Anyone flown on US Airways???

[loveysbydesign]

We're not going til late Nov. and were planning to book SW but I can get a roundtrip airfare from Allentown, PA to Tampa, FL for $158 per person right now. When we went this past May we lucked out with a SW DING and it was only $368 roundtrip for 4 of us. Since we're planning to travel near T'giving I'm afraid to wait for a DING. If you've flown US AIiways I'd love to know your experiences with them!

 

[DawnCt1]

They are fine. Assigned seats, beverage service, smaller planes for shorter flights. I have taken voluntary bumps from them several times in the past and the "enticements" are more generous than AA.

 

[mom_rules]

We've used them (and America West) 3 times for round trips from east to LV, Anaheim, and San Francisco and back-usually fly business class. We quite like them and their price has always been reasonable. We were always on time.
Also used them short haul from Buf to DC-again no problems, friendly attendants.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

They are fine. Assigned seats, beverage service, smaller planes for shorter flights. I have taken voluntary bumps from them several times in the past and the "enticements" are more generous than AA.

Hay DawnCT1,

We are flying on USair on Saturday. If they ask for voluntary bump my DD & I just might do this.

My question is when you have taken the bumps from USair, what was the compensation that they gave you?

Thanks

Patricia

 

[Darcy03231]

The only problem I've had with US Air when booking that far out is flight changes. Our non-stop flights became direct flights and then became one plane change flights. Our flight times leaving and coming back didn't change much but our arrival times changed a lot due to the layovers.

 

[beccasmom]

We've flown them numerous times. Baggage service at PHL can be slow - but has been improving lately. Most of the time where SWA and USAirways compete, the fares are the same - when there is a DING fare in PHL, USAirways usually matches it. Our last flight was supposed to be a non-stop, but was changed to a connecting flight through Charlotte; if that matters to you, SWA makes those types of changes less readily from my experience. I think SWA is more customer-focused, but having a seat assignment ahead of time is important for many travelers and SWA does not yet offer that.

 

[DawnCt1]

Hay DawnCT1,

We are flying on USair on Saturday. If they ask for voluntary bump my DD & I just might do this.

My question is when you have taken the bumps from USair, what was the compensation that they gave you?

Thanks

Patricia

You get to leave on the next available flight with a voucher for anywhere USAir flies. ...usually. We used ours to go from Ct. to San Francisco. I also asked for an upgrade to first class if available.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

You get to leave on the next available flight with a voucher for anywhere USAir flies. ...usually. We used ours to go from Ct. to San Francisco. I also asked for an upgrade to first class if available.

Thanks for the info

We're leaving on Saturday, our flight is pretty full. Will let you know if we get bumped or not. Wish us luck.

Patricia

 

[DawnCt1]

Thanks for the info

We're leaving on Saturday, our flight is pretty full. Will let you know if we get bumped or not. Wish us luck.

Patricia

Don't wait for them to ask for volunteers; tell them that you will volunteer for an overbooked flight when you check in.

 

[FirstTimertoDiz]

We're not going til late Nov. and were planning to book SW but I can get a roundtrip airfare from Allentown, PA to Tampa, FL for $158 per person right now. When we went this past May we lucked out with a SW DING and it was only $368 roundtrip for 4 of us. Since we're planning to travel near T'giving I'm afraid to wait for a DING. If you've flown US AIiways I'd love to know your experiences with them!

Was this rate from their own website, or was it through Orbitz? We are flying in December from BWI to Mco, and that sounds like a great deal!

Thanks, Lisa

 

[cfknight]

I just booked with USAirways yesterday. I gave SW a chance but there prices were way to high. We got flights for $109 each way.

 

[snowwite]

They lost our luggage but did give me a compensation check for missing items. We were delayed an entire day and were given hotel room,$5.00 each for breakfast and when we got home they mailed vouchers for 25.00 off 100. flight,50. off a 200.,75. off a 300. or 100. off a 500. flight.
They were not helpful at all when they lost 2 bags.I was told I should have taken all carry on if I was worried about losing the stuff. Ya, that is not practical for a 10 day trip. Good luck.

 

[Tess'smom]

Just MHO but I would rather stick a fork in my eye than fly USAIR again. It may just be our bad luck, but we have never had an uneventful trip with them. I would much rather fly United, SW, Transair, to MCO from PHL. Customer service has been much better with the other airlines, cancellations were infrequent comparatively speaking. Hope your trip goes well.

 

[snowwite]

My DH travels for work and dreads using them. He calls them Useless Air

 

[Tess'smom]

:

My DH travels for work and dreads using them. He calls them Useless Air

That is very funny!

 

[iteachlit]

My friend from the Pittsburgh area always called them "US Scare."

Anyway, we always used to fly US Air out of Pittsburgh when PIT was their major hub. Also, our regional airport was serviced by US Air Express; that was the only way to get a cheap enough fare to fly out of our local airport.

I have never had a bad experience with US Air, but I haven't flown with them in about 10 years. Like most other major carriers, I'm sure they have cut back on services and amenities, but I wouldn't hesitate using them.

As always, YMMV.

 

[CarolA]

My friend from the Pittsburgh area always called the "US Scare."

.

That's the one I have always heard.... (There are 'nicknames' for most of them Southwest is Southwurst, etc)

The big rap against USAir is their relations with thier baggage handlers especially in their PHL hub. Hopefully that is improving, but it's a risk. Pack a 24 hours supply with you!

 

[loveysbydesign]

WOW...I'm so glad I asked!!!
Looks like we'll be waiting around to book SW and if they have nothing then I'll look elsewhere. I hadn't realized that the flight from Allentown to Tampa had a layover in Philly when I originally looked at it. We definately will want non-stop as we'll have our 3 kids with us and they'll be 8y.o., 5y.o. and 5 months old at the time of our trip! Thanks everyone for your comments

 

[kkmauch]

I know some have had bad experiences with US Airways, but I have had nothing but good service. I had a flight booked from MSP to MCO via Charlotte last fall. When I went to the airport I wasn't allowed to check-in via the skycap. This had me very worried. I went to the counter and the woman reassured me nothing was wrong but they had overbooked the flight. She offered me a free round trip ticket anywhere in the lower 48 over the next year and they rebooked me ON A DIRECT flight with NWA that was leaving about 15 minutes earlier than my US Airways flight was scheduled to leave.

I have taken them in and out of DCA a lot too and they have been nothing but good. I think you'll be fine with them assuming you want to fly in and out of Tampa.

 

[zdad]

I've flown USAir for business, all over the country, and haven't seen anything better or worse than any other airline. Nothing particularly special and nothing particularly bad.

The two great things in the ressie you've got now is......
1. Flying out of Allentown.
2. Flying into Tampa

I love Lehigh Valley Airport (ABE). It's small, never crowded, the planes tend to get in and out on time. Really makes for a much peaceful trip. If you have a non-stop to Tampa, even better.

Tampa's airport is like ABE, but a little bigger. We flew into Tampa last big WDW vacation in 2005. What a snap. No over child crowded flight. In and out of the airport in no time. We rented a minivan to get to WL. Trip from airport to WL was 90 minutes. Only ~1/2 hour longer than flying into Orlando. Dropped the car off at DTD. No fuss, no muss. We'd do it again for our April trip except the timing of our flights, and my use of Frequent Flyer miles forces us to go out of Philadelphia (Phila-hell-phia) Int'l.

If you wait for a Ding, you takes your chances. Could be great, but you could also be left waiting.

Enjoy your trip.