US Airways Customer Dissatisfaction

[jeff_simpson]

Our flight leaving from SJU was delayed by 45 minutes due to weather in Chicago (the plane was coming from Chicago to Philadelphia before coming to San Juan). We were concerned that we might miss our connection, so we talked with an agent in San Juan, who reserved seats for us on another flight the next day. We were told that this was as a backup,

Comments

[jennyelfenmass]

Wow, that really sucks. And it's not like they would have caused all that many more delays if they had held the flight. No one connects through BOS on USAir out of PHL since PHL is a hub, so BOS would have been final destination for everyone on the flight. And if this was the last PHL-BOS flight, that plane would have been used for one more flight that day, with it being the final destination for most people on that plane as that later flight would have landed at an hour that doesn't have many connections taking place. ETA: just checked and this actually wouldn't have been a problem at all since the flight lands in BOS at midnight and there's no flights out of BOS until the next morning

wow that sucks

[marissav]

You know, though, technically because the delay was weather-related they didn't even have to give you hotel/meal vouchers. So it could have been worse :)

Also it is totally ridiculous for them to deny you boarding ... but technically they're allowed to do it if you weren't there early enough. Most airlines' rule is that you must be in the boarding area 10-20+ minutes before the scheduled departure, and if not, they're allowed to take your seat without compensation. I'm not saying that it's right, just that it's the rule, and they're allowed to do it.

I suggest you post your story to flyertalk :)

Re: wow that sucks

[jennyelfenmass]

Agreed, flyertalk is also a great forum. I don't know if the USAirways board has one, but some programs even have official helpers that can help clarify rules or aid in compensation.

Re: wow that sucks

[jeff_simpson]

Yep - they were fully justified in doing what they did in terms of re-booking and giving away seats. It would have been dumb to take off with 40 empty seats and make other people who were on standby wait as well.

But the real issue is how they treated us. We had already accepted that we weren't going to make the flight when they told us they were holding the plane. The 10-15 minute thing really only should apply to when you don't know where the passenger is - you assume they are a no-show. When the pilot of one plane is in contact with the pilot of the next, you should be able to assume that they know where their connecting passengers are.

[ilai]

that sucks :( this and past experience just convinced me that I should never fly USAir again.

I had a similar issue with Delta a few months ago, except they wouldn't even issue vouchers for meals or hotels. After I sent off an angry letter they eventually issued me a check for reimbursement.