Airlines: Slightly Off Topic

[bidro]

I just thought I would share a little experience I had this morning with my husband's travel arrangements.

 

He was booked on an American Airlines flight this morning (not by our choosing as it is his company's prefered carrier.) My husband was flying to the east coast today on a flight that was supposed to leave at 7:00. When he woke up at 4:00 he found the flight to already be delayed until 8:15. With his new scheduled arrival time in Dallas/FTW he was going to miss his connection by a few minutes. He immediately called the Airline to find an alternate way to get there. I get woken up at 4:45 (after he had already been on hold for 45 minutes) and sit on hold for another half of an hour. Once I finally get someone on the line, it got even worse. She began by saying that she didn't see the problem, which I had to explain to her 3 times before she got that he would miss his connecting flight. Then she went searching for alternate flight options. She comes back and says that she just cant find anything. What to do now? I ask her to please check the other carriers. She comes back then and says that the best option would by a Delta flight from Dallas to Pensicola then on the Orlando (total travel time of 15 hours!!) At that point, I simply don't believe her. I take a big deep breath to calm. I figured if I could at least get him to Dallas we could get him on standby to get to Orlando. So, I ask "what is the next AA flight from Dallas to Orlando". Well, it turns out that the very next flight from Dallas to Orlando was not booked and we could get him in.

 

Moral? If I hadn't led this rep through the entire process, I would have gotten as an answer "sorry, but there are no flights." The absolute worse customer service I have ever received by an airline. I personally have zero intention of booking a flight through AA ever again. SOUTHWEST ALL THE WAY.

[jhannah]

DFW to Orlando is a major route for AA. They have multiple flights every day. I can't believe an agent would be so ignorant! You need to notify AA customer service. Hopefully you got the name of the person you spoke with.

[wyocruiser]

bidro:

 

You may want to start watching the show "Airline" on A&E. The show usually features employees of Southwest, shadowing them through their workday. Every episode has several flights that the airline has overbooked ---- last night, they overbooked a flight by 50 people. We cannot fly either airline because of where we live, but after watching this show, I'm assuming you need to arrive at the airport early in order to make sure that you get a seat on Southwest.

[wyocruiser]

By the way, most of the 50 were on their way to a cruise.

[BJS]

Was all of this the result of the computers for American going down the other day?

[bidro]

Southwest always overbooks their flights. I've been on many flights where they ask people to stay behind (with all of the appropriate compensation). I do it whenever I can. I love free flights!!

 

I will agree that with Southwest you must show up at the airport at least an hour early. Their lines are usually longer than the rest of the carriers, and they assign boarding passes as a first come first serve thing.

 

The reason I chose them though is customer service. Period. You can see it on the show Airline. They do things for their customers that other airlines just wouldn't do. Alaska is also darn good, but their flights are usually alot more money with not enough value added.

[bidro]

DFW to Orlando is a major route for AA. They have multiple flights every day. I can't believe an agent would be so ignorant! You need to notify AA customer service. Hopefully you got the name of the person you spoke with.

 

 

I do have her name and am considering writting an email to the company....I certainly don't want to wait on the phone for another hour. =)

[spongerob]

These days it really seems to pay to be as informed as you can possibly be before dealing with customer "service". (Aside - when we had to take the cows to see the bull, we called it "servicing". To this day I find the title Customer Service worth a snicker. :) ) You never know if you are dealing with a real employee, or just an out-sourced call center where the individual you are speaking with has no vested interest in customer satifaction.

 

Aside #2: Why can I go on any airline's web site and find a schedule of available flights in just a few seconds, while the person on the other end of the phone can be heard madly typing away to work on the simplest request?

[PeabodyNVL]

When I have to call an airline, I like to have the flight schedule in front of me (I get it off internet). I, then am the one giving them the info and all they have to do is see if seats are open.

[bidro]

You know what...it is a great idea to be informed of all the departing flights that may work for you. I did it last time I had a problem...just didn't think out it this morning (must have been the 3 hours of sleep I got).

[karfest]

I love watching Airline! It makes me feel so much better about the customers I have to handle. I have flown Southwest out of Chicago a few times and never had problems-but then I realize I am getting dirt cheap rates, no assigned seats, and I am happy with that. I would expect more from AA at the rates they are charging!

 

There have been a few episodes where people cut it really close for getting on their cruise. For some reason, they think this is Southwest's fault. (I got to the airport 5 minutes early- what do you mean that's too late:o) Do the research, people!! Most of the issues I have seen are because of the customers ignorance or inability to follow the rules.

 

(And for god's sake, don't be drunk when you get to the gate:)

[Murphey]

We are flying Southwest for the first time, pdx to fll. We are anxious about flying on a new airline (we are Alaska fans, and cross country, usually fly American). I'm glad that there are some Southwest fans out there...we always fly out to a cruise a couple of days early....

[spongerob]

Murphey, Southwest can be a little daunting because their boarding system is different, but in many respects it's a great airline. You will be given your boarding passes when you check your bags. You will be in one of three groups - A, B, or C. If you are in A or B, you can usually get seats together without any problem. If you are among the last to board, all you'll find left are the middle seats.

 

You'll see people lining up well in advance of boarding. That's the proverbial cattle call. There is absolutely no need to jump up and join the line if you are in the A or B group. If you're a C, get in line early! Overhead space tends to be full by the time the last of the C passengers board.

 

If you have to change planes, get your boarding passes as soon as possible! You need a boarding pass every time you board.

[CruisinChris]

I had two friends fly into Chicago this morning from Denver on American and things at American are still really hairy since their computer snafu over the weekend shut them down. They are still having residual effects and have lots of delays and folks trying to make up for not flying yesterday. I'll bet the phone agents are pretty harassed.

[bidro]

I am also going to be using Southwest cross-country for the first time for my upcoming cruise. I LOVE SW for short flights throughout the West. The only difficulty I see with taking such a longer flight is if I get a seat I don't like (split up from my husband, middle or row, etc). You don't get seat assignments on SW. My solution is going to be getting to the airport about 2 hours early.

 

On a side note, SW just changed their boarding system. They used to hand out boarding passes at the gate w/ "A", "B", or "C" on them. Now, you get a boarding pass when you check your bags so that you don't have to run down to the gate and stand in another line. This is great! Makes me like the airline even more. And when you have a connecting flight, you get your boarding pass for all flights that day. So, the situation that Rob was referring to doesn't happen anymore.

 

Just show up at least 1.5 hours early for your flight to florida, and you should probably be in group "A" but definately in group "B".

[wyocruiser]

karfest:

 

Some of the customers on "Airline" are unbelievable, and I admire the employees' patience. For instance, one recent episode where a passenger put her necessary medication in her checked baggage or the woman who wanted her dog to fly without any documentation. And, it seems they have no problem finding drunk passengers to film for every episode.

[Murphey]

Thanks for the tips...I'm glad SW will give us our boarding passes for the entire flight....are you telling me that there are no seat assignments on the boarding passes???? I'm not sure I'm crazy about that.

[bidro]

There is no assigned seating on Southwest. It's what they term a "cattle call". They do this for many reasons - the most important of which is that it cuts the turn around time for the planes. I kind of prefer this system. I've had much better luck w/ the cattle call seating than assigned seating. But then I almost always am in grouping "A" or "B" so that I can pick my seat.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

Every month I receive a copy of this directory that lists every possible flight. I am not sure how or when I signed up for this but it comes in very handy when making airline reservations. I also make sure I carry a copy with me whenever I fly. If I have a cancelled flight or have to be rerouted I can easily get an idea of what other flights may work for me without having to be at the mercy of the airlines.

We travel at least four or five times a year and this year alone it came to use for two of the three trips we have already taken.

[Coolmama_1]

You can also go online after 12 each day and print your boarding pass for Southwest. That way you are sure to be in the A group:D

[Murphey]

That's the best!! I would suppose with that being available, waiting to check in at the airport would put you in B. I think most people pre check in at home. Although, returning isn't as easy, won't have internet access prior to flying home...

[regnig]

Okay while we're on the subject of airlines has anyone flown on Spirit Airlines? I have just booked (ok I should have asked here first) them for our flights from DCA to FLL for our trip in February. :confused: Their 'Plus' seats look to be much more spacious than the typical cattle car seats in coach on USAir and since BH is 6'3" that really appealed to him. I can reserve actual seats 90 days in advance and print boarding passes on-line. Somebody out there please assure me I have not made a big mistake.

[ahracer]

I have a recent airline story to tell which could help people that have flight problems on the way to a cruise. On saturday I was flying United from Atlanta to Calgary through Chigago. Before I make a trip I always look at what other flights are available in case of a problem. Well we were delayed getting into Chicago. I ran to my connecting gate and got there at 9:58am and the 9:55am flight was already gone. The gate agent said we have rebooked you on the 5:00pm flight. Since I knew there were better options I asked if I could be booked on the 1:35pm Air Canada flight. He said he couldn't do that. I then called customer service and made the same request and with in 5 minutes was on my way to find the Air Canada ticket counter to gey my new ticket. Do you know how many other people I saw get on the Air Canada flight instead of waiting until 5:00pm(which by the way was delayed 2 hours) ...none. My guess is nobody knew there was another flight option or if they did listened to the gate agent when he said they couldn't get on it.

 

Bottom line do your homework so you know your options and be proactive it might be the difference in you making it to your ship on time.

 

Scott

[PeabodyNVL]

Okay while we're on the subject of airlines has anyone flown on Spirit Airlines? I have just booked (ok I should have asked here first) them for our flights from DCA to FLL for our trip in February. :confused: Their 'Plus' seats look to be much more spacious than the typical cattle car seats in coach on USAir and since BH is 6'3" that really appealed to him. I can reserve actual seats 90 days in advance and print boarding passes on-line. Somebody out there please assure me I have not made a big mistake.

We took Spirit to San Juan, with a stop in FLL on our last cruise. I actually found there regular seats to be more spacious than some airlines. The aircrafts are all MD-80s...seats are three on one side, two on the other. I got the 4 of us seats on two-seat side.

 

The Spirit Plus seats looked nice...it's not a separate compartment like first-class. While you can buy these upfront, you can also wait until you are checked in and ask about an upgrade at the gate...this is one of the things they advertise. This usually costs less than buying the seats outright.

 

We did curbside check-in at DCA and the curbside people were really doofuses. They are employed by the airport, not the airline....if the weather is bad, definitely go inside to check-in.

[spongerob]

Skyguide must be one of the perks of AMEX platinum. I get it, too, and consider it very handy "just in case". It even has a listing of all the arriving flights at Maho beach in St. Maarten, for that great photo op.