[hpp24]

The text below is the complaint I sent into US Airways:
I have several major complaints concerning my travel with US Airways.

• I had two small carry-on bags- both of which could fit under the seat. When I boarded in Phoenix, a man in the loading ramp insisted that my self and several other passengers check their bags. He was extremely rude and almost came to blows with one passenger and may have if the flight attendant had not intervened. I was forced to check my bag even though once I got to my seat the seat next to me was never occupied and I could have put it under that seat- and there WAS still room in overhead bins. Needless to say, that was irritating, needlessly violent and exceedingly unpleasant.
• Due to scheduling, I did not have time for lunch in the airport but noticed that your flights serve salads. However, by the time the flight attendants got to our row, there was no salad left. As a diabetic who has to watch very carefully what I eat, I had to settle for the snack pack in which every item is LOADED with sugar. Two suggestions- send enough of each food selection to service the entire airplane, not just the front rows, and update your snack packs so they contain healthy food.
• When I got to Philadelphia, my flight to Akron was cancelled.
• Due to the cancelled fight, I managed get onto a standby flight to Cleveland instead, but my bag was most likely left in Philadelphia.
• My bag- It did not arrive within 24 hours of my complaint, in fact I STILL DO NOT have it. This has been a huge snafu on your part. I arrived in Kent OH on February 4. I called the evening of February 5 to check on its status since I had been told it would be on the 4:00pm flight to Akron and then delivered to my hotel. The CS representative said the bag was still lost and could not tell me anything about it since no one knew where it was. At that point, I told the representative to NOT send it to the hotel since I was checking out the early the next morning. I gave my home address as the alternate delivery destination. The person I spoke with said she had changed it. I checked out of my hotel early on February 6. I flew out of Akron that afternoon. I tried to check on the bag at the Akron airport, but there is no US Airways baggage office there. When I got to Denver, I picked up a cell message from the US Airways representative inquiring whether I meant a Holiday Inn or a Holiday Inn Express in Kent. This seemed like a ludicrous message since I had changed the destination of the bag almost 24 hours earlier and there is only one Holiday Inn in Kent to my knowledge. I talked to a customer service rep in Denver and she said she would straighten it out. It is now February 7 and I called on my bag only to find it had been delivered to the Holiday Inn. The CS rep I spoke with on the telephone claims to have the mess straightened out, however, when I called the hotel in Kent they said they did not take delivery of the bag but sent it somewhere else. I still have no idea where the bag is. Due to the total incompetence of US Airways, I spent 3 days at a critical job interview in the same clothes, without cosmetics or medications that I though were safely packed in carry-on luggage. NOT ONCE did any of the CS people I spoke with mention that I was entitled to compensation for the expenses incurred due to my not having luggage for three days.
• Furthermore, the bulk of your employees that I have dealt with over the last few days are extremely rude and short tempered. If they are treated as employees the same way I have been, I understand why. Based on my experiences of the last few days, I will do everything in my power to NEVER fly US Airways again.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

If you would have had to do an overnight stay in Philadelphia to fly direct into Akron, claiming compensation for the cost of surface transportation, from Cleveland to Akron, might be worthwhile depending on what your outlay was. US Airways and perhaps, others on this board who I can't identify, will tell you their contract of carriage allows them to dump you in Hong Kong (or something, almost, as outrageous.) However, a small claims court may not see it that way. As to the baggage: It just re-enforces that old saying--"there are only two kinds of baggage--lost, and carry-on." Actually, as United (barf!) is saying, nowdays, there is also Fedex.

[PHXFlyer]

Mostly all valid complaints. However,...

Originally Posted by hpp24

The text below is the complaint I sent into US Airways:
I have several major complaints concerning my travel with US Airways.

• I had two small carry-on bags- both of which could fit under the seat. When I boarded in Phoenix, a man in the loading ramp insisted that my self and several other passengers check their bags. He was extremely rude and almost came to blows with one passenger and may have if the flight attendant had not intervened. I was forced to check my bag even though once I got to my seat the seat next to me was never occupied and I could have put it under that seat- and there WAS still room in overhead bins. Needless to say, that was irritating, needlessly violent and exceedingly unpleasant.

Cannot comment on the attitude or demeanor of the "man in the loading ramp" however I have seen on very full flights the gate agents preemptively checking bags. As a result of first checked bag fees more people are trying to bring more stuff onto the aircraft to avoid paying those fees. If a flight is full or nearly full and in the estimation of the gate agent the overhead space is going to run out they would rather check the bags before the last several passengers board to avoid having people standing in the aisles with nowhere to stow their carryons. Having to pull the bags off the plane in order to check them takes more time and could potentially cause a delay.

I'm not saying I agree with the policy and I don't think the airlines really considered this when they decided to start charging for every checked bag so they really shot themselves in the foot on this one. I would, however, agree that given the status quo with bag fees and the passenger behavior it has driven that I would rather see them act proactively to check excess carryons rather than delay the departure of the flight.

Originally Posted by hpp24

• Due to scheduling, I did not have time for lunch in the airport but noticed that your flights serve salads. However, by the time the flight attendants got to our row, there was no salad left. As a diabetic who has to watch very carefully what I eat, I had to settle for the snack pack in which every item is LOADED with sugar. Two suggestions- send enough of each food selection to service the entire airplane, not just the front rows, and update your snack packs so they contain healthy food.
  

You really should have omitted this from your complaint as it is, quite frankly, frivolous. Your dietary needs are your concerns, not the airlines. US Airways primarily operates A320 and A321 aircraft from Phoenix to Philadelphia which have 138 and 167 seats respectively in economy class. (I omitted first class as they do not pay for food so it's not relevant to your post) Do you really expect them to carry 138 or 167 of each item just in case all the passengers on that flight want the same thing? It's just not practical nor is it economical. I'm sure US Airways has historical data of how many of each item is sold on a particular route and probably has it narrowed down to time of day and day of week as well. I'm sure they load enough of each item based on the expected demand. Of course that's not always going to be accurate but I'll bet they get pretty darn close. If having a healthy meal is that important to you either allow more time at the airport to purchase food for yourself or else make your reservation and/or check in for your flight early enough to ensure you are seated towards the front of the aircraft so the likelihood of their running out of food before the get to your row is reduced.

As for the quality of the snack items it would be great if they offered a healthier alternative but there again they must have data on what the average "Joe Passenger" wants for a snack and includes items in their snack boxes based on that data. Airplanes aren't restaurants. If you have specific wants or needs bring your own meal or snack.

Originally Posted by hpp24

• When I got to Philadelphia, my flight to Akron was cancelled.
• Due to the cancelled fight, I managed get onto a standby flight to Cleveland instead, but my bag was most likely left in Philadelphia.
• My bag- It did not arrive within 24 hours of my complaint, in fact I STILL DO NOT have it. This has been a huge snafu on your part. I arrived in Kent OH on February 4. I called the evening of February 5 to check on its status since I had been told it would be on the 4:00pm flight to Akron and then delivered to my hotel. The CS representative said the bag was still lost and could not tell me anything about it since no one knew where it was. At that point, I told the representative to NOT send it to the hotel since I was checking out the early the next morning. I gave my home address as the alternate delivery destination. The person I spoke with said she had changed it. I checked out of my hotel early on February 6. I flew out of Akron that afternoon. I tried to check on the bag at the Akron airport, but there is no US Airways baggage office there. When I got to Denver, I picked up a cell message from the US Airways representative inquiring whether I meant a Holiday Inn or a Holiday Inn Express in Kent. This seemed like a ludicrous message since I had changed the destination of the bag almost 24 hours earlier and there is only one Holiday Inn in Kent to my knowledge. I talked to a customer service rep in Denver and she said she would straighten it out. It is now February 7 and I called on my bag only to find it had been delivered to the Holiday Inn. The CS rep I spoke with on the telephone claims to have the mess straightened out, however, when I called the hotel in Kent they said they did not take delivery of the bag but sent it somewhere else. I still have no idea where the bag is. Due to the total incompetence of US Airways, I spent 3 days at a critical job interview in the same clothes, without cosmetics or medications that I though were safely packed in carry-on luggage. NOT ONCE did any of the CS people I spoke with mention that I was entitled to compensation for the expenses incurred due to my not having luggage for three days.
  

Delayed baggage sucks. I agree that this is something that needs to be addressed by the DOT but until then when I travel with checked luggage I never assume that my bags will arrive with me on the same flight especially if there is a connection or more than one airline on my itinerary. There are set rules for compensation when a passenger is involuntarily denied boarding due to oversale but when it comes to delayed baggage it is entirely up to the airlines of what compensation to give you, if any. Here are the details of delayed baggage compensation from the US Airways website:

Originally Posted by USAirways.com

When customers have made a claim within four hours of flight arrival and baggage is delayed for 24 hours or longer after making a claim, US Airways provides our customers interim expenses to purchase toiletries and clothing. The following guidelines apply:

• An interim expense of $25 per day (not to exceed $75 for three days)
• Interim expense allowance is paid per ticketed customer, not per bag
• No compensation is allowable in the customer's domicile
• Receipts must be submitted for reimbursement

I suggest you send a separate letter only dealing with your baggage issues and include copies of your confirmation and/or boarding pass(es) and your claim printout if one was given to you at the airport in addition to the receipts for the expenses incurred as a result. Mail it to US Airways' corporate offices in Tempe, AZ. The address is:

US Airways Corporate Headquarters
Attention: Donna Paladini, Vice President, Airport Customer Service
111 W. Rio Salado PkwyTempe, AZ 85281

Donna Paladini is in charge of all airport-related operations including baggage. I suggest that your letter be direct, to the point, and just stick to the facts.

Originally Posted by hpp24

• Furthermore, the bulk of your employees that I have dealt with over the last few days are extremely rude and short tempered. If they are treated as employees the same way I have been, I understand why. Based on my experiences of the last few days, I will do everything in my power to NEVER fly US Airways again.

If you only knew what the employees of US Airways, and pre-merger America West, have endured due to gross mis-management. I know it's no excuse for being rude, gruff or confrontational. It's a known fact that happy employees lead to satisfied customers and greater productivity. Believe me - the majority of US Airways employees are far from happy. A neighbor of mine is a flight attendant for US. He really doesn't enjoy charging passengers for water, telling them they need to check oversized or excess carryons and trying to get them to sign up for a credit card. He is crossing his fingers and saying prayers as his retirement date approaches
that US Air will stay in business long enough for him to get at least one pension check!

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

If you would have had to do an overnight stay in Philadelphia to fly direct into Akron, claiming compensation for the cost of surface transportation, from Cleveland to Akron, might be worthwhile depending on what your outlay was. US Airways and perhaps, others on this board who I can't identify, will tell you their contract of carriage allows them to dump you in Hong Kong (or something, almost, as outrageous.) However, a small claims court may not see it that way. As to the baggage: It just re-enforces that old saying--"there are only two kinds of baggage--lost, and carry-on." Actually, as United (barf!) is saying, nowdays, there is also Fedex.

Unfortunately he probably won't get any compensation for actual travel expenses (rental car, gas, mileage, etc.) since it was his choice to go to Cleveland rather than Akron. I'm not saying it's right or fair, just don't want to set the OP's expectations too high.

Yes, they canceled his Akron flight, but with US as the only non-stop option to CAK after 4:45 PM I doubt there were many options to re-book him on another airline. His only other choice would be overnighting in PHL which I'm guessing wasn't an option either because he was traveling for a job interview. So US gave him an choice to fly to CLE instead and he accepted that arrangement. US Airways' obligation to get him to his ticketed destination ended there.