I wish you and your wife well, however, this is not US Airways' fault, nor their responsibility. They deal with people everyday who use (and in many cases - make up) stories like yourself in an effort to get out of paying fees. I'm not accusing you of making this story up - I believe you, however, it is because of this reason, that the airlines to not waiver from the fees and do charge them to each person.
I'm not sure what type of ticket your wife purchased, but each ticket will have fare rules and a terms of service associated with it. This will spell out the rules, including change fees, that will apply and how the change fee is charged, without exception.
USAirways did not know when your wife purchased the ticket that she was going through this procedure. It wasn't their responsibility to know. This was something that occurred that was outside of the airline's fault and as a result, they have no obligation to not charge the fee. In the end, it is doubtful that any media outlet will cover this story (this type of thing happens everyday with the airlines) and while you can choose not to fly USAirways again, keep in mind that most other airlines likely would have done the same thing. They all charge these fees.
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