[Amith]

This probably belongs under customer service as well:

Flying home from Guadalajara on US Airways, we had a connecting flight in Phoenix which was cancelled due to weather. Now, I can't fault US Airways for the weather, but I can fault them for their handling of it.

Customer service advised me there were no available flights to my final destination (SBP) for FOUR DAYS. No lodging voucher, no alternate airline voucher, nada. To their credit, they did "allow" us to rebook on a US Airways flight to a nearby airport the following day.

So, my costs for doing business with them are:
1) $500 (each) for the GDL to SBP tickets.
2) 11 hours overnight in the PHX airport for me and my family.
3) $125 to rent a car to drive to the destination I had already paid them to take me to.
4) 4 hours car travel time in addition to the flying time.

I have lodged a complaint with their Complaints Dept and with the DOT.

Interestingly, the DOT (government) replied to my query in 24 hours.

US Airways has still not responded, 14 days later.

[jimworcs]

Sadly, the DOT gives all US airlines a free pass for the "weather" excuse.... in Europe you would have had your accommodation and meals paid for. Not sure I agree with your cost analysis, but with a bit more consumer oriented legislation, the airlines could easily cost in the cost of helping stranded passengers... $2 on every ticket sold would cover it I'm sure!

[Amith]

As the DOT rep explained to me: DOT does not want to regulate weather-related incidents because they do not want any liability for the airline making risky decisions. It's hard to argue with a sensible position like that.

I'm not sure I agree with my cost analysis, either. Perhaps a more-fair way to assess true costs would be to
1) Take the cost of four tickets from FAT (which is where they landed us) to SBP (which is where they contracted to land us), and then add in
2) $125 for the rental car, and
3) $omething for the 18 hours in the airport+rentalcar and the stress.

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Sadly, the DOT gives all US airlines a free pass for the "weather" excuse.... in Europe you would have had your accommodation and meals paid for. Not sure I agree with your cost analysis, but with a bit more consumer oriented legislation, the airlines could easily cost in the cost of helping stranded passengers... $2 on every ticket sold would cover it I'm sure!

[Ombudsman]

I'm going to call "shenanigans" on this post. Title: "Stuck in PHX for four days" yet "2) 11 hours overnight in the PHX airport for me and my family.
3) $125 to rent a car to drive to the destination I had already paid them to take me to."

"4) 4 hours car travel time in addition to the flying time."

It takes a minimun of six hours to drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo is another 2 hours beyond LA. Also, the cheapest one-way rental fee I could find online is $200.00 plus tax.

And just why did they spend 11 hours in the airport when it's only a 6-7 hour drive?

This details of this story are obviously exaggeratedto favor the complainant.

[Amith]

Originally Posted by Ombudsman

I'm going to call "shenanigans" on this post. Title: "Stuck in PHX for four days" yet "2) 11 hours overnight in the PHX airport for me and my family.
3) $125 to rent a car to drive to the destination I had already paid them to take me to."

"4) 4 hours car travel time in addition to the flying time."

It takes a minimun of six hours to drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo is another 2 hours beyond LA. Also, the cheapest one-way rental fee I could find online is $200.00 plus tax.

And just why did they spend 11 hours in the airport when it's only a 6-7 hour drive?

This details of this story are obviously exaggeratedto favor the complainant.

Yes, my thread title was chosen for its shock value. It is how US Airways proposed we address the situation. Obviously, I chose to better my position from their proposed solution.

In hindsight, I should have rented the car in PHX and driven the 10-12 hours home. I remained at the airport hoping to find air travel bringing me closer to our agreed-upon destination. (Too, it was midnight and we had already been traveling 14 or so hours). I remained at the airport because I already had a contract with US Airways to get me to SBP, and I did not want to walk away from money I'd already spent.