[tachnyrus]

Hi all,

I'd like to share an encounter with an US Airways customer service representative. Being Canadian, I rarely fly with US carriers, and this experience was something new for me. For those who hate reading, the video recording of this encounter can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMA6NwMlZOQ.

Our flight was the 9:00pm from Washington DC to Buffalo NY, which was delayed to 10:30pm. Up until 10:30pm, announcements were made that they were waiting for the crew to arrive on another plane, with the last message being that the plane had arrived, and they were waiting for the crew to transfer over. Shortly after 10:30, they made a final announcement that the crew wasn't on the plane after all, and that the flight was canceled. Citing weather problems, US Airways refused to lodge any passengers; after all, DC hotels are always booked solid (the guy in front of us got a room for $200) and 200*150 passengers = $30000 in expenses.

Aside from all this, what really struck me was the attitude of the ticketing counter agent, who exuded that we were an obvious annoyance to her Friday and should leave the counter immediately. In addition to her rolling eyes, she also refused to give her manager's name or contact after declaring she was done and turning her back to return to her office behind the counter. All of which is shown in the video by the way.

I hope customer service reps like this are rare, and for the most part, have been pretty lucky in my encounters. It does make me wonder if the US Airways deliberately places their nastiest employees in low-level supervisor positions so they can intimidate and belittle customers with impunity, citing that they do not represent the company as a whole.

Anyways, just wanted to share the video, since after dealing with this airline, I for one could sure use a good laugh.

Cheers