept them in PHX and reroute them. Who knows who was called and what info they were given to try to get them updated in PHX. Also we're only getting one side of the story here and its already resulted in dad getting half off the kids trip next time.
/end rant/
You have got to be kidding me. This is an airline, not a dance club.
A 16 year old can drive a car alone, ride a bus or train alone, and work an unlimited number of hours. A 15 year old can drive a car accompanied and work a limited number of hours. And you want to treat a 16, or 17 year old (even more absurd) young adult the same as a four year old, requiring Mommy to hold their hand in order to step foot on your exclusive airline?
YVINTERN
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Dont call me Shirley
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- Aug 20, 2002
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Atleast this way we would be avoiding "you know who" types on our flights until they re 18...then we gotta deal with "you know who" till he retires from being a frequent flyer or gets sick of flying...
Now that is funny!!!Then we treat them as an adult. They missed their original flight because "mommy" changed their plans and they didnt get the info. Why are we responsible then for "losing" the kids? You want us to treat them as adults, then they get the same service as the adults. Instead, now we have to go track them down and put them up in the tower for the night. Cant have it both ways here. Either they are "adults" at 15 and we'll assist them like any other assist, but its up to them and their parents to get to their destination and communicate with each other. It just p*sses me off when people want it both ways. Are they capable of traveling alone or not? I know we arent going to eliminate kids from traveling on us, but it brings a load of headaches that we dont have the people to deal with. Much like pets and many other policies that look good on paper, but in reality dont work unless things go perfect.
That would be great if we were talking about a freight carrier. These aren't boxes, they are real people who occasionally need a little help, something that US fails to do on a regular basis.
Example: a few years ago my mother was flying on Delta to visit me and she got stuck in CVG overnight. She arrived into CVG around 2 AM and was to leave early in the morning, and she was very tired (not elderly or sick or anything, just a typical 55 year woman), so she just wanted a place in the airport to crash. The Delta employees found a place for her to sleep (I think it was a cot).
Contrast that with US, who can't even be bothered to give a simple message to two deboarding passengers on a NON-STOP (geez) flight arriving into PHX, which is a US hub for heaven's sake.
It makes no difference that the two people who didn't get the message were teens. They could have been 40 years old and the result would have been exactly the same. No mesage = wrong flight.
And since none of us were there, who is to say that the teens werent paged like US said they would do and they just didnt hear the message and went to DL on their own anyway? Thats why I never guarantee anything anymore. I have no idea whats going on in another city and I wont put that other city in the position of failure. We'll try to get them and let them know, but it should be up to mom to make sure they know. Maybe they should have called mom BEFORE they left their orignal gate area to check in on what was happening. We just do not have the people to be able to sit around and babysit ANYONE any more. Some people are afraid of telling people no, we cant do that. We can try, but dont expect it. So, we end up with "US" being the irresponsible one again.
BuffaloJoe
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- Aug 17, 2005
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Kids can be on direct flights? An example flight 666 departs Nashville flies to Phoenix and continues on to Los Angeles. OK the parent books the child on the flight from Nashville to LAX. When they land in Phoenix they decide to change equipment, it happens all the time. Now this is like a connection. It could be at the gate across the aisle or next to the one or even in a different area. Now this goes as a connection, who is supposed to be responsible for the child then? The parent isn't to blame as they booked it on a direct flight.
I know every airline does this, NW more than others. I flew last week PHL-MSP-SFO, was supposed to be a direct flight but we had to change planes as well as gates. No big deal for me as it was a break in the action. But there was an elderly couple flying for their first time, had no clue what to do. They were flying out to see their grandchildren in CA. This was their retirement trip. The man was healthy and able to walk but his wife was in the need of a cane for assistance, so I got her a wheelchair and pushed her. Here it is people thinking and booking a direct flight have to be inconvienienced by switching planes.
For kids to be traveling, such things happen like this and some need guidance. My sister has to send her two kids out to their father in Chicago every summer. But she puts them on a nonstop flight all the time.
Unaccompanied kids on US (ages up to 14) can ONLY be on nonstop flights. Kids 15 and above can be on any flight their parents want to book them on.
A gate agent always meets every arriving flight but the 16 year old boy should have asked for help.
It is ok for a 16 years old to travel with a younger child.
When I check in a teen under 18 I explain to them how to get to their flights.I also tell them when they get to the connection point to go directly to the gate and stay there and if they hear their flight is delayed or cancelled to go to the gate agent for help
Twicebaked
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- May 22, 2003
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I don't believe 16 year olds are considered UMs. If you are old enough to drive (16) you are old enough to find your way around the airport. And, I am quite sure they both had mouths to say to the agent at the gate..." I am connecting to Delta, could you help me"?
I don't remeber reading that they paid a UM fee either. How else would the airlline know that they had UMs if you don't pay for it and book it that way??
NOT THE AIRLINES FAULT ON THIS ONE.....
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