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- CaballeroGuapo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My wife, project manager, software installer, shares this story about her USA trip Hartford to Barbados via Charlotte during the airline's computer hell of the last three weeks -- a hell brought upon itself by USA employees' complete unwillingness to learn America West's computer system.
Hartford to Charlotte on March 4 -- 90 minutes late due to football field-length line at check-in in Hartford, and thereby missed connection, the last one to the island for SIX DAYS. Staff suggested my wife return to Hartford [and blow off, one would presume, her job duties for the week in Barbados]. Finally booked to Barbados through Miami, and change of airlines to American. The trip from Hartford to Barbados lasts FIFTEEN HOURS, from 5:30AM at one airport to 8:30PM at the other. Upon arrival in Barbados -- no suitcase. American takes responsibility, but states USAir had to get bag to American to get it to Barbados. USAir's response -- It's American's problem. Further attempts at resolution there end at USAir's full voice mailbox.
I get involved on Tuesday after bag doesn't arrive Monday. Discourteous, barely intelligible customer service rep on other side of the planet [Keith -- what Sikh named a child "Keith" in the 1980s?] informs me it's American's problem, and to look up the bag with a World Tracer number that, in World Tracer's database, doesn't exist. Flatly refused access to supervisor; told that, "If you're going to use that attitude with me, we have nothing more to talk about." I agreed, adding that I hoped he picked a more suitable name, say, Fred, out of the hat tomorrow.
Turned to American customer service reps who work barely 30 miles from my house. At last, suitcase materializes in Barbados, late Wednesday, after American worker leaves his post in Charlotte, takes custody of bag that didn't make it out of the airport onto the flight to Miami and onward, and ferries it on to fuming wife. Fresh underwear, not washed out three times in hotel sink with shampoo bought locally, is a relief.
But comes Saturday and the return home. Departing hotel at noon, wife finds 4PM flight from Barbados to Charlotte will leave 90 minutes late. Upon arrival, herding through Customs, Immigration makes connection to Hartford impossible. Another football field-length line awaits, at the end of which is snotty worker who books wife on Delta flight first thing in the morning, books wife into Ramada to spend the night, forks over $5 food voucher. Shuttle to Ramada comes every half-hour, and 50 others are in line before her, so she takes a cab to hotel, which is FILTHY.
Returns barely five hours later, 5:30AM, to find Delta booking invalid, because USA worker upgraded her coach ticket to first class. Wife crashes ANOTHER football field-length line to ask USA worker for prompt help [or else another flight will leave without her] and is THREATENED WITH ARREST. So down to the other team's goalpost she goes to wait three hours in line to be booked Charlotte to Philadelphia to Hartford. Not evident, however, which departure gate to use, so she asks an agent at one gate -- who responds that she can't help my wife now. So she waits for a 2PM flight that leaves at 3 for a 6:30 connection in Philly. At last, she walks through her front door at 9:30PM, THIRTY-THREE HOURS after leaving her hotel in Barbados.
USA's response this week to all this? A $300 flight voucher [as though we'd rather fly this airline again than, say, walk over broken glass to a destination]. When informed that all members of the board of directors, the chairman and the chief executive officer were getting letters about this ordeal, my wife was told that those letters would be intercepted at corporate headquarters. "Not if they're mailed to the directors' places of business," my wife retorts, upon which she is put on hold and then given $50 more flight voucher money to sweeten the deal -- and also given this warning: Take the deal by April 15, or you get nothing. No word yet on compensation for clothing bought so a professional could do sensitive work in a most professional setting looking like a professional, and not in the same underwear, jeans and sweater she'd put on THREE DAYS EARLIER.
You may find this post on other blogs --- I've Googled "USAirways flying late stranded", and there are a lot of folks out there who are victims of this corporation. I will circulate this story as many times as I can until we hear "USAirways" and the phrase, "which went out of business in [fill in the date]" together in the same sentence. - EmperorAnton, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1That is just too messed up.
- robespierrette, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Please pass the word! We miss our stuff. :(
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