Company information:
US Airways
United States
My boyfriend and I are long-distance due to our respective job situations. We try to see each other at least twice a month. US Airways is one of very few airlines that flies to and from Yuma, AZ from Denver. We are therefore frequent flyers.
On one occasion my boyfriend's flight was delayed for so long that by the time he would have reached Denver he would have had to get right back on his returning flight. At that point we felt that delays happen and we continued to fly US Airways.
Some time after that incident I was scheduled to fly out of Denver at 6:30 p.m. My connecting flight out of Phoenix was scheduled to depart at 9:30. My Denver flight was delayed 40 minutes. Once the plane arrived US Airways was unable to get the gate to work. They spent 30 minutes trying to get the gate to work rather than moving the airplane over 10 feet to an empty gate (stationed literally not more than 5 feet away from our scheduled gate). They finally ended up moving to the neighboring gate after 40 minutes. The customer services check in representative was rude and abrupt. When I asked her whether I would miss my connecting flight she raised her voice and stated she had already talked with me and that I needed to go sit down. Well, I did miss my connecting flight. US Air couldn't offer any alternatives except for possibly a flight out of Phoenix at 6pm the following night but no promises. They offered to shuttle me to Yuma. I was assured that my baggage woul
d be on the first flight out of Phoenix the following morning. After a 3.5 hour drive to Yuma and very little sleep I woke up and called US Airways in Yuma. I explained my situation and asked them to help me find my baggage. The first rep was rude and treated me like a child--she told me there was nothing she could do for me. Her manager was even ruder. He interrupted me, told me that delays are to be expected espeically in this economy. When I asked him for the baggage claim number for US Air in Phoenix he hung up on me and then unplugged the phone from the wall. How do I know he did this? Because when I re-dialed I got a message saying "this number has been disconnected." My luggage didn't arrive until 10:00 that night (Saturday). I was to leave Sunday afternoon.
Just recently my boyfriend was scheduled to come to Denver from Yuma. His flight from Yuma to Phoenix was fine. At Phoenix they boarded him, he arrived at his seat and found another person sitting there. It turned out that the airline had issued two tickets for the same seat and had overbooked the flight. They told him there was nothing they could do for him: they could not fly him back to Yuma nor could they assure him a spot on another flight out to Denver that day/night. He was stranded. He waited at the airport for nearly 10 hours only to be told he was out of luck. He paid for this ticket and was told only that this happens quite a bit.
In all of our dealings with US Airways the customer service has been horrifying. Representatives of this airline are rude and unapologetic. Delays go unexplained and questions go unaswered. Rather, the representatives behaved as if we owed them something after they had messed up.
I understand that delays happen. This, however, is a habitual problem with this airline. It is a pattern rather than a scattering of isolated incidents. When dealing with this airline expect either not to arrive at your destination, a delay, lost baggage, rude customer service, and representatives who simply do not care.
Damage Resulting = As a result of all of these problems we have lost hundreds of dollars. US Airways is uncaring and unapologetic. I spent quite a bit of money buying items that I had packed in my bag, which the airline lost. To avoid this airline we have to fly into Phoenix and shuttle or drive to Yuma--a 3 hour drive. This should give you an indication as to how far we will ago to avoid US Airways.
Time, however, has been our biggest loss. US Airways simply does not care about this aspect of the situation. What they cannot understand is that people's lives and situations depend on their competence and efficiency. My boyfriend and I have so little time together as it is. US Airways has cost us such valuable time together. I understand that there is likely no legal recourse for this type of loss. My goal is only to get the word out about US Airways.
