[brenda0526]

Below is a copy of my complaint to US Airways. Awaiting response.....

On May 19, 2009 I purchased my daughter's ticket and upgraded her to first class using miles. Because she was traveling one-way, with a pet and unaccompanied I had to make the purchase over the phone. I was then charged the 100.00 for unaccompanied as well as the ticket price of 333.10 and an additional 25.00 booking fee; despite the fact I could not book her on-line.

On June 5, 2009, we arrived at the airport at 11:55 p.m., and waited in the first class line for 40 minutes before being assisted (an employee with a wheelchair passenger finally asked staff to have someone work the 1st class counter) An older female, short in stature with blonde hair started the process. She asked if I needed to upgrade using my miles? No, I did that at the time of booking. She then took my credit card for 100.00 for the cabin-pet. She then walked away and charged my card another 100.00 for a third bag. When I made the reservation I told the agent there would be a third bag. She said there would be no charge...I could have mailed this bag three weeks previous for 20.00 max. Never mind the fact that if bag one is 15.00 and bag two is 25.00 and those were waived why did I have to pay a third bag charge of 100.00 – I feel if I was to be charged at all it should have been 15.00.

The check-in counter employee never explained why and how much she was running my card for. I then asked about my daughter's unaccompanied minor paperwork. She huffed and puffed and said she needed to do something else and handed the boarding pass, my credit card and baggage claim tickets to another employee who was assisting other customers.

10 minutes later this second employee, a taller blonde woman handed me the original receipts, boarding pass and my credit card. I again asked about the unaccompanied minor paperwork and didn’t they want to see the health certificate for the dog. She looked like she was getting ready to cry and said she would get the first employee back to help. 15 minutes went by and no assistance. I finally asked another woman named Anneille if there was a supervisor I could speak to. She said she needed to log out of Delta and onto US Airways and would help. 10 minutes later we went through the process again. The floor manager on duty at 1:15 a.m., on June 6, 2009 claimed the extra 100.00 charge was valid. By this time the aircraft was boarding. After Annielle had me complete the unaccompanied minor paperwork with all the information I had provided at the time of the reservation and then told me that the supervisor was very particular about how data was entered into the system and she needed her approval. Again, we wait….Fianlly, with the data approved Annielle handed us our paperwork…but, wait, there’s more. Now she had to enter me into a different system for my security pass to “escort” my own child (which I believed I already paid 100.00 for) to the gate. At 1:30 a.m., we reached the gate just as the “floor supervisor” arrived out of breath and said she would escort Mikayla onto the plane.

While on the aircraft, my daughter’s seat was changed, she received no beverage or attention from the flight attendants. No one checked to see how she was doing or if she needed anything or if the animal required water etc.

My sister arrived at Sky Harbor an hour before Mikayla’s flight landed. She proceeded to ask three employees while on the phone with me where she was to pick up an unaccompanied minor. Not a single person could answer her question. Finally, the 4th employee told her she needed to wait in the check-in line for departing flights to speak with a ticketing agent. When asked why no one had told her that 45 minutes ago she was told that those employees were retired or temporary and didn’t know those answers. How is any person not associated with US Airways supposed to know the Policies and Procedures when their own employees do not????

With Mikayla’s flight now preparing to land in 15 minutes my sister became frustrated and again asked who could help her. She was told she needed to wait in the ticketing line and they would hold the child until she could get to the gate. While in line the escort did call my sister’s cell phone (thank-you!). My sister eventually made it through security and to the gate counter – No Mikayla. When my sister explained what hoops she had to jump through to the gate employee she was simply told “It’s been a busy day”. They finally connected my sister and my daughter.

It appears to my daughter, my sister and me that there are some seriously disgruntled employees at US Airways or lack of sufficient and complete training. Customer Service is a distant memory when it comes to your company. Moral is obviously at an all time low, you have micro management to the point of suffocating your front line staff, which obviously is undermining their abilities to complete a simple task and has them questioning everything they do. They are frustrated, which in turn has the customers frustrated. Your employees are have become robotic, unsympathetic and dysfunctional. Not a smile amongst them

Here are my Customer Service (oxymoron I know) questions:

- Why did we have to wait so long to be served at the Anchorage check-in. Not only for Coach passengers but for First Class?
- Why 100.00 for a bag that I was told there would be no charge for and if there was why not 15.00.
- Unaccompanied Minor fee? For what? You are not escorting her from one gate to another, assisting her on the aircraft, or even physically escorting her to pick-up contact? She is more than capable of walking onto the plane and walking off and I don’t have to pay her to do that….
- Why was an unaccompanied Minor (that I paid 100.00 for her to be in your care on top of her airfare) not checked on by flight attendants at any time over the course of the 5 ½ hour flight? Never mind her dog who needed water?
- Why did I pay 100.00 for an animal on top of the 108.00 at the vet to secure a health certificate, and 100.00 for an Airline Approved pet carrier to be on the aircraft when not a single person asked for the information and would never have known the dog was getting on the aircraft? TSA couldn’t have cared less despite the US Airways staff saying they would ask for the paperwork?
- Why does the pick up person have to stand in line with departing passengers to receive a security pass and if this is not policy why does the front line staff not have the accurate information to relay?
- Why is the staff on both ends and the middle of this trip completely and totally clueless?

I am appalled and embarrassed for US Airways. My daughter is far from a first time flyer. I thought our move back to Arizona would be best suited for US Airways due to the direct flight; however, I believe traveling via Alaska Airlines would have been our better bet. Alaska Airlines has always treated my child and me with kindness, care and with special attention (and their unaccompanied fee is cheaper despite having connecting flights).

I understand cut-backs and the economy blah, blah, blah, but I paid far more than what this flight was worth plus mileage for the worst travel experience in her short life. I paid 100.00 and entrusted you with my daughter to get her to my sister, 100.00 for her pet and 100.00 for her luggage and 311.10 for her fare and 25.00 to book the ticket – so what does 736.10 get you nowadays? A whole lot of nothing and the “CUSTOMER” does all the work??

As an FYI my daughter and I traveled to Arizona from Anchorage for the Thanksgiving Holiday. One of the busiest travel times I understand. We actually gave up our seats for some pro athletes on our return to Alaska and received free tickets for our sacrifice. I chose not to use these tickets for our return to Arizona; and paid full fare for my daughter – obviously a mistake.

I am interested to see your response to ALL of these concerns addressed herein.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by brenda0526

I am appalled and embarrassed for US Airways. My daughter is far from a first time flyer. I thought our move back to Arizona would be best suited for US Airways due to the direct flight; however, I believe traveling via Alaska Airlines would have been our better bet. Alaska Airlines has always treated my child and me with kindness, care and with special attention (and their unaccompanied fee is cheaper despite having connecting flights).

That was going to be my suggestion. US Airways has been on a downhill slope ever since the bean-counters at America West in Tempe took over. Sir Richard Branson said in a recent interview that he believes a major US Airline will go out of business sometime this year. It's my belief he was talking about US Airways. It would be a devastating blow to the local economy here in AZ but on the brighter side perhaps the likes of United or Continental would pick up the pieces and keep US Air flying in some form and under much needed new management.

Please allow me to point out a few things in your letter. First, paying for unaccompanied minor service does not include an escort to/from the gate area. You should have been told the procedure when you booked over the phone. (You did, after all, pay an additional $25 for the privilege of speaking with a reservation agent.) The adult dropping off and picking up the minor gets an escort pass to go through security and wait at the gate. I agree, though, that you didn't get your money's worth as your daughter was all but ignored on the non-stop flight. I fly red-eyes often and sometimes the service is lackluster even in first class. Actually I'm a bit surprised your daughter was permitted to fly on a red-eye as an unaccompanied minor. Most airlines, including Alaska I believe, don't allow this. Many also do not allow unaccompanied minors to travel with pets in the cabin. I know Alaska does not.

As for the baggage fee, unfortunately I don't think you'll have any success getting that refunded. Even though they waived the fee for the first two it is still the third bag so they will probably stick you with the 3rd bag fee. If it were Alaska this wouldn't even be an issue since first class passengers have a three bag allowance automatically.

Many airlines tell you that they or the FAA or the TSA requires a health certificate. This is a load of crap. Here's the real deal:

Documentation - All pets crossing state borders, with the exception of guide dogs, are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have a valid health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of travel. If an animal is being transported by a breeder, dealer, or research facility, then the health certificate must have been issued within 10 days. All animals crossing state borders to a cold weather destination are required to have a veterinarian's note on the health certificate that they are acclimated to temperatures below 45°. It is the responsibility of the customer to obtain this certification.


Proof of rabies vaccination is required for animals traveling within the state of Alaska or when traveling across state lines. Proof of Parvo Virus vaccination is required before an animal can be transported to Nome or Kotzebue. Service animals traveling with a passenger are exempt from these certifications, though they are required to be in a working harness that identifies them as a service animal.

So you see, it is a USDA requirement, not an airline, TSA or FAA regulation. That is why no one at the airport was interested in seeing the documentation. If there happened to be a USDA inspector around (probability next to zero at midnight) who wanted to see the paperwork you would have needed it. Otherwise...


So, if you do hear from US Airways I would push for the refund of the $100 unaccompanied minor fee since you didn't get what you paid for and the $25 telephone booking fee since the agent didn't properly inform you of the airport procedures with an unaccompanied minor. Unfortunately the 3rd bag charge and vet bill will probably be shot down.


I too had a $400 voucher or a "free" (capacity controlled, plus international taxes) round-trip anywhere in the US Air system for giving up my seat out of Maui. I've yet to use it!


Good luck.

[majust7]

My daughter-in-law booked a flight for her daughter to come to California from North Carolina as an accompanied minor. She paid for the flight and the accompaniment and then just a couple days before the flight discovered the airlines does not provide accompaniment on the first leg of the trip. Therefore the child cannot fly on this flight. They are now absolutely refusing to refund the money for the flight or the accompaniment despite the fact that the parents booked the flight in good faith they were purchasing something that was indeed being offered, and it was sold as something indeed being offered, not a bogus scheme to embezzle money from a mother just wanting to visit with her minor daughter. This is plain wrong. Anyone know how to force them to reimburse the money or complain higher? The mother has now been forced to purchase a whole new ticket, including cost of accompaniment rather than lose the opportunity to visit with her daughter for the summer.

[jimworcs]

I am confused as to what service you purchased here. Do you mean she is travelling as a unaccompanied minor? If so, she will have paid an additional fee. If they accepted the fee and don't provide the service they cannot keep your money. You could try to DOT, but I think more detail is needed.

[majust7]

Yes, she paid full fare for a minor child plus an extra fee for minor child accompaniment by an airline personnel. At the last minute they were told there was no accompaniment available for the first leg of the trip, making it impossible for the child to travel as she cannot travel alone. My daughter-in-law rebooked for a day later on a flight that did offer minor child accompaniment, but the airlines refuse to return her money for the flight she had to cancel due to the fact they could not provide what she paid for. My daughter-in-law has been on the phone with the airlines for literally hours every day trying to get some justice--her money reimbursed, but they will NOT do it. I can hardly believe this. I'm sure there must be some way to force them to return her money, but we don't know how or where to turn. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[jimworcs]

If they are adament, then I think small claims is your only remedy. I am confused by your description of the service as an "accompanied" child service. I think it is the unaccompanied child service. The additional payment does not pay for someone to accompany the child however. It just ensures that the child is handed from staff to staff and in the care of the airline for the trip. I don't think anyone actually travels with the child.

If the airline took the money for this and then withdrew the service, I can think of no justification for them to keep your money. The only exception is if you booked the child onto the last flight of the day, which would be a breach of their own T&Cs. However, in this case, they should not have accepted the unaccompanied child fee.

I think you should write a letter outlining your complaint and a request for a cash refund. If no reply or positive response within 30 days, I would file a claim in the small claims court. You may wish to copy the letter to the DOT, but I am not sure they can help with this kind of complaint.

http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/P...uments/300.pdf

[majust7]

Yes, you are describing the service correctly. It's just to make sure the minor makes the trip safely and is passed safely off into the hands of the adult picking them up. They did accept the fee, then refused to provide the service and also refused to refund the money. Small claims, huh? I thought that was only between individuals, but if not, yes, that would be a definite option. I don't see how we could lose once the judge heard the story.

[jimworcs]

Try to get in writing the reason the airline is declining to allow the switch. Write to US Airways outlining your side of the story and request a response in writing. Do not rely on the verbal information you were given by Customer Service Agents.. as the airline can sometimes disavow their own staff or deny that things were said.

As it says in the link, the cost will be $70 to file in Charlotte, NC. Smalls claims is a relatively simple process and if you go to the court, the clerks are usually very helpful in guiding you through the process.

When things do wrong, it is often better to conduct your business in writing. Many airline employees routinely lie to their customers, as thousands of postings on here can attest. It is legal if you wish to tape the call to simply tell them at the beginning of the call. I recently did this with a telephone company who were giving me the run around. The agent immediately put me through to a supervisor, who initially seemed to want to refuse, then agreed when I pointed out they were taping the call. It was then resolved to my satisfaction. I had made 3 earlier calls and got no-where.

[majust7]

They are now saying if we send a copy of the child's birth certificate to verify age, they will refund the cost of the old airline ticket within 7-10 days. These seems silly as why would we buy the extra service if it was not needed, and we did in fact PAY for that, so why would they withhold returning our money for ANY reason??? We shall see if they actually refund the money. If not, we'll do the small claims thing. However, we are in California and the CHILD is in SC, so where would the venue be?

[jimworcs]

I think you sue in the location of the purchase, but you would have to check with your local small claims court. They are usually pretty helpful. Even if this was not an unaccompanied minor service, it was US Airways who advised you that she could not travel. The resolution they have offered to reimburse the original ticket is hardly acceptable, as I assume the second ticket was considerably more expensive. Their conduct is outrageous and asking for proof is just salt in the wound.

[majust7]

I agree. Perhaps if we do end up in small claims court, we should ask not only for the first ticket to be reimbursed, but the difference in cost between first and second ticket to be reimbursed as well. Plus court costs and time from work lost to go to court.

[jimworcs]

I think you should ask for the cost of the second ticket, plus court costs. It is less common for small claims to award "time off" for work, but depends very much on the Judge you get. If you win, you will certainly be awarded costs.

I cannot understand US Airways position. They contacted you and told you that you could not travel as booked, and then charged you to re-schedule to another flight? I find it hard to understand how they can justify their actions... are you sure that there is not some detail we are missing? If not, pursue the DOT complaint through the quick links on this website and prepare to win in court!

[majust7]

We truly are not leaving any detail out and we're just as puzzled as you are. There is absolutely no justification for their position and I have no doubt we can win in court if they fail to return the price of the first ticket in 7-10 days. Thanks for your advice. I didn't know we had the option of small claims court.

[jimworcs]

Don't forget to file with the DOT also.. you never know. Click on the quick links above and it will link you to the website where you can complain online.