Service that cares
Written: Apr 22 '07 (Updated May 06 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Friendly reps, mostly on time flights, pretty attendants, cheap tickets
Cons: Untrained reps(esp.baggage claim procedures), aging equipment,
The Bottom Line: Use USAir if you are on a budget, but if you want service, chose 1st class or go with another airline. Don't check you luggage if possible.
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| solohans1's Full Review: US Airways |
USAirways reviewU P D A T E D
PROLOUGE
I never thought I'd be writing a review about an airline and probably wouldn't today except to voice complaint against this airline. I noticed from many fellow epinionators that presently USAirway's service is mediocre at best.
I'll give you may experience of a recent flight.
HISTORY
First, I will give some history of my experience with USAirways. I always found USAirways service and on time arrivals and departures to be excellent. I've always enjoyed USAirways and have been flying with them for about 15 years almost exclusively. They have never lost my luggage. Ever! The representatives were never rude.
So, what happened! I think the merger with America West happened, but there are other factors as well. The airline industry as a whole needs a major revamping, so it isn't fair to single out a specific airline. I'll try not to do that in my review.
FIRST LEG
Check in was uneventful and easy. The airline recommends, in fact the words they use are 'you have to be checked in(with luggage 2 hours ahead of your departure). I'm sure there is leeway there, but I didn't take any chances. It's a good idea to give yourself this much time in any case. It alleviates a lot of stress. I have preferred status because I have a USAirway credit card and this allows me to use 1st class check in . I didn't realize I had this benefit until my return trip after it was too late. Check in was easy anyway because I checked in online and printed out my boarding passes for this flight and my connection. A very helpful attendant showed me where to take my baggage to get checked. "By the balloons' she said as I wandered aimlessly in the general direction she pointed. I appreciated she recognized that without a caffeine-soaked brain, I'm useless this early in the morning. I didn't need to, but I printed out my boarding passes again. I did this because the kiosk gave me an option for stating how many pieces of check in baggage I had. I think that the clerk could printout the scannable registers that they attach to you baggage without this process, but I did it anyway.
So, the clerk say, 'Where's your luggage?' and I say, 'On the scale.' I started to walk away without that little sticker that matches the sticker that they put on your luggage. She says something like, 'You might need this.' Oh, for a Starbuck's Venti right now
I search the boarding pass for my gate number, ascertain that and then look for Starbucks.
Upon finishing my Java, Joe or whatever you call that morning manna, I located a USAToday. I have to have a USAToday for air travel. It's mandatory! Actually a pretty bad newspaper, but sometimes you need it. I couldn't find a machine to use, so I purchased it in a small shop. Now was the time to traverse the security measures. I don't really mind this, but this time they required us to take off our shoes. I'm afraid to ask what in the can next. The lady ahead of me was sort of fidgety though. If you are handicapped or need special attention, I would let an attendant know before going through security. It was awkward for me and have all my digits.
After tiptoeing through security, I made my way toward the gate. There was plenty of room for seating although a mite crowed just the same. Plenty of information screens for flight times and such. These things are confusing to say the least, so I stay away from them if possible. It's better to ask a service representative if you can.
We were boarded by ZONES which was new to me. USAirways used to board by seat number. Again, I could've had 'preferred' board with my credit card, but failed to recognize the benefit.
My flight out was delayed by a minor flaw on the airplane. One of the USAirways representatives made a comment that the problem could've been fixed with a 'piece of rope.' Anyway, we had to deboard and reboard when it was learned the problem wasn't immediately repairable. We were told the delay would only be a half hour. It was more than an hour making many passenger nervous about catching their connections or canceling plans.
Once in the air, things were smooth. We had some on flight entertainment. You could watch a movie for free if you own a pair of previously purchased headphones from USAirway. Or, pay $5.00 for a pair. They couldn't get the movie to play at first. There was something wrong with the player. That didn't matter to me because I don't watch the entertainment. The movies were 1st run, but not popular ones. They save those for international flights it seems.
I stretched out and found plenty of leg room for myself, but for a taller person it would be cramped I'm sure. One thing I like about USAirways, is that they have a nice flight magazine. I can usually find one or two superb articles among the advertising. I also like the challenging crossword. I notice that the popular Sudoku puzzle is included now as well. That kept me busy for awhile.
I stow my carry on under the seats, so I have some of my things available to me. USAirways allows one carry on and a small personal bag. You are allow one piece to be checked as well. I think up to 99.9lbs. You pay extra for more luggage. I find that airlines are lenient if there is plenty of room on the flight, so you might want to call ahead to find out the rules for your flight.
The attendant came around shortly after take off with in flight complementary beverages and snack. The snack was pretzels(no peanut since some people break out just being in the proximity of a peanut). You could also order coffee, soda or 'spring water.' This isn't just water folks, it's 'spring water.' I ordered my usual: Bloody Mary mix on the rocks. You're bloody well right!
Later, I could order a chicken sandwich, fruit plate or snack kit for $5.00. They ran out of chicken, so I ordered a snack kit. It was good, but lacked nutrition. It contained a small cheese wheel, sesame sticks, chocolate candy, fruit/cereal bar, chips and salsa. It wasn't bad and lasted a longer time than a sandwich would.
We got a tail wind a our flight was only 1 hour late. This didn't affect me since my layover was two hours. But, you guess it, my next flight was delayed as well. I don't know the details, but when I got onboard the attendants were complaining about how they haven't been getting home the last couple of days until midnight(due to delays).
This short flight was uneventful and we were served beverages and a snack. I think it's sweet that this amenity isn't dispensed with because people get very dry in the flight cabin and sometimes a little famished. This is just a nice courtesy.
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS
My luggage is lost! Gee whiz. First time for everything. Wow, this is actually cool, my luggage is lost!
I had most of my important personal things on carry on, so I wasn't overly concerned at this point. It didn't take me long to realize that the luggage was rising from that black hole called the, ahem, 'luggage zone.'
I reported the 'mishandled' to the service clerk who promptly entered or scanned the appropriate information and out comes a report. She hands me the report and tells me my luggage will be available on next flight with comes in tomorrow.
Ok, that's cool, because I can wear what I have on a little longer. I don't need my suit until Sunday. Everything's peachy. NOT!
'The next day's flights are cancelled due to bad weather. Try Sunday.' The reps aren't unpleasant, but they aren't helpful either. Sunday is too late! I brought the suit special Easter Service. Oh well, blank happens!
I called the 1-800 number on Sunday because that's what they want you to do after so much time goes by. The nice lady assures me my luggage is at the airport and will be ready for my return trip. I ask her to not to have it delivered at this point since I'm leaving today. She assures me it won't be delivered. My big mistake was not to call the airport directly because apparently the delivery driver did have it and it wasn't at the airport 10 minutes before take off. So that was that! I had to leave the situation in their capable hands.
Again, the flight was uneventful. I took the Spring Water this time. I need a good swig of it by this time.
My connecting flight was delayed a few times. I guess an Easter visitor had left a little tardy. The flight crew took mercy on him or her. Again, I didn't mind. The flight attendants were a little prettier on this flight. No food on this leg, but snack and beverages were comp. A movie was played again. I work the crossword and fell asleep on the pillow the kind flight attendant provided before take off.
When the plane landed and we deboarded. Iincidentally, the attendants of USAirways are always there to greet you as you deboard. Sometimes the pilot is available.
When the plane landed, I went to that airport's baggage claim service office to report my lost luggage and to check status. They couldn't pull up my report with just the baggage tag. They need me to call the 1-800 number. They were empathetic and apologetic, but not helpful otherwise. They gave me some information and other stuff, but I felt alone with my problem. I feel like they were trying to help and that they mostly wanted to pass it off on another person or office.
The next day I was about to call the 1-800 number when the airport called me saying they had my luggage and wanted to deliver it today. I suggested tomorrow since I had to work today. She said, 'You'll get a call tomorrow,' and hung up.
I didn't get a call the next day, so i called the 1-800 number and got a guy from S. America. He said the delivery information on his record didn't match the address I gave him, so he update that.
The next day, i get a call from the airport again about delivering my luggage. I said I would pick it up myself. I finally got my luggage! But, what an ordeal. So much unprofessionalism in that sector. The rest of the airline is ok from price to service to amenities. But, their luggage sector is horrible if something goes wrong. They don't have the proper checks and balances to control lost luggage. They don't know how to treat their customer when this goes wrong. They have two numbers for baggage control.
The number they attach to your baggage at check in(six digit) and the number (10alpha numeric). And these two numbers don't link as I found out from my last leg of this journey. Don't lose that 10 digit alpha-numeric code or you will be in trouble like I was. USAirways contract a service called World Tracer who uses that number to track you luggage, so it's returned to you as efficiently as possible. Don't expect USAirways and WorldTracer to know which hand washes the other.
Also, don't expect compensation for lost luggage. They will reimburse expenses(up to $25/day, 75max) for personal items(toothpaste, shirt). You just have to take it on the chin with the time it takes to get your stuff back. This isn't a good policy, but it seems to be standard across the board.
CONCLUSION
So to sum things up:
Don't check baggage if possible. Use a 20-22 carry on suiter with personal bag for other things. You may get away with bring on a hanging garment bag if the flight isn't filled.
USAirways service reps are friendly without fail, but lack training in the baggage claim department(from my experience). After doing some research, I found out USAirways has one of the worst records for losing baggage. Essentially, one passenger per large capacity airbus will have their luggage 'mishandled.'
I found number of delays for this trip. On average, their record has been great with me, but this last flight was 3 out of 4 delays. Granted it was a holiday weekend with poor weather conditions.
Not much in the way of food service anymore. Some flights (long legs) may offer some choices for $5. Snacks and beverages are always comp.
Entertainment for 'long legs' -First run movies. Headphones: $5
Pleasant, attractive flight attendants.
Friendly captains.
Clean cabins.
Sometime cramped leg room(depends on your size)
In this day and age of low cost air travel, airlines are cutting many of the benefits we use to take for granted. Airlines aren't keeping pace with new government regulations and this causes a rift in service as well. The best thing you can do as a traveler is be patient, but don't hesitate to voice your complaint. Things will improve, but at this point I believe we are on a down swoop of the service curve. Price will continue to be competitive, so base your purchases on service(quality) and price.
One parting word on tickets. If you buy a non-refundable ticket online, make sure those are the dates you plan to travel. If you change your mind, it will cost you $100.00USD. There's no bargaining here!
Frequent Flier mileage: USAirway will award travel beginning at 25,000 miles. This will pay for one way or round trip with certain black out dates. Bank of America offers Visa and MC cards to collect USAirways mileage via purchases. You also get privileges(preferred) at check in and boarding with the card.
UPDATE:
Upon recent correspondence with USAirways customercare I arrived at a very fair arrangement for my inconvenience with the baggage loss situation. Their customer care sector was very interested in my complaint and worked with me to make things right. USAirways is back in excellent standing with me and am upgrading my recommendation to five stars as a result.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
solohans1
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Location: Southwest
Reviews written: 89
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