Fun With US Airways

So a couple of weeks ago, I flew to DC for a work retreat (or rather Baltimore). Here's my complaint to US Airways customer service people after I missed my connection in NC by5 hours. I wonder how they'll respond...

June 26, 2006

Customer Relations

US Airways

4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd

Phoenix, AZ 85034

I’m writing to voice my complaint with your service on US Airways flight 148 departing from Seattle going to Charlotte (NC) July 15, 2006. Not only did we leave an hour late, but we made TWO Emergency landings that could have been easily avoided. About an hour and a half into the flight we had to make an emergency landing into the Denver airport because the restrooms were not properly emptied in Seattle. Before take off from Seattle, a woman in my row tried to use one of the restrooms and reported to a US Airways attendant on the plane that it wasn’t properly flushing. The attendant said it was probably because the restrooms were being emptied, but no the woman in my row was correct; there was a problem with the restrooms.

Next after landing in Denver, our plane was evidently too large and heavy for the runway and we were forced to dump fuel, making it necessary to stop again in St. Louis to re-fuel and go onto our original destination of Charlotte. Upon our landing in St. Louis, everybody on the plane could hear the pilots clapping and cheering. This does not instill confidence in the passengers! Eventually, we made it into Charlotte at about 2:30am over 5 hours after our scheduled arrival time of 8:30pm. Every single person including myself missed our connection on the plane missed their connecting flight. To make matters worse, there were only three US airways attendants at the gate to assist with re-routing the passengers, one of which looked to be brand new so one attendant spent all her time fixing his mistakes or answering his questions. As the seventh or eighth person in a line of about 40-50 people, I had to wait a little over half an hour. Thank goodness I was in the front of the line.

The compensation we received for all of this hassle was food coupons that added up to $20, a hotel voucher for the Ramada Inn and two cab vouchers. Since I had to catch an early morning flight to Baltimore the next morning for work really the only option I had was to stay in the airport. I had to cancel my reservation at a cushy Marriott (at the cost of $159 for the night for less than 24 hours notice) and sit in an airport. Additionally, I was originally supposed to fly into DC the night before and carpool in the morning with my co-workers to Baltimore for the all day retreat. Instead of a nice dinner and sleep at the Marriott before my all day retreat, I was stuck in the airport up all night (or morning) with a Starbucks dinner (that was the only thing open at the hour) with no shower or sleep before a full day intensive retreat with my company offices from around the US.

As you can see, I am extremely upset with US Airways and cannot believe the unacceptable service myself and the other passengers received. If you want to keep my business I hope that you will compensate me for my time and money lost due to US Airway mistakes. Additionally, my company, family, and friends will hear what happened and how it was resolved. I have flown with you before without a problem so I’m completely in shock at how something like this could occur.

Sincerely,

Karen Matheson