NWR: Anyone else stuck in airline hell?

littlepep · February 2015

My FI has been on the phone with US Airways for almost 8 hours. Yes, 8. As in a full workday. His flight for tomorrow morning was cancelled, and he's trying to get it rescheduled. If I have to listen to this on hold advertising much longer, I might go insane. And I've only been subjected to it for about an hour.

Inkdancer · February 2015

littlepep said:

My FI has been on the phone with US Airways for almost 8 hours. Yes, 8. As in a full workday. His flight for tomorrow morning was cancelled, and he's trying to get it rescheduled. If I have to listen to this on hold advertising much longer, I might go insane. And I've only been subjected to it for about an hour.

Oh, gurl.

I would have thrown the phone by now, definitely. Probably into the ice hell that is my front yard.

paperpusher · February 2015

I hate US Airways. Sorry for your pain.

[Deleted User] · February 2015

I had trouble with US airways last week! Was supposed to fly to Philly for a day trip for work.

Flight was scheduled for 7:10. Around 6:45 they tell us captain is late because he got in late the night prior and hadn't met rest requirements. Pushed to 8:05. He ended up getting there at 7:30, so we started boarding.

Waited on the plane for 45 minutes to get the plane de-iced (covered in snow).

Get de-iced, and turns out one of the doors had a shitty seal and some of the stuff they spray leaked in. Had to taxi back to the terminal to have maintenance fix it.. They get it sorted out but tell us we have to wait to get de-iced AGAIN. At this point they said we could get off the plane if need be. We would have barely made our meetings, so said fuck it and left.
Drove into work (which we did get a bunch of snow so took me an hour for a 8 or so mile trip). That was a shitty day.

Luckily didn't have trouble getting refunds. That's insane he has had that much trouble!

levioosa · February 2015

Omg, I changed a flight for my friend the other day, and I wanted to stab them in the eye with a pencil. They gave me the runaround for two hours. I can't imagine eight hours of that bullshit.

ohannabelle · February 2015

Why not go to the us airways site and change it yourself online? In weather cancelations like this, the change fee is automatically deleted for changes.

lyndausvi · February 2015

Yes I have been in airline hell. But when you have the type of weather many parts of the US are having I tend to have more compassion.

Back in Nov there was weather in Aspen. Flights being cancelled left and right. I walked up to the CS agent all nice and said "our flight has not been cancelled, but we all know all the others today have been. I've been talking to our friends in Aspen and know it will. Can you change us to tomorrow and we will stay in Denver for the night?" 2 mins later we had new tickets for tomorrow and a discount for a room for the night.

Thanksgiving of 2013 I was going to my sister's. I looked at weather and knew I was going to get stuck. I called United, pled my case, I got out on a flight a day early without penalty.

[Deleted User] · February 2015

I don't even want to rehash all of my airline nightmares with United. I refuse to fly them unless I have to for work.

littlepep · February 2015

They did change his flight online but then cancelled that one too so he had to call. It just sucked because everyone else was calling too I guess. He was on the phone for 8 and half hours before he reached a person. Of course he was super nice to her because it wasn't her fault. But having to wait that long to talk to anyone was ridiculous.

Good news is he got rescheduled! It's a later flight but at least he can still go on his trip

littlepep · February 2015

ohannabelle said:
Why not go to the us airways site and change it yourself online? In weather cancelations like this, the change fee is automatically deleted for changes.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't let him change it online because of the weather, which was why the phone wait was so bad.

wrigleyville · February 2015

As someone who used to work in call centers, I thank your husband for being so kind and understanding about the long hold time. Not everyone is, and I *always* remembered the customers who were patient and kind. Sometimes they were so nice that I wanted to cry and share donuts with them.

WinstonsGirl · February 2015

I second the hatred for United. Never flown US Airways though, but give me a month and I'll tell you how it goes.

flutteringinfl · February 2015

EIGHT HOURS??? Jeez. I was on hold with the post office for 45 minutes last week and even that was driving me insane. I don't understand why we haven't developed a way for you to call in, get your number on some waiting list, and then they call you back when it's time so you're not using up battery power, phone minutes, and time.

I'm flying to NY next Tuesday on Southwest. Keeping my everythings crossed there are no issues.

buttercup1958 · February 2015

V and I had trouble with United and US airways last time we flew. They put our middle names and first names together so we couldn't find our tickets. Then we had to wait an hour in line to even talk to them. They spent 30 mins trying to find our tickets. We had to rush through TSA to make our flight. We had to plead with other people to let us through since they were saying last call for our plan. We weren't the only ones in this situation either.

There were at least 20 other people in the same situation. V got to the boarding gate first and they asked him if he wanted to leave me! We made it though and half of the plane was missing. We were at the airport three hours before our flight was suppose to take off. Never using those guys again. I feel your pain.

littlepep · February 2015

flutteringinfl said:
EIGHT HOURS??? Jeez. I was on hold with the post office for 45 minutes last week and even that was driving me insane. I don't understand why we haven't developed a way for you to call in, get your number on some waiting list, and then they call you back when it's time so you're not using up battery power, phone minutes, and time.

I'm flying to NY next Tuesday on Southwest. Keeping my everythings crossed there are no issues.

Apparently Delta has this and you don't lose your spot in line you just wait for them to call you back. Definitely seems like a better method than waiting on hold for an eternity. Good luck with your flight! I've never had issue with Southwest before.

littlepep · February 2015

buttercup1958 said:
V and I had trouble with United and US airways last time we flew. They put our middle names and first names together so we couldn't find our tickets. Then we had to wait an hour in line to even talk to them. They spent 30 mins trying to find our tickets. We had to rush through TSA to make our flight. We had to plead with other people to let us through since they were saying last call for our plan. We weren't the only ones in this situation either.
There were at least 20 other people in the same situation. V got to the boarding gate first and they asked him if he wanted to leave me! We made it though and half of the plane was missing. We were at the airport three hours before our flight was suppose to take off. Never using those guys again. I feel your pain.

Yuck! That sounds awful. I tend to avoid US Air/United as much as possible, but it's not always an option.

thisismynickname2 · February 2015

My husband works for one of the airlines. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Thanks to DH's work, I also know an oddly lot about network operations. Weather is just a nightmare for network operations. It's one of the reasons that the airlines with major hubs in northern cities get the worst reputations. Like United has Denver, Chicago, and Newark, but also Houston. American has Chicago but also Miami; Delta's hugest hub is Atlanta. If there's bad weather in the north, United tends to take the brunt of the impact.

Regional lines get cancelled first, international flights last; everything else depends on where certain planes really need to be.

So, I know this doesn't help, but I feel the need to defend the airlines sometimes, and... you'll get to where you need to go eventually. P.S. Try Twitter. The airlines have customer service people on Twitter.

Fairyjen1 · February 2015

flutteringinfl said:
EIGHT HOURS??? Jeez. I was on hold with the post office for 45 minutes last week and even that was driving me insane. I don't understand why we haven't developed a way for you to call in, get your number on some waiting list, and then they call you back when it's time so you're not using up battery power, phone minutes, and time.

I'm flying to NY next Tuesday on Southwest. Keeping my everythings crossed there are no issues.

For what it's worth, I have rarely had an issue with Southwest and I fly them quite a bit. I have only had once where they pushed back my flight so far I'd miss my connecting flight and they took care of it as soon as I alerted them to the problem no fuss no muss.

A lot of people don't like their 'cattle call' style of boarding so if you don't like that it could be an issue.

hellosweetie1015 · February 2015

littlepep said:

flutteringinfl said:
EIGHT HOURS??? Jeez. I was on hold with the post office for 45 minutes last week and even that was driving me insane. I don't understand why we haven't developed a way for you to call in, get your number on some waiting list, and then they call you back when it's time so you're not using up battery power, phone minutes, and time.

I'm flying to NY next Tuesday on Southwest. Keeping my everythings crossed there are no issues.
Apparently Delta has this and you don't lose your spot in line you just wait for them to call you back. Definitely seems like a better method than waiting on hold for an eternity. Good luck with your flight! I've never had issue with Southwest before.

Delta DOES have this and it is FANTASTIC. Plus every time I've called them, the return call has been sooner than expected - like, they give me a 15-minute wait time, and in 10 I'm getting a call back. It is truly the best thing ever.

littlepep · February 2015

thisismynickname said:
My husband works for one of the airlines. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Thanks to DH's work, I also know an oddly lot about network operations. Weather is just a nightmare for network operations. It's one of the reasons that the airlines with major hubs in northern cities get the worst reputations. Like United has Denver, Chicago, and Newark, but also Houston. American has Chicago but also Miami; Delta's hugest hub is Atlanta. If there's bad weather in the north, United tends to take the brunt of the impact.
Regional lines get cancelled first, international flights last; everything else depends on where certain planes really need to be.

So, I know this doesn't help, but I feel the need to defend the airlines sometimes, and... you'll get to where you need to go eventually. P.S. Try Twitter. The airlines have customer service people on Twitter.

Funny you mentioned that because he was tweeting! I know it's not their fault. It just definitely sucks to be stuck on the phone for that long. Seems like there should be a more efficient process. We both felt bad for the customer rep though. She probably was having an awful day of people yelling at her (not my FI of course). Once he got everything sorted, he tweeted US Airways and said that she was super helpful.

buttercup1958 · February 2015

V and I had trouble with United and US airways last time we flew. They put our middle names and first names together so we couldn't find our tickets. Then we had to wait an hour in line to even talk to them. They spent 30 mins trying to find our tickets. We had to rush through TSA to make our flight. We had to plead with other people to let us through since they were saying last call for our plan. We weren't the only ones in this situation either.

There were at least 20 other people in the same situation. V got to the boarding gate first and they asked him if he wanted to leave me! We made it though and half of the plane was missing. We were at the airport three hours before our flight was suppose to take off. Never using those guys again. I feel your pain.
Yuck! That sounds awful. I tend to avoid US Air/United as much as possible, but it's not always an option.

Yeah it was the most stressful time I've ever had in an airport and I've been flying since I was 5. I know that a lot of times things happen but this was completely their fault. V and I didn't yell or scream but we kept pressuring them to get it together. I always liked Delta and Southwest the best. So I try flying with them if I can.

flutteringinfl · February 2015

Fairyjen1 said:

flutteringinfl said:
EIGHT HOURS??? Jeez. I was on hold with the post office for 45 minutes last week and even that was driving me insane. I don't understand why we haven't developed a way for you to call in, get your number on some waiting list, and then they call you back when it's time so you're not using up battery power, phone minutes, and time.

I'm flying to NY next Tuesday on Southwest. Keeping my everythings crossed there are no issues.
For what it's worth, I have rarely had an issue with Southwest and I fly them quite a bit. I have only had once where they pushed back my flight so far I'd miss my connecting flight and they took care of it as soon as I alerted them to the problem no fuss no muss.

A lot of people don't like their 'cattle call' style of boarding so if you don't like that it could be an issue.

I like Southwest and have flown with them multiple times. I'm just worried about general weather stuff.

teddygirl9 · February 2015

The ONLY good thing about living in the frozen tundra (alberta), is that most of our airports are fairly well prepared for cold/snow/etc. Obviously shit happens, but for the most part it's reliable.

I literally hate calling any airline though. Website all the way. 8 hours seems excessive though, wow!

onefootinthebayou · February 2015

I think US Airways is not only the worst airline in the world, but also one of the worst corporate organizations in the word.

I have not flown US Airways since Dec. 6, 2010 and have vowed to never again. Since then, I have paid more $ for tickets, taken less convenient flights, and more connections just to avoid giving them my business. I don't feel bad about any of that for a second.

The last time I flew them, I was transporting my 90 year old grandmother to another state to move into assisted living near my aunt. We were delayed by 10 hours, the terminal was freezing, they would not provide her with a blanket or club passes (which I just bought her anyway), they loaded us onto the plane, de-planed us, and then lost her wheelchair. I travel ALL the time (have flown every day this week!) so instead of being crazy mad harried traveler, I stayed calm and was polite to airline staff the entire time. EVERY SINGLE PERSON we dealt with was either incompetent, rude, willfully unhelpful, or a combination of all 3. Their lack of service culture in the organization is systemic. I HATE US AIRWAYS.

I'm Delta all the way. You pay a little more but their loyalty program is solid and I'm a firm believe in "you get what you pay for". Their staff goes out of their way to help 99% of the time. I seem to always be getting to where I need to go with them while United/US Airways flights constantly cancel. And yes, if there's a long hold, they call you back.

I am indeed sorry to hear about your ordeal but I can't say I'm surprised. This is VERY typical of US Scareways.

littlepep · February 2015

onefootinthebayou said:
I think US Airways is not only the worst airline in the world, but also one of the worst corporate organizations in the word.

I have not flown US Airways since Dec. 6, 2010 and have vowed to never again. Since then, I have paid more $ for tickets, taken less convenient flights, and more connections just to avoid giving them my business. I don't feel bad about any of that for a second.

The last time I flew them, I was transporting my 90 year old grandmother to another state to move into assisted living near my aunt. We were delayed by 10 hours, the terminal was freezing, they would not provide her with a blanket or club passes (which I just bought her anyway), they loaded us onto the plane, de-planed us, and then lost her wheelchair. I travel ALL the time (have flown every day this week!) so instead of being crazy mad harried traveler, I stayed calm and was polite to airline staff the entire time. EVERY SINGLE PERSON we dealt with was either incompetent, rude, willfully unhelpful, or a combination of all 3. Their lack of service culture in the organization is systemic. I HATE US AIRWAYS.

I'm Delta all the way. You pay a little more but their loyalty program is solid and I'm a firm believe in "you get what you pay for". Their staff goes out of their way to help 99% of the time. I seem to always be getting to where I need to go with them while United/US Airways flights constantly cancel. And yes, if there's a long hold, they call you back.

I am indeed sorry to hear about your ordeal but I can't say I'm surprised. This is VERY typical of US Scareways.

Wow that is awful! I can see why you avoid them. I've never had an experience that bad, but nothing that great either. I agree with you that Delta seems to be one of the best in terms of customer service.

ohannabelle · February 2015

All the Delta love on this thread! They've been making a huge effort to improve the customer experience over the past several years. It's nice to see it paying off.

From someone previously on the other side of the phone and counter:

A lot of complaints received are not about things that are a choice issue for the airline, but actual federal regulations that absolutely have to be followed. Everything, for example, in AlisonM23's story- these are all federal flight regulation requirements. Every one of them is for passenger safety, and passenger safety is the number one inviolable priority.

Can't send out a pilot that might be less than alert. It's the law, they check, it isn't negotiable.

De-icing a plane? Yes, it takes time to do it properly. This will keep you from falling out of the sky at 37000 feet. If there's time enough for things to re-freeze, it has to be done again. Again, regulated. Not a choice. Well worth waiting for.

Any even possibly damaged equipment, like a loose or damaged seal on a door? Nope. Not taking even one little chance. Illegal and crazy. Because before you pack 200 people into a big metal tube and shoot them down a runway at a couple of hundred miles an hour, and launch them into the sky, you better make sure that not one single bolt is out of place.

If there's a mechanical delay, I actually breathe a little easier. Because that means someone's paying attention, and wants me to live.

Please don't ask for compensation for weather related events. Snow happens. It's a hazard of winter travel. The airline can't help this. If it's an airline failure- mechanical delay, customer service failure, that's different. Ask for compensation.

Be reasonable. If you're an hour late on a bargain priced coach fare, I'm not giving you a first class round trip to make up for the inconvenience. You wouldn't take back an Ann Klein bag with a broken strap and expect to exchange it for Prada because you were inconvenienced.

Check your tickets and fare rules before you travel. Make sure the information is correct. If it isn't, call and straighten that shit out.

If you hate delays, travel early in the day. Every five minute delay throughout the day could have a snowball effect on the next flight. The later in the day, the greater the chance of delay. There are about 20,000 aircraft in US airspace at any moment, and when and where they come and go has to be orchestrated to a perfect order.

If you buy a ticket from an outside agency (I'm looking at you, cheaptickets, orbitz, and Travelocity) don't be surprised when they royally screw things up.

If you're connecting flights, traveling internationally, or think that you might have to change a ticket, don't do it. I have seen more screw ups on these tickets than I can count. They regularly assign seats that aren't actually available. They issue tickets that disappear after the first leg of a flight, and show as completed. Poof. Gone. I can't help because there's no record to work on. It may be hours before I can get one of their people to fix it, and lots of agents won't. It's actually the customer responsibility. I've seen connecting flights booked between airlines without baggage agreements, or without adequate connect time. Passengers never informed of schedule changes. Unaccompanied minors booked for flights that can't take unaccompanied minors. If you need to change your ticket, you will pay higher change fees.

Many of the really incredible rock bottom priced tickets you see on these sites are not just non refundable, but non-changeable. Can't even be exchanged for a fee, like buying an item off the clearance table. Not eligible for return or exchange. Heads up- cruise lines like buying these crappy tickets, too. The official scary term is bulk ticket. Never buy a bulk ticket.

Price your ticket at these sites, but always try to buy it directly from the governing carrier. (The airline actually flying the major leg of the flight.)

If there are 5,452 people on hold during crazy ass circumstances, be nice when you get to the front of the phone line. If you start calling me a fucking idiot because I made it snow, you will be at the end of the line. I'm fair. I'll ask you to stop, politely, and let you know this might happen. Then it's "Have a wonderful day, Mr. 5,453."

[Deleted User] · February 2015

The thing that sent me over the edge with United was when I was flying to AZ on a Friday evening. Their global computer system went down. Stood for HOURS at the airport check in while they fed us lie after lie about holding our flights, or checking us in through Continental which I don't think they were legally allowed to do.

Finally, after about 5 hours they just sent us all home. No help with transportation, a place to stay, etc. This is not weather. This is not outside of your control. No, technology is never fool-proof. But don't lie to me for hours and then send me home with nothing. You did nothing to make it right.

I go home, book a last minute, super expensive flight on American and make my trip. I call when I get back and United offers me a credit. Okay fine. I call back about 6 months later to book a trip and they can find no credit. Why? Because I USED it? Um no. This was before I traveled for business and I was too poor to take a flight anywhere. I call. I get fucked around by 5 different people at United. No one can help me; I'm told to email customer service. I book elsewhere again and go on my trip. I write customer service every 2 weeks for 2 months. Nothing. I start posting on Twitter, finally get someone who can give me a resolution. They wanted to give me a credit- ha ha ha ha! No. I want a refund. I got it about 4 weeks later.

United = NEVER unless my job requires it.

littlepep · February 2015

ohannabelle I agree with every you wrote. I try to be super nice to the airline people because I know it's not their fault. And I'm sure they get yelled at a lot so I don't ever want to make it worse. No one can control weather or maintenance issues. You just have to make the best of it.

NWR: Anyone else stuck in airline hell?

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