[simonster]

I recently booked a flight with U.S. Airways to visit my family over a weekend. I then decided to leave earlier to combine this leisure trip with a business trip. I called U.S. Airways to ask them to cancel the outbound flight I had previously booked. The representative I spoke to informed me that it didn't make sense to cancel the outbound flight, but he would place a note on my ticket and it should not be a problem, so I booked a new ticket out.

The day I was scheduled to take the return flight, I tried to check in for my flight back online, and the website informed me that U.S. Airways had canceled my ticket. I called, and a representative told me that the previous representative had made an error, and that, while the note was present in the system, they would not be honoring it. The only remedy available to me was to purchase a new ticket. While I would have agreed to this if I had been asked on the date I had originally called, instead, the representative asked me to pay $220 for a new one-way ticket (which was more than the cost of the original round trip!).

After calling a second time, I was repeatedly told that, while this was clearly an issue with the information the representative provided me and not a misunderstanding on my part, it was still my fault for failing to read the 32 page contract of carriage available on their website. I am not usually an angry person, but this really got to me. I don't think it's my fault that a U.S. Airways representative told me the wrong information when I called to ask about canceling a leg of my flight.

I was eventually offered the opportunity to have the original flight reinstated for $150. If I had been told the truth on the day I originally called U.S. Airways, I would have been able to buy a one-way ticket for $80 and my employer would have paid for it, but this $150 change fee isn't even eligible for reimbursement because my employer requires that all travel expenses be pre-approved.

Because I can't imagine the situation I was in when I called the original representative is particularly uncommon, I am left wondering whether this is systematic deception, as opposed to an isolated error. If not, I do not think I should be the one to suffer from U.S. Airways' apparent customer service representative training issues. I am lucky that JetBlue and Delta also fly this route, since I expect that I will be taking it many times in the next few years, and I don't plan to take U.S. Airways again anywhere unless it is more than $150 cheaper than the next available option.

[Ombudsman]

You should contact US Airways customer relations as this was clearly documented on your reservation and although an exception should be honored. Beware of Delta. They will advise you without noting the reservation and then when you call back deny that the conversation ever happened or imply that you are not being truthful. Go to the US Airways website and send them your request from there but if that doesnt work here is additonal contact info:

John Romantic
Director, customer relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Boulevard
Phoenix, AZ 85034