[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by adm120

They knew we were arriving for an hour and had no freaking gate ready. This is operational incompetence at best. We then waited 15 min and drove to a gate – past a few empty ones. Inexcusable stupidity is what you see in Philadelphia.

OK they knew you were arriving for an hour. They know ALL the flights that are inbound to arrive. You expected them to keep a gate open for your aircraft once it was airborne in anticipation of it's arrival? You stated your inbound flight arrived 10 minutes late. They probably had a gate scheduled for your aircraft but it was either occupied by a late departure or given to another aircraft that arrived ahead of yours.

Airline operations are dynamic. Things change throughout the day and changes are made to gate assignments etc. based on many factors. I got a tour of an airline's operations center last year and it's fascinating. Believe me a lot of factors go into the decisions they make. Might not always make sense from a customer's perspective but it's not just a random decision and they try to impact the fewest number of people.

Well DUH the reply to my complaint from US Air said they shut the “door” 5 minuets before departure – I was there 8 min before and told the flight was “gone” – you figure it out.

Most airlines cut off boarding at ten minutes. They need time to calculate the final passenger/baggage load, double check fuel, etc. By letting someone on last minute, especially on a smaller regional aircraft, it throws all of those numbers off.

My connecting departure was 8:30 and the gate was down the hall. We came in 10 min late and then sate for nearly 15 min waiting for a damn gate. Yes this has happened to me before with the idiots at US Air. Many other airlines do it better. I have been sitting on planes that left late because they were waiting for connecting passengers. US Air just sells the seat and leaves – they suck.

So it was "right down the hall" yet by my calculations of your reported times you took 6 minutes to get between the gates. Perhaps a little further than you remember?

You don’t need a room full of computers to know people are coming in for the flight, who they are and when they will be there.

You just need competent staff and good procedures– US Air seems to have a shortage in this department.

They are always aware of connecting passengers. Perhaps they felt that inconveniencing a handful of people was better than holding up a full plane load. If they wait too long they lose their takeoff slot and that really throws things out of whack.

Originally Posted by trishs

I just returned from a terrible travel experience with US Airways. Their flight was late and when I arrived at my connection, the plane was still on the runway and the tunnel still connected but they told the 7 people there that it was too late to get on.

See above.

... I spent 24 hours in airports. The last ten hours were in the unheated Baggage Claim area where they herded all of the left behind passengers.

A hotel wasn't an option?

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

Hopefully, someone in the Obama Administration will have the courage to stand-up to the airline lobby and institute some consumer friendly regulations.
Mandating minimum connecting times at major airports should be one such regulation. The existing minimum connecting times, at major US airports, border, in a number of examples, on blatant fraud. Until the government puts the brakes on this nonsense one should ASSUME your in-bound flight is going to be late, REGARDLESS of what the on-time figures show. Remember, US-based airlines are notorious liars. Accordingly, booking flights that have a connecting (lay-over) time of, no less, than 2 hours is important. With some airlines, and some airports, a 2-hour connecting time may be impossible. The choice may come-down to a 30 to 40 minute connecting time, or staying overnight, with a resulting higher fare, at the connecting airport. If you're willing to fly to an alternate airport, then use surface transportation to your final destination, you may be able to realize your extended connecting time. Again, however, this arrangement may require an overnight stay, at the arrival airport, if your flight arrives much after 5:00 PM. Surface connections, to your final destination, may not be available if your flight arrives much after 5 PM. One should look upon connecting flights as a source of potential trouble and ask themselves whether it's worth a saving of a few dollars to take a connecting flight. If you miss your connection, those savings can be, not only eradicated, but your final cost can equal, or exceed, a first class fare. Finally, I lived, for 25 years, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia International (PHL). Generally, that airport should be avoided, no matter who you are flying with. Some of the TSA Officers there get their kicks by acting like Nazis. If PHL is unavoidable, Southwest is the ONLY airline I would take a chance with.

There are already established minimum connection times and they vary by airport and airline however they assume that everything is on or reasonably close to schedule. As we all know this isn't always the case, however when I book flights I always try to choose an option that will allow for late connections even if it's a few dollars more. Also, if your scheduled arrival to the connecting city is too late for the last flight to your onward destination you can always call to book the ticket and tell them to force the overnight at the lower fare. Sure you have to pay a fee to talk to a live person to accomplish this but the 10-25 dollar fee is almost always less than paying for essentially 2 one-way tickets when you should be charged at the connecting fare.

I wholeheartedly agree that PHL should be avoided at all costs unless it is your final destination. The airport was never meant to serve as a hub but has evolved into that.