[ironman_3]

I am a long term flyer with Us Airways with an Elite Gold member status. My company that I co-own (here in Phoenix) also spends about 1/2 million bucks a year flying this airline. I have watched this company go from one of the best (when they were America West) to the bottom of the barre (after their merger with US Airways). What a shame. Read my story below and see what you think.

I booked a ticket for my mother from Phoenix to Charlotte through my US Airways account online (using my Dividend Preferred miles) and asked her to go to the ticket counter and ask for assistance. My mom has very severe osteoporosis, if she falls she could (and has) landed in the hospital for months. I trusted my frail mother with Us Airways, and made sure that I set her flight up through my account and requested a wheelchair and assistance for her.

When my mother got to the Phoenix ticket counter to check her bag in, the counter representative took her ticket, ripped it up and informed her that she was not a Gold member (her ticket was printed online from my Gold account), told her she had to pay the baggage fee of $15.00 and was quite rude. She issued her a new non-Gold ticket WITHOUT the wheel chair assist and sent her on her way. My mom was so flabbergasted that she didn't ask for the wheelchair. She walked to the gate.

As she left Charlotte on her return flight, she again checked in with the counter representative for assistance, they issued her a Gold ticket at the desk - even after my mom explained to them of what happened in Phoenix. The Charlotte US Airways folks told her that she WAS entitled to the Gold status and DID NOT charge for her bags. They took great care of her there (thank you Charlotte).

When my mother gets back to Phoenix, she tells me the story. I call the Elite Gold member customer representative and told her what had transpired with my mother. The phone representative tells me the Phoenix counter representative was wrong (verifying the info given from the Charlotte folks). The Elite Gold member phone representative tells me to contact Customer Relations. She believed they would take good care of me. She tried to connect me, but I was directed to send an email via US Airways webs site.

As directed, I sent a very polite and honest email about what my mother had gone through. My points were as follows: a) your own reps don't seem to know what your rules are when family members travel under an Elite Member's account (charge for bags or not), gets Gold treatment or not; b) the representative was very rude and was more concerned about getting that $15.00 charge than treating my mother with service; c) they did not reissue the ticket for wheelchair assist and did not take the appropriate care as I requested when I booked the flight.

I received a polite response email, apologizing for the rude treatment, and they gave me some discount for future purchases (most of the email was the rules on how to use the discount) but they didn't address the points that I made: there is not consistency with the counter reps as to the rules and the Phoenix counter representative didn't assist my mother with a wheelchair as I had originally requested.

I sent yet another very polite email and asked for a more senior person to respond with a personal call. I did get a call from an "executive" representative who apologized to me, but didn't seem interested in apologizing to my mother. She was very nice which I appreciated. But, in the end I never got my points addressed.

Okay, I am NOT done. Here is where I was truly disappointed. I got two letters from US Airways a few days later. I was thinking (hmm.... they sent an apology).... NOPE, they sent a letter saying my Gold status account was audited... they reduced my earned miles by 30,000+, reduced my Gold status and accussed me of trying to avoid baggage fees by having my mother and other family members fly under my account!!!!

Well, I never received an "audited" statement of how they could have taken that many miles off of my account or reduce my status, but I do believe that this was plain and simple revenge for complaining. AND, I think it is corporate policy to find any way that they can to rip folks off. Charges for water or coffee on board, finding excuses to reduce your earned miles, charging bagagge fees, etc., etc.

So, when you think about complaining to the "customer relations" department for bad service.... remember my story. Better yet, don't fly US Airways. I won't anymore.

In the end, there were consequences for me in trying to get through to them on how they need to improve their service. I lost mileage and preferred status. I am starting over with another airline. But when my company employees fly, US Airways will be the last resort. They just don't get it.

Thank you for reading my post.

Steve